The Account

An Author and an Author Slayer's Procrastination

I sit next to the door, holding my phone in my hand, thinking.

"What are you doing?" Edgar asks.

"I'm gonna talk to K outside the story," I reply, "as Leo obviously."

"Dude hold up," Gen steps in, "think about this. She has a mask. She's... We have to stop people like her."

"I can't change everyone," I sigh, "but K... she was a part of Fando, and I'm not going to agreed the issue right off the bat. I'm doing this not to advance the same allegory or plot, but because I care about her. She's like a sister to me. She's smarter than this, and I'm sure if I can just talk to her about it. Maybe later, she'll remove her own mask, and it'll be OK. It can all just be OK. When we do change things, I don't want K getting caught in the crossfire."

"I say let her," Edgar smirks, "what has she ever done for-"

I slam Edgar by his head into the ground.

"Until K crosses that line, she IS NOT A BAD PERSON! She's the same as always! At worst, she's uneducated on the subject and just taking a wrong turn. I'm gonna have one more chance to address it later, and that will be my last chance. YOU will NOT speak ill of K! We can't save everyone, but we can save so many including her! We can't screw this up! I have to do everything I can to convince her, but for now, I just want my friend back! You will not fuck this up for me!"

Edgar rises to his feet as K approaches.

"Hey," I greet, aniexty welling up within me, "can we talk? We don't have to talk about the argument or this book or anything like that. We can adress all that later. Can we just talk?"

K hesitates for a few moments, but then nods.

"So how you been?" I ask with a smile. I know those problems won't go away, and each page of this I write brings confronting them closer but...

I'd rather just put them off.

("So," Abby asks, "when this ends, are we, like, gonna have to fight?")

("You?" I ask, "not really. Everyone else, probably, yeah.")

("Why not betray Reaper?" Sour asks, "bro we can help you.")

(I shake my head. "You're all good people," I explain, "and I consider you all good freinds, but I still have to protect this world.")

("Well I have to protect Reaper," Armored reminds, "so, friendship aside, don't expect mercy from me.")

("That's what makes you great for him," I smile, "your resolve. How much you care. If anyone can stop him, you can. That's for damn sure. If you convince him, I'll back off. A favor to my friends.")

("Wow," Armored smiles, "thanks dude. That means a lot.")

("But for now," I sigh, "can we not talk about that? Why face this early? Can't we just get along? Enjoy a blissful denial until the truth takes center stage? We know it will eventually, but right now it's kinda irrelevant, so why stir up more trouble?")

("Aren't we fighting for the truth?" Sour inquires, "that kinda goes against everything we're fighting for.")

("Not so," Abby corrects Sour with a calm, kind tone, "it's more like procrastinating, and truthfully, I don't see the issue with it.")

("So we're not denying the truth?" Armored asks.)

("Yeah poor choice of words," I correct myself, "it's more like setting it aside.")

(We all nod in agreement and understanding to this.)

("Well," Abby reminds everyone, "we gotta find Fando and Wolf. Let's go.")

(With a mutual understanding that our friendship won't be gone, just set aside like we are doing with the fact I'm an Author Slayer when this book ends, we continue towards the truth...")