She struggled to breathe. Her brooch pressed down into her windpipe painfully as she watched him, her eyes locked on his. The rage behind his eyes bore into her, effectively silencing her when she should have at least been trying to get him to let go. Luckily, she didn't have to; he let her go and she pressed herself back against the wall, coughing to clear her throat.

I'm a monster, remember!?

Re-l frowned and waited for him to move away before she spoke, her voice cracking once and sounding raspy at first. "Is that just your excuse to get away with everything you do?"

Monsters. It's always monsters, isn't it? Vincent hiding behind the mask of Ergo Proxy, Bruce behind his cowl, and Joker... What did he hide behind? His jokes, his laughter, because in reality something was chewing him up on the inside? Or was she really just chasing ghosts with him? What if he really was always going to be like this?

She caught sight of the blood on his face. "What the hell made you snap?"