September & October Catch-All

[spiritwalks]

Who: Vyng spiritwalks and YOU
What: Catch-All for September + October. See comments for prompts!
When: Various
Where: Various

Note: Style veers wildly between prose and brackets. Just choose whatever style feels good when responding, and I'll match it ♥

Content Warnings: Listed in subject lines when applicable

Comments

[thinkfirst]

[ The last bit startles a quiet laugh out of Flynn. Perhaps it's a hyperbole, perhaps it's truly what Vyng does, but either way--it's enough to break Flynn from his self-recriminating mood, if only for a moment. ]

To be honest, I've never really enjoyed eating alone. I can't speak for the rest.

[spiritwalks]

[Vyng's smile broadens at that laugh. He knows it doesn't fix things, but hopefully it can help Flynn get through the day. Warmly, he responds:]

Look. Alls I'm saying is, there's no shame in relying on your friends.

[thinkfirst]

...no. Of course there isn't, and of course in my head that makes perfect sense. It's... only when it comes down to action that it becomes difficult.

[ Flynn hesitates, wiping again at his eyes. He does feel better—less weighted down, less like he's about to head out into a storm with no preparation—even if the fear isn't entirely gone. ]

In truth, I don't like doing anything alone.

[spiritwalks]

That's fair. It's easy to worry you're a burden on your friends. But I'm sure your friends are plenty proud of the knight that you've become.

[In the back of his mind, Vyng knows somebody might say those words about himself and his relationship with shapeshifting. But Flynn seems like a genuinely noble person. He doesn't need to be beating himself up like this.]

[thinkfirst]

[ Is Yuri proud of him?

Flynn should know, most likely, but he isn't actually sure what Yuri thinks about what he's done: he seemed suspicious of Flynn's progress, and mostly annoyed at the way he'd skyrocketed through the ranks. Flynn is glad, of course, for Yuri being there to keep his feet on the ground and his heart on the right path, but.

Is he proud?

Flynn swallows. ]

...I am trying to make sure that is true, at any rate. Is this a habit of yours? Talking strangers off emotional ledges? You're very good at it.

[spiritwalks]

[That pause isn't lost on Vyng. Did his words actually help? Or did they stir up more doubt instead? He's not sure, but...at least Flynn seems to be in a more stable place. Upon hearing that compliment, though, Vyng raises a skeptical eyebrow. ]

Am I? [A pause] Well, I've had some practice over the years, I guess...

[But that's inevitable, for somebody as long-lived as himself. You don't have to travel far to find lonely souls down on their luck. In a world where everyone is connected, it's only natural to offer some aid and empathy to anyone who needs it.]

[thinkfirst]

You are. I don't think it's an easy thing. I'm certainly no good at it. Half the things I say come out... less charitable than I intended them.

[ But Vyng isn't like that, so far. Flynn wonders if it's a teachable skill. Certainly he'd be a better leader if he could help like this, especially someone he didn't even know. ]

[spiritwalks]

Trust me, pal, I stick my foot in my mouth plenty. It's all about your intention, and then putting yourself in somebody else's shoes for five seconds.

[Vyng can be shockingly insensitive if he's not trying to comfort someone. Back when he used to take dips into the Spirit World, it was easy to forget how to be a person: Eye contact. Remembering people have concerns and aspirations that span far beyond what's immediately in front of them. Some actual tact.]

You're probably better at it than you realize. It's something you develop with age and life experience.

[thinkfirst]

[ Flynn can't help but snort at the image those words conjure. Hanks, gruff-voiced and heavy-handed in his intense care. ]

You sound like my grandfather. He always said I'd get better at things when I got to be his age. At the time, I thought I never would.

[spiritwalks]

Oh yeah? [A grin.] Bet we have the same hair color, too, ahahah.

[Maybe not as many wrinkles. Living out the wilds can make a Druid's skin weathered, true, but Vyng's got genetics and moisturizer on his side. Still, he's started to develop some crow's feet over the years.]

You're, what, 70-ish? [Nope, wrong species.] 20-ish?

[thinkfirst]

You do.

[ Flynn confirms this with quiet laughter of his own, the first in a few days, at this point. It only grows at Vyng's guess. ]

21, in fact—I cannot possibly look 70-ish!

[spiritwalks]

True. Your ears are too short.

[Since human earlobes grow longer with age. Obviously.]

You seem like an old soul, though. Most 21-year-olds I've met are still figuring their stuff out.

[thinkfirst]

[ In a small self-conscious gesture Flynn reaches up to touch the tip of his ear, mouthing the word short while he tries to place that, but that is—not the point here. After a moment he drops his fingers and offers Vyng a strained sort of smile. ]

Ah, well. I... was given a responsibility that I couldn't ignore. My own stuff doesn't really matter in the face of everything else I had to figure out.

[spiritwalks]

[Ah. One of those situations. Vyng gives a quiet "hmmm" at that.]

And how about now? Do you feel like your stuff doesn't matter?

[He's genuinely curious.]

[thinkfirst]

No.

[ A simple answer, given without hesitation. Flynn isn't terribly bothered by something he's sure is the truth. ]

This world is... broken, in ways very similar to my own. There are problems here, and people in need. My own inability to figure out what I want is nothing compared to those things. I just need to find out where I'm needed and where I can do the most good.

[spiritwalks]

Sounds like you know what to do next. You seem like the kind of guy who keeps trying, no matter how bad things get.

[An important quality. Especially in a place like this, where everything can go to hell at the drop of a hat.]

[thinkfirst]

[ If Vyng reads that from him, then Flynn can't be too far away from himself. At least he has that. At least he's still himself. ]

Of course. There's no other way to be. Thank you, truly. Would you like another drink? I, ah, distracted you from yours.