Calibrations Spill-Over Post

[thespaceopera]

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→ Calibration post A-M
→ Calibration post N-Z

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[mortalcoil]

(continued from here)


[the kid's brow furrows even further, and he hunches defensively into his shoulders.]

It wasn't okay... I shouldn't have done it.

[but probably not for reasons that are sane or normal at all.]

[hymnals]

[He makes a noise of frustration in his throat.]

Done what? Be alive? Make mistakes? Because that's pretty fucking unavoidable. You know what's easily avoidable, though? The compulsion to cut out someone's tongue. I mean, in general.

[mortalcoil]

[he flinches at the tone, and hesitantly points to his own mouth.]

I shouldn't have done this.

[removing his own tongue had seemed like the only way in the moment... but he hadn't expected to survive it. so, all he did was carry on and leave his mother with a handicapped child--made more useless than he had been before.]

[hymnals]

[He's about to hiss 'Definitely fucking not,' but--the flinch. Adrasteius exhales slowly. He forces himself to calm down. This boy is a victim.

More gently:]

What made you feel like you had to?

[mortalcoil]

[he shrugs a little, eye still downcast and voice still a coarse whisper.]

I don't know. Seemed like the only way.

I just wanted to make up for what I'd done.

[hymnals]

Which was--what? Exactly?

[mortalcoil]

I had a sister.

[he fidgets with his scarred fingers, failing at keeping the pain from affecting his expression. here, where time loses real meaning and all adds up to meet in one single space, the memories are as fresh as if they'd just happened. as if they were still happening.]

She died because of me.

[hymnals]

... I'm sorry.

[He doesn't really know where to go from here. This is starting to feel increasingly wrong. This is not his story to know, and these are not questions he has the right to ask. He just shakes his head.]

I shouldn't have pressed.