IC Contact / empatheias

[alchemicals]

Private conversations / letters/written messages / in-person action threads

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[alchemicals]

Okay, so it pretty much relies on your ability to give fucks about people, I guess. That's going to be cute.

[...He's really got to stop just absolutely knocking these things back while he's still only halfway through processing what they do.

To his credit, though, he doesn't seem too immediately troubled? There's a moment that passes in just...mild confusion, and another in which outwardly speaking he just...seems a little wigged out? After a moment, though, he just...closes his eyes, and he's gone very still but outwardly there's not a whole hell of a lot of reaction.

...This is either not going at all or it's going a lot of places, there's not much middle ground with a reaction like that.]

[feistytrader]

[...Oh, he doesn't like that reaction, he doesn't like it at all.

So he steps a little closer- carefully, not getting too close or cutting off a way out- and holds out the cleanser for if he needs it.]

Talk to me.

[Come on, Kimbley...]

[alchemicals]

[He does seem to register what Silver's doing, though it just gets a tight shake of his head and a moment of edging back.]

No, I've...I've got it.

[And that's...weird, it's vague and distracted-sounding, but at least there was an effort put forth?

He's shaking like hell, though. That much is completely obvious.]

[feistytrader]

It's getting to you. There's no shame in taking it.

[There's some warmth accompanying those sentences; Kimbley's reaction to this one is concerning, to say the absolute god damn least.]

[alchemicals]

[Another brief shake of his head; no.]

It's not getting to me, it's... I'll be fine. I'm fine. Just. Give me a minute.

[feistytrader]

[...Well, that's the last time we give Kimbley fear.]

Do you want some space?

[The fear one was the fastest one to back out of for him and White too, wasn't it.]

[alchemicals]

[God, just give him another second; he's back to being weird and quiet and distant, and then something seems to click over and he reaches out.]

Give me the fucking cleanser.

[feistytrader]

[...He is giving Kimbley the fucking cleanser. This one's full of calm and love.]

[alchemicals]

[...Oh, good, love is fucking great when White does it, so let's just. Let's take that and give it a moment to set in because holy balls.]

...Well. We're never doing that one again.

[feistytrader]

...You lasted longer than me and White did.

[Oh good, he's not... He's calming down. Good. That's good.

There is so much god damn gentle caring warmth in the room right now.]

Are you okay?

[alchemicals]

Yeah, I'm okay. I-

[...He cuts himself off then, like he's just kind of realizing something.]

I owe my friend the nine a hell of an apology, probably, because he just got some of the dumbest thoughts shoved into his head over the crystal.

[feistytrader]

[...Over the crystal... Oh. Well that, uh.]

...Did you tell him you're okay now?

[alchemicals]

Yeah, I let him know that we were handling it. He trusts me.

[...]

He can usually calm me down if I'm having a moment. I don't do being alone very well. Ten years in solitary, remember? I thought I was over it; apparently I'm not.

[feistytrader]

...I should have thought about that before offering it to you. I'm sorry.

[What kind of fear did White have when she took it?]

[alchemicals]

I didn't have to take it.

[Anyway. Moving right along.]

So tell me how envy's going to fuck me up before I slam that one back, too, like the goddamn idiot I am.

[feistytrader]

[...Well, alright buddy, if you're so eager, he'll grab the envy one.]

...White didn't even describe this one to me, she just kind of handed me the envy juice and I became bitter about everything I've never had.

[But it does have a label scribbled on it, and-]

"Unsatisfied with something and until you seek to quench it."

[Here you go, buddy.]

[alchemicals]

[...Oh, boy. This is going to be interesting.]

...Well, that sounds like an accident waiting to happen, but it's not going to be half as bad as anything else you've handed me. Unless I'm just really unsatisfied with my lack of feelings again, in which case I expect you to stop me from wanting to do something stupid, you got it?

[...here...we go, um]

[feistytrader]

[...Make sure he doesn't do something stupid. Right.]

...I'll do my best to stop you from doing something stupid.

[...Please don't try to do something stupid-]

[alchemicals]

[Well, thankfully general dissatisfaction with an element of his life does not bring with it the urge to jump out the window, and by the end of the day, unless despair seriously fucks him up, we may be able to add this to the Days Kimbley Has Been Not On Fire tally count.

That said, that's...interesting. Huh.]

You know, all that really seems to be doing is now I really want to hug my sister.

[feistytrader]

[...There is a look on Silver's face, and it might be relief and it might just be that he's completely and utterly baffled, but he stares at Kimbley for a good long moment before responding.]

...You have a sister?

[alchemicals]

[...Kid, what the hell is your face even doing right now.]

Yeah. She's younger than me. I kind of looked after her after our parents weren't exactly a thing anymore.

The situation was shit all around, but she's kind of the only family I've got. That I know of, anyway.

[feistytrader]

[He was ready for a god damn fight and we're talking about your sister you know what, okay. He's okay with this situation.]

What happened to your parents?

[alchemicals]

Your tact, kid, holy shit.

[He doesn't seem too upset by it, though. It's better than...everything else, anyway, even if he's not sure exactly what his head's doing.

He thinks that this might be fucking him up a bit, though it's not really in a way that's going to make him fight the world; it's more in a way that's going to hit him like a sack of bricks later.]

They died, though. We were pretty young when that happened. Kids.

[feistytrader]

[Was he not supposed to ask about the dead parents? ...He probably wasn't supposed to ask about the dead parents.]

It must have been hard for you guys.

[alchemicals]

I didn't get along too well with them anyway, so I didn't really care. Looking after her was kind of hard, I guess. Obviously I was shit at it, given that I fucked off to join the military at the first opportunity.