041 VIDEO LIST SEVENTEEN

[deadliestviper]

[The Beatrix who comes back to the Barge is not the one who left. Yes, she's the same person; she looks the same, except a bit older. She's rounded the corner into her early forties now, but it's not age that weathered her face. She looks exhausted, ashen-skinned and with dark shadows under her reddish eyes. So many things have changed from the last time she was here.]

Ten years.

[Ten years of monumental changes. She'd gone back; she'd seen Budd dead; she'd blinded Elle and killed Bill. She'd lost her enemies, at least she thought. And she'd gotten the most precious gift imaginable, which hadn't been revenge.

Ten years of motherhood, ten years of hugs and growing pains and tantrums and tears. Ten years of watching the most beautiful little girl in the world grow into a beautiful young woman, bright-eyed with a smile that always dazzled her. Easily the most perfect daughter any mother had ever had.

And then in the last week, it had all changed again.]

Well, I'm back.


[Ben]
I'm sorry about Zack. But I'm glad you're here. [Very, very glad. Much more relieved than she can say, if her voice cracking is any indication.]

[Ellie]
[This one is more difficult. She hopes to God Ellie's still here, and at the same time is afraid to see her. Too close for comfort.] Are you okay, honey?

[Vin]
How was she? Is she all right?

[Anya]
If you don't have an aversion to rock music, I have some things for you.

[Arthas]
[This one, at least, is an easy message.] Why the hell is this sword in my room?

[Lab Personnel]
If any of you have a working knowledge of chemistry, I have a favor to ask.

Comments

[deadliestviper]

Family trouble. Thank you, though.

You doing okay?

[mistconduct]

Well, that has to suck. Sorry, Bea.

Noooope. But you don't want to hear about my problems right now.

[deadliestviper]

Thank you.

Then why did I ask?

[mistconduct]

Wanna talk about it? I know family problems.

I dunno. Maybe you were bored. Or being polite.

[deadliestviper]

Maybe sometime. Not right now, though. [Because dissolving into tears in front of an 18-year-old, no matter how supportive, is just not on.]

No, I want to know. Besides, I missed a lot.

[mistconduct]

Okay. Whenever. Not in a rush.

So my psycho arch nemesis totally showed up on the Barge two days ago and keeps saying she's gonna kill me over the network. Fun.

[deadliestviper]

Don't worry, she won't. You've got someone staying with you, right?

[mistconduct]

Well, I mean. I'm staying at other people's places. On and off. But I'm not all that mobile and she's in Zero.

[deadliestviper]

Need a bodyguard? You're not dying while I'm around.

[mistconduct]

Well. Maybe.

She's crazy, though. I think she could take you.

[deadliestviper]

Crazy's nothing new for me. What should I know about her?

[mistconduct]

Well, she was like eleven when I shot her out of a window. She must be like fourteen or fifteen now, not sure.

She's a ninja and she likes guns and knives and has a bigger mouth than me, which is saying something.

And I sort of helped kill her dad and she helped kill mine. So...bad blood.

[private]

[deadliestviper]

[Beatrix winces, shaking her head as if trying to chase away a pain, and immediately switches to private. That's far too close for comfort.]

If she attacks you I'll stop her. But I'm not hurting her, and I'm not touching this feud with a ten-foot pole.

[private]

[mistconduct]

I'm not asking you to fight my battles for me. Especially when I'm the one who fucked up.

[private]

[deadliestviper]

[That shows a measure of maturity Bea wasn't sure Chris was capable of. She's impressed.]

Well... good. That's very valiant of you.

[private]

[mistconduct]

Well, it's suicide, let's not fuck around. But the consequences for this bullshit have been waiting for a long, long time.

[private]

[deadliestviper]

There's a fourteen-year-old girl waiting to kill me when I go home.

I know how you feel.

[private]

[mistconduct]

Fun, huh? The shittiest part is that they're right to want to kill you.

[private]

[deadliestviper]

That's why I'm going to let her do it.

Not sure I'd recommend that for you though.

[private]

[mistconduct]

At least here it's not permanent. Why you letting her kill you at home? You can't come back from that.

[private]

[deadliestviper]

Because I killed her mom when she was four.

I didn't know she was watching.

[private]

[mistconduct]

Shit.

But I mean, let's be real. She was going to find who did in her mom eventually. Didn't matter if she was watching or not.


My dad tortured and executed her dad on live tv.

So you know. It could be worse.

[private]

[deadliestviper]

Yeah. That situation was fucked, though. Neither of us wanted to fight in front of her. Neither of us knew she was watching when Vernita tried to bushwhack me and I had to bury a knife in her chest.

That's some Batman shit, Chris. You don't forget or forgive that.

...Why? Making an example?

[private]

[mistconduct]

Hard to claim self defense in that case.

Yeah. And, I mean. Her dad was killing my family. And my family was deep in the drug business and fucked him over and killed his wife.

Which, in my defense, I had no idea about and was six when it happened.

Doesn't excuse the future bullshit, but I'm just saying the bad blood was a generation back.

[private]

[deadliestviper]

It actually was. It just doesn't matter.

All feuds go back a generation. [She just wishes she could give some advice on how to end them. Aside from laying down the lives of the guilty, she really doesn't know.]