walking down a lonely road, clear to me now but i was never told

[fantasycliche]

WHO: Onyx and anyone!!
WHERE: SUPERJAIL OH BOY OH BOY
WHEN: Any time from Nov 26th to Dec 3th! Or after that, if it's more convenient WHATEVER.
WARNINGS: PISSY DRAGON ALERT. or annoyingly goodly, depending on the timing.
SUMMARY: Khisanth is finally LOCKED AWAY IN THE SLAMMER, PLAYING HER HARMONICA, STUCK IN HUMAN FORM. Open for visitation from

Comments

DECEMBER 22nd

[nottheanswers]

[He'd kept his distance for a few weeks, sure the feelings would still be raw. It was last week that he sent her the book, as a gesture more than anything, but also a reminder of everything he'd been trying to teach her, a window into what came next. There was a reason for all of this, after all.

And now, when he finally comes to visit, he doesn't say anything immediately, just takes his seat on the other side of the glass and waits to get a good read of the situation as it is now. He has a pretty good idea already, but he wants to confirm before deciding his approach.]

[fantasycliche]

[ The trouble with being locked into a form whose emotions she's not usually equipped to handle is that after a while they start to get out of control. And after three weeks of them, she's juuust a little crazy. So when she's told she has a visitor and shown into that little white room, her first instinct is wild hope. Maybe it's -- Booga, with some awful scheme to get her out. Or -- James? He knows better than to try breaking her out, but logic isn't exactly a strong point right now. So maybe Illidan -- no, he's still dead.

And then instead of any faces she'd have liked to see, what she gets instead is Vic. She crashes in an unhappy slump to her chair, arms wrapping around her middle and refusing to so much as look at him. Speaking is just right out. ]

[nottheanswers]

[He had a feeling this would happen, but it would've been silly to think otherwise. He leans back in his chair, folding his arms. A smile still plays on his lips, nonetheless.]

What did you think of the book?

[fantasycliche]

[ Well, now she's looking at him. Is an all-out glare really better than determined ignoring, though? ]

[nottheanswers]

[He'll take it. He can wait all day if he has to, but he'll prefer to do so in a more comfortable position. So, he leans forward and rest his elbows on the table, and his chin on his thumbs.

He'll just sit there smiling until she responds.]

[fantasycliche]

[ Oh god that's infuriating. She directs her glare to the wall instead, fumes there in silence for as long as she can take (at least a minute!), then snaps the scowl back to him again. ]

Why are you here?

[nottheanswers]

[Oh good, he won the staring contest. Big surprise there.]

Just because I helped put you here doesn't mean I'm just going to leave you to rot. It's another stage of the lesson.

[fantasycliche]

[ Her fists clench, balled against her thighs, and something awfully close to hate narrows her eyes. It's only a little placating to imagine what she'd be doing in her own shape, with no obstacles between them. ]

Takhisis damn your lesson. What good have any of them ever done me?

[nottheanswers]

[New curses, hmm? He'll have to ask about it later, when she's in a better mood.]

You're still at the beginning, not quite understanding and definitely not accepting the concepts at the core. It's not easy, I know, I've been there too.

But expecting immediate results is the wrong perspective to look at it from. Before you can be given, you must begin to give.

Or to stop taking, at least.

[fantasycliche]

[ The more she hears, the higher frustration wells. Frustration that she can't leave, that she can't make him shut up, that she's trapped just as thoroughly in this tiny shape as she is within these walls. ]

I liked it better when you were sitting quietly. Even that gods-forsaken smug smile was more tolerable than listening to this drivel.

[ whoa hello, she's pretty much shouting at the end of that. Just a bit more angry than she's ever let herself be in the City before, let alone in front of Vic. ]

[nottheanswers]

[That's exactly the kind of mood you should give a snide remark, so why does he do it anyway?]

That would require you to ever listen to begin with.

[fantasycliche]

Of course I listened! Listening is what got me here, if you hadn't noticed. Otherwise I'd have followed my instincts, and I wouldn't--

[ Welp there goes the shouting anger, sort of fizzling out like a damp match, as abruptly as it'd showed up. She slumps in her seat, arms wrapping around herself and looking just about ready to cry. ]

...I wouldn't be trapped in this prison within a prison you've arranged.

[nottheanswers]

[Well, the smile's gone now. He wants it to be clear how serious he's being.]

No, that was unrelated. If anything, it was a warning.

Left to your own devices it would've gone worse, Onyx, I could only lighten the blow so much. Instead of making yourself out to be the victim, you should take this as a wake-up call. Learn from it.

[fantasycliche]

Gone worse?

[ she glances down at one of her balled fists, slowly uncurling to lie lax and a little sad. Man, look at that stupid thing. No claws, no scales, nothing. She manages a hollow little laugh. ]

You underestimate your own powers of punishment, Vic. I can't imagine anything worse.

[ toot toot make way for the self-pitymobile ]

[nottheanswers]

Then you aren't trying very hard.

[He leans back again, not buying any of it.]

Because you're still putting all the focus on yourself. How terrible it is that you've been subject to any kind of scrutiny.

The point is that if you don't control yourself with how you treat others, they'll try to do it for you. Most of them won't care about your own well-being when they do, they'll just stop you however they can, and they won't be as weak and easily dominated as you expect.

[fantasycliche]

[ Sinking down just a little lower, folding her arms over the table in front of her and resting her head on them now. ]

Little good your lessons and warnings will do me now.