[ he nods, so she nods back in acknowledgement. but she doesn't keep going quite yet. instead, the hand he's not covering with his reaches down to lift his bowl from between them and set it behind her instead - slow, quiet movements, because she doesn't want to pop whatever bubble they're sitting in. then she slides forward, just enough that he doesn't have to lean to reach her, all without breaking the eye contact. ]
I hesitated, [ she says now, a little quieter by reflex, because all of this? it's between she and richie. not like anyone else is around to hear, but that's not the point. ] Because after everything, after all the shit he pulled, I didn't just... want to end him. I wanted him to feel it. I wanted to terrify him, to make him feel like he was drowning and- [ - don't say burning - ] ...I wanted to tear him apart for two years instead of ten seconds. But that's not how this shit works.
[ her hand shifts just enough to make sure his is aligned on top of it, so that when she spreads her fingers, his spread too. which she does, her other hand back to join it now in the claw gestures from before. ] It's not even hard. Getting in's the hardest part. Once there's a hole, once you've got your hand right smack in their core... It's like tearing fabric. You just - [ her hands separate now to illustrate: ] -pull them apart. Into mist, and then they're just... gone.
[ it doesn't seem as climactic as he was probably looking for. sally chews at her bottom lip a second, then: ] I wish I could say it was satisfying.
[action]
I hesitated, [ she says now, a little quieter by reflex, because all of this? it's between she and richie. not like anyone else is around to hear, but that's not the point. ] Because after everything, after all the shit he pulled, I didn't just... want to end him. I wanted him to feel it. I wanted to terrify him, to make him feel like he was drowning and- [ - don't say burning - ] ...I wanted to tear him apart for two years instead of ten seconds. But that's not how this shit works.
[ her hand shifts just enough to make sure his is aligned on top of it, so that when she spreads her fingers, his spread too. which she does, her other hand back to join it now in the claw gestures from before. ] It's not even hard. Getting in's the hardest part. Once there's a hole, once you've got your hand right smack in their core... It's like tearing fabric. You just - [ her hands separate now to illustrate: ] -pull them apart. Into mist, and then they're just... gone.
[ it doesn't seem as climactic as he was probably looking for. sally chews at her bottom lip a second, then: ] I wish I could say it was satisfying.