[The way Mukuro is looking at her, Lila doesn't know if she understands. Maybe she hears, but she doesn't understand. When you're that scared, it's hard to really listen, hard to tease meaning out of phonemes, hard to parse human language. You beg and you bargain and you claw for freedom and safety but that doesn't always mean listening. The difference with Mukuro is she wouldn't try for those things, because she doesn't think she deserves them.]
[That's the whole point.]
[Her expression stays steely. A piece of Junko Enoshima. Komaeda said — Komaeda knew. Komaeda knew, which means Celeste must know, and that means they've all known, together, and there's ringing in her ears again, liars, liars, because Komaeda told her but he didn't talk about this part and when she thinks about it it makes sense, it wasn't his to tell, but when she stops thinking she's angry. Angry. All of her body is anger.]
[She has to make something hurt.]
[Her claws tighten, then release. She lets Mukuro go deliberately, with intention, because she wants to do damage but she doesn't want to do it to Mukuro. Mukuro who is looking at her like she's promised to do a favor, when it isn't about that at all. It isn't about protection. It's about possession. Komaeda is hers. Mukuro is hers, too. Even if they lie to her, even if they keep things from her, they belong to her, and she's never, ever going to let this happen to them again. Does Mukuro understand? Does she get it? It's not about protection. It's about putting an end to the same kind of ugliness that ripped all of their lives apart before.]
[She will kill Junko if she arrives here. She will kill Riley if she does anything like this ever again. Even if Komaeda and Mukuro and Celeste keep lying to her, even if they do, even then—]
[Static flies in the space around her. Sparks. One hits the wall and sizzles before extinguishing.]
[They belong to her. And she's not going to lose again.]
. . . I don't want you to leave.
[Despite everything, her voice is quiet. Somber.]
If you hear me and you understand and you don't want to leave, then don't. You're mine. I'm not letting you go. But only if you want that.
cw unhealthy relationship dynamics,,,
[That's the whole point.]
[Her expression stays steely. A piece of Junko Enoshima. Komaeda said — Komaeda knew. Komaeda knew, which means Celeste must know, and that means they've all known, together, and there's ringing in her ears again, liars, liars, because Komaeda told her but he didn't talk about this part and when she thinks about it it makes sense, it wasn't his to tell, but when she stops thinking she's angry. Angry. All of her body is anger.]
[She has to make something hurt.]
[Her claws tighten, then release. She lets Mukuro go deliberately, with intention, because she wants to do damage but she doesn't want to do it to Mukuro. Mukuro who is looking at her like she's promised to do a favor, when it isn't about that at all. It isn't about protection. It's about possession. Komaeda is hers. Mukuro is hers, too. Even if they lie to her, even if they keep things from her, they belong to her, and she's never, ever going to let this happen to them again. Does Mukuro understand? Does she get it? It's not about protection. It's about putting an end to the same kind of ugliness that ripped all of their lives apart before.]
[She will kill Junko if she arrives here. She will kill Riley if she does anything like this ever again. Even if Komaeda and Mukuro and Celeste keep lying to her, even if they do, even then—]
[Static flies in the space around her. Sparks. One hits the wall and sizzles before extinguishing.]
[They belong to her. And she's not going to lose again.]
. . . I don't want you to leave.
[Despite everything, her voice is quiet. Somber.]
If you hear me and you understand and you don't want to leave, then don't. You're mine. I'm not letting you go. But only if you want that.