A Third Transcript
Featured relevant characters:
Obvious exit: http://farragofiction.com/AThirdTranscript/
Origin: This can be found in the Doc Slaughter File Server.
YONGKI: Vik.
VIK: Yongki. How can I...
[VIK stops, a flash of recognition going through them. A beat]
VIK: Oh. It's you. To what do I owe the visit?
YONGKI: You did something to me. Fix it.
VIK: We all did a lot of 'things' to you. You will have to narrow it down.
YONGKI: Give me back my ██████.
VIK: Hm? Could you speak up? I'm afraid I cannot--
[YONGKI grabs VIK by the collar, raising them up in the air. They hang limply under his grasp, unfazed. VIK's walker dangles in the air]
YONGKI: My ██████. My words. You took my own past from me. Give it back.
VIK: Ah, I see. You mean your ███████████.
[YONGKI's grip tightens]
YONGKI: You can't talk about it either.
VIK: None of us can. I'm afraid that is the price you must pay for being allowed to stay here.
YONGKI: You know that doesn't make sense.
VIK: Please, elucidate me.
YONGKI: You won. You █████████ me and ██ █████. There's no reason to hide it if it didn't damage group cohesion... and for what? What will you do if I do that again?
VIK: Well, are you?
YONGKI: ...
[A beat]
YONGKI: If I have to.
VIK: Go ahead, then. Be my guest. I'm sure it'll still be there. After all, it was the last time, right? Surely it's all been waiting for you, just as you left it, and it hasn't--
[YONGKI reels in his fist]
YONGKI: Oh, that's it--
[Just before he can make contact with VIK, YONGKI stops. His fist shakes with held-back tension an inch from their face.
VIK does not flinch or react. The eyes on their jacket are focused on YONGKI, watching him tremble with interest.
Finally, YONGKI puts VIK down]
YONGKI: I... I can't hurt you.
[YONGKI brings a palm to his face]
YONGKI: And you know I can't hurt you.
VIK: That's what makes us different. I am long past getting attached to figments of my imagination.
YONGKI: I still don't get why you hate me so much. I've apologized. I've tried to make it up to you. But you're just-- you're unreasonable.
VIK: [deadpan] ...unreasonable.
YONGKI: Yes! Unreasonable! You cannot be reasoned with! I didn't want to hurt you, I never have. I wasted so much time training you and making you stronger, and when you have to return the favor, you trap me in here.
VIK: Unreasonable...
[VIK laughs: it's barely audible under their breath, accompanied by struggling wheezes. Most of all, they sound tired. They pace around YONGKI]
VIK: Let's see. If I were so unreasonable, I wouldn't let you live inside my friend, where you could freely try to take him over. If I were so unreasonable, I wouldn't have allowed you to even speak to me. If I truly were such an unreasonable person, Yongki...
[VIK lays a hand on YONGKI's chest]
VIK: I would've gotten rid of him a long time ago.
[A beat]
VIK: But instead I nurtured him. Over and over, for centuries. Do you know how long a century is, Yongki? A century crawls. Two to three generations of mortals are born in that amount of time, and still, thanklessly, I worked to preserve your memory. I had finally accepted you'd never come back... and then, you did.
YONGKI: I didn't ask you to do any of that.
VIK: Of course you didn't. All you cared about was making sure I was subservient to you.
YONGKI: That's not true. I was making you useful. Not--
VIK: Shut up.
YONGKI: Please just listen--
VIK: SHUT UP!
[Silence hangs over the room. VIK stands ruffled, hairs near standing up as if to make themselves look bigger. YONGKI, meanwhile, looks more shocked than anything.
After a solid minute, VIK takes a deep breath]
VIK: Understand the terms. You can only stay because we allow you to. You can speak because I allow you to. Step out of line, and you will regret it. Are we clear?
YONGKI: ...
[YONGKI's face reads something more than despair. If anything, it's pure terror. He holds his breath, fists shaking]
YONGKI: Heard.
VIK: Then get out of my sight.
[YONGKI steps back. Then a few steps more. He turns and breaks into a sprint, heading out the door and fully into the maze.
VIK sighs. Their whole body decompresses at once, releasing an incredible amount of tension. They stare off in the direction YONGKI ran]
VIK: Have fun being 'useful'.
[END SCENE]