empathicfault | IC Inbox

It's more than just that with Bright, you know.

...I know. He can be pushy. And judgmental. And all the things I tend to be worse about, but he's out in the open about it.

[ He looks up from his hands, curious is Shaw has anything to add to that. ]

And if you make an assumption about me and I tell you you're wrong, do you listen?

[ Will smiles wanly. ]

For you? Yeah.

Other people? I'd tell them I was. Whether I actually listened would depend on the context.

Well.

[She jumps an eyebrow at him again.]

I didn't say I think he's bad. He's just more annoying.

I know his deductions suffer when his personal feelings get in the way, and they've been especially bad when it came to you.

[ He has a suspicion that wasn't entirely Malcolm's fault, but he has absolutely no way to back that up at the moment. ]

I'm a little surprised you have anything to do with him, still.

[That eyebrow is just continuing to arch higher and higher.]

Are you?

[ He shakes his head. ]

Not really. I know it's not as big an offense to you as it is to apparently everyone else, but...you do seem to find him consistently annoying.

I find Eiffel consistently annoying, too.

[And yet she spends a consistent amount of time hanging around in his cabin.]

True.

[ He smiles, looking comfortable. ]

I had a feeling it might be like that. It's somewhat comforting, you know? Because it's about that time when most people realize that I'm 'lying to them' and they start turning away. Well- maybe a couple of months from now. But it makes you less likely to follow the pattern.

Even if every word you've said to me is a lie, I'm not going anywhere.

[And this she sounds very, very sure of.]

It's... weird, with Bright. He sets me off more than most people, but I don't hate him.

[ His smile turns into something a little more vulnerable, as he blinks and looks down at his hands. ]

Yep. He's committed to trying to do the right thing. That's another trait you both share. His core is...maybe cracked, after what happened to him as a child, but still purely focused on doing good. Sometimes to his physical detriment. Definitely to his mental detriment.

[ But he's getting off track. ]

Maybe you resonate with that part, even if all the...packaging doesn't appeal.

Mm, I can try to, anyway. He can be really all or nothing sometimes.

[ He hums in agreement. ]

That's how his whole life has been. All or nothing. All that wealth and privilege and family, except the family went sour and no one will get close to him and everyone expects him to be a monster.

[ He shrugs. ]

I'm probably not the best person to do so, but I'm trying to get him to see some shades of gray. And to get comfortable with people actually liking him.

Not everyone expects him to be a monster here. He could have a fresh start.

I believe he's tried numerous 'fresh starts' before- in addition to changing his name. You know how tough it is to believe that you're not going to have the same experience you had in school? At work? Everywhere that your family isn't?

Even if he says it, it's going to take him a long while to truly believe that he's safe here from the things that he wasn't safe from before. Especially when he's always waiting for another Eiffel to slap him with the unfeeling psychopath label.

[ Will has not forgotten how devastated Malcolm was about that. His small frown shows that he also knows very well what that feels like. ]

Well, he's definitely not that. Neither of you are.

[Mindful of Jet, Shaw sits up a little on her elbows so that her gaze is more level with his.]

I don't think you're the best person to be the only person he confides in. That's one of the things I'm worried about.

Oh, yeah?

[ He raises an eyebrow, but follows it up with nodding. ]

I don't want him to be isolated. He's- oh, you probably haven't heard. He was invited awhile ago, and decided to join Lark's werewolf pack. So...uh, that's new?

That's... weird. But weirdly fitting for him.

[She pauses here, and then adds:]

Did you think I thought either of you were unfeeling psychopaths?

No. I've never been worried about that from you. I was more curious about what you were worried about, with me and him.

The werewolf thing- it is fitting for him, isn't it? You should see him.

[ And his demeanor immediately eases as he smiles. ]

Gray with a white undercoat, and with these bright blue eyes. He's not quite as fluffy as Iris, but just as soft. I did my best not to influence him there, but I'm glad he decided to go ahead and do it.

I worry about your histories and, uh, issues colliding in a bad way, mostly. I think his all-or-nothing thinking makes him prone to idealizing you, and your relationship history means there's a high chance of things going weird unless he's really on his game.

[ All right, all right...they'll talk about this and not what an awesome wolf Malcolm makes. Will looks up at the ceiling, his smile fading. ]

I told my crush that she dodged a bullet three relationships ago. So yeah, I know...that's an issue. All I can say is that I don't want him hurt, and I don't--

[ He purses his lips and shakes his head. ]

I really want this. I feel safe with him. I'm hoping...we've been through so many strange, unique-but-still-similar experiences. I'm hoping that we can help each other through that. And not create some sort of feedback loop that makes us both worse.

[look buddy you can totally talk about wolf stuff later, but first, BUSINESS]

I know you want it. I'm not telling you you shouldn't have it, or that you can't have it. I just wanna make sure it gets done right, and that's concerning, because I think there are a lot of ways it could go wrong. And I know I'm not the best person to help you navigate around that, because I suck at relationships.

[ Will can't help but smile a bit in disbelief. ]

I don't know, you seemed to have figured something out that worked for you.

[Shaw doesn't flinch on the outside, but she does on the inside, a little (a dropped stone plinking against the walls of the bottomless cavern within her; a hand flailing against a translucent plastic sheet). She's been trying not to think about Root, lately. Tattoos and memories and mental escapes are all well and good when she thinks she might be able to bring her back, but the unreality of the Barge has been hitting her especially strongly lately, and it's all too easy to imagine that the promise of a magic resurrection deal is just another trick - and one that she would have to be impossibly gullible to fall for.]

Pure random chance.

[She says with a shrug, her tone of voice unchanged.]

Trust me, that doesn't mean I know how to do relationships.

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