Day 44:
"Still here, Killer? I would have thought you'd prefer to share a different room."
"I do." Iris shut the door behind her and stood in front of it. "But first I'm going to talk to you."
"By all means! I welcome the comical blundering that results whenever you all attempt to ascribe motivations to me." Ardyn dropped into the armchair by the window and stretched his legs out.
"I just wanted to say you don't have to hide, and it's okay if you like someone. It's not a big deal," she said.
"However would I survive without you?" Ardyn spread his hands. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for this affirmation of who I truly am."
"She thinks you're funny," Iris said. "I understand why, but I wonder if you've ever had a serious conversation with her."
"More than I care to count." He removed his hat and turned it over in his hands, inspecting the brim. "You have no idea how deep the wells of your idol plunge into darkness."
"Yours, too, huh?"
"And mine as well." He looked up at her. The shadows around his eyes seemed to deepen until even the whites were black and his irises stood out stark and orange against them.
"Mhm. And you're the only other person who knows what happened in those ten years."
"But of course." His smile stretched and turned black in the corners.
"Good," Iris said. "I'm glad she has someone who knows, even though she can't share it with us."
"Can't? Or won't?"
Something weird was happening to his skin. Black lines spread beneath it like a patchwork of veins. Black tears dripped from his eyes, but he smiled still. Iris kept her feet rooted. He was trying to scare her away. It wasn't going to work. If she could face down Gladdy when he was angry, she could handle this.
"Either one," Iris said. "It doesn't matter."
He leaned forward in his chair. "I can smell your fear."
"Oh yeah?" Iris crossed her arms over her chest. "Good grief. You think that's all it takes? That you can just scare people off, tell them they can't trust you, and everything will stay the same no matter what else you do? You're just like those bullies at school, always try to scare people because it makes you feel like you control them. And they want to control people because at home someone controls them, but deep down they just wish someone would be their friend. I think you try to scare people away because you believe they'll leave eventually anyway. Well what would you do if someone stayed?"
The blackness faded from his face, all at once like everything had just been painted on. He leaned back in his chair and studied her, eyes narrowed.
"Are you going to try to be my friend, Killer? How sweet."
"And what if I am?"
"Then I'll kill everything you hold dear."
Still trying to scare her off. Sheesh.
"You shouldn't make threats you're not planning on following through with," Iris said. "You might be crazy, but you're not stupid. So just deal with it, alright?"
He looked like he was waiting for the punchline. Or at least for someone to jump out and say 'Ha ha! Gotcha!' He'd be waiting a while.
"Anyway, I'm going to find a spare shower and wash all this grime off. G'night!"
She turned and left, leaving him waiting. Maybe he'd never believe it. Maybe it wouldn't make any difference. But sometimes it did and everyone needed friends, so she was going to do it anyway.
Even if he hated it.
