[Video]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Veronica's face appears on the screen. She's sitting at one of the terminals, leaning to the side. Her entire right arm has been wrapped in bandages, the sleeve pulled up to show a few blood stains.]

...S-so, I woke up in a-a n-new room a w-while ago. I g-guess you a-all have too.

[At least it was surprisingly pleasant. Thanks Zo.]

I h-have to ask, d-does the t-tower feel... different? Like, n-now t-that J-Jason is dead.

[Locked to Rick Dawn]

...[It takes her a moment to collect her voice.] R-rick...? Are... a-are y-you there?

[She leaves the message open for a while, waiting to see if he'll reply.]

Comments

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Surely Rick was an ace detective in these sort of things. Veronica actually had to wonder why she hadn't told him sooner.]

Really? Huh...

W-well, I had to tell someone. You deserved to know.

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick is truly a master of deduction. He hasn't even really picked up that Veronica is a construct--just that she's an experiment of some kind, or was horribly abused or something along those lines. Whatever it was, Rick knows that it wasn't pleasant.]

[He pauses, looking torn.] ...Th--That...that m-means a l-l-lot t-to me. [Rick tries a smile to show his gratitude, but can't quite manage.] I-I m-mean, I...I w-w-wish there w-was s-s-something I c-could do.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

I-it's okay. It's not really a problem, just how I came to be.

My sisters are the same way.

[bashfulshifter]

[Her sisters...]

[...Oh. Suddenly, a lot of things are making more sense. Although that doesn't quite solve the problem at hand, in Rick's eyes--]

--B-But--then w-why d-d-didn't p-people...why w-were they s-s-so m-mean? I d-don't u-understand...

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[All she can offer up is a shrug.]

T-they were afraid of w-what I could do. I saved their lives and they drove me away.

[bashfulshifter]

[Unable to effectively articulate his distress at hearing such unfairness, Rick tries to pull Veronica in for a hug.]

...I-I'm s-s-so s-s-sorry for that.

[Because surely, if he keeps apologizing for it, it will get better, right?]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[She wont stop him.]

It's o-okay. It's not like you did anything.

[bashfulshifter]

I... [How to phrase the thing...] ...I c-can h-h-help, at l-least. Or...t-try to. If th--that's o-okay.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

...That's okay.

[After a moments hesitation, she tries to return the hug as best she can.]

T-thank you.