open ♔ socialization log (summer pt 2)

[wynn]

WHO || Everyone! [ota]
WHAT || Shenanigans.
WHERE || Anywhere in the castle, surrounding environs, London, Andres, etc!
WHEN || Any time in Summer / continuations of threads from the last post when it hits captcha
HOW || Actionspam

[ The castle can be a happening place, even on more mundane days. This log is for random interactions over the course of these few months. Because not everyone is into parties, ok. Characters participating in the following missions are asked to wait until their missions have concluded before tagging into things that take place chronologically after said missions: Ravenloft, Shadow Bermuda, and City of Blood If you aren't certain if that applies to you, please ask! Characters who are not currently squired in may also post, as their characters are living in the castle awaiting their ceremonies.

You are encouraged to start your own threads and tag around, and feel free to threadjack into any on-going threads that aren't specified as 'closed' in the subject lines since people can enter into rooms even in the middle of what's going on. WE ARE BIG ON THREAD-JACKING HERE. You can also specify 'single thread', meaning you want only one response for all participants, rather than multi-thread, where a number of different scenes/threads can be done as replies to the top prompt.]

On this log:

Lance/Malina/Cora/Kate/David | continued
Abigail/Alice/Amelia/Kali/Sean/Thea/Winter | continued
Gwen/Rose/Kenzi/Sawyer/Avaleen/Frankie | continued
Erica/Natasha/Sara/Wanda | continued
Mars/Sebastian/Doyle/Deryn | continued
Jaime/Killian/Carol/Tdiddle/Han | continued
Myri/Andrew/Faye/Thoster/Clark/Neal | continued
Baal @ training rooms/firing range/movie theater/billiards/bar
Alex/Will/Dante | continued
Lila @ library/firing range/dragon's fire wing/
Astrid @ med center/library/starbucks/front desk
Sarkney | continuedw
Buffael threads | continued
Emma/Skye | continued
Drax @ training room/bar/outdoors
Elena/Sam/Snow/Bo/Dennis/Groot/Miles | continued
Topher @ computer lab/dragon's light/round table room
Sark @ library
Ella @ dragon's fire wing
Christos & Steve | continued
Jeanne d'Arc @ stables/kitchen/training room
Regina/Snow/Emma | continued
Willow @ the library
Henry @ the library / grounds
Paige @ castle ground
Nyna's resurrection @ Dragon's Light wing

Comments

sweets | tw: mentions of self harm

[bittersweeter]

[ early may is not the first time lila has flounced into sweets' office and her familiarity is best displayed when she puts the sign on the door so he doesn't have to. and then flops unceremoniously into her chair and huffs like her life is the worst.

but look! she just came back from a mission where a. she was sent into a mirror world and had to face a tentacle monster again, b. she was then sent to an entirely different plane and while she's sure the dragon was ultra terrifying, she also had to stare at dozens upon dozens of people trapped in cages so small they couldn't even more. all this after the catastrophe of atlantis where lila found herself chained to an alter. the bruises from where she tried to wrench her wrists free have mostly faded by now, only a shadow on her pale skin, but she can still feel it and it makes her skin crawl.

at least the scars she's given herself are hidden, aside from the crescent moon marks on her palms. she knows sweets' knows there are more scars on her thighs, concealed under the skirt of her dress, but it's just him and sylar. ]

You should really get whatever you need to dispense meds. I mean, I can easily get them off the street, but it would be such a novelty to get them legally. [ let the knights pay for your schooling, lance! let lila talk you into it! ]

[likeababyduck]

[His eyebrows go up a bit because he has a feeling if Lila could get them legally, she wouldn't come to his sessions - or she would, but it would probably only be so that she can get a refill. Psychotherapy is a process and he wants to do a lot more talking first before he recommends her to a psychiatrist.]

I'm sure it would be, but I think I'm good with my credentials as they are for now.

[he tips his head to the side as he watches her, trying to get a bead on where her head is at, especially since she is so good at hiding it.]

Where would you like to start?

[bittersweeter]

I think I'm slightly racist against genies now. Is there such a thing as justifiable racism, or is it still just racism?

[ she might not care anymore tbh. fuck genies. still not giving anything away, she has to work up to it. but considering she no doubt spent their first few sessions together in silence, this is still better than that. ]

[likeababyduck]

It's still just racism.

[One of the things Sweets likes about Lila - and he does like Lila, he likes most people - is that he already knows a softer touch won't really get him anywhere. Those sessions of silence told him more about her than she thinks. Lila's the kind of person who responds to direct answers, not gentle nudges, so he's adjusted his methods accordingly.]

Especially considering that while a genie got you into this situation, another one also helped get you out of it.

[Just saying.]

[bittersweeter]

[ she lets that stand, not because she's agreeing with him but because jordan wasn't complete trash on andres and she's willing to give him credit for that. but not much. ]

Yeah, a transformation worker turned me back into a person, but that doesn't take away from the fact that one turned me into a cat in the first place. I'm not about to hug every transformation worker I meet. [ it was also the same one... and there is only one... but shhh. cassel doesn't deserve hugs, only punches. ]

[likeababyduck]

Fair enough.

[Wariness is fine and justified. He isn't going to argue with that.]

Though to be fair, the genie also wasn't the one who made the wish.

[bittersweeter]

[ the face she makes is clearly "whatever". ] I just don't get why anyone thinks it's a good idea? Like, seriously. Has there ever been a wish that hasn't gone wrong? Has no one seen Aladdin? I was an infant when that came out and I still know better.

[ she doesn't actually know when it came out, she's just guessing. ]

[likeababyduck]

Do you know if the knight in question has a lot of experience with genies? They could have simply thought it was a figure of speech.

[bittersweeter]

We literally talked about how wishes are bad that day. [ LITERALLY THE SAME DAY, SWEETS. ]

[likeababyduck]

[ . . . . ]

Okay, yeah. There's no excuse for that.

[bittersweeter]

Thank you. Anyway it was shit. The stupid dragon there was keeping people locked in cages.

[ look, she got there on her own this time, sweets! ]

[likeababyduck]

[She totally gets a gold star for getting to the point and him not having to drag it out of her. He nods as he considers for a moment, trying to determine what to ask first.]

Was there a reason why he was keeping them there?

[Not to justify it, but to see if he can make better connections with Lila's own personal trauma.]

[bittersweeter]

When he killed them their life forces floated into the air to be absorbed by whatever living creature was near. [ she makes a face that's mostly disgust, but not just at the dragon. ] So, presumably, he kept them for food.

[likeababyduck]

[His face is ... equally disgusted, but there's something else that's interesting there.]

So it got absorbed not just by the dragon but by whoever was fighting it as well?

[bittersweeter]

Yup. [ she sounds ever so pleased. ]

[likeababyduck]

[As well she should.]

How do you feel about that?

[He has a feeling he knows, but he needs to hear it in her own words.]

[bittersweeter]

You know that's the most irritating thing that you do, right? I know you know I feel awful and repulsive and you make me say it anyway. [ she can be snippy and actually answer the question at the same time. she's used to sweets' therapy by now, which is why she gives in eventually, she just has to bristle the entire time because otherwise she feels too weak. like being a brat helps retain some vestiges of dignity. ]

They were in cages and I couldn't help them and I still got the benefit of their death. It's disgusting.

[likeababyduck]

Emotional honesty is important, Lila. Some things need to be said.

[And it's not like he's going to be telling anyone about it. This is a safe space.]

And it is. But at least now that the dragon is gone, it won't happen to anyone else.

[bittersweeter]

By that particular dragon, yes. [ lila is just very anti-cage, in general. the freakin' dungeons make her skin crawl and those are practically roomy. ]

I was right in front of them when it happened. I watched them die and I felt it and I couldn't do anything to help them.

[likeababyduck]

Do you think there was anything you could have done? If you had had the opportunity, would letting them out have given them a fighting chance? It's possible they still could have died, even if you did.

[bittersweeter]

Maybe not but they wouldn't have died trapped in cages. [ she tucks her short halo of curls behind her ear, ostensibly because it's constantly in her face, but really so she can run her fingers across the scar behind her ear from when she'd clawed off her shock collar and yanked part of her cat ear with it. ]

[likeababyduck]

[He pauses before nodding again. He can't argue with her there.]

It's always better to give someone that chance, if we can.

[bittersweeter]

[ she shrugs, drifting off into silence again like that's a far as she's willing to go without prompting. ]

[likeababyduck]

[Sweets nods as he watches her for a moment, before he leans back in a seat again.]

You know, we don't really talk much about your time as a cat. Not that this is surprising, given your reticence, but maybe we should take the opportunity.

[Since it is relevant and all of that (diplomacy 22).]

[bittersweeter]

I was very adorable. [ that's what she'll start with, pulling her legs up to tuck under her, smoothing her skirt down. ] Barron had me. He had an apartment at Princeton, Cassel lived at home and Philip was just married, Anton was never an option, so it made the most sense for him to keep me.

Barron's a memory worker so he's basically a human goldfish, without the ability to learn tricks after three months of Mythbusters training. He could barely remember to brush his teeth or his own name, taking care of a cat that used to be his girlfriend was not exactly his first priority. He used post it notes to remind him of stuff, "my name is Barron Sharpe", "keys are by the door", "keys open the door", stuff like that. There wasn't always one that said "feed the cat" so. [ her lips purse. so barron didn't always feed her. ]