[PCs] team trust no bitch aka team hat aka chuuya & caren

[doublesmall]

[but is it really team hat if only caren has one, though? that's the real question here.

threads in comments!

(there is age difference ship content here but nothing nsfw)]

Comments

they have no idea what's going to happen

[sexorcism]

[She's probably coming back from her day in the park, feeling satisfied with the time she wasted but disappointed in the lack of any more important information. It was a reprieve that didn't feel at all like one, in the end.]

Yes? What is it?

[doublesmall]

I had a talk with that Eleanor girl. Found out a few things I thought you might want to know-- ah, she gave me permission to tell you, too, so don't worry about talking with her if you need to.

[a brief pause, there, before he finishes-]

She says she wants a sort of alliance. I told her I wasn't going to speak for both of us.

[sexorcism]

The exorcist? I just saw her the other day. [She'd encouraged Caren to buy nice clothes, Caren had said acerbic things. It's a fond memory.

It still surprises her that Chuuya would go so far to consult her for her opinion, but she tries not to let it show.]

What does she think she has to gain from this kind of alliance?

[doublesmall]

Someone she can put some degree of trust in, I think. She said she was able to get confirmation I'm not a Reaper.

[he folds his arms, there, keeping his voice lowered just in case.]

I know I only have her word to go off for that, but it seemed to me like she was telling the truth. She gave me a weakness of hers and proved that it was true, since she couldn't give me solid proof of how she knew.

[sexorcism]

[All right, unexpected. Caren's hands rest at her side. Is it possible to trust someone else's word of someone else's word? Doubting her pact with Chuuya would put them both and risk, and so - ]

Can you accept her words in good faith? It seems exposing her weakness would be a foolish move otherwise.

[doublesmall]

I think so. It's the kind of thing that could work against her if someone decided to take advantage, so-- I trust that she means it.

[if it were something that could have been of no consequence, he'd have less faith in it, but chuuya looks serious enough.]

And she didn't make any demands, except for keeping an eye out. I don't think she's just trying to get something out of us.

[sexorcism]

Hm. Is it possible for a human being to do something without wanting anything in return?

[Though the question is big and philosophical, Caren looks satisfied with the answer. She relaxes a little bit, her tone back to its normal,
even softness.]

That tension she has with her partner seems like the biggest threat to her at the moment. Though that might not be anything we can look out for.

[doublesmall]

I don't know if it is, but... she seems honest for now, even if she wants something later.

[it's very tentative trust, but trust nonetheless. he's making an effort.]

And I don't think you're wrong. What she told me could still be a threat on its own, but unless someone exploits it? Her partner's the bigger issue. She seems confident she can handle Velvet, though.

[sexorcism]

They do seem to possess comparable strength, if their profiles are anything to go by.

[Clasping her hands together, Caren nods.]

Even if Velvet Crowe's ire gets pointed at us, too, I remain confident in our abilities.

[She doesn't ask about the weakness.]

[doublesmall]

So do I. She'd be outnumbered anyway, yeah?

[that gets a little grin from him. he thinks he might be able to take her on his own, but-- numbers help.]

If you're fine with working with her, though, Eleanor wanted to speak with both of us later. I'll answer what I can first, if there's anything else you want to know.

[sexorcism]

Unless she has an alliance of her own to worry about guarding her.

[Luckily, buzzkill Hortensia is here to keep things real - and to keep Chuuya from getting overconfident with his own abilities.]

What do you think I should know about her before we meet? It won't be much of a negotiation if we go about it inefficiently.

[doublesmall]

[between her and assassin maybe he'll stay humble at some point--

no i can't even type that straight faced. he just gives her a Look at that and moves on.]

She seems earnest enough. We've talked before, and she mentioned wanting to make sure no one here suffers. At first she said she'd only defend herself and wouldn't play by going after anyone, but she told me when we spoke about her confirmation that if she could be sure of a Reaper's identity, she might try to take them out.

[sexorcism]

How fortunate for us that we are neither of us Reapers. That explains her desire to identify the innocents, as well.

[Is the look supposed to scare her? Caren maintains the same level of even eye contact.]

If she's changed her tune, she's either received new information or was playing things close to the vest until she could have confirmation.