sixteen [action] | Saturday

[imatreenow]

[On Saturday afternoon, villagers may notice a peculiar sight while out and about in their daily routines. Or maybe they've learned not to question anything that happens here, so they won't pay any mind to Freyjadour as he carries a damp and shivering Mithos through town in what is generally described as 'bridal style'.

...There's an explanation for this. Really.

It has something to do with being unceremoniously dumped into the fountain upon return from a death penalty removal, a minor inconvenience known as pain-killers, and a major inconvenience known as muscular atrophy.

Feel free to awkwardly run into them at any point during the trek to House 11. Tread close enough and snippets of arguments are likely to be heard:]

Put me down...! I am fine.

You can't even stand. Stop struggling, please.

[Or maybe something like:]

I don't need your help.

Yes, you do...just calm down.

[They stop to rest a few times along the way, because while Mithos isn't exactly heavy, he still isn't exactly light either. And he refuses to make this easy on Frey, putting up a constant sruggle against his hold. Good thing there are benches to sit on. And awkward, sullen silence to enjoy, in which Mithos pointedly looks the other way and Freyjadour just has a patient if long suffering look on his face.]

[LATER ACTION - House 11]

Throughout the rest of the day, Mithos has taken up temporary residence on the living room sofa of House 11. The side effects of the drugs have worn off, but he's still in no condition to go off on his own. According to Frey, anyway. Regardless of his condition, a house full of humans is one of the last places he wants to be. House members, come gawk at the grumpy kid in the living room all you want. He defnitely looks like he could use a little company, right? ...Right?]

[OOC NOTE: As you probably expected, responses in the earlier part will come from both Mithos and Freyjadour. Surprise on who will tag first, decided on a thread by thread basis. Later action portion may or may not include threadjacking from Frey or Kaori. You have been warned, friends.]

Comments

[tsuntrader]

"If I can manage to stay here".

[imatreenow]

[.......Oh. He...didn't expect him to latch onto the implications of that 'if'. Such a small word, but so heavy. His tone had already been cool, but suddenly it is frigid.]

Tell me...what do you think I meant? [this is probably a trick question.]

[tsuntrader]

I don't know. That's why I'm asking.

[imatreenow]

[What had he been talking about that time? ...Ah, yes...] I'll only age - or stop aging, as the case may be - 'if' I stay here, because I only exist 'if' I stay here.

Do you understand now?

1/2

[tsuntrader]

[...]

[tsuntrader]

...Yeah. Yeah, because you explained it to me. [He's not sure how to approach this, so... He might as well reiterate something important here.]

[imatreenow]

[...What is that supposed to mean?

He isn't going to pause on it too long, to avoid the cloying discomfort of thinking too hard about anything Silver says or does. He'll just plow ahead with his poor little victim complex.]

Do you want to know why? Because I was killed by humans [and half-elves] who didn't agree with my vision of the world, one where discrimination would be eradicated as my sister wished for.

[tsuntrader]

...I feel like you're only giving half of this story.

[imatreenow]

I am telling you a simple fact, but believe what you will. [The whole story would take a long, long, long time to sort through. All it would get him in the end is more misunderstanding, so why bother?]

[tsuntrader]

Was it because they disagreed with you, or were you trying to do your Thunder thing and sword stuff because they disagreed with you so they defended themselves?

[imatreenow]

Don't assume that you know anything. They came after me - I had no wish to fight. [because he was the one who had everything to lose if the status quo was upset...]

[tsuntrader]

I can't understand anything if you don't tell me about it. I'm not psychic. I'm not a god. And you don't exactly strike me as some passive easygoing type that would do things in a way that your sister would approve of.

[imatreenow]

[Whatever scathing protest he was putting together crumbles apart in his mouth. Silver may as well have just slapped him hard across the face with that last part.]

...Shut up. You don't know anything about my sister. [But there are things he doesn't understand either...things that hurt. Things that dig underneath his fingernails and gnaw through his skin to worm their way down to his bones.]

[tsuntrader]

I know you're harsh and your sister is gentle.

[imatreenow]

Is that my fault? [Really? Really? It would almost be funny, except for the part where it's just hideously depressing.]

[tsuntrader]

Not really, but it's not something you can't change, either.

[imatreenow]

You're wrong.

[For so, so many reasons. He's afraid to change. He doesn't know how to change. And... He isn't 'harsh' simply because he hates. It's because the outside needs to be sharp steel to protect the soft and bruised insides. Too many layers of defense have built themselves up, fear and distrust depositing sediment year after year, and he doesn't even know what would be left underneath if he's stripped bare.

Even if some can dismantle it for him, he wouldn't know where to begin in taking it apart himself. He doesn't want to.]

[tsuntrader]

I don't think so. I'm not saying that tomorrow you'll be mister rainbows and Butterfree, but I think you might be able to learn to lighten up a little.

You protect yourself to a fault. It's like squeezing your eyes too tightly when you're rinsing shampoo out of your hair. Your eyes end up stinging just as badly as they would if you kept them open.

[imatreenow]

[...Silver what is that metaphor. At least he keeps his ridiculous metaphors in little brackets.]

I have no reason to 'lighten up' around those I can't trust, and every reason not to. ...No one can break my trust [and hurt me] if I don't give it to them, or do you not understand such simple logic?

[tsuntrader]

I have a hard time trusting people. That doesn't mean that I lash out at people constantly and shove away every little good thing that comes in my direction. That's exhausting.

[imatreenow]

[...He has difficulty trusting too? Mithos...doesn't think he knew that before. Probably because his head is so far up his own ass.]

Then congratulations. It's arrogant to think that what works for you should be prescribed to everyone. [...says the guy who wanted to transfigure everyone in the world into lifeless puppets because he clearly knew what was best.]

[tsuntrader]

Are you happy the way you are?

[imatreenow]

[...This is quickly plummeting further and further into dangerous territory. He's been thinking about that word happiness a lot in the past few months, turning it over and over in his mind until he can't stand it anymore and he wants to rip it out. And he still isn't sure if he remembers what it means. Before he'd come to Luceti, he knew he would finally be happy as soon as he could bring Martel back to his side and give her the world he'd always dreamed of.

He doesn't know anymore. She didn't want it, she wouldn't have been happy... So where is he supposed to find it? Happiness. He hates every letter of it.]

...Eat your food, and leave me alone.

[tsuntrader]

Let's compromise. I'll leave you alone if you eat your food.

[imatreenow]

[.....He'd expected him to pry for an answer, so he's definitely surprised that Silver dropped it. It's a relief to leap back from that topic. ...Suddenly, the issue of the food is much, much less important.]

Fine. [he'll just...slowly take up his fork, staring down at the omelet with a scowl.]