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[devoutish]

Yeah?

[That's it, that's all you get.]

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[devoutish]

Royce.

[bywolves]

Alfie.

[devoutish]

[He sighs, and forces himself to be completely honest here.]

It's a long walk through the tunnels. It's-- and my head--

[Pause. Breathe.]

Not much room for error. If I lose my-- myself, if I get turned around--

[He won't have the time to spare. He can only make it to the next building if he starts walking soon, and keeps walking straight. He can't promise that he'd get in before lockdown.]

[bywolves]

No. [ Then don't move. He's not going to risk Alfie dying. ] No come. No walk, no error.

[devoutish]

And you?

[Royce has to move, at least a little bit. He can't stay in the funeral home overnight.]

[bywolves]

No funeral home. [ Royce says. He'll move far enough. Behind him, there's a shivery sob, and Royce rumbles quietly, upset. ] I'll walk.

[devoutish]

Not far.

[His voice is stern.]

[bywolves]

Not far. [ Royce agrees. He doesn't think he has it in him to go far anyway. ]

[devoutish]

If you died again--

[He doesn't know how to finish that.]

[bywolves]

Not died again. [ Royce says, and this time it's firm. ] Didn't help. If losing myself, I'll get inside.

[devoutish]

[And he'll have more options, with more houses around him. Alfie relaxes, just a little bit.]

Go next door. That's all.

[bywolves]

[ He makes a confirming noise. He'll go in a minute. First, though. ]

Anomaly. [ A beat. ] Her. [ And he nudges the tablet so Alfie can hear Gwen laughing to herself, a little hysterically. ] You?

[devoutish]

I--

[He'd killed her. It. He'd killed it. He'd killed an anomaly, he hadn't killed Fiona.

He squeezes his eyes shut, trying not to think about what he's been wondering for hours now: if what he saw when he bashed its head against the wall was similar to what the Joker had seen when he'd beaten the real her to death.]

I.

[bywolves]

[ There's a long pause, and then Royce lets out a low, wounded sound. ]

Alfie. [ He hopes that conveys how sorry he is. He's very carefully thinking around what he has to do. In fact, he doesn't think he will. He'd rather be this than have to kill her. ]

[devoutish]

{Alfie makes a sound that's almost a whimper. He'd killed her without hesitation, but. Still.]

[bywolves]

Hurt. [ He understands. The cloak gathers up around the tablet. ] Ssss - sss.

[ He can't say sorry - all he has is the start of the sound. ]

[devoutish]

Hurts very much. Yeah.

[He swallows.]

Are you going to--

[bywolves]

No. [ Royce says, near immediately. The cloak ripples angrily. ] No.

[devoutish]

[Maybe ordinarily, he'd get worked up about this - it's not really Gwen, it just looks like Gwen. But he finds that he can't manage it, now. Maybe he could if it were about something less abstract, but who even knows what the lights are, anyway? Who knows, maybe they're a bad thing.]

Your light?

[bywolves]

Didn't help. [ He sounds miserable. ] Her. Alfie.

[devoutish]

Don't listen to it. Lis-- listen to me.

[bywolves]

[ Gwen's in the background - Royce is quiet, though the cloak is trembling, so her voice comes even more clearly. It didn't even help, she sobs. It isn't enough, this one isn't good enough, I can't keep it, I need mine. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie casts around desperately in his muddled brain for something, anything to talk about. Distractions for Royce. Words for Royce.

I can't tell a story. My head's not-- right for it.

[bywolves]

[ For a second Alfie's going to hear Royce clacking at the floor with his knife-fingers. If he thinks about it, he might realize Royce is trying Morse and failing miserably. He can't remember the letters, they're fuzzy. All that ends up happening is he taps the letter 'o' over and over before just giving up.

He jams himself up in a corner. ] It all right. [ Royce murmurs. ] Don't need. Walk.

[ Soon. ]

[devoutish]

[He starts tapping out the alphabet, but gets stuck on G - he can't remember it.]

Miss you. Glad you're alive. Eh?