empathicfault | IC Inbox

[ Will breathes out in staccato, not quite able to hold in the mixed emotions he's feeling. But even though tears are coming to his eyes, and he suspects that this is his brain trying to give him some closure, he still smiles at her.

Whether it's real or not, his defenses are entirely down. Abigail might be the only one who could've done that. This form is a good choice. ]

That's wonderful. Really, Abigail. I'm so glad.

I'm s- I was never able to keep you safe. I'm sorry. I'm glad...you had help here.

[They smile, albeit somewhat tightly. They step forward as if to embrace Will. As they reach for him, they let the Wendigo’s form spill from their mind and settle over their body.]

[ Abigail's smiles were frequently tight around him, so he doesn't think anything of it. He's moving to open his own arms for a hug, but- she changes. She covers with black, thinning out, and Will already knows where this is going.

Eyes widening with fear, his legs give out and he falls backward onto the floor. This monster had practically been an old friend to him, lately, but he'd always had control of it. Abigail turning into this doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense, but Will knows his mind doesn't always make sense. Unfortunately, he's still trapped in this.

So he just does what he can. He kicks himself backwards until he hits his back against his bedframe. ]

No, I- stop. Whoever- whatever this is- stop.

[ He feels like he's lying to himself, pretending that it's not just him. He shuts his eyes tight. He wills them to show him something real. ]

...stop.

[Will’s fear stops them in their tracks. Behind their eyes, Will’s face morphs into his eyes in the mirror, the friend’s eyes seeing them, his form materializing across from them in the Rift—No one asked your opinion!

Avalon freezes, momentarily unable to separate Will from the man who took their missing bead.

They are reminded of the pendulum from Will’s Flood memory, and they call the image to their mind, trying to pull themself back to the present moment, force themself to see Will rather than the friend.

They reach out impulsively, dragging their claws across Will’s arm, then leave his cabin.]

This needs to end, [they whisper, almost to themself.] This needs to end soon.

[ Will cries out as the claws scratch him, but he doesn't open his eyes- instead he shuts them harder. Hannibal is not here, he can't be. There's no flood and nothing else going on. He just has to let things settle.

So he starts counting his breaths- or he tries to, anyway. By the time he stops hyperventilating, he finally opens his eyes to see...nothing. It's gone. Winston whimpers at him.

Will brings his hand up and curls his fingers in, noting that the deep scratches might've been his own nails. He sighs and smacks the floor with one hand in frustration. ]

Sorry, Winston. I know. It's...it's okay now. C'mere.

[ He's going to be on the floor for awhile. ]

[Avalon stands in front of Will’s door, the Wendigo’s claws in place of their own hands.]

This needs to end.

[But Will could be the key to learning why they lost a bead. Even without the Rift, he feels exactly the same as the friend. He could be the answer they have been wanting.

They rake their claws down his door.]

Be done with this now, [they whisper as they force themself to walk away. Soon. They will finish this soon.]

[ Will frowns at the marks when he sees them, but then closes his eyes and just pushes open the door. He knew that last hallucination wasn't going to be the last- they hit like shockwaves.

Still, when he looks in the morning and the marks are still there, his eyes narrow. He puts his hand over it, feels the change in texture of the wood. He brings out a small screwdriver and chips off shavings and brings them into his desk. He separates them into pieces, he wets them down. They're real.

And when he's done with that, he retrieves one of the two switchblades he has. He opens it, sharpens it a little with a stone, then flicks it shut and puts it in his pocket.

He can be the lure again. That's fine. He will take care of this himself. ]

You talk to all the therapists here yet, or just Bright?

[If her voice sounds muffled, it may or may not be because she has Winston lying across her chest.]

Well, hello to you, too.

Uh...I mean, I've talked briefly with Kiryu and more extensively with Sheehan. Sheehan in particular got a nasty memory from me this last flood. Why do you ask?

Just thinking some actual therapy would probably do you some good, especially since your warden is, uh, me. And the more the merrier, right? So that's your homework: try it out with Kiryu too and see how it goes.

[ Oh. Well...he's not much a fan of this. Kiryu might be okay, but there's a reason he took the term 'talk to' so literally. He doesn't want therapy, actual or otherwise. ]

Reading my file, what makes you think that I would take a 'the more the merrier' approach to therapists?

Good therapists. If he sucks, don't stick with it.

Uh-huh. Hannibal was a 'good' therapist, you know. Highly acclaimed, well-liked. Everyone agreed. Chilton had accolades, even if they weren't the ones he wanted. Alana--

[ He's not being fair. He cuts himself off and sighs. ]

I'll give it a try. Just don't expect a lot. And you get to tell Malcolm.

You know I can practically hear the airquotes when you say "good" there, right? You need experience with therapists who don't have any crappy ulterior motives.

Is Malcolm gonna be upset about you talking to his coworkers or something?

[ Will's scoff is audible when Shaw mentions ulterior motives. They all have them. But he'll otherwise move on to answering her questions. ]

Therapists are not usually herd animals, you know. If more than one's working on a patient, it's usually as a team. Better to keep from stepping on each other's modalities that way. But that's not what we've got at the counseling office.

...and also, Malcolm's a little possessive. [ He says this fondly. ]

... You know, Malcolm's a fine guy and he's not gonna goad you into cannibalism or anything, but if a therapist is possessive of you, that's probably a sign of one of those ulterior motives.

You really think there's a therapist out there that doesn't have ulterior motives, Shaw? At least in Malcolm's case, I understand what they are and where they come from. I know that he wants to help me. And I also know he's not going to give up on me.

If he wants to help you, he'll get why talking to other people too could be a good thing. If he doesn't get that, then his ulterior motive is stroking his own ego.

Possessiveness is a red flag when it comes to this stuff.

[ Will groans with annoyance. ]

You know that was a joke, right? Most therapists are a little extra protective of their patients.

So he's not actually gonna be weird about you talking to Kiryu and Sheehan? Good. Malcolm thought he could treat me and date me at the same time; his heart's in the right place, but he's not exactly professional.

What, he wanted to d-?

[ Will huffs out a breath. It doesn't matter. But seriously, Malcolm? ]

It's because Malcolm's not exactly a professional therapist. He's a profiler. But Kiryu's not, either. Apparently, his therapy involves fighting? Or punching, or something. I'm not against it, honestly. Maybe I'd actually be surprised for once.

But no, Malcolm should be okay. I know he and Sheehan don't exactly get along, but I'm not sure why. Probably a generational issue, if I had to guess.

He's getting over it. Or he's looking at me with goo-goo eyes less often, at least; I dunno. But, yeah, I get that Sheehan's the only licensed guy in there. Still good to have some variety.

[A pause.]

Kiryu can do talking or punching stuff, for the record.

Yeah, you're probably right.

[ Will thinks he's sufficiently backpedaled so he won't be forbidden from chats with Malcolm, at least (Malcolm is not the only possessive one here). But that was sloppy, and Will's going to have to be more careful with how he approaches Shaw on these topics in the future.

Will's tone is more relaxed now, even if he still hates this new development. ]

Oh, Kiryu does? You've talked to him more than me, sounds like.

Every week. Not for real therapy or for too long, but I check in. He's the strong, silent type.

He sure is. Probably makes him good for listening, if that's one's brand of therapy.

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