empathicfault | IC Inbox

[ Continued from here ]

[ Daniel’s grip is firm enough in turn, but he’s not stupid enough to judge people based off things as stupid as first impressions and handshakes. There’s more to it, more to Will Graham. It’s blatantly obvious despite the fact that they’ve met, what, only 15 minutes ago?

If that instinct wasn’t enough to go by the phrase ‘former serial killer suspect’ sure is. The only reason Daniel remains completely nonplussed is because of years of experience.

Fuck the other asking him questions. Daniel’s found one hell of a bone to chew on. Probably not appropriate to have this conversation in the library when they just met, but it’s a big ship with a small crew and the urge to figure the other out is almost completely overriding any other thought. ]

Published a memoir, left the vampire part out--people look for the sex and the drugs and the self loathing. Name dropping blood suckers tends to call into question the whole ‘true story’ aspect.

You said you were framed?

[ He’s jumping back to Will, and if he has his way will continue along the line of conversation, tone neutral, as non-judgemental as possible despite his default tone being fairly acerbic. His arms are crossed loosely, right hand itching for a pen to start taking notes. ]

[ Will stares at Daniel, evaluating for a moment. But this is something he can talk (at least somewhat) openly about, now that he's here. It doesn't have to be all vampires and superpowers. ]

Well. It's a long story, but I get the feeling that you like those. But the basic gist of it was that people kept getting murdered in ways that mimicked the cases I was working on for the FBI. They called them the Copycat Killings.

And to ruin the mystery- it was the therapist that had been working with me the whole time, a prolific serial killer that had been named the Chesapeake Ripper. He was supposed to keep me steady, since I have a- [ He looks to the side. ] It's an empathy condition. Let me look into the mind of the killers we were after.

So, drug me up, plant a bunch of evidence, and- viola. I clearly didn't know what I'd been doing all that time. I got too close. I 'lost' myself.

[ That last part is said very flat and sarcastically. He's still a little bitter about how that all went down. ]

Or at least that's how the journalists framed it.

Edited 2023-02-20 00:57 (UTC)

[ Daniel notes it, the look--not hesitation, but something else, something he can’t quite place. It’s not like he’s getting sized up, but Will’s definitely puzzling something out for a brief moment. He supposes it doesn’t matter, because the other’s sharing just a bit, just enough that the urge to write it down is flaring up again.

He’s careful to keep his face neutral at the mention of an empathy condition, schooling his posture appropriately and keeping his shoulders squared and arms crossed but loose, looking open. A natural pose for the older man as Will--not happily, but easily--explains just a little of his back story with what Daniel’s fairly sure is honesty.

The swipe at the journalists makes Daniel smile despite himself, like Will’s just told a joke he already knew the punchline of. Yeah. That sounds like news pundits to him. ]

And how would you frame it?

[ Freddie never let anything go when she was interviewing someone- hell, even when she wasn't. Daniel seems less desperate about it, but Will gets the feeling he's just as focused on his goal.

And it's not like the Tattler exists here, so Will lets his annoyance and lingering bitterness at the situation show through as he responds. ]

It's a story of the people in my life letting me down. How all the protections they wanted to provide me really only amounted to window dressing in the end. Because they either needed what my brain could do, or they pitied me. It was so much easier to believe lies from the reputable, well-liked doctor over the truth from an antisocial mongrel like me. They left me to fend off the monsters by myself.

[ He shrugs. ]

Pretty sure that wouldn't sell as well, though.

Are you kidding? [ Daniel rewards honest with honesty of his own, and despite the slight change in his expression–still studious, though a little less stern and critical–he shrugs slightly. ]

That’d sell just as well, if not more. Especially now. The face of a gaslit underdog.

[ No judgement. No sign he wants to even do it: he’s just telling Will exactly how it is. ]

You’d have a 6 figure documentary deal from Netflix before you could say ‘intellectual property rights.’ And then there's the inevitable backlash, the thinkpieces, the fucking clickbait...

[ Will seems a bit confused. It's not like he doesn't understand what Daniel's saying, it just doesn't fit with what he thinks/knows of the media. And unfortunately, he had to get more acquainted with 'the media' these past few months to draw the dragon out. He does make a face as the journalist goes into all the 'opportunities.' ]

The clickbait was so awful. Can't believe the internet somehow made tabloids even worse...

[ He shakes his head. ]

Well, I don't have your mind for what other people want- as a mass, anyway. I'll defer to your expertise.

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