Threshold 3: Perspectives [Diamond II]
New
Morrowlark
You've lost something, haven't you?
The next shift will be getting out of the showers soon, and...well.
"I'm going to go check on the girls," you tell Garnet. "Do you need anything?"
"Nothing you can provide at the moment," Garnet says offhandedly. "...Good luck."
Yeah. Good luck. You say your prayers silently while you and Garnet share a brief hug, and then you skitter carefully back towards the warehouse. People have gotten good at giving you a wide berth, but you're faster than the average two-legged human and this relationship goes two ways, y'know? No need to bowl people over. You're just in time to help lay out breakfast yourself after you wash your hands, which you do before you get yourself lunch and - there they are, the next six. Topaz, Amethyst, Shondra (a stage name taken from a famous actress who shares Shondra's gorgeous natural hair), Glitter, and Jasper. They seem pleasantly surprised to see you, but you can see they haven't slept well. Red eyes, exhausted expressions...Glitter won't stop rubbing her forearm with her hand, and she picks around her food, avoiding looking at the small stack of bills she needs to live.
Not for the first time you wish someone better could be there for them, not like, a better person, but someone better-trained who still understood. Some kind of, you don't know, therapist spider, or a more educated Cathar than you, or...
Something.
But they have you. So you say some pleasantries and get those pleasantries back while you sit near Glitter, and you smile kindly at her. It's the smile that does it; she breaks down crying, and while the others look away, trying to keep themselves together, you touch her shoulder and invite her, as best she can, to lean against you.
It really does not escape you that Glitter's body is the one that displays marks of home and family and children.
"Let it out," you murmur. "You don't need to be strong right now, let it out..."
"I d-don't w-wanna fucking be strong," Glitter bawls. "I w-wanna be NORMAL!"
Everyone goes. Real quiet. Shondra sets her plate down and quietly says: "Tough shit," before being the first to leave. One by one the others also go, and your heart hurts as you're left alone with Glitter, who bawls against you and shoves her food away...
"Alright Glitter," you murmur. "We're spending the day together. You need to touch grass." She gives you an offended look, which was your goal - her shaking breaths are a different quality as you just sideswipe her spiral of negative emotions. "So much grass, Glitter."
"Diamond, I don't need to t-touch fucking grass."
"You know where I can find grass that fucks? And you've been holding out?" She laughs against her will, and you press your forehead to hers. "Come on. I'll take responsibility"
We're going to...
[ ] Go pray Nope. Glitter is an old-school worshiper, no need to...well, no need to dig up old fights.
[ ] Go for a walk. It should be safe, right? We'll find somewhere high up to look at the world.
[ ] Spend some time fishing. It worked when your dad tried it on you, right?
[ ] Spend some time people watching
"I'm going to go check on the girls," you tell Garnet. "Do you need anything?"
"Nothing you can provide at the moment," Garnet says offhandedly. "...Good luck."
Yeah. Good luck. You say your prayers silently while you and Garnet share a brief hug, and then you skitter carefully back towards the warehouse. People have gotten good at giving you a wide berth, but you're faster than the average two-legged human and this relationship goes two ways, y'know? No need to bowl people over. You're just in time to help lay out breakfast yourself after you wash your hands, which you do before you get yourself lunch and - there they are, the next six. Topaz, Amethyst, Shondra (a stage name taken from a famous actress who shares Shondra's gorgeous natural hair), Glitter, and Jasper. They seem pleasantly surprised to see you, but you can see they haven't slept well. Red eyes, exhausted expressions...Glitter won't stop rubbing her forearm with her hand, and she picks around her food, avoiding looking at the small stack of bills she needs to live.
Not for the first time you wish someone better could be there for them, not like, a better person, but someone better-trained who still understood. Some kind of, you don't know, therapist spider, or a more educated Cathar than you, or...
Something.
But they have you. So you say some pleasantries and get those pleasantries back while you sit near Glitter, and you smile kindly at her. It's the smile that does it; she breaks down crying, and while the others look away, trying to keep themselves together, you touch her shoulder and invite her, as best she can, to lean against you.
It really does not escape you that Glitter's body is the one that displays marks of home and family and children.
"Let it out," you murmur. "You don't need to be strong right now, let it out..."
"I d-don't w-wanna fucking be strong," Glitter bawls. "I w-wanna be NORMAL!"
Everyone goes. Real quiet. Shondra sets her plate down and quietly says: "Tough shit," before being the first to leave. One by one the others also go, and your heart hurts as you're left alone with Glitter, who bawls against you and shoves her food away...
"Alright Glitter," you murmur. "We're spending the day together. You need to touch grass." She gives you an offended look, which was your goal - her shaking breaths are a different quality as you just sideswipe her spiral of negative emotions. "So much grass, Glitter."
"Diamond, I don't need to t-touch fucking grass."
"You know where I can find grass that fucks? And you've been holding out?" She laughs against her will, and you press your forehead to hers. "Come on. I'll take responsibility"
We're going to...
[ ] Go for a walk. It should be safe, right? We'll find somewhere high up to look at the world.
[ ] Spend some time fishing. It worked when your dad tried it on you, right?
[ ] Spend some time people watching
Sometimes you plan a long update and then you realize you kinda have an opportunity for a choice and also that the coffee isn't catching up to you as fast as you want it to.
