sheep_game | wild this didn't happen on halloween

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wild this didn't happen on halloween

WHO: lily, bluebell, aides, maomao
WHERE: lily
WHEN: day 42

[what up. we are all gathered here today to hopefully CALL SOME GHOSTS and GET SOME INFO

the setup is not really all that fancy because it just straight relies on Lily powers, but it does still manage to be a bit eldritch. Lily has cleared a wide space in their ground floor common area to do the summoning, which looks kind of empty and forlorn right now. there is a faux body stolen from Rose to use as a potential vessel, just kinda sitting slumped over in the space, and another, much smaller ordinary doll made of cloth and straw next to it.]

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[exhales, a little roughly]

This isn't the first time I've had to have this talk. I am more or less aware of how to manage myself and my tolerances, you know.

I don't handle everything for Lily. I don't handle everything for everyone. There is not enough I can do, as one man. This situation isn't everyday, so let me take what I can, when the choice is actually presented. I've seen too many of you be mauled and killed in forty-odd days with no one's say-so but a demon's or a Weed's.

Edited 2023-11-14 23:44 (UTC)

[takes a short, shaky breath in]

You died before I got here. When I arrived you had a ghost limb and were having waking nightmares. Since then you've died again, had your anger pulled out of you, let people hurt you for the sake of Red's stupid fucking quests, been swapped into another body without consent, been painfully transformed, and experienced excruciating pain unless you were touching someone.

Just ten days ago you were kidnapped by a demon and turned into a statue. When we found you, you had hidden yourself away in your mind so deep that we had to go in and get you.

Two days ago you had your eye torn out and suffered a level of mental impairment that I know you're uncomfortable with.

Those are the things that have physically happened to you in the last month. That isn't counting all of the injuries you sustained before arriving here. And none of that is counting all of the times people have come to you in order to yell or complain or put something else on your shoulders to deal with. It's not counting the stress that builds up when you hear a gunshot or when there's a stupid shitty ritual or when someone you care about gets hurt or worse.

You're not handling everything for everyone, but you do a hell of a lot more than most people here. Whatever you think your limit is, I don't want to see you hit it. I'm not saying you should do nothing; I wouldn't ask you to do anything you couldn't turn around and ask me to do, too. Just don't jump in front of a sword before the blade's even been drawn.

[...

when you put it like that it sounds kinda bad :/]

I don't think any of you are going through less. I'm not the only one on this team who fields others' problems. Save for Demeter, all of us have been frequently injured here, and many of you have experienced impossible, painful circumstances prior to Blossom's calling. You and Ananke have died more than I have; Styx walks under a sword suspended. What of you all? I can tolerate pain much more easily than i can tolerate seeing those under my care further consumed.

That said -- I take your point, Lethe. But will you take mine, that in this case I saw that the sword was half-unsheathed?

[shakes his head a little]

Ananke and I have died twice, same as you. I'm not trying to compare hurts though. It's not a competition. But I can also tolerate pain more than I can tolerate seeing any of you get hurt; does that mean it's fine for me to offer myself up as a shield, unprompted? I would rather there be no injuries at all. Minimizing damage, to me, would be reducing the severity of it or avoiding damage entirely; what you're doing is just condensing it onto one person instead.

If you determined that you saw a threat hanging over us with Death in the room, then I believe you. Just...don't do it again if you can help it, please.

[he's only died o--wait, ritual two technically counts, doesn't it. sigh. lets go of that point]

I don't think we're going to come to full agreement on this, especially not now. We're fortunate that she did concede our ignorance and not let anything fall on anyone's heads tonight, at least.

I will try. But this is a circumstance where there's simply no pleasing everyone, until the threats outright stop.

I wasn't expecting a full agreement. Everything's up in the air in rituals, and if there's something nasty required for a quest I'll still do it. Getting hurt is kind of inevitable. Having some degree of control over when, who, and how can help; I get that.

Thank you for hearing me out anyways.

[...

they're out of sight of everyone else. reaches for Lethe's hands, if he'll let him take them.]

[lets him, easily; there's no one else here, so there's no ounce of hesitation or self-consciousness in the movement]

[quiet, sincere]

Thank you for looking out for me.

Someone's got to look out for you while you look out for everyone else.

[gives his hands a squeeze, and raises one up to his lips so that he can kiss his gloved knuckles before letting go]

I'm sure it sounds like unnecessary worrying after all this time. I promise I'm not trying to fuss.

[closes his eyes briefly at the kiss, breathing deep]

It's a relevant worry, and will continue to be for some time, I suppose. But we will muddle through.

Shall we head out there again? We need to put things back in order, and discuss, I suppose.

[steps back and goes to unlock the door so they can head back to the living room]

Sure. We have to figure out what we're going to do with this information, after all.

I'm going to have a chat with Stormy, I suppose.

[ah. hmm.]

Do you need backup? I don't know how he'll react.

If you want to from a distance; but I think this might be better served if I just approach him alone.

He doesn't like me much, but he's...not likely to harm me, I don't think. He seems to curb his powers for flock members and shepherds that can't actually tolerate them.

[considers quietly for a second]

I'll keep a distance, then. I don't think he'll hurt you, but, well, I've had enough excitement for one day. It's for my own peace of mind.

All right. I'll let you know when I head out. It will be early.

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wild this didn't happen on halloween

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