hatesdeerstalkers | IC INBOX FOR DAYBREAK

[It's a complicated situation Jolyne is in - the complications of youth, of the intricate dance between humans. Still, he notes her relaxation, quietly happy that she trusts him enough to allow him this small thing.]

Unfortunately, most humans wish for instant results, even when it doesn't work out as such.

['Humans', putting himself apart from them - well, because he is, as an immortal. But he still does understand, however - though he's never had the issue of romance, the way how everything got too much for her...

That is always understandable.]

And if you fail to provide, then you are cut off. It is not surprising, but no less painful when it happens.

[He's quiet for a moment, before speaking again - after all, he told her of how he first turned to crime in the first place.]

...Yet, whoever he was - he may have been blinded, in regards to you. After all...the mere fact that you are speaking to me about these issues instead of bottling it up inside is an indication that you are trying to 'get better.'

[Someone with so much anger, born from frustration and betrayal and hurt...most people had no idea how to handle it.

Thankfully, Moriarty had been working with such people all of his life.

Though...that brings up another question.]

I don't quite know what 'better' means in this situation, however.

[That's the real question of all of it, what does it mean for her to get better? She's letting out a small frustrated noise and setting her cup down again to rub at her face. What does it really mean? At this point she's not sure, because what she's tried has only ended up in her exploding at people instead and is that really better?]

It... might have been for the better anyway, I guess. Since it might have been a little questionable in the first place and sure as shit not legal back home. [Age differences are utter shit as far as she's concerned, but what she had heard of that history also didn't make her more keen to get involved with him, but to back off instead.

Was it a good idea to continue that mess?]

I... guess it'd be not being as aggressive and abrasive as I am, which isn't an easy thing to fix to begin with. When you're used to fighting tooth and nail for someone just looking at you the wrong way to keep up and image. Or to protect yourself if someone comes after you for supposedly being weak.

Or, you know, just holding onto your anger because of the bullshit in your life that you can't do a damn thing to fix because it doesn't involve you in the long run and it's not your place.

[This is going further than she had meant for it to, really.]

I'm sure he hates me now, anyway, after the shit I said. But it hurt and I had told and showed him things I hadn't to anyone else and it just got thrown back in my face instead.

Any sign of hesitation, kindness - these could be taken for weakness, yes. Especially in the background you've had - and once a reputation is built up, it is not so easily forgotten.

[There's a faint bitter note when he says that, but he listens. Illegal? Age, he assumes, but considering the age of most students here, it couldn't be less than a decade at most. And to his perception of time, such a thing was practically non-existent to consider.

Oh, perhaps not in the eyes of the law. But who cared about what the law wanted, anyway?]

But, of course it hurts. Revealing yourself so deeply is always a risk - one that can always backfire on you, if you're not careful. But -

[He pauses, before looking her right in eyes, his butterflies fluttering around him quietly.]

...What do you want, Jolyne?

[It's said softly, but -

he feels no one has ever bothered to ask her what she wanted, in the end.]

You've realized - you can't continue this way. Even through the pain of separation, you're still trying, instead of shutting out the world and handling it through your anger. But - what kind of person, in the end, do you want to be?

Edited 2019-10-03 07:06 (UTC)

[To his credit, Therion doesn't jump out of his skin so much as tense up, primed to bolt, charge, or go for the knives. He dismisses each thought just as instantly. Moriarty's an unknown, and in Daybreak's magic militia, Therion has to assume all such unknowns can wipe the floor with him. Escaping, even if he could, won't help; he's stuck here. He's well and truly caught. Again.

His alarm turns quickly to bitterness, but if the alert and wary way he watches Moriarty is any indication, he hasn't quite given up on himself.]

...I'll stand, if it's all the same to you.

[He'd rather be on his feet, between the man who caught him and his well-kept arsenal, thanks.]

I'm not used to others being able to sneak up on me like that. Am I losing my touch?

[She'd been carefully listening to him until he's looking her in the eyes and she can feel herself sinking into the chair. There's something about it that unnerves her just a bit, not fright, but something more like embarrassment. How does she even answer that question? She hadn't really thought on it before...

Continuing on doesn't help this feeling, either, slowly taking a deep breath to hopefully calm down her frazzled nerves. What does she want? Where does she want to be? Who is she actually? She doesn't know, that's the problem.]

I... I don't know. [Her voice is soft, careful, hesitating on those words.]

I just want to go back to being normal, I guess? Be somewhere quiet where my reputation doesn't matter and I can just pretend none of this happened, not have to worry about the supernatural or any other bullshit like that?

I don't know how that'd even be... possible at this point, so it's just a real unobtainable dream than anything else.

...If Nightfall is successfully defeated, you could use your involvement in it as a bargaining chip against anyone who would ask anything of you.

[His voice is calm, his hands lacing together on the desk - back straight, looking just like the professor he really is.]

Then again, it would be a simple thing for 'Jolyne Kujo' to die during Nightfall, and make a new identity for yourself if you truly wish to be free of this.

...The choice, however, is yours - and I am not completely aware of the circumstances surrounding you.

[A bargaining chip against anyone who asked anything of her? It wasn't necessarily a bad idea, as far as she was aware, no one had really done anything of this magnitude in her family other than... her father. And she was fairly sure he continued working on this kind of mess because he wanted to.

However, the last parts have her letting out a bark of a laugh and leaning back in her chair a bit.]

If only it was that simple! Even if I pretended to die, to get a new identity, this fucking birthmark is enough to give me away. And, evidently, trouble finds us whether we want it to or not, so I'm kinda stuck.

[Moriarty IS an incredible shot and aim, but most likely Therion could have taken him out, if he needed to. He hasn't exactly learned any offensive magic, after all.

Still, Moriarty laughs, and leans against his door.]

I'll Stand as well, then! Hm, but - don't worry about the sneaking up part. I have...experience in being quiet, is all.

[Let the young man take what he wants from that.]

So? How much did you take?

Hm...It is impossible to hide, conceal, or remove, then?

[If it's just a birthmark, then it's easily hidden, but....if it's magic bullshit, then he can understand the issue.]

Regardless, then merely use your success to argue for yourself, if they attempt to immediately press you into service after. At the very least, you should be able to get a few years to yourself.

...However. It may be best to eventually make peace with what your life has become - even as unfair as that may seem.

Yep. Tried concealer, it just sank into my skin like it never existed. I guess I could wear sleeves and cover it, but at the same time it seems to make us magnets to others, so even that wouldn't really stop it...

[It's all kind of magic bullshit curse nonsense and she hates it and doesn't entirely understand it still, herself.]

It's tempting to take those few years and find a way to disappear entirely, but given the Foundation... [She trails off with a frown.]

If anyone could find me, it'd be them.

[He hums, nodding at the comment about concealing the mark. Magic Bullshit sure is difficult to deal with.]

Did they ever make clear what it is that they want you to do after Nightfall is averted?

[Of course he brings that up and she's rubbing at her face with a slightly annoyed sigh.]

Not exactly, but if it's like any of the rest of my fucking family, then they'd want me to get involved in any Stand related bullshit that might pop up somewhere. Depends on the type, depends on the place.

Which, honestly, there's fucking at least four others still kicking around, so why the fuck does it matter? [One literally does not count, but it's fine.]

[Cool, cool, cool. Therion's between Moriarty and the weapons, Moriarty's between Therion and the most convenient avenue of escape. The professor must know what he's doing, amiable as he acts.]

Just pocket change.

[A combined thousand, maybe, from the two cash stashes he found. Oh, and the three knives. But he's sure Moriarty saw that.]

For someone who'd splurge that much out of pocket on one day's event, you keep a pretty minimalist home. Guess you weren't kidding about low living expenses.

[It's not his first time coming home to a thief, that much is certain.

Though if this was the past, Therion would be dead, instantly shot through the forehead by one of the guns on his person. But - this isn't the past, and he is a mere professor here, so he just chuckles at the comment.]

Pocket change and some knives, hm? Ah well - feel free to keep it. I can merely get more, after all.

[....What?]

Though - you're quite the adept hand at this sort of work, hmm?

And how often do you see yourself being called in for that sort of work?

[He's just trying to talk this out - if it's not often, then it's a pretty fair deal, honestly.]

[What? She's quiet for a moment as she mulls it over, not entirely sure how to even quantify such a thing...]

If they're going with home turf for each of us, which makes no sense since two of them are fucking Japanese, then I guess it depends on how much shit pops up in the states or I guess South America or what-the-fuck-ever.

[A different, less comfortable sort of alarm blooms in Therion's gut. If Moriarty were just taunting him or fishing for information, that'd be one thing. But compliments, of any kind? Generosity?

Very subtly, Therion shifts his weight backwards.]

If you say so.

[Bringing up the professor's own dot dot dot... 'experience' in creeping up on people is too obvious a hook, and just confirms what they both know: like recognizes like. If Moriarty thinks he's good at 'this sort of work,' he must have some frame of reference with which to judge.]

You seem awfully understanding given the circumstances, Professor.

[Ah. The clever sort, too - good, good. He's already noting details that he's happy to see in a young thief, and he's noting the faint traces of alarm.

Off balance...or perhaps a past bad experience with people offering generosity at first? Too early to tell, but -

Well, continuing to be friendly won't hurt for now. With a laugh, he decides to answer Therion's unasked question.]

Well, I've had to do things in my past that aren't exactly good to bring up in...polite company, shall we say. More than that, I'd expected a visit from you, to be quite honest. After all, I did lay the bait during the paintball matches.

[His grin...Turns a little sharper, a little bit more...like a spider's, in a sense, as his tone takes the cadence of a teacher.]

First lesson - always properly scope out your targets before hitting them. Especially when it's more than likely that they baited you out with the right things said in public.

Hm, yes....so, ultimately, it may be that you might not be called in often at all? Perhaps, say...thrice a year at most? Would that sort of thing truly be such an issue to you?

Edited 2019-10-31 10:16 (UTC)

[Therion has to hold his tongue. He knows that, and the insinuation he needs a lesson as basic as that adds insult to his already-injured pride. Problem is, he can't deny that Moriarty's right. Goaded by his previous failures and chafing under what was looking more and more like a sugarcoated death sentence, Therion jumped at the first seemingly golden opportunity--like some green, rookie pickpocket. Like a damned fool, really. Darius would've bitten his head off for this.

Caution tempers the desire to snap back to a glower. Maybe it's caution he could've used earlier and avoided this situation entirely, but it's still welcome enough now. Therion knows he's not out of the woods yet. Moriarty's not the first person he's seen wear that kind of smile, and he can't see yet why he would have laid a trap for someone like him.]

Noted. [Dry, dry voice, arid as the desert.] This the kind of class I should expect homework from, or...?

Question.

Since you've been around for fucking ages and shit.

How much different is the word whore now than it was back then? Just curious.

For no reason what-so-ever.

....It depends on what context you use it in, honestly.

How the fuck does that matter? What?

I GUESS LIKE IF YOU CALL A CHICK THAT OR SOMETHING?????

Yes, but it could be incredibly insulting if you said it to, say, a woman of noble birth, but a mere title to an actual prostitute back in the day.

Whereas today, it is mostly an insult towards any woman.

I.

What.

Jesus fucking shit dude, what the hell.

Goddammit.

OKAY SO, LIKE. Good to know, I guess???? Fuck.

IC INBOX FOR DAYBREAK

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It's dumb-ass question time again!

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