House meeting

[no_reload]

Who: Reaper (no_reload), Fern (laminae), Luz (imaglyphwitch), Luca (schoolingfish), Varian (droptheious)
What: Disaster House has a meeting
When: Beginning of November
Where: Disaster House in Cassandra

Content Warnings: Will add as they come up.


[Reaper had taken his time with recovery, which left him trapped in his room for a few days. When it seemed that he could get around without having long episodes of shortness of breath, he appeared more downstairs. That's where he happened to be, settled into a chair with the other occupants of the house.

He knew they had questions, knew that most of them would have to do with Lance's outburst on the network. That wasn't the kid's fault; they didn't always control their Omens. And Lance had been circling the drain for years now, barely holding on. Not the kid's fault. For as long as he had known Lance, the kid had been teetering on the edge of a mental crisis.

However, this wasn't about Lance right now. This was about the household where he resided, and many of the youngsters who lived in it. As the eldest, he knew that his position here was the most tenuous.

So Reaper sat quietly, one ankle crossed over his other knee. He remained in comfortable black clothing, and while situations like these usually had him wearing his mask, he had decided against it. Instead, his scarred face was bare, though he kept his hood up to cover most of his white hair. His gloved hands were folded in his lap, thumbs clasping the mask that he would normally wear. Instead, it lightly tapped against his thigh.]

So, I suppose we should call this meeting to order, hmm?

Comments

[laminae]

[This would be the third time someone has told him that he needs to man up and kill someone he cares about if they go evil. The first time he had been a miserable failure, the second time he hadn't wanted to do it and had been forced to it, and now we're at number three.

Fern is grateful Varian is speaking up, because he's immediately feeling both the encumbering weight of responsibility to accept that offer regardless of whether he actually wants to or not, and the Grass Demon's interest in the prospect of more violence. It makes his head buzz with a whole lot of emotions that don't feel like they're actually his.

He doesn't answer right away, instead reaching up to rub his temples.]

Y... yeah. I don't know. [Varian has every right to be worried, because accepting the offer is on the tip of his tongue.] I'd just screw up again, it wouldn't work. If things go wrong, we're all that, nothing's gonna change that.

[no_reload]

[Reaper's gaze shifted from Fern to Varian and back again, and there was definitely something going on which he wasn't aware of. His head tilted with interest, but he reigned in his natural inclination to seek answers, knowing that this wasn't the time or the place to start an interrogation.

It seemed that his suggestion was not going to have the affect to garner trust that he could be driven off or controlled in the household if this place affected him. He wasn't about to let another Maul situation happen, though apparently the Zabrak was not welcome back into the residence.]

So, if I can't be trusted to stay my hand against you all, and I can't offer solutions to dealing with me if I do, is the only suitable option to remove myself from the situation?

[He would accept to the request to leave.]

Or is there another solution that can be agreed upon?

[droptheious]

Maybe not...just rely on Fern.

[He doesn't want that weight on Fern. But this is complicated and he doesn't know the right answer. He frowns, staring a hole in the floor. Maul had earned his right back into the home, and it had taken hard work on all parties. He doesn't want to just...dismiss Reaper. That doesn't feel fair. ]

Is there someone we can call in a hurry? Someone who will deal with you? ...I have a feeling you're gonna say Maul but I don't know if he can handle that. Hurting you. Stopping you if...if he has to.

[laminae]

[Fern is infinitely grateful he has Varian to support him. He doesn't have a good answer either, which means if his boyfriend wasn't here he'd probably be making a very, very bad decision.]

Maybe we should just... take some time and have some space to figure this out.

[That's what he could use, at least. He doesn't trust himself to have that kind of responsibility, even though he's willing to take it. At the same time, he wants to make sure Luca and Luz stay safe - there is no way he's going to allow another Maul incident to happen. He won't let them go through that if he can help it.]

[no_reload]

[He shrugged his shoulders slightly. He was so used to being able to rely on those that he considered allies to at least put up a fight or provide a mercy kill. Some people he knew would enjoy taking a stab at him, and under normal circumstances, he'd probably welcome it as well.

Still, Fern was young. It was easy to forget that with how gung-ho the teen was about weapons and fighting.]

Maul can handle it. [That was said firmly.] Otherwise, Lance actually might do it. Vira-Lorr potentially, but she might choose not to. [And he had a high chance of killing her too. They knew each other well.]

Very well. Take all the time you need.

[droptheious]

[Varian is still watching Fern with no small amount of concern. He reaches out to squeeze the other boy's shoulders, before turning his attention to Reaper. ]

...I...I guess if one thing that's come out of this it's that we know Lance can handle you too, if we need him too. Assuming of course he will, after...well. The mess.

[He's not sure, it's tricky. He exhales, nodding.]

Thank you.

[laminae]

[Fern immediately reaches up, covering Varian's hand with his own for the extra support. It's a small gesture, but it helps ground him a little more.]

Lance shouldn't have to. [Not after that very public breakdown. Even if he sounds like Finn there's no way he can let him go through that again.]

Okay. Thanks.

[no_reload]

[Reaper went silent, schooling his expression to neutrality at Fern's comment. If he couldn't be trusted to keep himself sane, and he couldn't be trusted to have people around him deal with him if he went off, then there was nothing more to add. He had been in enough no-win situations to know when to just stop trying to give solutions.

None of them would be acceptable.

Instead, he pushed himself to his feet carefully, covering over any overt signs that he might not be completely healthy.]

I'll leave then.

[He eased himself around to leave the meeting and head upstairs to grab his items. He was used to having his motivations or his abilities to control himself questioned. Felt like Overwatch all over again.]

[droptheious]

Wait, I-

[Varian doesn't like this one bit and it's clear in his expression that he's torn here. Reaper is someone he genuinely cares about- someone who has done a lot for him. He needs to protect the other residents of the house, too. He definitely needs to protect Fern. So he's stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Hue hugs his arms around himself frowning as Reaper gets up. ]

...It doesn't have to be for good.

[laminae]

[Fern's eyes are staring a hole in the floor, and it's taking every ounce of his control to not let his abandonment complex take over and just break down and say actually, it's totally okay if he takes on the responsibility of having to murder yet another father figure. It's fine.

Even though he's certain he'd fail at it, and he gets the disastrous effects it would have on his mind.

It's fine, he's just going to disappoint another father figure instead. Totally fine, this is absolutely nothing new to him.

He gives a silent, stiff nod of agreement with Varian's words, not really trusting himself to say anything but agreeing wholeheartedly with him.]