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House 1411

"Hello? Hello?? I'm sorry, there's nobody home right now. [ obnoxious peal of laughter: go ]

Ahh, that's right! Leave a message, and I'll get back to you. Right? That's how it goes? Aha, no telemarketers, please!

If you run up my bill, I'll have to ask you to pay the extra costs.

[ BEEP ]

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[ it's the rawness that gets him, that sets off the bells. he's heard her after a fight, after a round of destroying public property and working off her stress. he's heard her stressed before. this is nothing like it, nothing like she ought to sound after a simple task of taking in a teenage girl. ]

Are you all right?

Yeah. Yeah. I'm okay.

[she's hedging, wavering between the need to be strong, to endure, to not make anyone worry that she can't handle herself because she can, she always can -- and the desire to just be honest.

he knows how to talk to her at times like this, the right things to do and to say. like steve, like jess. sometimes she needs that more than she needs her pride.]

Nothing too serious.

What happened?

[ he wants to grill her, to know, but refrains. this isn't the time, this isn't the place, this isn't the way. ]

How did it go?

[maybe not helping her case that she's okay and it's not serious, the first thing she comes out with in response is a hurried--]

Don't freak out.

[ that is the worst opener to a story. now he thinks he knows how TV fathers feel about their capricious children. ]

I'll do my best...?

[...........

........

..........]

She stabbed me.

[ sweet Jehoshaphat ]

Ah. Is that all.

How can you say that so casually!????

I told you not to freak out!

These are grounds for it no matter what the prior agreement is!

It's fine! I'm stitched up, I have painkillers, it's fine!

Was someone else there to help out?

Yeah.

[wow what a cagey answer]

Carol.

[ this is a tone that brooks no arguments. ]

[she huffs out a long sigh.]

Her name was Momiji somebody? She was there. It was fine.

Is this truth, Carol?

Yes.

[ the thought is there, bright and bold, utterly senseless:

he should have been there. it's an unreasonable thought; likely his presence wouldn't have solved anything, if that Touko was as wily as she seemed.

it doesn't stop the twist in his gut, the slow burn in his head, his chest, the shame. ]

Are you still at the clinic?

[she was ramping up to anger, to a futile round of I can take care of myself!, but at his next question it sinks back under as quickly as it'd come. he's just concerned, that's all.

carol is so tired of causing that.]

Yeah. They're keeping me overnight.

All right.

Call me when you're out. Just to make sure everything's okay.

Okay.

[a beat.]

It was stupid, wasn't it.

Was it? You did what was right. You followed through on a promise to a scared and worried girl to stop her.

And almost got myself killed.

I don't know. I don't -- know what I'm doing anymore.

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