synopsychic | Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

Entry tags:

Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

Heads up--if you run into Teruo, Kinji's infiltration, some kind of yellow sea snake mermaid--be really damn careful. He's a menace.

Asshole goaded me into what I thought was a spar, but then he started singing, and it...

[Hajime's mental voice trails off in embarassment here before picking up again.]

Look, I'm not proud of it, but it's hard to get me to back down from a fight. And what he did, it...I just stopped fighting. Didn't even think to defend myself. He kept it up long enough to hit me with a cheap sucker punch.

[The irritation is just coming off his mental voice here.]

He also said several times that if I was a warrior, I should be sticking closer to the boat and protecting my school--I'm still not sure if that was a threat or not. I wouldn't put anything past him.

...and if you do end up talking to him and he mentions someone named Chalice, that's me--I'm not about to go by my real name in the same world as the Bando, even if I'm a fish this time around.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Not so fast. Lyall doesn't hand them over just like that. Instead, he keeps them in his hand, fingers curled over them, and says,]

I was serious about staying away from Kinji, Hajime.

[He may possibly be holding them hostage a little bit, at least until he's said his piece.]

[Hajime freezes there and looks guilty.]

But if he tries something again...

[Lyall isn't budging just yet.]

I don't know how well these will work underwater, if there's a skin-vibration element of hearing Song or not-- or if any of the mermaids can manipulate water to take them out. It's a huge risk. If this magic can actually change your reactions, control you? We can't risk that happening, Hajime.

But I'll be ready the next time.

[Even if he looks really uneasy at the word control.]

Altair said I just needed to up my psychic defenses too, I can...I can work on that. I can already do a little. I'll be prepared.

We don't know how much psychic protection protects against magic, Hajime. Being prepared doesn't necessarily mean he can't still control you. And I don't-- I don't think I'm Alpha enough to manage to cut through anything he could do.

[Conall could have probably ordered someone back to sanity and alertness, but he's not Conall. He's seriously worried about this, Hajime. That should be pretty obvious, both in his expression and across the pack bond.]

I don't think he could control me, he just...he just stopped me.

[Even though stopping Hajime from fighting takes a lot more firepower than Hajime would care to admit.]

And that was just his opening salvo, when he was playing with you and confident in his abilities. We don't know what else he can do. Until we know more about what we're up against and whether we can counter-act it, I need you to stay away from him. I not going to back down on this, Hajime.

If he comes at me again, I don't want him thinking I'm scared.

[Same logic that led to a lot of useless fuss at the ball, really.]

Better him to think you scared than to think he can manipulate you, Hajime. Sometimes you have to retreat in order to be strong-- in order to win. It's called strategy.

If he drives me away from places just by being there, he's manipulating me anyway.

[Stubborn wounded pride talking over here.]

No, you're making a choice to avoid a conflict, and to avoid risking yourself and thus all of the rest of us. I know it's hard for you to do, but I believe you can do it. Chasing you away is probably not actually what he'd want to do, anyway-- if he has a power over you, I'm sure he'd be happy to keep humiliating you with it, instead.

[Hajime looks frustrated for a moment, then ducks back underwater. Is he trying to walk away from the conversation?

Nope, just breathing--he can't stay above the surface of the water for too long. The look of frustration lingers when he surfaces again.]

I still don't like it. He shouldn't...I don't like anyone holding that sort of thing over my head.

[Still wants to tie the snake in a knot.]

And he's been threatening other people in our group, too--it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

The other people in our group aren't Undead who are next to impossible to stop when they really get going. While I don't want anyone else under his power, either, most of everyone else is less dangerous than you are.

[He makes noise that could be annoyance, and could be amusement.]

You saw Spiderman, right? With great power comes great responsibility. Sometimes that responsibility means you have to be careful and avoid the fight you'd rather confront.

If he tries to make me rampage, at least I'm used to holding that sort of impulse back...

And I can't just let him get away with doing this...

[There's an irritated sigh, he sinks underwater again, and...yeah, he's sulking. Probably better he do that than rush out there after Teruo right then and there, at least.]

[Too bad running away in this case doesn't mean he can't still talk to you. Lyall crouches down and sends along the network, privately now:]

Once we know more, then maybe you can make a show of dealing with him. But right now, until we have more of an idea of what he's capable of, I need you to stay away. Just for a few days, a week maybe, until we can have our other mermaids ask around about him, and we can put together what we know about Singing from those who are still investigating.

Fine, fine.

[He surfaces again.]

I'll back off, but I'm sure as hell not going to act like I'm afraid of him. But I'm not.

[No, he's long ago decided what he's capable of as Joker is the only thing he needs to be afraid of. Even if he'd never admit that to anyone.]

You don't have you. I'd prefer he not even see you at all, to see how you're acting.

[And with that relenting, he opens his hand to offer the earplugs. Kinji isn't the only one out in these waters to worry about, after all.]

I'm acting fine.

[Not unlike a sulky teenager, but when you're this proud of your fighting skills and have some weird monster instinct tying them in to your very right to keep existing...]

I'll be careful.

[And he takes the earplugs.]

I didn't say you weren't. You said you weren't going to act like you were afraid of him, Hajime, I just said I'd prefer he not see you to see any way you acted at all.

[Touchy, touchy.]

[The touchiest. Hajime sighs. There's a quick dip underwater, but it's just to take another breath, not to hide.]

Right, right. Maybe I better stay here for a little bit, take a nap, try to sleep some of this off...

[Or, you know, tell Lyall he's doing that and then make some kind of underwater punching bag to vent on, same difference...]

[Either on is better than hunting down Kinji, so Lyall honestly doesn't care.]

I'll be in here a while longer. I need to be available for other people who need earplugs. Let me know if you need anything, all right?

Yeah, I will.

[Hajime gives Lyall a smile, even if he's kind of forcing it. At least he's putting forth the effort.]

...and don't worry, it's not like I'll be alone down here.

[At that, a very exciteable, very brightly colored mantis shrimp pops up out of the water, gives a little wave, and goes back down.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject