PC: CALEB

[headmt]

Comments

[katzepaw]

[Just going in to buy them drinks without being asked twice. Bringing the cups out to him, slinging an arm around his shoulders with his drink in it.]

It is shit. Look at me, I am yelling at tiny elf children.

[headmt]

[Oh - okay! Okay. He seems a little startled actually, laughing more than he intends to. It's touch week, but Caleb still hasn't really been the guy to like. Initiate any touchy-feely stuff. Taking his drink out of that hand and just toying with it for a second.]

To be fair, the tiny elf child was being a real fucking twit.

[katzepaw]

Ja, but who cares what he thinks. It doesn't matter.

[headmt]

Maybe.

[He'll start drinking at that.]

Matters a little though. [...] Probably easier to just say you don't care and they're a murderer so it doesn't matter. You don't have to think about it.

[katzepaw]

I just didn't like the way he was saying 'we caught you.' Beauregard caught him. Maya and Yamato caught him. He did nothing, and yet he thinks he has earned the right to be smug?

[headmt]

[Yeah, he can understand that. How it just feels wrong to see it in the face of everything. That they'd all gotten the thing they wanted, but didn't actually want.]

... Think he probably was in on the one last week, yeah?

[katzepaw]

He must have been.

[headmt]

Doesn't make any fucking sense.

[katzepaw]

Makes less sense when you learn he's been claiming he did it alone.

[headmt]

[Oh.

He slides his arm around Caleb's lower back to dig his claws into the back of his coat a bit.]

... Protecting someone then.

[katzepaw]

Maybe. I wonder, then, if. . . Byleth or Otome? Harder to see him lying for Ichinose.

[headmt]

Harder to see either of those two standing by while Rupert takes the dive, but ... Maybe there was no choice involved.

[katzepaw]

Byleth. . .

[How to put this.]

I expected Dimitri to be the problem in there. He wasn't. They offered Byleth the chance to save her father, and she wouldn't hear of whether we should try to find another way. I only. . . agreed to participate because I didn't feel I could take that away from her, but. . .

Dimitri attacked her because she wouldn't stop when we were all trying to stop.

[headmt]

[mollymauk, in his head like, boy am i glad i dont have parents they seem like a REAL pain in the ass]

So ... not easily dissuaded from turning the knife away if it matters to her then.

[katzepaw]

Yes. But. . . grief is tricky. I don't judge her for it. I just. . . worth knowing, she has the capacity to be a little ruthless.

[headmt]

We'll keep an eye on her.

[He's doing the nervous thing again where he worries at the piercing in his lip before he stops himself, drinking instead.]

... Don't like that this place is using my face to try and hurt you.

[katzepaw]

I don't like it either.

[But he smiles a little at the sentiment.]

. . . It didn't really, though. Couldn't. I trust you and Beauregard. No matter what she said to me, I knew Beauregard would not do that. She would argue with me, and make me angry, but she would never throw the things she knows about me in my face or call me by any other name than this one.

It wasn't either of you who got me riled up. It is when they brought my old teacher into it. And then later my mother.

[headmt]

[Well he doesn't know anything about any teacher, but he knows about his mother now, so, just a flash of concern. But he's trying not to be too overbearing about it.]

Sakyou spent a long time warning me about all the ways they tried to worm into his head, saying ... y'know, if you know what's coming, it'll help and such. But the more I hear these stories, just feels like it learns how better to get under your skin.

[katzepaw]

I'm telling you. If it happens to you, just. . . go along with it, pretend you are upset. Get angry. Don't be stubborn like me and try to prove you're too smart to be hurt by it, or it will only try harder.

[headmt]

[Patting him on the back.]

Lucky for me that I'm not very smart in the first place. [An attempt at a joke.] And probably even less than I was to begin with because of all the hits to the head lately.

[katzepaw]

You are. Don't sell yourself short. You were the star of bears class.

[I mean. He has the same brain as Lucien who isn't that smart but he's got his way. Molly's brain is just occupied by wanting to get laid and looking hot in nice coats. And also, being pretty talented at reading and understanding people.]

. . . I am sorry about that. I do not want to see your skull bashed in. Though. . . if a wizard can knock you out with a melee attack, that may be partially on you. [What kind of apology is this.]

[headmt]

I was also pretty good at the Loving Yourself class ...

[It takes a lot of RAM to be sitting around that horny all the time, the brainmeat just overheats like a computer in a PNW heatwave sometimes. Huffing a laugh, twisting to shoot him a look. But it's mostly amused, disgustingly enough.]

What kind of apology is this.

[katzepaw]

The kind where I'm only a little bit sorry? You are strong. You can take a hit or two. I suspect you are whining.

[headmt]

[This the worst fucking apology!!]

I'm allowed a little bit of whinging, you ruined my moment by disappearing and then showing up looking like that and sending me scrambling all over campus. Did you know I only had to turn the coupon in on my phone? I just ran somewhere for no fucking reason.

Anyway, my point is, you stole my moment, so I got a raincheck to complain about it now. It hurt. I froze the coffee table. Lucretia thinks I'm made of fine bone china and is leaving snacks around for me like a street dog she accidentally kicked and is trying to coax out again.

[katzepaw]

[He. . . laughs at that. Sorry about it.]

You froze the coffee table? Okay, okay. I am sorry. I wanted to help her. There was probably a better way to do it.