towerofanimus | ❝trying to talk my way out of this❞

Entry tags:

❝trying to talk my way out of this❞

Characters: Willow and whoever. OPEN.
Setting: Sixth floor (the forest).
Format: I slightly prefer action over prose, but I'll match whatever you want to do!
Summary: Willow's been doing a lot of magic lately, and tries to meditate to help manage it. Unfortunately she picks the worst place possible. Run into her in A or B, just let me know which one in the subject!
Warnings: Grief. Addiction recovery.

A.

[Since she got here, she's been doing magic almost nonstop. Well, not really, but it feels that way. Casual, advanced, ritual and on the fly-- she's even been teaching it, a little. Willow desperately needs to meditate and feel the Earth beneath her before it catches up with her. She can feel the temptation, feel how easy it is, to just solve everything with a burst of power and a hand gesture, maybe a well-placed word...

But it doesn't solve everything, and it won't bring Tara back. Tara, who had just wanted the best for her; who had wanted her to use magic for good things, as an expression of compassion toward the world. Not for selfish reasons. Willow feels intensely ashamed that she still struggles with this, but that doesn't mean she doesn't. She needs the grass under her hands and trees above her head to recenter herself. To find peace.

She shakes out a circle of ash about five feet in diameter, within sight of the stairs. It's a magical perimeter, intended to stop anything with malicious intent from crossing in and harming her. She hasn't had to use one in years, but Eridan had warned her about the monsters lurking in the woods. Willow uses one now, and settles herself cross-legged in the middle.]

B.

[Some time later, just as she'd really been settling into her inner space, the part of herself that stays calm and undisturbed no matter how much black magic roils through her... she hears a voice, and her breath catches. She could've sworn her heart stopped.]

Tara? [she whispers, and a moment later, she hears another trace of it echoing again.

No. She's dead. Willow lurches to her feet, leaving the small bowl of ash behind, forgotten, and rushes over to the stairs. She's breathing fast, almost hyperventilating, as she races down them.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's totally too early if you're just going to smash into trees. Sorry. [Yup, denied. Though Willow looks sympathetic here and not at all mocking.]

It's just the right thing to do. Our society smiles on good morals, and also good personal hygiene. Not that there aren't exceptions, but they usually aren't... violent exceptions. For the most part.

[Opens his mouth to continue arguing but... WOW, that explanation there makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE AT ALL. Of course it values good morals and hygiene! That is what civil society does, after all. Except... the first one of those definitely involves a fair amount of violence for bluebloods at least. Lowblood makes the mistake of existing, highblood culls them for the good of trollkind. Lowblood takes it with as little resistance as possible, highblood enjoys it as best they can. This is what 'good morals' are for him]

[More and more, he gets the feeling humans come from a world that he can assume nothing about. Worse, he thinks maybe it was a better world then the one he was saddled with, if violence is somehow the exception to morality... even if its people seem so... weak...]

What does that uh... mean to you, then? 'Good morals'? [Finger quotes that with one hand. Gosh, this could get really deep, maybe he shouldn't have this conversation half asleep lsjdf]

[Willow is completely used to participating in dangerous, world-saving antics while running on far too little sleep, so she musters herself admirably. She appreciates his air quotes, too.]

Well, it's pretty subjective. Earth has a lot of different countries and cultures-- I'm from America, not that that means anything to you, but just so you know not to assume about other humans that you meet.

Anyway, being moral is like... helping people whenever they need it, like I said. Not taking advantage of anyone, not betraying someone's trust, working hard and contributing to society. Withholding judgement and being understanding of their circumstances... Pretty much all the stuff you see on after school specials.

[Eyebrow raising to the first part!!! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A UNIFIED PLANET??? HOW DO YOU EVEN EXIST???]

[But uh... wow that sounds really nice? Kind of like what he wants to work towards after getting rid of the Condesce... Hmm )'8]

That is uhhhh... basically, the opposite. Of where I'm from. Actually. [After school specials for trolls are almost certainly hideous]

Yeah, I've been told, [she says, the utmost empathy written across her face.] I find it horrifying, to be honest. The first troll that described it to me might've gotten an earful about social injustice.

[Yeahhh he definitely did. Willow looks a bit sheepish, but not at all repentant.]

[...oh gosh, she's passionate about social injustice? And she maybe sort of understands because at least she's had it explained to her once before? Come here Willow, let him kiss you]

[lksdf no, he actually just GRINS at her. How exciting!!!]

Was it a highblood? They uh... probably needs more then, a talk about it, before they'll change.

[Man, why is he grinning at her? Willow is getting all indignant and outraged about the hemospectrum again, grinning is totally not appropriate.]

No, he was pretty much the lowest, [she explains, deciding not to get into the whole well in that Eridan's world the sea dwellers are on the bottom thing. Not really relevant.] But don't worry, if anyone gives me sass about this, they are in for way more than a lecture.

[She does look pretty angry, actually.] I know you've just seen fluffy kitten Willow so far, but I am not all sunshine and roses, and no one is getting racially subjugated on my watch!

[Gosh, he is really just... terribly pleased by her indignation, honestly. It is a good thing to see again on someone who isn't him, even if it's weird that an alien is getting so worked up about a thing that apparently she has never dealt with]

Uh... yes, I think I appreciate the, sentiment to those words, even if I'm not exactly sure what, some of them mean. [Or why you would portray sunshine as apparently the opposite of righteous anger? Ehhhh, he really has a lot to learn doesn't he...]

[There's this thing where Willow made friends with a lowblood and is now terribly personally invested in it. Not to mention she gets upset about Thanksgiving every year, because why are they celebrating the near-complete genocide of Native American society?

In short, she has a lot of feelings.] --Oops, sorry. I don't think I can turn off the awkward Earthling babble. And I didn't mean to go off on you, either.

Obviously you're not someone I should be upset with, especially when you're all conked out still from healing.

[He only has that pleasant half-lidded smile for her again. Yes, he is quite tired. Even the excitement of finding a possible ally with REALLY COOL MAGIC POWERS can't quite get him up and going again. A good day's sleep in a recuperacoon would be just about perfect right now BUT HAHA that's apparently not going to happen @_@ Stupid beds... Anyway...]

It's alright. It is an easy, topic to go off about...! I'm used to it uh, by now. [Hanging around other revolutionaries, arguing about politics all day erryday will do that for you]

I guess you must be, if you live with it.

[Eying how tired he seems.] Not that I'm not enjoying our cultural exchange, but I'm thinking maybe I should let you go take a nap. Get it out of your system.

[Little head shake[ I am only lucky, to be surrounded by people brave enough to talk about it.

[Speaking out against the highbloods is not exactly common practice most other places!! Also, his smile turns a little frustrated at the mention of sleeping. He would love to, Willow, really he would]

I'm not sure uh... it would do a lot of good. Unless you know of a source of sopor slime that I am not, aware of?

Sopor slime? What is that?

[Yeah, she's totally missed this part of troll life.]

[......wait do humans really actually sleep on a mat that's been raised off the ground??? That's not just like... a last, incredibly weird, act of desperation????? GOOD GOD, HOW DO YOU PEOPLE EVEN FUNCTION]

It's... You sleep in it? In a recuperacoon? It keeps daymares away... [Perplexed stare, Willow. Forever perplexed by humans]

Recuperacoon, also new. We just sleep on beds, those things in our rooms?

If you need something to keep the n-- uh, daymares away, though, I can do that no problem. It was one of the earliest spells I learned.

[!!!!! Welp, he tries not to look too excited at that, and... fails miserably! Sleep sounds so amazing right now hory sheet]

Really? How uh... well does it work...?

I make a little satchet full of herbs and cast a spell on it. It doesn't last forever, but maybe... a few weeks or so? You just keep it under your pillow and all of your dreams are good ones.

The ingredients I need are back in my room, though. [And wow but does he look excited about this.] Is this a... I mean, do all trolls have this problem with nightmares? Should I be offering this for other people?

[Nightmares....... He doesn't ask for now, too busy being excited about this. He has to pause for a second though, thinking back on the few occasions when it's even come up... before he nods a little]

Mm, most yes. I think uh, in general, I have often had more trouble with them then some, but I havn't heard of anyone who doesn't, have some problems sometimes. Especially without any slime.

That's awful, [she says, vaguely horrified. She's presently imagining all of the troll friends she's made so far being continually subjected to horrific nightmare sleep (this is mostly just AU Eridan and Aradia, but some concern for Kanaya and the Summoner himself is in there, too).]

I'll have to make a whole bunch of these and hand them out. I don't know what I can do after I run out of the supplies that came in my chest, but I'll-- I'll figure something when the time comes.

[Goodness, what a sweetheart ;A; He doesn't question her this time at least, even if it still strikes him as QUITE REMARKABLE that she is willing to waste all her supplies on people she barely knows...]

That would be... very kind of you... I'm not sure how they've lasted so long, without anything to help...! [Because everyone else should definitely get these magic sleep bag things before he does!!!]

Me either. It's sorta scary to think about. And what about you, mister? You've been all grievously wounded and not sleeping? It's a good thing you ran into me!

[Little handwave. No no, he was fiiiiine. He was totally only half dead like three whole days ago!!!]

Yes I uh, was very lucky to find you. But you don't have to worry. If that's what you were doing.

That is exactly what I was doing, and you will soon discover, potentially right about now, that it is totally fruitless to tell me not to worry. It's so lacking in fruit, it's like a... an out of season fruit tree.

This tree, completely out of season. No fruit on Willow. And wow did that metaphor get away from me.

[Willow starts to climb to her feet, and then offers him a hand to help him up.] What I mean to say is, I am a worrier, and you are stuck, [she says decisively,] with my worrying.

[Laughs! Lawd that metaphor was awful lskjdkljf And uh... there's a brief, obligatory suspicious look at her hand before he takes it and drags himself to his feet. He is moving remarkably better, not surprisingly!!! Opens and closes his wings a couple times, rolling his shoulders slightly]

[Gives her a bemused sort of smile afterwards like IDK WHY YOU'RE WORRYING ABOUT ME I AM TOTALLY THE SAFEST THING OUT THERE, before he shrugs easily]

Uh... alright, if you insist. I guess I can't really stop you. [Heh! You're okay for an alien, Willow. Even if he is confused by everything you do]

You can't. I am an unstoppable force of worrying.

[It really was an awful metaphor, and maybe because of that, she really is feeling better than when she'd gotten here. She gives him a smile, much less bemused than his.] Feeling better?

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