[They pull off their item and study it, turning it over in their hands. It would be nice to have some instinct to work off of, something more than just tension in their muscles.]
I can stay out of it if you want, [they say, after a moment,] but talking about it with someone else will help.
Yeah, it will. [He pauses.] It's nothing deep. Being on the Narrenschiff just had me off kilter. I was on alert for long enough that I have a hard time turning it off again.
[They wish they could give him their lack of emotion. Their chest is empty and heavy, which must mean something, but this feeling is almost neutral.]
That sounds difficult. [It seems like the right thing to say. They get up, padding over to the door of the room they woke up in. It looks like someone’s cabin, but they have no idea whose.]
It's something I've dealt with before, but that doesn't make it easy. [And it doesn't help that the Barge keeps dropping him in situations that make him feel that way over and over, either.]
[Avalon leaves the cabin, studying the doors that they pass. None of the cabins look familiar, and many of them are empty. They should be on one of the lower levels.]
Have you found ways to turn it off more easily? [I could help, they think. Not completely, but if they contacted him telepathically, some of their quiet could seep through.
They start climbing the stairs, looking for Level 5. They want to find their cabin and see if they have an extra bracelet from the Flood that had spawned objects, since their item is no longer an option.]
Alcohol, usually. If I drink enough, it numbs things. [He's lying on his back, on his bed, in his cabin. Talking to Avalon and staring at the ceiling.]
[For a moment, the only sound on their end is that of their shoes on the stairs. Then,] Maybe trying to regulate what you feel in your body would help. [They have no idea.]
So am I. [The weakness they had felt after the Enposib flipped had settled itself in their bones and stayed until the Narrenschiff arrived.]
Reminding myself that nothing was physically wrong with me helped, to some extent. [It had let them keep going instead of trying to rest and make the feeling go away.]
[I know, pops into their head, and they push the thought away. Whatever they had felt when the Enposib crashed was stronger than sympathy and empathy, so sympathy is not enough for this.
They unlock their cabin door and approach their desk, opening the bottom drawer and pulling out the remaining bracelet. They buckle it around their wrist and fold their hands in their lap, turning the panel towards them while they consider what to say. Concerned appears on it, then confused.]
I want to help, but I have no idea how. [This is about him, not them. Drinking with him would be nice, but it would hide the problem, not help.] Do you want me to come to your cabin?
[He's being entirely truthful. He's also leaving out the fact that he hasn't gotten more than three hours a night since they got picked up by the Narrenschiff.]
[They pause for a moment, then switch to telepathy. They hold back, staying focused on the surface of his emotions.] ::Okay.:: [Maybe some of their calm will seep through.] ::Is this okay?::
[They could dig deeper, the way they do in the Rift, the way they had with their victims. But part of them thinks that they could see all of his thoughts spread out like a map and still not know what to do.]
::I might be missing something,:: [slips through without them quite meaning it.]
::Eventually. After a month or so I get exhausted enough I just pass out. I wouldn't recommend that, though.:: [At least some of the tiredness is his. He's just so used to carrying it around it doesn't always register.] ::Missing what?::
[They want to find a reliable way to help, something that will not allow their weak emotions to get in the way. Something that will let actions speak louder than the words they have trouble finding.]
::Instinct, or empathy.:: [They study Rawne’s couch for a moment before walking over to it, settling themself on the edge of one of the cushions. They lean forward, bracing their forearms on their knees.]
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2024-11-07 07:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-11-07 10:47 pm (UTC)[They pull off their item and study it, turning it over in their hands. It would be nice to have some instinct to work off of, something more than just tension in their muscles.]
I can stay out of it if you want, [they say, after a moment,] but talking about it with someone else will help.
no subject
Date: 2024-11-07 10:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-11-13 05:28 am (UTC)[They wish they could give him their lack of emotion. Their chest is empty and heavy, which must mean something, but this feeling is almost neutral.]
That sounds difficult. [It seems like the right thing to say. They get up, padding over to the door of the room they woke up in. It looks like someone’s cabin, but they have no idea whose.]
no subject
Date: 2024-11-13 02:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-11-20 04:55 am (UTC)[Avalon leaves the cabin, studying the doors that they pass. None of the cabins look familiar, and many of them are empty. They should be on one of the lower levels.]
Have you found ways to turn it off more easily? [I could help, they think. Not completely, but if they contacted him telepathically, some of their quiet could seep through.
They start climbing the stairs, looking for Level 5. They want to find their cabin and see if they have an extra bracelet from the Flood that had spawned objects, since their item is no longer an option.]
no subject
Date: 2024-11-20 01:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-11-26 12:15 am (UTC)[For a moment, the only sound on their end is that of their shoes on the stairs. Then,] Maybe trying to regulate what you feel in your body would help. [They have no idea.]
no subject
Date: 2024-11-26 08:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-11-27 05:08 pm (UTC)So am I. [The weakness they had felt after the Enposib flipped had settled itself in their bones and stayed until the Narrenschiff arrived.]
Reminding myself that nothing was physically wrong with me helped, to some extent. [It had let them keep going instead of trying to rest and make the feeling go away.]
no subject
Date: 2024-11-27 05:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-04 04:27 am (UTC)[I know, pops into their head, and they push the thought away. Whatever they had felt when the Enposib crashed was stronger than sympathy and empathy, so sympathy is not enough for this.
They unlock their cabin door and approach their desk, opening the bottom drawer and pulling out the remaining bracelet. They buckle it around their wrist and fold their hands in their lap, turning the panel towards them while they consider what to say. Concerned appears on it, then confused.]
I want to help, but I have no idea how. [This is about him, not them. Drinking with him would be nice, but it would hide the problem, not help.] Do you want me to come to your cabin?
no subject
Date: 2024-12-04 01:16 pm (UTC)-> Action
Date: 2024-12-07 03:26 am (UTC)Okay.
[A few minutes later, they knock on his door. They pull the bracelet off and fiddle with it, running their fingers over the panel.]
Re: -> Action
Date: 2024-12-07 03:34 am (UTC)Hi.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-07 03:58 am (UTC)[Their gaze flicks over him, then back up to his eyes. They walk in and close the door behind them.]
When was the last time you slept?
no subject
Date: 2024-12-07 04:15 am (UTC)[He's being entirely truthful. He's also leaving out the fact that he hasn't gotten more than three hours a night since they got picked up by the Narrenschiff.]
no subject
Date: 2024-12-11 04:05 am (UTC)[They pause for a moment, then switch to telepathy. They hold back, staying focused on the surface of his emotions.] ::Okay.:: [Maybe some of their calm will seep through.] ::Is this okay?::
no subject
Date: 2024-12-11 02:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-12 06:07 am (UTC)::What do you feel right now, physically?:: [they ask. They can sense a little, but it could be theirs.]
no subject
Date: 2024-12-12 01:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-18 05:52 am (UTC)[So the tiredness is his, or theirs and his.]
::Does that get easier on its own?::
[They could dig deeper, the way they do in the Rift, the way they had with their victims. But part of them thinks that they could see all of his thoughts spread out like a map and still not know what to do.]
::I might be missing something,:: [slips through without them quite meaning it.]
no subject
Date: 2024-12-18 04:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-21 12:31 am (UTC)[They want to find a reliable way to help, something that will not allow their weak emotions to get in the way. Something that will let actions speak louder than the words they have trouble finding.]
::Instinct, or empathy.:: [They study Rawne’s couch for a moment before walking over to it, settling themself on the edge of one of the cushions. They lean forward, bracing their forearms on their knees.]
::I rarely sleep, so I have no idea what helps.::
no subject
Date: 2024-12-21 03:29 am (UTC)::Well, have you ever had a thought go round your head that you couldn't get to go away?::
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