paperwork, pride and coffee (thoth)

Der Lampman

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May 14, 2015
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wouldnt feel fair though, i don't know

if you\re going to text, im going to text
if youre going to talk i'm going to talk


There wasn't much to say, really. Though it would have made her life much easier to just talk - there were things that didn't translate as well when she had to think them through - there was a sense of defeat with that scenario. Not being good with talking... there were worse things to be sure, but it was still in her opinion a pretty bad thing.

As much as she wanted to just open her mouth and let out her sentiments, she refused. Being stubborn was an annoying thing.

A little more clacking ensued.

dont think its just bein shy tho if you can text
can i ask what it s
 

Romi

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Ahhh, why was she being so difficult? He would much rather just listen to her and reply in text, but instead everything had to be so difficult. She was, he had to admit, one of the more stubborn people he'd met. Most people were quick to play along, to avoid harming any possible feelings, and she... well, she didn't seem to get it.

You should just talk.
There's no reason for you not to just talk.

Ahhh, if she would just talk... that much easier. She was so stubborn, and he let out a little sigh, resisting the urge to hide his face behind his phone. It was so obvious she wanted to just ask things, only she wasn't.

And then she was, asking something that essentially no one ever asked. They all would beat around the bush, avoiding directly asking, and she was the first he could think of who had straight out asked. Why. What the reason was.

Of course the reason would have taken hours to explain, and his face scrunched up in focus as he tried to come up with the most concise explanation. He didn't want to say too much, but at the same time he didn't feel the need to lie. It just felt like she was asking a question, unaware of what a big bag of worms she'd just stuck her hand into.​

Didn't talk for years. Got used to not hearing my own voice.
Upsets me hearing it when I do talk now.

It was the truth, even if it was only a portion of the truth.
 

Der Lampman

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hey i have a reason

didn't say it was a good reason :P

Truth be told, it was actually a rather fun experience to communicate a little differently from usual. Blurting things out was her forte, and there was little chance to properly do that here. Emil didn't seem to much approve of it, but unless he earnestly told her to just talk, that wasn't happening.

The answer she sought and the answer she received were so different. His answer was... unsatisfactory, to say the least. It was probably safe to keep digging a little more. The quintessential bit of information wasn't quite there yet. How to phrase the question was the question.

why

She pressed on the keys again and sent a quick followup message.

it's a good voice like i said :)
 

Romi

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Emil wasn't used to people typing to him. He was used to... okay, he was used to typing to people he couldn't see and having them type it back. The overwhelming majority (or really, all of them if he was being honest) of his friends were online, where he felt comfortable and casual as if life had never really happened.

He wasn't quite sure how to answer her question. He'd never been entirely clear on if he was allowed to talk about it. His parents hadn't. When he'd come back they'd basically spent the better part of two years not talking about it. They'd gone out of their way to dance around the point, to say anything but. They talked about his 'time away'. They didn't mention the word kidnapping, and they sure as hell didn't mention the word vampire. Emil was almost entirely sure that, even after he'd started having visions of the future, they still had a hard time believing in anything supernatural.

One therapist had said he might do better not mentioning it - because it might make people uncomfortable, which would alienate him. Another said he was free to talk about it when he wanted to, and damn whatever anyone else thought.

Therapists, he'd determined, tended not to agree on anything.

Kind of a long story, really.
Was picked up years ago by a guy who thought he was a vampire.

He decided it was probably better not to dump more on her unless she asked - those two lines could give people enough of a general idea. Lots of people didn't like thinking about bad things that happened, and what had happened to him was definitely a bad thing.
 

Der Lampman

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Hmm.

Okay, there was no way she could text back to that. All the questions were to be asked, and she wouldn't be able to text fast enough to process all of them. Instead, she quickly typed out a short message and then closed her phone, putting it on the table.

okay you know what i have too many questions i'm going to talk now

i lose

"So... why were you picked up? Who was the guy and why did he think he was a vampire? He didn't hurt you or anything, did he? Seriously, this is the sort of story I'd have expected from one of the meme sites out there and not real life. And why didn't you talk for years? Did he take your voice sorta like The Little Mermaid? You want to watch a movie or something at some point? Didn't anybody come for you or anything?"

After letting loose her string of questions, Iris leaned forward and took a deep breath with her head tucked down low. She stayed silent and hunched over, chest heaving, one hand on Emil's shoulder, and one hand on the table for support. Seconds lapsed before she withdrew both her hands and sat upright again with a little bit of an exhausted smile.
 

Romi

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In truth, Emil had been expecting her to drop it. To most people, what he'd said would be enough. They could have filled in the blanks, realized that it was probably going to be bad, and left well enough alone.

His eyes widened slightly as she suddenly barraged him with questions, and it was only the fact that he was as fast a typer as she wasn't that he was able to even slightly keep up. A part of him kept wondering if he even should answer, but hadn't the most recent therapist say that talking about it could help? And, well, maybe she would even know something.

Manta Carlos was strange like that.

I've got a conditon that makes me put out too much blood.
He thought it was fate.
Kept me as a blood bag for a long time, I didn't talk.
Didn't want to talk to him and there wasn't anyone else.

She'd asked too many at once - he couldn't tell if he'd answered two or three separate questions, and he'd thought there were more. Hadn't she mentioned hte little mermaid? Only he'd been so lost in the questions to start he couldn't figure out what -

And then she was touching him. He went stiff, shoulders hunching slightly, and he only relaxed when she pulled away. He still wasn't used to people touching him.
What were your other questions?
 

Der Lampman

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Iris saw - rather, felt it as it was really obvious - that tension when she held on, and the momentary relief when she let go. Her attention turned to the vibration of her phone on the table, and for a brief moment she found herself admiring his speed.

The story she received wasn't quite as bad as she was expecting. Yes, it was still bad and no one should have to live through that, but she knew it could always have been worse. With a bit of a spiteful smile she reached out and patted his head. "Well, you're okay now... I'm guessing. At least you turned out all right after something that horrible. That's a lot more than many people I've met can say."

Her spiteful look gave way to one of genuine approval and admiration. Whether it was because he didn't really feel he had any other choice, or because he wanted to resist, or because of some other reason that made him hold on - whatever it was, that sort of persistence was always worth a lot of points in her book. "It's still a shame that you had to go through that, and all I can say is I'm glad you're okay. Well, mostly. Still wish you'd talk more."

There was something she wasn't remembering that could be connected to the matter at hand, right at the back of her throat. Since it wasn't clarifying itself, she thought to let it slide. "Can't say I've seen or been through anything as bad... you'd think that growing up in a household that was once renowned for animancy and soul shenanigans would be more eventful."
 

Romi

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Emil actually squinted at her when she said he'd turned out okay. He actually couldn't remember anyone having ever told him he'd turned out okay. They might say he was doing well, but that didn't feel like the same thing at all.

But after a moment's thought, he decided that she was right. He certainly had his issues, but he had a job, and an apartment. He lived a normal life, even if he was a bit of a shut in. People were shut ins for a lot less than what he'd gone through.

It felt, he had to admit, kind of good to hear someone say it. Even if she didn't know the whole thing, she still knew enough.

The mention that she'd grown up on the island - or the implication of it anyway - was enough to perk his interest, and he quickly shot her another message.

You grew up here, right?
Do you know if there are any vampires here on the island?

He felt sort of silly typing it out. Even having been on the island for a few years, he still half expected her to chide him for being silly and thinking that things like vampires were real.
 

Der Lampman

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May 14, 2015
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Were there actually vampires? Iris hadn't met any, and she found out that the one guy who always ordered his food sans garlic was just allergic. Granted, with the track record of the island, a vampire would probably count as pretty normal.

"I think so," she said cautiously, not wanting to trigger any weird reactions. She didn't know why he'd ask, and it would be perfectly understandable to assume that it would be some sort of traumatic thing. "Never actually met any myself, but we have a lot of weird stuff around here. We got demons, tentacle monsters, lizards, and... me."

That seemed accurate enough. Yup, nothing wrong with that at all. Then again, she wasn't aware whether or not Emil had ever seen her use her abilities, or if he'd ever caught her napping in the staff room. People said her wings tended to come out when she snored.

Now that it came up, it made her just a little bit insecure. As much as possible, she didn't really like showing her wings to anyone. To deflect the possible questioning, Iris instead moved the talk some other way. "I - if you're here, that means you're not exactly normal either... so do you have any fancy, nifty powers or anything? Cause originally I thought you had that 'can't talk, too powerful' thing going on, but you're just - ah, there's no term for that."
 

Romi

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If anything, it was the opposite - the idea of vampires living on the island was a good thing. It had been a vampire that had saved her, a vampire that had been angry that an imposter had done something so screwed up. He'd never gotten their name, and he couldn't really describe them either - he simply knew they were a vampire, and that they'd saved him, and that was enough. Part of him still liked to imagine that he'd get to thank them properly one day, but considering how drugged up he'd been, the odds of him recognizing them were slim.

If she thought she was going to get away with moving the topic onto his powers, she was sorely mistaken.

I can see the future. No more than 48 hours in advance, only in short bursts, and only bad things.
He paused for a moment, clearly trying to consider what questions she was going to volley at him. Explaining his powers was something he'd gotten pretty used to.
For example, knowing that a fire is going to start soon. I have to be nearby, but how near depends on how bad it is.
He wasn't doing a very good job of it though, because he couldn't guess at what she was going to ask, beyond that she would ask him something. He'd eat his socks if she wasn't going to.
What's your power then? I assume you aren't fully human?
 
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