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[powdered]

"Hello! you have reached the voicemail of Effie Trinket. I am unavailable at present, so please leave your name and your number and I will be delighted to return your call."

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[powdered]

[ That takes her off-guard and she looks startled for a moment, eyes slightly wide and pink lips parted. When she looks at him again there is still anger and hurt in her eyes, but combined with something even more volatile and dangerous- hope.

Effie had immediately assumed that his admission had also been their closure, would he have told her otherwise? ]

Then what is it, Saul?

Did you simply come here to tell me you're in love with two women, and don't plan on choosing either one... or did you come to apologize, and stay the night?

[ She was offering him something he likely didn't deserve, but it was better than being hurt and certainly better than being alone. Effie wasn't perfect, she had done many things in her life she had come to regret... It would be hypocritical to not accept failure or misjudgement in others. ]

[5055034455]

[It's so, so tempting to say yes. It'd be so easy. One syllable, and Effie might not hate him as much as she wanted to a few seconds ago, and neither of them would have to be alone.

But —

Saul sighs, lifts a hand to his forehead, pushes his hair back and away. He knows as surely as he's known anything that if it ever came down to it, he'd choose Stephanie every time. So really, he can say he hasn't made a decision, but that's bullshit.]

I'm sorry, Eff. I'm not being fair to you.

[powdered]

As I said, you've made your decision.

[ Somehow Effie had known he would say that, or something similar. She simply sits back and looks at Saul evenly.

It wasn't fair. She wanted to ask him who it was, why he had chosen them- why she hadn't been good enough. He had ruined her concept of love, which was something whole that couldn't be undermined or lesser in any way. You couldn't love two people, not really. You couldn't give all of yourself to someone and still have enough leftover to be tempted by another.

Effie had been foolhardy to allow herself to feel this way over a man she had only just met, in a place like this. It was a lesson better learned sooner than later, and the wound would be a reminder to never let such a thing happen again.

She didn't need any of these people, and they didn't need her. Life would continue as it always had and looking out only for herself would be so much easier. At least that's what she told herself. ]

And it's Ms.Trinket to you, Mr.Goodman.

Now if you don't mind, it's very late and I should like to get some sleep after all this unpleasantry.

[5055034455]

[Saul doesn't think there's a snowball's chance in hell for he and Steph to ever become anything more than whatever it is they are now, but she told him she loved him only a few hours ago and he believes her.

Hope really is dangerous.

He opens his mouth to say something else — anything else, anything to convince her that he really didn't mean to hurt her the way he has — but instead he stands, smoothing down his shirt.]

Yeah. I'll see you around.

[And if that's it, if that's really it, he's just going to see himself out.]