#shokwav.

[mercywept]

You're lucky the cut wasn't deeper.

BLOOD ON YOUR SLEEVE, accepting; @shokwav.

❝ oh hush! ❞ like you can talk, is what she wants to say. her mother had ever impressed upon her the use of stilling your tongue, her indignance had no place here. besides, in a weird, salt in your wound, jagged and spiteful, way it almost seemed like he... was concerned? or, no, she couldn't put her finger on it. something not too far off, like the dawn of a horizon she couldn't quite capture, clouds slipping just out of reach of outstretched fingertips; was he scolding her or rubbing it in? you're lucky... she supposed she was.

she tuts, yet another habit stolen from her mother, an errant lock of her fringe pushed up and brushed to the side. times like this was when she wished her ears were more visibly present, almost tempting to bring them out just for the sake of having somewhere to tuck looser strands of hair but... no, she'd do fine without it. any loud noises would surely dysregulate her, and she really couldn't deal with another weird display in front of him! he already has pictures of her poor display on live tv, don't think she's forgotten! her weird ears would only add to that, she's sure.

still, she creeps closer with slow roving eyes and fussy hands wringing themselves around her wrists. there was something far more pressing on her mind. something that wasn't her own disregard for her safety, she could worry about that on her own time and her own terms. she didn't want anyone doing the worrying for her. that was a privilege granted to her, and her alone.

❝ your neck... ❞

she starts nervous, fluttery. as though the reminder might pull a nerve. she was already trying so hard to tread on careful ground, she didn't want to rock the boat even more. contrary to popular, well, no, HIS belief... and the belief of a few others' who had ... opinions on her decisions, she did actually want to build a good rapport with him. had she forgiven him? no. the ordeal was so fresh in her mind still, she doubted she would ever. a truth tucked close and rotten in the festering wound of her sacred and private, but... she could try. they could work on it, and didn't he deserve that much? the chance to try again. a fresh start. what would it be like to get to know him underneath all that vitriol? he seemed so... lonely. she was too, once. it nearly broke her.

❝ it's been a while, can i... ? ❞ she's reaching out with hands halfway out, curled into little claws. she had a first aid kit nearby, knew a thing or two about mending errant injuries.

❝ i'm not going to hurt you, i just want to see. ❞

[mercywept]

❝ ah, it's alright, i'm getting dizzy; just enjoy the party! ❞ / SC. @shokwav!

[mercywept]

Hold still. I mean it. Hold still.

BLOOD ON YOUR SLEEVE, accepting; @shokwav.

❝ no, i'm fine. really! i mean it, you don't have to── ❞

she's already batting his hands away before the first complaint is uttered, lightest of kitten slaps, the dredge of hope welling up inside her uncomfortable. feverish under the skin, prickling. like he might take her dismissals and leave her to it. like he might listen to her for once. he doesn't, and she isn't as shocked as she thought she'd be; no, what settles is compromise. tired eyes, weary from overwork and over worries she'd never state outright, and a lip that is far too pouty for a woman her age. she wants to be irritated, she should be, and maybe a part of her is somewhere when his fingers go to touch the raging wound on her lower arm toward the dip of her elbow; blood gleaming in its' red and golden oil slick light, what flows is amber.

❝ fuss. ❞

she goes to nudge him away again with a sigh, half heartedly. as though enough attempts may make him give. she could handle it herself, she always did, she wasn't a child! she... just slipped up. should've known to be more careful, quicker, less tired, do better ── she's trying her best! ── being the foundation to hold the hotel, the team together and this... how was she supposed to be responsible for so many when all she did was fuck up? too little sleep, back and forth attendance to her guests and her friends, and too many glasses of wine when she really should've put it down. her very own recipe for clumsy disaster.

her shoulders are tense, uninjured arm forced down by her side in their unclench to clench cycle as though her palms were breathing where she wasn't. waiting for a pin to drop that never did. as if he might see behind the droop of her eyes, or the subtle tangled mess of her hair, and call her a failure again. maybe he'd be right. but ...

when she studies him ── quiet for once save the jiggle off her foot. his blue light an almost holy glow that shelters her, his voice stern in a way that almost wants to make her roll her eyes; lacking the derision she saw that day by half, though still not quite gone... she can't help it. the grin that tugs at her lips in spite of herself. an exhausted smile; a smile with secrets privy only to her. there is no vindication here, only... warmth. you aren't such a bad guy after all, vox.

❝ ... and here i thought you hated me. ❞ is what she says instead, teasing. playful, a not quite laugh tucked behind her teeth.

❝ all that bite, but y'know what i think? ... you're growing fond of meee! ❞

she lullabies like a child, a breath at the end of her words resembling something, maybe something, like the smallest scrap of relief she can find to let go of.

[mercywept]

a pro & a con that are intertwined with one another

PRO OR CON, accepting; @shokwav.

PRO. Always one to see the best in people, she is fiercely loyal to the last, and encouraging. She is your yes man if, and when, she can be. She will always do her best to uplift those that she loves, and this goes double for her partner; encouragement being the key word here. She wants you to see the very best in yourself, to see yourself through her eyes in a sense, and in uncertain waters she'll be there to ease you through with gentle words. It may mean she can come off pushy at times, seeing something that you might not be able to see and holding a greater belief in your abilities, but it comes from a place of support. She wants the very best for those she loves, and wants to flourish with them. Never without.

CON. She has issues regarding boundaries; both for herself, allowing more than she should as is the people pleasing nature of her, giving and giving til exhaustion takes her only to snap and bear her teeth. Desperation is an ugly little thing, and she is a well of it, always returning to stave off loneliness, her fears of being left behind and everything that brings; insecurity manifesting in self blame, until she realizes her worth and steps back to reassess. Seviathan was proof of this. So easy is she to get inexplicably tanged up in someone, where her end and their beginning blurs into one. And for others, she pushes more than she should, seeking to worm her way around something because maybe all someone needs is a little bit of convincing!

[topshelfperverts]

[definitely anon] one of the coolest vibes I follow. you always seem like you’re having the best time with your muses. love seeing your passion spark from muse to muse; such snappy and engaging writing as well, sometimes I read it and I think you would make a spectacular writer for some comedy horror novel and/or film.

𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗟 ↳ 𝘈𝘕𝘖𝘕𝘠𝘔𝘖𝘜𝘚 𝘖𝘗𝘐𝘕𝘐𝘖𝘕𝘚 ✧ 𝘈𝘊𝘊𝘌𝘗𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎

[mercywept]

continued, omnes vulnerant; ultima necat, @shokwav.

I'm not you. the dark button of her nose creases up in displeasure, helpless to the defensive shield she bears up.

❝ I don't take things── ❞ she's out of air 'fore she's even started, rocking forward to regain her bearings.

❝ Okay, yes, look I... did come here to talk to you about what happened. ❞

Dressed up sturdily in crossed arms and a tapping shoe. she wasn't expecting miracles here, although maybe they'd need one but, but, but! time and patience, patience and time, was all they needed. he'd come around eventually, wouldn't he? husk did say you couldn't force it, though ... they gotta help themselves, can you handle that? not bein' the solution? she wasn't sure she could, scarcely could she wind her winding mind around the sheer concept. and in vox's case, he... well, this would be a lot harder than she thought; surmised as much from the get go, they were still clearing up the mess, and sometimes it felt like he was barely even trying! who else did he have to help him, though? she couldn't just leave him in the dark. no, no, they'd get there eventually! and, to his credit, he WAS attending the sessions ...

She shuffles closer in simple steps, loosens her shoulders to folded hands and twiddling thumbs in front of her. she didn't want him to feel cornered.

❝ Can I sit? ❞ she didn't have to, not really, she wanted to ask anyways. if he was given a choice, it... might make him feel a bit better? a little easier to talk with her? she was never given any options.

... Oh! and there, right there! saucer wide reds decorated under the easing furrow of her brow catch it! the twirling pen and diary to boot. he was using his diary! maybe this was good? a sign? oh, oh! they could look at it together! maybe he needed someone to talk to privately, would that help? she still wasn't sure group therapy was the way, a gentle approach perhaps ... yes, gentle, but firm, but kind! a friendly ear to listen to! even if he didn't ... really ... have ears. neither did she! visibly, anyways. they could be no ear listening buddies! advice acquaintances!

❝ Or I could stand! Either way, um. What happened to you wasn't appropriate, we don't condone any of that and... he's currently being spoken to. ❞ a pause, and a snap of her fingers.

❝ Like I am with you! But, you know, sometimes... we don't always have to lash back and that doesn't make us any less. Why do you feel like you need to when you know you're not a 'loser'? Doesn't it... feel worse, biting back? You can tell me, I want to understand, Vox. ❞

[mercywept]

[ TXT ] : can you come get me out of here?

TEXT MESSAGES, accepting; @shokwav.

[ TEXT … 🦈Vox!🎸🦈 ]: ? [ TEXT … 🦈Vox!🎸🦈 ]: It's really late, Vox. [ TEXT … 🦈Vox!🎸🦈 ]: You know I don't take. [ TEXT … 🦈Vox!🎸🦈 ]: .... [ TEXT … 🦈Vox!🎸🦈 ]: Texts.... at this hour.

[ TEXT … 🦈Vox!🎸🦈 ]: Where are you? [ TEXT … 🦈Vox!🎸🦈 ]: What happened?? [ TEXT … 🦈Vox!🎸🦈 ]: ????

[mercywept]

BINGO CARD, accepting; @shokwav.

if the long suffering sigh she mutes down to an exhale through her nose was any indication to how she felt, then surely the words that would follow would be of no surprise. he may have gotten a bingo or two but at what cost? her sanity?!

❝ you know, most people don't find it particularly charming when you call them a bitch unprompted. i'm docking you points for that, lie less next time. secondly, i make no promises. if you want to be bitten you take it on the chin and you don't whine about it! ❞