[The chuckle that spills out is laced with tired exasperation.]
Lilia dragged me by the collar all the way to the infirmary, yes. I told him I could take care of it, but he was very insistent. Stronger than I thought, too...
[He rubs at his neck gingerly, the bruising covering large portions of his throat from the front.]
You've taken care of your burns since yesterday, I hope?
[BRO WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU (at this point this is just a running meme i fear and not a real reaction in her expression)
Her actual reaction is to nod at the explanation, though the mention of the infirmary draws a bit of a darkness into her rich blue eyes. If anything, she makes note of Lilia's quick intervention in another injury...again, compares it to his usual attitude.]
Luckily, I only burned the very tip of my finger to test the strength of the water's effects. The pain was...negligible, at best. It's all well and done now.
[GIRL JUST ASK HIM USE YOUR TITTY POWERS OR SOMETHIN]
Mm. Good, you had me worried with your talk about testing. But it worked out for the better.
...
[His arms cross in front of him, weight leaning a little heavier against the stone as he lines his shoulders up square and tilts his head back. Up to the sky, fake as anything. Fake light, fake voices, fake fake fake fake.]
It is what I try to tell myself, at least. It could have been worse. The trial, the execution. If I thought about the ways they could have ended in disaster, I wouldn't know an end to it.
But two gone, still... [He exhales hard, eyes closing tight.] With one's location a mystery, and the other...
[SHE DOESN'T HAVE TITTY HYPNOSIS POWERS OKAY but maybe later she has a lot to talk about
As usual, her parasol is with her. Cantarella folds it and hooks it by her side.]
And the other still gone.
[The tip of the parasol gives a brief "mind if I join you?" gesture to him where he sits.]
If you'd ended up on the worse side of a fight, we might have had yet another to worry about. Maybe we should be grateful you weren't the one up there. [Specifically because, as she is certain he might also have noticed, the "wings" of those in the garden were being trotted out for show.]
[A blink as his eyes follow her parasol, earning a belated nod and a weak shuffle over in his seat to give her more room. Make yourself at home, queen.]
Is that concern or just scolding I hear? [like she aint wrong but still, he can't help but poke fun a little]
They really outperformed for two that had abilities stripped from them. But... perhaps it's tied to where their weapons came from.
[Pulled from the inside of a fellow Troupe member like a blade from a sheathe.]
[As she takes her seat (though she does look down to see if there's any trace of those fallen outlines below), Cantarella turns over her shoulder and leans in Solomon's direction, taking a playful dip into his personal space.]
Do you think you've earned both or either? You're obviously so careful; do I still have to be worried about you?
["Careful" here likely refers to any number of things. He's been very observant, metered with his information, precise with (most of) his public interactions with people.]
The man survived the removal of his head. Whatever it may be, it's beyond what binds us. All this about working in pairs...I felt nothing so potent with mine.
[He allows it, cocking his head in response with a small perk to his smile. Hello, dear, welcome to the Solomon Zone.]
It depends who you'd ask, I guess. I've gotten pretty used to being called a troublemaker more than anything. [So he would not judge her, if she decided he was worth chiding. It wouldn't be the first time, by far.]
I doubt it has to do with our pairs. Perhaps it's simply a matter of agreement. [Said rather casually.] But now you've just made me curious as to whether you've located that missing piece of yours.
[She hits him with a hmm and a lean forward, bent out over her own knees.
Well, as long as he doesn't go about making too much trouble for the wrong people or at the wrong time...a little mischief has likely never hurt anyone. His use of "agreement" is much more interesting, as is the rather straightforward presentation of a question that's been danced around by nearly everyone else.]
Trying to chase a piece of yourself that you've forgotten is like trying to cup air in the palm of your hand...I'm still looking for the one who managed to hold the wind. If only I'd had the foresight to inscribe it on my hand. [Not that they knew any of this, of course.] I should hope the search for yours isn't the source of your troubles.
Ah, "its own matter." I see. You feel so strongly...So I don't believe my curiosity should surprise you.
[Unlike him, her curiosity doesn't extend so far beyond the boundary that it transforms into nosiness. The trouble is that they're already in a panopticon of motivations and expectations, and every little behavior is being monitored from more than one vantage. There's more to discuss.]
The rumors won't trouble you, at least, though I'm increasingly aghast at what passes for gossip here. You could have just written on the forum. Then...what do you know of our "partnerships?"
[Laughtracks dot mp3 in him being one of the main targets for Monday's rumors just to rub more salt in his wounds]
...Not much more than the rest, I'm afraid, though I can confirm that the connection is... different. It isn't at all like what happened on that stage.
[Good thing neither of them is particularly bothered by rumors, then, hm? Hm?
To her, his reply suggests that he knows more than a great deal of them... or perahps she has been arrogant in seeking her answers on her own. Either way, Cantarella studies him for a time, watching any remaining strains of the fluster on his face.]
Well, don't reveal your secrets. [Mild good humor spills through her voice.] But perhaps you could let me know what it does feel like? I doubt you can surprise me much.
[His expression falls unusual again. Unfocused, frustrated, with a tension not unlike watching a wild animal on the alert. Not towards her, but to something else.]
Overwhelming. [Clipped. Withdrawn. Very, very out of character.] I'd prefer we don't talk about it.
...
Like I said... I don't think it's related to what we saw on that stage.
[As he becomes more irritated, her hand lifts, a fleeting thought of reaching out to soothe, but lowers it again to her lap. It's unlike him, and unlike their neutral agreement to share what they learned.]
Ah. It's much too late for objectivity, then. You sound as if you've succumbed.
[The shift is a sight to behold, and oddly, despite his resistance to talking about it, Cantarella feels like she's learned enough. He is enmeshed with something.]
[He has to grit his teeth a bit as he ducks his head down, like whatever passes over him is a wave, something that overtakes the careful control he normally keeps himself under.
[It's a couple more breathes before he finally seems he's righted himself, an apology unspoken in his eyes as he runs a hand across his bruised features.]
...That's the best word I can come up for it, at least. The body as a vessel, the blade a manifestation. Like the plucking of our roses, but of a different sort.
[It's troubling to see, but Cantarella keeps her calm and waits coolly for Solomon's temperament to cool as well. Self-control is necessary for her, as perhaps it is for him... But what about the ones who have much less of it?
Her nod is brief; to say anything just yet would drag it out. Consider it dropped.
But there's a great deal still to uncover.]
Even with all the chaos, their bond was clear. [An Actual bond, even...] But then... why those bonds? What do they contribute to the ritual?
That, I can't begin to guess. Asking Louis, Dehya, or APPle might be the most promising lead, when they've all had time to rest. Only they will know what feelings went through them, or why their bonds felt strong.
[He pauses, as though debating whether to say more, but seems to dismiss it.]
I want to check on Dehya anyway, when there is time. She's a sensible one.
Well. [She pauses, tactfully navigating this.] I had thought it was the shock of the flames, at first, but...
At least two of the dancers on the stage were in sync. [One very much was not, from the way APPLe sank to the ground as if the invisible string holding him aloft was severed.
Perhaps Solomon really wishes to speak to Dehya about that, actually, to get to the bottom of that reason? The rest of it can wait a moment, though she does not at the idea that Dehya is sensible; there's more to say, possibly, but the threads of Amethyst dorm's connection may be a bit slippery to untangle.]
From appearances, yes. But within the chaos, it's hard to tell anything objective. I'd rather hear it from a firm source, and we have already run out of one of those options. [Smashcut to Tuesday where we've lost another one, lolololololol. :(]
Unless you think you've found a bigger pattern there.
[His interview pool is about to get a whole lot smaller...sad.]
Right you are. We can only say what we saw, not what happened. [The two are, so often, very different. She knows it all too well.] It's not big enough to be a pattern, nor would I be elated to see any repeats. Better to ask. I wonder just what she'll feel comfortable sharing with you.
How ominous. You've certainly mounted the tension.
[Though the setup is still lighthearted, Cantarella's body language becomes more serious, and she leans forward. Requests that have to be so introduced are often heavy ones. Maybe he can suspect she's carried such heavy things before.]
As long as my cooperation can be held until I've heard it. I do have a tendency to seek my own way of doing things.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Lilia dragged me by the collar all the way to the infirmary, yes. I told him I could take care of it, but he was very insistent. Stronger than I thought, too...
[He rubs at his neck gingerly, the bruising covering large portions of his throat from the front.]
You've taken care of your burns since yesterday, I hope?
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BRO WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU (at this point this is just a running meme i fear and not a real reaction in her expression)Her actual reaction is to nod at the explanation, though the mention of the infirmary draws a bit of a darkness into her rich blue eyes. If anything, she makes note of Lilia's quick intervention in another injury...again, compares it to his usual attitude.]
Luckily, I only burned the very tip of my finger to test the strength of the water's effects. The pain was...negligible, at best. It's all well and done now.
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GIRL JUST ASK HIM USE YOUR TITTY POWERS OR SOMETHIN]Mm. Good, you had me worried with your talk about testing. But it worked out for the better.
...
[His arms cross in front of him, weight leaning a little heavier against the stone as he lines his shoulders up square and tilts his head back. Up to the sky, fake as anything. Fake light, fake voices, fake fake fake fake.]
It is what I try to tell myself, at least. It could have been worse. The trial, the execution. If I thought about the ways they could have ended in disaster, I wouldn't know an end to it.
But two gone, still... [He exhales hard, eyes closing tight.] With one's location a mystery, and the other...
[Well. Yknow. Child boiler.]
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SHE DOESN'T HAVE TITTY HYPNOSIS POWERS OKAY but maybe later she has a lot to talk aboutAs usual, her parasol is with her. Cantarella folds it and hooks it by her side.]
And the other still gone.
[The tip of the parasol gives a brief "mind if I join you?" gesture to him where he sits.]
If you'd ended up on the worse side of a fight, we might have had yet another to worry about. Maybe we should be grateful you weren't the one up there. [Specifically because, as she is certain he might also have noticed, the "wings" of those in the garden were being trotted out for show.]
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Is that concern or just scolding I hear? [like she aint wrong but still, he can't help but poke fun a little]
They really outperformed for two that had abilities stripped from them. But... perhaps it's tied to where their weapons came from.
[Pulled from the inside of a fellow Troupe member like a blade from a sheathe.]
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Do you think you've earned both or either? You're obviously so careful; do I still have to be worried about you?
["Careful" here likely refers to any number of things. He's been very observant, metered with his information, precise with (most of) his public interactions with people.]
The man survived the removal of his head. Whatever it may be, it's beyond what binds us. All this about working in pairs...I felt nothing so potent with mine.
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It depends who you'd ask, I guess. I've gotten pretty used to being called a troublemaker more than anything. [So he would not judge her, if she decided he was worth chiding. It wouldn't be the first time, by far.]
I doubt it has to do with our pairs. Perhaps it's simply a matter of agreement. [Said rather casually.] But now you've just made me curious as to whether you've located that missing piece of yours.
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Well, as long as he doesn't go about making too much trouble for the wrong people or at the wrong time...a little mischief has likely never hurt anyone. His use of "agreement" is much more interesting, as is the rather straightforward presentation of a question that's been danced around by nearly everyone else.]
Trying to chase a piece of yourself that you've forgotten is like trying to cup air in the palm of your hand...I'm still looking for the one who managed to hold the wind. If only I'd had the foresight to inscribe it on my hand. [Not that they knew any of this, of course.] I should hope the search for yours isn't the source of your troubles.
1/2
2/2
[He clears his throat. Had the tremble in his voice been there before?.]
No. That's... its own matter. Nothing to do with the rest.
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[Unlike him, her curiosity doesn't extend so far beyond the boundary that it transforms into nosiness. The trouble is that they're already in a panopticon of motivations and expectations, and every little behavior is being monitored from more than one vantage. There's more to discuss.]
The rumors won't trouble you, at least, though I'm increasingly aghast at what passes for gossip here. You could have just written on the forum. Then...what do you know of our "partnerships?"
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...Not much more than the rest, I'm afraid, though I can confirm that the connection is... different. It isn't at all like what happened on that stage.
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To her, his reply suggests that he knows more than a great deal of them... or perahps she has been arrogant in seeking her answers on her own. Either way, Cantarella studies him for a time, watching any remaining strains of the fluster on his face.]
Well, don't reveal your secrets. [Mild good humor spills through her voice.] But perhaps you could let me know what it does feel like? I doubt you can surprise me much.
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Overwhelming. [Clipped. Withdrawn. Very, very out of character.] I'd prefer we don't talk about it.
...
Like I said... I don't think it's related to what we saw on that stage.
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Ah. It's much too late for objectivity, then. You sound as if you've succumbed.
[The shift is a sight to behold, and oddly, despite his resistance to talking about it, Cantarella feels like she's learned enough. He is enmeshed with something.]
And what we saw was "agreement"?
1/???? idk 3 probably
Drop it.
2/???
An exhale. Another.]
3/3
...That's the best word I can come up for it, at least. The body as a vessel, the blade a manifestation. Like the plucking of our roses, but of a different sort.
a /???? in mine own pc...
Her nod is brief; to say anything just yet would drag it out. Consider it dropped.
But there's a great deal still to uncover.]
Even with all the chaos, their bond was clear. [An Actual bond, even...] But then... why those bonds? What do they contribute to the ritual?
just to keep u on your toes
[He pauses, as though debating whether to say more, but seems to dismiss it.]
I want to check on Dehya anyway, when there is time. She's a sensible one.
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At least two of the dancers on the stage were in sync. [One very much was not, from the way APPLe sank to the ground as if the invisible string holding him aloft was severed.
Perhaps Solomon really wishes to speak to Dehya about that, actually, to get to the bottom of that reason? The rest of it can wait a moment, though she does not at the idea that Dehya is sensible; there's more to say, possibly, but the threads of Amethyst dorm's connection may be a bit slippery to untangle.]
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Unless you think you've found a bigger pattern there.
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Right you are. We can only say what we saw, not what happened. [The two are, so often, very different. She knows it all too well.] It's not big enough to be a pattern, nor would I be elated to see any repeats. Better to ask. I wonder just what she'll feel comfortable sharing with you.
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...
I do have a, uh... request for you, though, Cantarella. If you don't mind hearing it.
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[Though the setup is still lighthearted, Cantarella's body language becomes more serious, and she leans forward. Requests that have to be so introduced are often heavy ones. Maybe he can suspect she's carried such heavy things before.]
As long as my cooperation can be held until I've heard it. I do have a tendency to seek my own way of doing things.
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cw religious gaslighting, child abuse
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sleepily....tags back just to move this so it's ready IN CASE FRIDAY IS BAD
:) what no never
well friday was bad but not like that :(
sad trombones
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