Consequences of Consequence (Janine)
| Consequences of Consequence (Janine) | |
|---|---|
| Date of Cutscene: | 15 April 2016 |
| Location: | Alberichstadt City |
| Synopsis: | Janine reflects on recent events, and comes to two major decisions about how to act from now. |
| Thanks to: | To Lezard for making this possible, and to August, Mel and Kotone for being at the follow-up! |
| Cast of Characters: | Janine Liberi |
Janine sits still in bed as nurses tend to her, removing bandages to apply fresh dressings to raw pink skin. "The burns are healing up nicely," one nurse says to the girl reassuringly. "You shouldn't have any lasting marks from them. The cut on your chest though..."
Janine looks off into the distance, barely listening. The nurse starts going on about how she'll find someone who will look past the scars, but the Persona user has other things on her mind. What everyone said earlier... the fact that they bothered to visit at all. She certainly hadn't given them reason to. And for the life of her, she couldn't think of any ulterior motives.
Well, that's a lie. She could, but none that seemed right. If they had wanted to mock her, they had free reign. In her state, she couldn't stop them. They hadn't taken any photos to laugh about later either. If they had wanted to say 'I told you so,' they could have... but they didn't do that either.
They... really just seemed concerned.
What did this mean though? She thought hard on it as fresh bandages were applied to her. Sure, when you're supposedly 'friends' with someone, you show concern when things go sour for them. But, they could have done that when she told them. Kohler would have known from the news, no doubt. But the cop and the cyborg would have had to go way out of their way, more than they needed to.
Maybe... no. No! People are shitty and self-interested! Her face twists into a grimace, making a nurse apologize and unwind some bandages, starting again to make them less tight. Again, Janine doesn't notice. Perhaps some people are less shitty than others, she muses. Just maybe, they were one of those. But, that doesn't mean they wouldn't plant a knife in her back once it was convenient.
And yet... she understood that. They know she understands that, she's said it on the radio enough. But they visited anyway. Maybe... maybe they understood that, and didn't mind. Sure, they hadn't accepted that she was right. But she knew she was. If she just kept that in mind... maybe she could get along with people. Just... be on her toes, don't let them all the way in.
Not that she needs to, of course. It's just... to make things less stressful. It'll let her work better with others, have some allies for what lies ahead. The nurses finish up, and bid Janine a good night, giving her the alone time she needed for what comes next.
What to do about Lezard Valeth?
The heart monitor she was hooked to was silenced, but the peaks suddenly spike in height as Janine's heart hammers with anger, disgust, horror, and fear. How /dare/ he just show up and do this?! How could he just... have Matilda killed like that?
Janine's face flushes red, eyes watering as she clenches her good hand into a fist so tight the white of the bone shines through her knuckles. The ones who had shown up today... they were livid. Kohler looked ready to go out and fight him right then and there. Even the cop said she wanted to beat his ass given half an excuse.
This must be how things are done in the Multiverse.
In that case, she's not going to be happy with 'an eye for an eye.' It was a bit stereotypical of her, but she can't help but recall a gangster movie she saw once. In it, a Mafioso was giving some advice to his son.
"Boy, in our business, you need to keep two knives at your side. When someone is in ya business, you draw the swift, angry knife, start stabbin'. But, if they've already been in your business, and ya can't stop 'em anymore? Put that knife aside, and forgive. Get to know 'em, become their best buddy, their best man, their friggin' in-law if ya can manage it. And then, when they trust ya completely?"
"Ya slip that second knife, slow and deliberate, between their ribs."
The heart monitor starts to calm, a placid grin spreading across Janine's face. The slow and deliberate knife... she can do that.
