ataraxion | 1st breakfast

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1st breakfast | video

[ Who's that girl using her tablet as a mirror? None other than Saint Kitten, who is currently fussing over the state of her blonde curls and humming softly. The more observant ones can probably notice the Adam's Apple, but after a few blinks of wide, blue eyes she realizes that she has, somewhere along the line, pressed transmit. ]

Oh fiddley boodles.

[ That's what you get for being from the 60s. She brightens up anyway: all Irish accent and husky voice and smiles. ] Is this my best side, darlings?

Hello, my fellow captives, it appears I'm back again. I hope to get a flood of beautiful faces weeping with joy at seeing me here once more to brighten up their day.

Do tell fill me in on what's been happening, hnn?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Apologizing never hurt anyone, Eridan, and this Jack fellow is obviously someone you care about.

Wwhat am I evven supposed to be apologizin' for?! "Sorry I got freaked out ovver you bein' possessed by a demon?" Because that's my fault an' not just a natural reaction to someone you like suddenly roundin' on you an' pointin' out your obvvious character flawws, right? Wwhy should I be the one apologizin' for that?

[because jack already did you gigantic douchebag jesus christ.]

Jack already apologized to you for everything, despite logically knowing none of it was actually his fault. The least you can do is apologize for making things worse by getting into a fight with the bloody demon. And then you can tell Jack just like I have that nothing that happened was his fault, and you can make sure everything's alright between the two of you.

[Oh look, they're approaching Jack and Ianto's room.]

You mustn't let other people wallow when you can fix it, it's rude. Don't tell me you've undone every single thing I've taught you, you great big git.

[ughhhhh]

I already said that, wwhat the fuck is wwrong wwith you twwo, an' you barely taught me fuckin' anythin'!

No, you didn't, but now you have the opportunity. Work it out, Eridan.

[And they're at Ianto and Jack's doorway, so Ianto's just going to open it now.]

Jack? Someone here to see you.

[ Kitten says nothing, waiting--more than a little curious. She doesn't know the whole story, after all. ]

[Jack's sitting back on the bed, his arms crossed across his chest as he's sort of dozing with his eyes open as he sometimes does. He starts at the door opening and moves to stand and make sense of what Ianto's saying]

To see me? [...ah, Eridan. And another, that Jack doesn't quite recognize]

[Eridan is still struggling, right up until they get him into the room. Then he sees Jack and he... can't actually keep struggling, because then he'd look like a dick and he doesn't want to do that any worse.]

They dragged me here, [he says instead,] You need'a put a fuckin' leash on your matesprit, I don't need him haulin' me around like I'm incapable'a wwalkin' myself.

[Kitten, of course, gets a pass, because honestly he can't expect anything else from her.]

[Ianto's eyebrows raise just a little and he casts a meaningful, amused glance at Jack. A leash, huh? There's some food for thought for later. At the moment, though...]

If you'd come here yourself, I wouldn't have had to drag you. Stop stalling.

Hello, darling. [ that sweet smile is in Jack's direction now, waving with a free hand. ]

Don't mind me, just making sure you and grumpy-fuss over here make amends!

They dragged you here to me? ['To make amends'? Jack looks at the pair questioningly. If Eridan doesn't want to be around him - and he can't blame him, all things considered - why drag him over?]

Ianto...?

Yes, they dragged me, can't you tell by the fact that they'vve got their grimy fuckin' mits all ovver me? [He's just going to use this moment to shrug his shoulders super hard to knock their hands off of him, because goddamn he has to try and preserve some of his self-image here, okay? At least let him have that.]

They're tryin' to get me to apologize, but I already told them wwe fuckin'... hashed shit out or wwhatever, so evverythin' is fuckin' fine an' they can let me go, now. [He assumes the "for being stupid" part is obvious so he doesn't say it because he's COMPLETELY INTELLIGENT AND THERE'S NO WAY THAT CAN BE TAKEN ANY OTHER WAY.]

Everything is not "fucking fine" as long as Jack still thinks it's him you're angry at. [He expels a short breath, very put upon, and addresses Jack] He isn't upset with you, he's upset with himself. Which may be a bit my fault, I admit. I told him not to go poking demons, and he did. And now I bet you've got it in your head that he's uncomfortable around you because the demon poked back. Eridan's here to correct that misunderstanding.

[Aren't you, Eridan? >:|]

Oooh, I do love a bit of drama.

[ So helpful, Kitten. So helpful. ]

[If Eridan's there to correct that misunderstanding, then why is he so reluctant to say anything of the sort? Jack tenses slightly, shuttering himself off for whatever rejection the young troll might throw his way.

Also lmao Kitten he has practically no idea who you are or why you're there, he shoots you a raised eyebrow at that comment]

He has every right to be uncomfortable around me. The demon had my face. For all intents and purposes, he was me. [Small sigh. Eridan obviously doesn't want to be there. Is this apology really going to be coming from him, or from Ianto through his lips?]

[Eridan squints at Jack like he's just said something particularly stupid.] ...Wwait, wwhat? I thought wwe already fuckin' covvered this, Harkness, I'm not fuckin' uncomfortable 'cos you got all fuckin' possessed an' shit.

[He doesn't know what he's supposed to say, and he especially doesn't want to say anything that Ianto seems to think he needs to say. He flounders helplessly for a moment.] I'm - y'knoww. You're just - [He glares at Ianto and Kitten,] Howw the fuck am I supposed to apologize for bein' a dick, I don't get this, I'm not evven apologizin' for somethin' I can help an' I don't need to be reaffirmin' I'm a fuckin' wwaste'a space to a guy wwho obvviously knowws that noww, thanks to -

[oop

He slaps his hands over his mouth, wow, that was probably the shittiest admission in the history of the entire multiverse. He looks absolutely mortified.

Thanks to a demon, he would have finished, if he were the kind of guy to finish his horrible apologies.]

[And now that's all out in the open, Ianto relaxes, casting Jack a knowing look. Jack should really know better by now than to doubt him. Ianto knows everything.]

We'll just leave you two to work this out. And really work it out this time. Come on Kitten, I want to talk to you about suits.

[He offers Kitten a gentlemanly arm as he escorts her out.]

Of course, darling, but just a little something.

[ She leans in to Eridan, voice low but still with an odd air of femininity. ]

Listen to me you wonderful creature of the sea, you're going to bet your purple-button-nose that you're going to make amends or heaven knows how terribly upset I'll be and the last thing you want, my crustaceous companion, is an upset Kitten to trifle with.

[ And she pulls back, blows a kiss, and links her arm to Ianto. ]

Ta-ra, lovelies!

[Jack's left reeling in the aftermath of such an admission, followed by Kitten and Ianto just leaving the pair of them to deal with it on their own. He's going to have to talk to Ianto about warning him about staging interventions, he thinks, as he turns to Eridan]

...you're not a waste of space.

[It seems as good a place to start as any, right?]

[Eridan isn't able to get a word in edgewise as the two take their leave, and he has the good grace to look both appropriately cowed and threatened by Kitten's statement. Shit, man.

When they're gone, though, and when Jack speaks up, Eridan hesitantly turns to look at him, pulling at his scarf.]

Wwell, I knoww that, [he snaps, automatically defensive despite the fact that he pretty clearly already admitted to thinking that kind of thing. Sort of.] But... You knoww. Wwith wwhat the demon wwas sayin', an' all, an' howw you could see wwhat wwas goin' on - I mean. You - he... brought up some points. [He pauses significantly and pretty much refuses to meet Jack's eyes.]

[Jack lets out a soft sigh and then moves to sit on the edge of the bed. He looks down at his hands for the moment.]

I won't pretend to know everything about your life, because I don't. But I'm sure you've got your reasons. I didn't...

[He looks up at Eridan] I don't think that. What the demon said. I mean. I notice things, I've noted that you're lonely. I've noted that the other trolls who've showed up aren't particularly close to you. But that doesn't mean you're a waste of space. And it doesn't mean that you can't make friends.

[God, he feels...old, talking like this. Suddenly he remembers, looking at the other, pulling at his scarf and practically scuffing his feet on the ground in front of him, just how young and impressionable Eridan really is. He hopes that the demon didn't inflict any lasting scars - something that he can't take back no matter how he tries.]

[Eridan frowns, stuck between defending his abilities to make friends and admitting... well, that he doesn't have any of those abilities. He settles for trying to side-step the issue entirely, because admitting his faults is not Eridan's strongest attribute.]

Yeah, you can say that, but - you noticed it. An' that's pretty fuckin' tellin', 'cos, y'knoww... You noticed wwhat a blubberin' fuckin' moron I act like, an' that's not somethin' you can just unnotice, an' wwhen people start thinkin' that shit is true about me, they...

[Get mad at him, and then Bad Things Happen, and he staunchly yanks his scarf to his mouth and chews on it to avoid spewing out more completely fuckin' incorrect assumptions about himself. Incorrect in the way that they are entirely true, but he refuses to admit it directly.]

[Jack watches the young troll struggling with himself, watches him battling the words out and then moving to chew on his scarf - the item of clothing in question a security blanket if ever he saw one. He pushes himself up to stand again, moving closer to Eridan]

You're putting words into my mouth, you know. I said I noticed you were lonely. Maybe that makes you act out sometimes, yes. You're just a kid, though. Everyone has their moments, growing up. [He places a hand on Eridan's shoulder]

I'm not just a kid. [Eridan can't stop himself from sounding not just offended, but outright hostile, but he realizes that he can never explain just how grown up he really is. Not to Jack. He might've made a mistake once or twice when he'd first come aboard the Tranquility, he might've accidentally told a person or two about what had happened, but those people are gone and that's a good thing. He can pretend his past is ancient history and not think about it any more.

(Even though he thinks about it constantly, consciously or otherwise.)

So, he just stands there, feeling jittery with Jack's hand on him and freaked out because he could've accidentally let something spill to the demon at any point, and it's only a fucking miracle that he hadn't. Shit. Shit, shit.]

...I hate growwin' up. It's fuckin' hard. [It's as much of a concession as he's gonna give.]

1st breakfast | video

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[action] asdfg sorry this is so late

[action] DON'T WORRY

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