[The days following the Circle's fall have not been kind to Myr.
He had--mostly--recovered physically from the injuries he'd taken rescuing Viren. He was--ostensibly--free from any lingering compulsion left on him. (L's description of how light a touch was involved in setting it did little to ease his mind and much to amplify his own guilt over his complicity in what had happened.)
But the full horror of what he'd enabled won't leave him, nor can he ignore it--quite the opposite, as he spends the hours he'd otherwise be sleeping (and suffering nightmares) trying frantically to learn the fates of those the Circle had taken. Tried to think of what he could do, if anything, to make restitution to those his own sense of duty tell him he betrayed.
He is in the middle of one such fruitless attempt--really not even an attempt anymore, really just pacing a circle around and around the cottage with his watch clutched in one hand--when the sound of scales sliding over the front walk freezes him in place. That had been a sound he associated with pleasant conversations in the garden, once.
No longer.
The knock makes his tail flag with unconscious alarm; he clutches his watch the tighter, then stalks stiff-legged toward the door, retrieving his staff on the way.]
Is that you, Guangyao?
[If the dropped pretense of politeness doesn't give him away, the barely leashed tension in his voice surely will.]
[Normally such a dropping of formalities would be well viewed by Jin Guangyao, as being on a 'close' basis with a friend. But the tension in stance and tone in Myr's voice hardly implies that at all.
It's not a good sign, but his own voice remains soft and sympathetic, even as he pulls up the length of his snake-y bulk into a smooth back-and-forth curling zigzag.]
Yes, that's right. I stopped by to see how you were faring, with everything that happened. Would you mind if I came in for a moment?
[Because it's terribly cold out here, for a naga -- but also to get out of sight of anyone who might be watching, before making an effort to clear a few memories from the faun's mind.]
[That scrape of hoof is enough for Jin Guangyao to reconsider his initial thought, of gently pushing his way in against a small amount of resistance. But in terms of appropriate response, it's not too hard to connect the dots, especially with a mind as quick as the naga's.]
I'm sure it's difficult to deal with, but I do want you to know that it's not as if I had any choice in what happened either.
But with the Evergreen Circle broken and those I know of out from under their spell... I really thought that we should at least speak a moment or two.
[Looking a little pathetic out in the cold isn't helpful when the one you're speaking with is blind, but at least he can project that sympathy further in his voice.]
[Well, that would be exculpatory evidence, wouldn't it? And the good faith Myr has trained himself to extend would mean accepting the Naga's word on it and letting him in and having a well-mannered discussion--
The thought sends ice down his spine, sets his heart racing. He grips his staff tighter.]
We can speak over the watches. Or with a witness. Until you bring me proof you were under compulsion, I will not be alone with you.
[A sudden, vicious little smile tugs up one corner of his mouth as a thought occurs; he can be useful to someone in all of this.]
My Witch is a diviner. He'd be happy to clear you.
[Evading, bending the truth far enough that perhaps even a harpy might be led astray is something Jin Guangyao is willing to chance -- exactly where magic might take it is another matter. A diviner, he's less sure of, and Linden's speciality is duly noted.]
Isn't that going terribly far? Even if it hadn't been out of my hands, it wasn't such a big thing to have done, to help keep you safely out of affairs. And I truly did plan to help uncover the Circle's secrets. [You know. Eventually.] Even if everything spun out of control, there isn't any reason to mistrust my intentions now.
[It's tempting to directly bring the tickle of hypnotic magic to his lips, but even in the mostly empty street, it still seems a bit of a risk. Instead, he hopes the wording, that 'trust' might pull anything lingering back, to let him inside again.]
[This is convincing patter that he's heard before--different words, same tone, same rush to justify and twist Myr's native trust. Panic's begun to flutter in his pulse and put a sheen of cold sweat on the skin beneath his fur. notagainnotagainnotagain--
There isn't any reason to mistrust my intentions now, the Naga says, and Myr snarls,] Don't. Start.
Leave.
[This may be something he'll regret later, but at least his mind will be his own to regret it with.]
[There's silence for a moment; unseen, a flat stare. If they're already at this point, who else has he talked to about it? Linden, he can recall, was already suspicious. With the nature of Bonds being what they are, how much has even needed to be spoken, if Myr is so far out from under his spell now?]
If that's what you wish. But please, take the time to think before saying anything rash. It's only been a short time since those spells were broken, and you wouldn't want to say anything regrettable. If you have a chance to think about it and let me explain properly, you'll see I was telling the truth.
[He urges earnestly, though does curls back on himself a little, as if preparing to leave.]
icon fun is always a reason for additional comments
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faithlikeaseed) wrote2019-08-01 12:00 am
ITS TIME
He had--mostly--recovered physically from the injuries he'd taken rescuing Viren. He was--ostensibly--free from any lingering compulsion left on him. (L's description of how light a touch was involved in setting it did little to ease his mind and much to amplify his own guilt over his complicity in what had happened.)
But the full horror of what he'd enabled won't leave him, nor can he ignore it--quite the opposite, as he spends the hours he'd otherwise be sleeping (and suffering nightmares) trying frantically to learn the fates of those the Circle had taken. Tried to think of what he could do, if anything, to make restitution to those his own sense of duty tell him he betrayed.
He is in the middle of one such fruitless attempt--really not even an attempt anymore, really just pacing a circle around and around the cottage with his watch clutched in one hand--when the sound of scales sliding over the front walk freezes him in place. That had been a sound he associated with pleasant conversations in the garden, once.
No longer.
The knock makes his tail flag with unconscious alarm; he clutches his watch the tighter, then stalks stiff-legged toward the door, retrieving his staff on the way.]
Is that you, Guangyao?
[If the dropped pretense of politeness doesn't give him away, the barely leashed tension in his voice surely will.]
no subject
It's not a good sign, but his own voice remains soft and sympathetic, even as he pulls up the length of his snake-y bulk into a smooth back-and-forth curling zigzag.]
Yes, that's right. I stopped by to see how you were faring, with everything that happened. Would you mind if I came in for a moment?
[Because it's terribly cold out here, for a naga -- but also to get out of sight of anyone who might be watching, before making an effort to clear a few memories from the faun's mind.]
no subject
[The word's nearly a growl; the stag in him minds so much he scrapes a hoof across the floor, his ears flattened to his neck.]
I mind.
You're not welcome here. Leave.
[The staff's surprisingly reassuring in his hand, held low and ready if the Naga should decide to...push the issue.]
no subject
I'm sure it's difficult to deal with, but I do want you to know that it's not as if I had any choice in what happened either.
But with the Evergreen Circle broken and those I know of out from under their spell... I really thought that we should at least speak a moment or two.
[Looking a little pathetic out in the cold isn't helpful when the one you're speaking with is blind, but at least he can project that sympathy further in his voice.]
no subject
The thought sends ice down his spine, sets his heart racing. He grips his staff tighter.]
We can speak over the watches. Or with a witness. Until you bring me proof you were under compulsion, I will not be alone with you.
[A sudden, vicious little smile tugs up one corner of his mouth as a thought occurs; he can be useful to someone in all of this.]
My Witch is a diviner. He'd be happy to clear you.
no subject
Isn't that going terribly far? Even if it hadn't been out of my hands, it wasn't such a big thing to have done, to help keep you safely out of affairs. And I truly did plan to help uncover the Circle's secrets. [You know. Eventually.] Even if everything spun out of control, there isn't any reason to mistrust my intentions now.
[It's tempting to directly bring the tickle of hypnotic magic to his lips, but even in the mostly empty street, it still seems a bit of a risk. Instead, he hopes the wording, that 'trust' might pull anything lingering back, to let him inside again.]
no subject
There isn't any reason to mistrust my intentions now, the Naga says, and Myr snarls,] Don't. Start.
Leave.
[This may be something he'll regret later, but at least his mind will be his own to regret it with.]
1/2
2/2 because icon fun
[He urges earnestly, though does curls back on himself a little, as if preparing to leave.]
icon fun is always a reason for additional comments
Which might explain why Myr's wearing a twitch of a smile again when he does just that.
He's made his ultimatum--let what comes of that come.]