nobody said it'd be an easy ride

[faceblocks]

Who: vi and various people
What: catchall both open and closed eisdamme or eisdamme#7495 if you want some other thing/any thing.
When: august
Where: various places

Content Warnings: needles, being sick because alcohol, parental death, prison, drugs, disease, murder, mental/emotional/physical abuse, tba

the rest of the starters will follow tonight. pls be patient i am melting.

Comments

[faceblocks]

[that stubbornness is a admirable. truth be told she'd expected twenty - would have called it there but she's glad she waited. when he's done, she'll get all of the way up off the ground, brushing her hands off as she approaches, her smile now more than just slight. well, shit, kid. ]

Nice.

[she holds out her palms, nodding for him to do the same. she'll grab her canteen and pour some of that water over them if he allows it - will toss him a small towel from her bag, too.]

It's gonna get worse before it gets better, but I can show you how to tape your hands until it gets easier, and your grip ...settles. Gloves are an idea, too.

[those trashbags from earlier - the ones on the ground? she's just going to have a seat on one like it's a fucking beanbag because she can. reach into her bag and pull out a thermos of cold water - that she will toss in his direction - but not before catching his eye and holding it up. she's not going to be an asshole about this. (mylo might have been an asshole about this - but it doesn't stop her from missing her friend, asshole or not.)]

[icanhearscreams]

[He holds his hands out like instructed, watching as the red starts to fade a little. It's still a little raw - holding onto a metal rung with no gloves is probably not the brightest idea - but he takes the water and flexes his hands. He's still struggling for breath a bit, but after a moment he nods.]

I've seen boxers tape their hands... I assume I need to build up calluses.

[He's not looking forward to that, but it's all part of the process. He's still a skinny nerd and he'll be that way for a while - it's not like he's looking to get beefy, just fast.]

[He fumbles the catch and picks the thermos up off of the ground, brushing it off.]

... Thanks.

[Definitely time to rehydrate.]

[faceblocks]

[there's another bottle of water in her bag - she'll drink that even though she doesn't need it. it's something to do with her hands - and it stops her thoughts from wandering back to places she's rather not revisit.]

Yeah, that's part of it. [holding up her own, very taped hands and arms] If it gets real bad, I can numb you up. [she waves a hand] I don't mean for pullups, I mean if you break something. Worst case, I can get you through it so someone better than me can patch you up and get back to it.

You might not break anything. Maybe you're too stubborn to break.

[another pull on the bottle as she shrugs.]

[icanhearscreams]

It's probably for the best that you don't, actually. Not unless you really have to. It might make you move something and hurt it more...

[At least he's heard of that happening. Still, who knows, here?]

I'd like to think I'm too stubborn to break, but I"m also not stupid. I've seen broken bodies.

[He clutches the water bottle a little tighter for a moment before letting himself breathe.]

... But that's a whole other mess of things. Point is that I'd rather not break anything. That's why I came to you - to learn how to hit things and not break.

[faceblocks]

Working on that, too. Not there yet, but I'm learning how to do damage control, like proper splints and all that.

[a nod that says me too, kid, sees that clutch, averts her eyes just after. lets him have that space of silence, and the breath. ouch. this stuff never really gets easier to hear. just ...familiar.]

We'll get there. Hit the ground without breaking, hit a face without breaking ...well, anything of yours, anyway. Let me know when you're ready for round two.

[icanhearscreams]

I see. I... never really learned all of that. I didn't really... I guess I never really cared enough to try to learn.

[People are awful, and he's seen the ugly side of so many people. A lot of it wasn't directed at him, but he still bore witness to how the others coped with their traumas - or didn't cope at all.]

... I'm ready. I'm not... going to hold anyone back anymore.

[faceblocks]

I only knew a little, and it ...well, it wouldn't have been enough, anyway. But what good am I out here, hunting beasts and unable to help someone ...get up and out safely? I've had enough of fucking shit up, of always being...

[ugh]

...I've just been a fist for so long I'd like to be a helping hand, too. [she says this unironically, sighs, and makes a gagging gesture - finger pointing to her open mouth.]

Okay, good. Crunches or squats? [again, he is sounding a lot like her sister. god, that hurts. what better way to channel that hurt into physical pain?]

[icanhearscreams]

You're helping people. Save beating yourself up for the beasts.

[He huffs a little at the question. Neither is what he wants to say, but he has to keep pushing.]

Squats, I guess? Since I don't really know how to do crunches.

[Sounds painful.]

[faceblocks]

Yeah, they're plenty willing to do it.

[neither is a valid answer. a lot of people would give that answer and not just think it. she might be reading that neither on his face, because honestly, had she ever really wanted to do squats? nah, they were just a means to an end and later ...a maintenance phase and a distraction. a way to count days.]

Let's go.

[she will do these with him. and then it's going to be crunch time. and it's going to suck.]