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deerington inbox
eventually there'll be a gif here
Wow, you think you're cooler than your nieces.
I'll keep that secret for as long as possible and definitely won't use it against you.
I'll keep that secret for as long as possible and definitely won't use it against you.
...You win this round, Branwen.
But stay on your toes.
I'm comin' for you in the next one.
But stay on your toes.
I'm comin' for you in the next one.
[Qrow, please.]
No, I don't need anything. Just checking in, I know Ruby was worried.
No, I don't need anything. Just checking in, I know Ruby was worried.
[Left outside the house is a dark blue basket. Inside is an associate of tea, chocolates, a box of lemon drops, a bottle of wine and a copy of Charles Dickens, Christmas Carol. A blue Tardis-shaped card attached to the basket says, 'Santa' in silver marker.]
[ Gerry has felt strange all month: like his body isn't really his, like he shouldn't be here, in a deep, existential sort of way. It's a strange feeling, but not necesarily a painful one. Still, it's a little too much like being bound to the skin book, and Gerry does his best not to dwell on it.
It helps to actually use his body -- to do things that are grounded in physical reality. Or, at least, whatever passes for physical reality in Deerington. That's why, about a week into February, he followed up with Qrow about the combat training offer. Thankfully, Qrow accepted.
Now, he's standing outside Qrow's home, a bit unsure of himself. He doesn't really know what to bring to this sort of thing, so he's settled on his most sensible boots and his favorite lighter. Gerry gives the front door a polite little knock, and waits. ]
It helps to actually use his body -- to do things that are grounded in physical reality. Or, at least, whatever passes for physical reality in Deerington. That's why, about a week into February, he followed up with Qrow about the combat training offer. Thankfully, Qrow accepted.
Now, he's standing outside Qrow's home, a bit unsure of himself. He doesn't really know what to bring to this sort of thing, so he's settled on his most sensible boots and his favorite lighter. Gerry gives the front door a polite little knock, and waits. ]
Edited 2021-02-19 16:12 (UTC)
[It's been awhile since Qrow has trained anyone, honestly. He only ever took up the post for Ruby's sake, so when she got into Beacon it just hadn't really been worth the effort of keeping it up. Tai was better with the newbies, anyway; his style was more gentle and patient, less rough around the edges. Qrow was a former bandit, after all.
Still, he'd been serious about his offer, so when Gerry follows up with him, he goes about finding a couple of practice swords (one that...perhaps shouldn't have a blade just yet, but at least isn't a ridiculous gun-blade??) ahead of their planned meeting.
The knock at the door is answered readily, and he raises a hand in a wave before gesturing him to follow.]
Hey. C'mon, I'm set up out back.
Still, he'd been serious about his offer, so when Gerry follows up with him, he goes about finding a couple of practice swords (one that...perhaps shouldn't have a blade just yet, but at least isn't a ridiculous gun-blade??) ahead of their planned meeting.
The knock at the door is answered readily, and he raises a hand in a wave before gesturing him to follow.]
Hey. C'mon, I'm set up out back.
hey.
[The apology seems almost strange to receive; not because he doesn't think she means it, but because it doesn't usually happen. The people who hurt him leave, and that's the end of that. That pattern has only just begun to break in Deerington, as he's slowly reconciled with Oz.]
i know.
[There's a pause, here, an uncertainty. He hasn't talked to her since it happened, but it's hard to forget the last conversation they had before it all went to hell. How he'd said she was one of the people he didn't want to lose. If she still wants to be family....he can't bring himself to shut that door.]
how are you?
[The apology seems almost strange to receive; not because he doesn't think she means it, but because it doesn't usually happen. The people who hurt him leave, and that's the end of that. That pattern has only just begun to break in Deerington, as he's slowly reconciled with Oz.]
i know.
[There's a pause, here, an uncertainty. He hasn't talked to her since it happened, but it's hard to forget the last conversation they had before it all went to hell. How he'd said she was one of the people he didn't want to lose. If she still wants to be family....he can't bring himself to shut that door.]
how are you?
Better now that I've talked to Ruby and Yang.
[she really is. she still needs to put in a lot of work to make this better, but she's in more of a place to actually do that now.]
I wanted to run away. I wanted to make it so none of you ever had to see my face again.
But Yang told me that that isn't what real family does.
And Ruby's willing to work together to make things better.
So I'm not abandoning you, either.
[a pause. she's put a lot of thought into the importance of choice lately. if she's really a free agent, then she has to make her choices mean something.]
I chose you to be my family.
And now I'm choosing to stay.
[she really is. she still needs to put in a lot of work to make this better, but she's in more of a place to actually do that now.]
I wanted to run away. I wanted to make it so none of you ever had to see my face again.
But Yang told me that that isn't what real family does.
And Ruby's willing to work together to make things better.
So I'm not abandoning you, either.
[a pause. she's put a lot of thought into the importance of choice lately. if she's really a free agent, then she has to make her choices mean something.]
I chose you to be my family.
And now I'm choosing to stay.
[Ah.
It has...been a long time, since anyone has said something like that to him. His thoughts drift to Raven, and he lets the ache wash over him and ebb before he says anything at all.]
i think i said back at the beginning that you would make a lot of mistakes
and that the people in your life would tell you to do better
so
here i am, telling you that now
i'll be counting on it
It has...been a long time, since anyone has said something like that to him. His thoughts drift to Raven, and he lets the ache wash over him and ebb before he says anything at all.]
i think i said back at the beginning that you would make a lot of mistakes
and that the people in your life would tell you to do better
so
here i am, telling you that now
i'll be counting on it
You and Yang and a lot of people.
I don't want to let you down. I want to have the chance to fix this mistake.
Instead of running away from it and leaving that pain in all our hearts forever.
[gods, does she ever mean that. it would hurt her, too, leaving Ruby and the entire family like this. she knows she'd worry every damn day of her life whether her sister were still okay. whether her little sister hated her or was willing to forgive or was somewhere in the middle. whether her big sister was disappointed. whether her uncle had backslid.]
Thank you for not taking this out on me.
Most other adults I know would have the second they found out I'd made a mistake.
I don't want to let you down. I want to have the chance to fix this mistake.
Instead of running away from it and leaving that pain in all our hearts forever.
[gods, does she ever mean that. it would hurt her, too, leaving Ruby and the entire family like this. she knows she'd worry every damn day of her life whether her sister were still okay. whether her little sister hated her or was willing to forgive or was somewhere in the middle. whether her big sister was disappointed. whether her uncle had backslid.]
Thank you for not taking this out on me.
Most other adults I know would have the second they found out I'd made a mistake.
i don't know if there's something that can be fixed
[Her eye, after all, is gone. As far as he can tell, that can't be undone, even here.]
but we can still move forward
as family
[She thanks him, and it crosses his mind in a bare flash that he has given a lot more leeway to Emerald than Neo. The thought doesn't particularly linger; it's unfair of him, maybe, but he has felt a kinship with Emerald for longer. Qrow's heart holds an almost self-destructive capacity for forgiveness, but only for those he already loved when he was hurt. For all others, the process is rather significantly more difficult.]
like i said, i remember what it's like
learning how to be a less shitty person
and hell, it's not like we can get worse off than where we started
on opposite sides of the war
we have time for now
we'll figure something out
[Her eye, after all, is gone. As far as he can tell, that can't be undone, even here.]
but we can still move forward
as family
[She thanks him, and it crosses his mind in a bare flash that he has given a lot more leeway to Emerald than Neo. The thought doesn't particularly linger; it's unfair of him, maybe, but he has felt a kinship with Emerald for longer. Qrow's heart holds an almost self-destructive capacity for forgiveness, but only for those he already loved when he was hurt. For all others, the process is rather significantly more difficult.]
like i said, i remember what it's like
learning how to be a less shitty person
and hell, it's not like we can get worse off than where we started
on opposite sides of the war
we have time for now
we'll figure something out
Yeah.
It won't ever be the same again, but it doesn't have to be this way forever, either.
If I were still the same person I used to be, I wouldn't even be trying right now.
Not even sure I remember the kind of person I used to be anymore, honestly.
[she expected that to take longer, but... she can't argue with where she is now. still struggling, but still putting in the sheer work necessary to make it happen. and she has people like Qrow to thank for that.]
I'm still going to be quiet for a while, I think.
But just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I'm leaving. I'm just going to work on things as much as I can.
And give everyone else space to process what they need to process.
It won't ever be the same again, but it doesn't have to be this way forever, either.
If I were still the same person I used to be, I wouldn't even be trying right now.
Not even sure I remember the kind of person I used to be anymore, honestly.
[she expected that to take longer, but... she can't argue with where she is now. still struggling, but still putting in the sheer work necessary to make it happen. and she has people like Qrow to thank for that.]
I'm still going to be quiet for a while, I think.
But just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I'm leaving. I'm just going to work on things as much as I can.
And give everyone else space to process what they need to process.
if you were the same person you used to be, we'd be having a pretty different conversation
[A much angrier one, probably with threats. Something closer to what she expected from an adult.]
that's more than fair, though
we'll find each other when we're ready
[Or perhaps when Deerington takes that space away from them. For the moment, it doesn't entirely matter which one it is. Emerald chooses to stay. The amount of distance is immaterial, in the face of that.]
but don't be afraid to ask if you need help
especially if things feel like they're going out of control again, with the way this town is
[A much angrier one, probably with threats. Something closer to what she expected from an adult.]
that's more than fair, though
we'll find each other when we're ready
[Or perhaps when Deerington takes that space away from them. For the moment, it doesn't entirely matter which one it is. Emerald chooses to stay. The amount of distance is immaterial, in the face of that.]
but don't be afraid to ask if you need help
especially if things feel like they're going out of control again, with the way this town is
I really, really hope the most I have to deal with is more weird town stuff.
I think... for whatever it's worth, I think if she actually shows up here again, in my head or in the dream or whatever, I think this time I'll actually be able to stand up against her.
[it was bluster before, and it'll take a long time before she's ready to stop berating herself for her own failure. but this time, she's confident, and she knows why she's confident, too.]
Not to sound deep or anything, but she's the one who left me, and you're the ones who are staying with me through all this.
And she can't walk that back, no matter how much she says she cares about me.
She showed me who she is, and you showed me who you are.
And I like what you've all shown me better.
I think... for whatever it's worth, I think if she actually shows up here again, in my head or in the dream or whatever, I think this time I'll actually be able to stand up against her.
[it was bluster before, and it'll take a long time before she's ready to stop berating herself for her own failure. but this time, she's confident, and she knows why she's confident, too.]
Not to sound deep or anything, but she's the one who left me, and you're the ones who are staying with me through all this.
And she can't walk that back, no matter how much she says she cares about me.
She showed me who she is, and you showed me who you are.
And I like what you've all shown me better.
[ Gerry follows, doing his best to carry himself in such a way that says agile and confident instead of clueless, which is how he feels.
That all flies out the window as soon as he sees the swords. Gerry sucks in a breath. ]
Holy shit. That's -- that's so metal.
[ Get it? The swords are metal and. Badass. Like heavy metal. Gerry's doing great. ]
Do I just -- uh -- take one?
That all flies out the window as soon as he sees the swords. Gerry sucks in a breath. ]
Holy shit. That's -- that's so metal.
[ Get it? The swords are metal and. Badass. Like heavy metal. Gerry's doing great. ]
Do I just -- uh -- take one?
...Uncle Qrow.
Is there like a card out there that says “Sorry, I ruined our first date and didn’t tell you my school’s headmaster was in my head?” Or do you think I should I make one?
Is there like a card out there that says “Sorry, I ruined our first date and didn’t tell you my school’s headmaster was in my head?” Or do you think I should I make one?
[Whatever he was going to say is lost to the void as the rest of that sentence processes itself. Deerington is always so full of shenanigans that there is not always the bandwidth for checking the network, particularly the group chat full of teenage babble. Thus, he is entirely unprepared for this combination of words. Please hold.]
Oh-Hey again Oz.
Just so you know. I kind of accidentally called a couple other people about the whole pogo stick thing before I got it right.
So if anyone asks you about that or James wanting your cane up his butt.
Just feel free to explain it was an awkward misunderstanding or something.
Have a good day!
Just so you know. I kind of accidentally called a couple other people about the whole pogo stick thing before I got it right.
So if anyone asks you about that or James wanting your cane up his butt.
Just feel free to explain it was an awkward misunderstanding or something.
Have a good day!
Edited 2021-03-05 02:12 (UTC)
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing honestly-
[Oh no.
Did he miss her message to the group chat about that?
Okay. This was awkward. But she had already talked about it once. She could do it again]
So... You know how Oz uh-died?
Well turns out when he came back he ended up in my head for a day.
The night I went out with Ange.
And uh- Made things kind of awkward.
[Oh no.
Did he miss her message to the group chat about that?
Okay. This was awkward. But she had already talked about it once. She could do it again]
So... You know how Oz uh-died?
Well turns out when he came back he ended up in my head for a day.
The night I went out with Ange.
And uh- Made things kind of awkward.
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