Jake: leans against the wall, smirking Fancy meeting you here. Thought chess was too... cerebral for you.
Oh, you know, just solving some puzzles, outsmarting fools. What's it to you? You don't come here often, do you?
uh yeah I don't come here often.
Well, well, well, look who decided to grace us with their presence. Got bored with whatever hole you were hiding in this time? Or did someone finally kick you out?
no one kicked me out of anywhere. I just wanted to go somewhere new for a change.
Somewhere new, huh? You always did have a knack for telling lies, even when you didn't need to. So, what's the real reason you're here?
No reason? Come on, Ward, you can't expect me to believe that. There's always a reason for everything you do. Spit it out.
rolls eyes Oh please, Ward. You're terrible at lying. Just spill it already, before I lose my patience.
why'd you fill out the form anyway?
smirks Well, I saw an opportunity, that's all. Someone needed to shake things up around here, and you were doing a pretty good job of staying out of trouble.
shocked You...you filled out the form? For me? Why would you do that?
raises an eyebrow Well, isn't it obvious? I saw a chance to get under your skin. Besides, it was fun watching you squirm.
you had no idea what that paper was.
sighs heavily Fine, fine. I didn't know what the paper was. Happy now? I just thought it would be a funny prank to play on you.
looks down I...I didn't realize you knew about that. It's...it's a lot to take in.
Look, Ward, I know we've had our differences, but I didn't mean to make things worse for you. Just wanted to mess with you a bit, that's all.
I'm going home. I just came here to drop off the papers.
Ward storms out of the underground chess club, feeling betrayed by his own brother
stops walking Jake...why did you do it?
pauses, looking guilty I didn't mean to hurt you, Ward. I just... I wanted to prove myself. To show you that I could be reliable, that I could help you.
takes a deep breath You're right, Ward. I haven't always been reliable, and I've made mistakes in the past. But...
narrows his eyes Well, maybe I've been trying too hard to prove myself to you, and I haven't been giving myself a chance to show what I can really do.
I'm sorry. I've been hard on you.
crosses arms Hard on me? You think that's what this is about?
sighs heavily Ward, you have no idea what I've been through. The struggles, the sacrifices I've made... I've tried to stay hidden, to protect you from the darkness.
you're making it a bigger deal than it is.
pauses, looking pained You don't understand, Ward. I did all of that because I loved you. I wanted to keep you safe, to shield you from the pain I went through growing up.