Will Graham (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
empathicfault) wrote2023-06-18 11:04 am
empathicfault) wrote2023-06-18 11:04 am
IC Inbox
[Open for text/audio/action/whatever.]
[Open for text/audio/action/whatever.]
Malcolm looks up at him with wide eyes.
He holds tight to their plans; they mean everything to him but... Will making a list is Will making it tangible in some small way.
"You made a list? What's on it?"
He holds tight to their plans; they mean everything to him but... Will making a list is Will making it tangible in some small way.
"You made a list? What's on it?"
[this is cataloged with interest. Most people who display weapons don't go through the trouble of maintaining them to this caliber, or if they do, they certainly don't leave the doors unlocked.]
It would explain why you seem to be expecting trouble here.
[He says, gently opening and then closing the case door without taking anything.]
Strange that that could be read as a threat, but I'm not sensing hostility from you.
It would explain why you seem to be expecting trouble here.
[He says, gently opening and then closing the case door without taking anything.]
Strange that that could be read as a threat, but I'm not sensing hostility from you.
"Hmm...let's see. First, we're headed to our place on Lark's world, but after that..." He fishes his communicator out of his pocket and starts perusing it, finally opening a little notetaking function. "Raylan Givens in Miami. Aaron Stampler in Nie Huaisang's world." He points out the parenthesis and reads it out, "Chinese ghost magic?" before continuing.
"Francis Crozer on his world. Kikimora, Boiling Isles- watch out for the boiling rain. Johann in whatever world he's gone to- haven't checked into that yet. Kiryu Kazama on his world. Help Root and Shaw with the Machine whenever they go back. Visit Maggie whenever she goes back. Go on an adventure with Iris. Back 'home' to apologize to Molly. Spread the 'Good Word' wherever possible."
"Francis Crozer on his world. Kikimora, Boiling Isles- watch out for the boiling rain. Johann in whatever world he's gone to- haven't checked into that yet. Kiryu Kazama on his world. Help Root and Shaw with the Machine whenever they go back. Visit Maggie whenever she goes back. Go on an adventure with Iris. Back 'home' to apologize to Molly. Spread the 'Good Word' wherever possible."
Malcolm listens raptly, tilting his head to look at the little screen. His eyes glisten a little by the time Will is done. He looks up at him again.
“You really, really thought about it. Like planning a really real trip.”
“You really, really thought about it. Like planning a really real trip.”
[Steve laughs a little.] That sounds like a good plan.
Well, if you ever think it'd help to burn off some extra energy playing with some more dogs, give me a call.
But I would like to check in with you every couple of days in general, if that's okay. Just until Sameen wakes up. I'll try not to be too annoying.
Well, if you ever think it'd help to burn off some extra energy playing with some more dogs, give me a call.
But I would like to check in with you every couple of days in general, if that's okay. Just until Sameen wakes up. I'll try not to be too annoying.
[ Will was lost in his thoughts for a moment, so he blinks with slight confusion. ]
Expecting troub-? Oh, because of the weapons? No, that's more of a hobby of Malcolm's. And both of us know that almost anything can be a weapon. Don't need a mace or a sword to kill someone.
[ He licks his lips for a moment. ]
There's no hostility, though. You're one of the most interesting people to come onto the Barge in a while. You're analytical and extremely observant. It seems like you're able to understand people from the outside in. I do the same, but it's more...from the inside out.
Expecting troub-? Oh, because of the weapons? No, that's more of a hobby of Malcolm's. And both of us know that almost anything can be a weapon. Don't need a mace or a sword to kill someone.
[ He licks his lips for a moment. ]
There's no hostility, though. You're one of the most interesting people to come onto the Barge in a while. You're analytical and extremely observant. It seems like you're able to understand people from the outside in. I do the same, but it's more...from the inside out.
No, you don't.
[It does make things more efficient, but he has his suspicions about this pack he's been hearing about and acknowledges that there is more to Malcolm and Will than appears at first glance
He makes no outward movement at the word interesting, but Thrawn does blink once when Will describes himself in turn]
An enviable skill. I regret that I often categorize living beings into threats, allies, enemies, but I have never been able to understand them as they wish to be understood. One of my greater failings.
[It does make things more efficient, but he has his suspicions about this pack he's been hearing about and acknowledges that there is more to Malcolm and Will than appears at first glance
He makes no outward movement at the word interesting, but Thrawn does blink once when Will describes himself in turn]
An enviable skill. I regret that I often categorize living beings into threats, allies, enemies, but I have never been able to understand them as they wish to be understood. One of my greater failings.
[ Will laughs. ] I doubt I'd ever find you annoying.
So sure. I appreciate the check-ins, actually.
So sure. I appreciate the check-ins, actually.
Ah, don't say that. I might take it as a challenge.
But good. I don't want to overdo it, but everyone should have someone checking in.
Multiple someones, really, given how this place gets.
But good. I don't want to overdo it, but everyone should have someone checking in.
Multiple someones, really, given how this place gets.
Because—
[I see him differently and how am I supposed to graduate now?
All at once directly from his brain, the vision is visceral, much harder to look over from multiple perspectives as from the inanimate Penta game itself. It's a memory of taking the box somewhat newer than the others down from the top shelf, with its crisp corners in his small hands. The ceiling of the cabinet is actually more exposed to his eye than if he'd had an adult's height when this happened. Then a small dot stirring his vision. One of the game pieces slips out onto the floor, "ping!", and then with the eerie glistening of some thin net that comes into focus, a lot more.
The spider's web was too wide across the corners of the closet, and at the scrape of the game box, it snapped.
Walter isn't necessarily worried by this moment of connection. Perhaps if he saw the contents he'd be a little more unnerved, but he thinks the distinction between his real feelings and Will's inference is subtle enough to not be concerning. Spiderwebs have a million little facets, like diamonds. How could Will looking at his face see the face Walter shows to other people?]
Yeah, I was scared. When he didn't want the rest of us to know about the investigation, I didn't know that would play out anywhere near as well as it did, especially when they had other theories. I don't want to tell my friends "my warden is super great and committed and you should really go ahead and trust him, just ignore the time he put someone in Zero, the gossip about that is so exaggerated".
[Walter gives a smile. He can't do sincere, but he can do "tired". From his emotional outburst, after all.]
I wanted another side of the story. You know, like you promised in the warden ledger. So I guess I'm ready for the real deal now.
[I see him differently and how am I supposed to graduate now?
All at once directly from his brain, the vision is visceral, much harder to look over from multiple perspectives as from the inanimate Penta game itself. It's a memory of taking the box somewhat newer than the others down from the top shelf, with its crisp corners in his small hands. The ceiling of the cabinet is actually more exposed to his eye than if he'd had an adult's height when this happened. Then a small dot stirring his vision. One of the game pieces slips out onto the floor, "ping!", and then with the eerie glistening of some thin net that comes into focus, a lot more.
The spider's web was too wide across the corners of the closet, and at the scrape of the game box, it snapped.
Walter isn't necessarily worried by this moment of connection. Perhaps if he saw the contents he'd be a little more unnerved, but he thinks the distinction between his real feelings and Will's inference is subtle enough to not be concerning. Spiderwebs have a million little facets, like diamonds. How could Will looking at his face see the face Walter shows to other people?]
Yeah, I was scared. When he didn't want the rest of us to know about the investigation, I didn't know that would play out anywhere near as well as it did, especially when they had other theories. I don't want to tell my friends "my warden is super great and committed and you should really go ahead and trust him, just ignore the time he put someone in Zero, the gossip about that is so exaggerated".
[Walter gives a smile. He can't do sincere, but he can do "tired". From his emotional outburst, after all.]
I wanted another side of the story. You know, like you promised in the warden ledger. So I guess I'm ready for the real deal now.
Edited ("somewhat newer" + "than the others") 2024-07-28 06:21 (UTC)
[ Whenever this happens with Will- when a strong image just burns itself into his brain without an invitation- he takes notice. So here he sits with it, not replying to Walter in an overly-long pause.
But when he does come back, he looks Walter up and down with a raised eyebrow but a mild expression. He dips his head in acknowledgement. ]
The real deal? You haven't been here long enough to know how this place works. Literally anything is possible here. Some months, a flood or a port or even just certain inmates are going to seem targeted to make you deal with hard truths that you won't be able to control.
[ He sighs. ]
I'd say maybe Malcolm and I have been here too long, gotten too used to how things go- but I went through the messy process of self-discovery back home. I'm sorry this whole thing has scared you.
You know Malcolm is never going to be the guy you want when handling public relations, right? I'm not arguing that. But he will be the one to save your life. That's always his highest priority. That's what he did here.
And you're going to have to be honest with Malcolm, eventually...if you want to revive yourself and leave this place. I suspect that's going to be difficult for you.
But when he does come back, he looks Walter up and down with a raised eyebrow but a mild expression. He dips his head in acknowledgement. ]
The real deal? You haven't been here long enough to know how this place works. Literally anything is possible here. Some months, a flood or a port or even just certain inmates are going to seem targeted to make you deal with hard truths that you won't be able to control.
[ He sighs. ]
I'd say maybe Malcolm and I have been here too long, gotten too used to how things go- but I went through the messy process of self-discovery back home. I'm sorry this whole thing has scared you.
You know Malcolm is never going to be the guy you want when handling public relations, right? I'm not arguing that. But he will be the one to save your life. That's always his highest priority. That's what he did here.
And you're going to have to be honest with Malcolm, eventually...if you want to revive yourself and leave this place. I suspect that's going to be difficult for you.
Hi. I didn't want to show up at your work... all the time. So. I thought I'd call. Hear your voice. If you have a couple minutes.
Understanding them doesn't make it all that much easier, trust me.
[ He says it wryly, then gestures to one corner of the large living room. There's light pouring in the window of a kitchen nook, and an easel poking out from behind a corner. The last stop on Will's inadvertent tour. ]
Most would prefer that you have the same level of understanding that they do, so they feel familiar with interacting with you. But people especially hate when I notice things they hadn't intended to reveal, sometimes even to themselves. I might've been well served by your categorization system. Even as an adult, I often didn't catch threats in time.
[ He walks over and onto the tarp laying on the floor. There are two easels next to each other, one with a rather juvenile-looking picture of a dog. The other is clearly Will's, as it has multiple canvases and a couple of sketchbooks next to it. The portrait on the easel is one he's been struggling with for awhile. The layered paint is still there, but there's a strong frustration to this one. Blues are all but banished from the man's 'face', with only a small hint of them left among the yellows and oranges. Streaks indicate Will putting his fingers into the wet paint and tugging.
Will lets out a sigh, seeing it's that one. ]
Most of my art, I don't really have a use for. It's just getting out all the emotions so I can organize them more easily.
[ He says it wryly, then gestures to one corner of the large living room. There's light pouring in the window of a kitchen nook, and an easel poking out from behind a corner. The last stop on Will's inadvertent tour. ]
Most would prefer that you have the same level of understanding that they do, so they feel familiar with interacting with you. But people especially hate when I notice things they hadn't intended to reveal, sometimes even to themselves. I might've been well served by your categorization system. Even as an adult, I often didn't catch threats in time.
[ He walks over and onto the tarp laying on the floor. There are two easels next to each other, one with a rather juvenile-looking picture of a dog. The other is clearly Will's, as it has multiple canvases and a couple of sketchbooks next to it. The portrait on the easel is one he's been struggling with for awhile. The layered paint is still there, but there's a strong frustration to this one. Blues are all but banished from the man's 'face', with only a small hint of them left among the yellows and oranges. Streaks indicate Will putting his fingers into the wet paint and tugging.
Will lets out a sigh, seeing it's that one. ]
Most of my art, I don't really have a use for. It's just getting out all the emotions so I can organize them more easily.
You can show up at work all the time. The kennels are mostly open to the rest of the Barge because it's therapeutic to pet them.
Feeling like you could pet some dogs? I'm just watching the place right now.
Feeling like you could pet some dogs? I'm just watching the place right now.
[Even though Will can't see him, he can probably hear him perk up cautiously. And he can probably hear him already moving, a door shutting as he goes.]
It's really okay? I won't get you in trouble?
It's really okay? I won't get you in trouble?
It's really okay. Get on over here.
[ '-so I can hug you' is left unsaid but is extremely implied. ]
[ '-so I can hug you' is left unsaid but is extremely implied. ]
[When he gets to the Kennels and he spots Will, he hesitates uncertainly in the doorway for the slightest fraction of a second and then just... practically lunges into Will's arms, his voice a little muffled by Will's shoulder when he talks.]
Did you see the whole... crunchwrap discussion on the network?
Did you see the whole... crunchwrap discussion on the network?
[ Will is happy to give him a big hug when he comes in. He's not sure what went wrong, but they'll get through it. ]
Crunchwrap? Like the...Taco Bell monstrosity?
[ That's a no. Also? Not a topic he expected to come up. ]
Crunchwrap? Like the...Taco Bell monstrosity?
[ That's a no. Also? Not a topic he expected to come up. ]
Trevor was asking about them on the network. Someone asked for them from one of the kitchen staff, I guess. I warned him about Taco Bell and told him he didn't have to make every weird food anyone asks for. But he said they were going to do it so I told him he needed a sandwich press. I've seen those things on TV. He asked me to come down and help them. I told him I didn't know anything about making food. He said he'd show me. So I agreed to go help.
[All in public, of course, because Malcolm is the best at filtering.]
Once I got there... [He trails off.]
[All in public, of course, because Malcolm is the best at filtering.]
Once I got there... [He trails off.]
[Thrawn isn't given much for overt emotional expression, but his eyes grow narrower and he's more stiff and cold when looking at this latest painting of Will: it's akin to him recoiling in horror.
Not terror - horror. A dread of seeing one's fate in immaculate detail.
He scans the painting again, to grow used to its presence if not the repulsion it evokes]
I understand.
[He's not an artist himself, but Thrawn likes to sit and observe art around him more than anything. It's akin to meditation. He glances back to Will, but doesn't ask who is in the painting. It's not anyone on the ship, clearly: anger and obsession so intermingled would be far more present in Will's day-to-day interactions. Suffice it to say he will not be borrowing this one any time soon, unless it's to meditate on his own enemies he has yet to annihilate]
....I believe I enjoy your true-to-life landscapes most of all.
Not terror - horror. A dread of seeing one's fate in immaculate detail.
He scans the painting again, to grow used to its presence if not the repulsion it evokes]
I understand.
[He's not an artist himself, but Thrawn likes to sit and observe art around him more than anything. It's akin to meditation. He glances back to Will, but doesn't ask who is in the painting. It's not anyone on the ship, clearly: anger and obsession so intermingled would be far more present in Will's day-to-day interactions. Suffice it to say he will not be borrowing this one any time soon, unless it's to meditate on his own enemies he has yet to annihilate]
....I believe I enjoy your true-to-life landscapes most of all.
Ah... [ Will suspects he knows what happened. ] Were they trying to make a bunch of them?
Some. He wanted me to take all the three stuffings and fill the tortilla with equal parts of each. But he didn’t have anything to measure them with. He said to eyeball it. I asked how much those things even hold. Like. A visual reference. I don’t know how much people put in them. They’re huge and the smell of ground beef makes me nauseated. He said just to put stuff in until it was full. If it got over full then take stuff out. So I did that and figured out the amounts and put the first one in the press and when I was just starting the second one he told me to leave. But I figured it out just like he said to and he didn’t let me try it when I knew what the portion looked like. I did it and then he made me leave. I warned him when he invited me that I didn’t know how to do it and he said he’d show me and then he didn’t show me and I figured it out anyway on my own and then he gave me the boot in front of everyone. He said he didn’t think I could work under that sort of pressure, but he didn’t even let me try after I knew how.
[ He listens quietly and nods along up until the 'he made me leave' part, at which point he seems to get lost in his thoughts and frown a bit. Yes, they're still hugging. And no, Will isn't separating anytime soon. Instead, he's rubbing circles into Malcolm's back. ]
That's rough.
You and Trevor have gotten along pretty well before, haven't you? This is the first time I've heard of him being short with you.
That's rough.
You and Trevor have gotten along pretty well before, haven't you? This is the first time I've heard of him being short with you.
Yes. But... he contacted me during the thing with Hilbert. He's friends with Hilbert. I thought the conversation went well at the time but... do you think he did this to embarrass me on purpose? To get me back?
No. Trevor's not that sort of guy. He doesn't put any stock in embarrassment. He'd rather hash things out, if he has a problem. He'd tell you if he was really pissed off about the Hilbert situation.
But also, cooking is an anxiety-inducing job. It tends to leave anyone working it with their nerves fried, as they try to make sure they handle the timing of everything correctly. If he was in cooking mode, he probably didn't have the patience to watch you figure out what he meant by 'eyeballing' the amount.
Or he might've realized he put a task to you that was as tough as you said, that you weren't just being hyperbolic about the ground beef, and that he was doing you a disservice dragging you in there. Maybe it was a combination of both.
Either way, the problem wasn't really you. It was a bad situation.
But also, cooking is an anxiety-inducing job. It tends to leave anyone working it with their nerves fried, as they try to make sure they handle the timing of everything correctly. If he was in cooking mode, he probably didn't have the patience to watch you figure out what he meant by 'eyeballing' the amount.
Or he might've realized he put a task to you that was as tough as you said, that you weren't just being hyperbolic about the ground beef, and that he was doing you a disservice dragging you in there. Maybe it was a combination of both.
Either way, the problem wasn't really you. It was a bad situation.
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