driftfleet | Yadrolla System Mingle

I'm not. [She's not sure he even knows he NEEDS to. She's pretty sure he thinks his artwork is great and just misunderstood.

She gives an exasperated sigh.] Ben, getting hit on the head repeatedly is really dumb.

[She just needs to clarify that.]

Then maybe he's a starving artist, I don't freakin' know.

[he can't help but roll his eyes] Benefits outweigh the cons, kiddo. Trust me when I say that.

[ SIGH. ] You would say that.

[ Probably because you're already suffering from blunt force trauma. Bah. ]

Well - yeah, 'cuz that's how it is.

[he is NOT at least not this time gosh]

I really don't want to argue with you about this anymore. You're a grown man, you're able to make your own choices.

[ EVEN IF THEY'RE DUMB ONES. ]

We're not arguing, we're discussing. [there's no raised voices come on now] It's the healthier option anyway, out of all the rest of the vices I could indulge in.

[She raises her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose for a moment.] You know that saying 'this is the least worst thing that I could be doing' isn't much of an argument. You're still acknowledging that it's one of the worst things you could be doing.

[Don't mess with her, man, she has an older brother.]

I never said it was healthy. I'm not disagreeing. [he really isn't; but given what else is available to him, fighting is probably the safest, given his shit tolerance to literally everything]

[ Exasperated: ] No, you're just doing it anyway.

[ Him and half the other people on this planet.

But she doesn't care about them as much as she cares about Ben, so... ]

Well, yeah. I like being somewhat sane.

[there's a method to madness, no pun intended]

[ Grumbling: ] I don't see how getting into a pointless fight and receiving needless injuries help anyone to stay sane.

It keeps me focused, it keeps my mind off other things that tend to creep in when I'm not focused, and it lets me work off a bunch of anger I have pent up.

Also I'm insulted you think I get injured that often.

[ She lifts a hand and gestures at his face. ] You're kind of wearing the evidence of injury.

[ What with his raccoon eyes and all.

And she is no psychologist, and has no training in mental health, but that sounds like a horrible cycle he's describing. ]

Yeah, but it's not like this happens all the time.

[give him a break they're on an alien planet.

And it absolutely isn't the best cycle, no, but it's better than everything else he's tried]

So you get into weekly fist fights and don't get injured?

[The skepticism, it drips.]

Not seriously. A few bruises at worst, maybe a busted eyebrow or lip, nothing that doesn't take more than a few days to heal. Guy who runs the fights is real strict about it not getting out of hand.

[ In true sisterly spirit, she reaches up to poke at the bruise under his eye. She's not moving particularly fast, though, so he'll have plenty of time to stop her. If he doesn't, the poke won't be all that hard. ]

And the guy here wasn't?

[if it's the bruise under the artificial eye, there's no flinch whatsoever; if it's the one under the real eye, then he just wrinkles his nose a bit]

He ain't about blood and guts, if that's what you mean. Wouldn't jump in there if I didn't like what was going on, you know.

[ SIGH. ]

Look, Ben, we are just not going to agree on this. You can tell me that you're making a rational decision, that stepping into a ring and getting beat up and beating someone up is good for you all you want. That's not going to stop me from being concerned that you're just doing something that's hurting yourself.

I'm not trying to get you to agree, I'm just trying to - lessen the concern, I guess. [he shrugs a shoulder] I don't let it get too far. That's all.

[ Sheeeeeeeeeeee doesn't believe him, but that might because they have different definitions of "too far." She rolls her eyes and grumbles: ]

I just hope it's not messing up your leg more.

[ She's been working on that and if he's deliberately making it worse, then, woah boy. ]

Do I look like a man with a death wish?

[look, he has unhealthy coping methods, but he isn't stupid]

I don't see what that has to do with it.

[ Except, obviously, he knows she'll kill him if it does, so... but yeah, no, not yet making that connection. ]

I know better than to undo a lady's hard work.

From experience. Painful experience.

[ Congratulations, Ben! She laughs. Ten points. ]

Well, I'm glad to hear that.

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