[ with just those last few words, kanaya can already feel her fists balling, her eyes shutting tight to keep her from staring daggers. she wasn't going to get mad, she didn't want to get mad, she just wanted to put it to rest. what she didn't need is a reminder of just why she'd hated vriska so much to begin with. ]

You are absolutely incredible. I can hardly believe that someone like you could even deign to exist! The only thing worse is that I fooled myself into thinking you could actually change.

[ her eyes open, she couldn't hold the dagger back forever. ] I'm not an apathetic person, Vriska, and I never pretended to be anything short of what I am. I do what I have to, and maybe if you weren't such a mess yourself, I could have held it back. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's that. When you died, I didn't give up on you because of how I felt. I didn't give up on us. Don't act like the timing of this is coincidence, that it only comes at some revelation of what I am rather than how you feel.

Know this, I have never hated anyone the way I did you. That was never a lie. I never fucking strung you along! But I'm not your scapegoat anymore. You can't blame me for your shortcomings, you'll have to own up to them yourself.

You owe me that much.