Week 4, Post-Trial: Newt and Hermann

[withsadness]

[So, she doesn't wait, really. As soon as the trial is over she grabs each of them by the arm. C'mon, science dads. She's pulling them along with all the tiny strength in her body and carting them to any private place she can find.]

I'm really happy.

[She says it almost eerily, her head bowed.]

I was so scared that it would be you that Max announced.

Comments

[byjove]

[Hermann follows along robotically. He... does not feel real at the moment. What a fuckin' day.]

I'm... glad we weren't. I'll be honest, I was afraid myself until I remembered the polygraph. I should've had her use it earlier.

[He's just sort of babbling ignore him.]

[completelycrazy]

[Newt knows he's in trouble as soon as Mary snaps up his arm. He does keep it together for a little while though, managing to hold in the tears until she starts talking. God.]

Yeah, um... Me too, kiddo. [He sniffs, wipes his nose on his jacket sleeve.] A-are you okay?

[withsadness]

Me? Of course! Of course I'm okay!

[But she has this kind of...manic jerkiness to her tone and her movements. Still, at Newt's tears, she hugs him tightly--so, so tightly, burying her face against him.]

I thought I'd lose three people very important to me all in one weekend.

[byjove]

[Oh no. That snaps Hermann back to reality, and now he's... maybe wiping off tears of his own. God. He didn't realize how much he was holding in until now.]

It's alright, Mary. We're not going anywhere.

[He hopes.]

[completelycrazy]

[Newt wishes he would've at least zipped up his jacket before accepting this hug, but, well. Here they are.

For the moment, anyway. Newt squeezes her back just as tightly, but then he scoops his arms under her shoulders and lifts her up. He holds her in a tight embrace for... Indefinitely, basically. Mary's going to have to wriggle out of here.]

I'm so sorry, Mary.

[withsadness]

Neither of you have anything to be sorry for. I know you won't leave. I trust and believe in both of you.

[She nearly laughs in giddy elation as her feet leave the ground, and then gives Newt an impulsive kiss on his cheek. There is a pause, though, and while she doesn't break the embrace there is a definite shift in her tone when she speaks again. It's serious. Too serious. Verging on dangerous--but that can't be right, can it? It's Mary.]

That is, assuming you really didn't do it.

[Another pause.]

Tell me the absolute truth.

[byjove]

[Hermann is just standing off to the side of this hug party when Mary's tone suddenly shifts. He frowns at Newt over Mary's shoulder.]

Of course we didn't do it. You know us better than that.

[completelycrazy]

[Newt goes rigid when Mary speaks. He... remembers what she told him. They trust each other.

But he catches Hermann's eyes on him. He sets Mary back on the ground, though he keeps a hand on her shoulder. He shoots Hermann a nod.]

I told you we're not Reapers, remember? We're not here to hurt anybody.

[withsadness]

[She leans back so she can look at Newt in the face when he sets her back down. He'll get a momentary critical look from her, but then it snaps back to normal Mary, and she's all smiles and relief.]

Right, I know! I just wanted to hear you say it in private, that's all. I never thought you did it.

[She darts over to Hermann and gives him a hug, too, because that's only fair.]

Jacopo was working really hard to catch reapers, so I knew you wouldn't do something like that. If you had...

[Well, it isn't important because that's not reality, so she doesn't finish her sentence.]

[byjove]

[Yeah he's not going to pursue that line of questioning. It's not worth it. He'll just hug Mary and try not to cry.

Unsuccessfully. But at least they're quiet man tears.]

Thank you, Mary. For trusting us the whole time.

[There weren't very many people who did...]

[completelycrazy]

[bullshit they are, hermann.]

Yeah, um... I think you probably saved us a little bit there, kiddo. [He tries to laugh. It's not very effective...]

[withsadness]

We're friends. There's no way I wouldn't trust you the whole time. I'd be really sad if you two were gone, especially cause you're both so nice and so smart, too.

[She wonders why there aren't a lot of people around who seem to see how nice they are. But then, she seems to find niceness in people for very odd reasons.]

Are you two going to be okay?