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[empathicfault]

"Will Graham here. Leave a message."

[Open for text/audio/action/whatever.]

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[empathicfault]

It was more like two days. I knew people would want me in for therapy, so... [ He tried to get ahead of it, as it were. ]

I can talk to them first. But I'll do whichever you prefer.

[cactusy]

I'm not interested in compliant Will Graham who'll do whichever I prefer right now. Which do you want to do, and why?

[empathicfault]

[ He takes in a breath and sighs it out. ]

I'd like to get this over with, personally. Before I lose this feeling of shame that I earned and I start emulating people I'd rather not, again. Before I let the whispers of how to smooth this over crawl into my brain.

[cactusy]

I get that. And you worrying about that makes me want to be there. But I still want to know whether or not you'd prefer that, or whether you'd prefer to do it alone.

[empathicfault]

Oh. Uh...I do think they'd probably accept it more as fact if they know that both you and Kiryu are also aware of me manipulating things. I don't know if it'll fix anything, but that might mean they'd give Malcolm more consideration.

So I'd prefer if you were there.

[cactusy]

Well, that makes things easy. Okay, set it up and we'll do it.

[Pause.]

And, uh-- we can talk about what I would've said if you'd said you didn't want me there, if you want.

[Them both wanting the same thing does make things easier this time, but she's under no illusions that that will always be the case - and she knows he has experience with his wants ultimately not mattering in the face of someone else's.]

[empathicfault]

...ah.

[ He thought she'd been giving him a choice. But that wasn't what she'd said, was it? ]

Sure. Were you expecting me to say no? That I'd rather try it alone?

[cactusy]

I wasn't expecting anything. But I don't want you to think that if you'd said no, I would've said "too bad, so sad, I'm coming anyway", that's all.

[empathicfault]

Oh. Really? I thought you were noting that just now, so I'd know I--

[ All right, he's confusing himself, now. He clears his throat. ]

Forget it. Just thought you were pulling a Jack Crawford on me, that's all. -which, for the record, is basically "too bad, so sad." What would you have said?

[cactusy]

I figured you would, which is why I kinda wanted to talk about the hypothetical.

I would have asked why. I would have listened. If I thought the explanation was a good one, I would have said, okay, go do it and we'll talk about it after. If I thought the explanation was crap I would've told you I thought it was crap, and told you why I thought it was crap, and given you a chance to respond. It would have been a really annoying amount of talking.

[empathicfault]

[ That last bit surprises a chuckle out of Will. ]

Yeah, most likely. Okay. Thanks for letting me know. I'll go...set some meetings up, then.

[cactusy]

Okay. I'll see you when I see you.