I can see that. I'm glad it wasn't him. Most of the male recruiters, they go in friendly and if it doesn't work, they have ways of forcing it.
Which would've gone real bad, with the Obscurus and all.
[She thinks about that for a moment. About the destruction to the Barge. About how destroyed Credence would have been.]
I'm sorry, too, Quentin.
I'm not lonely. [She is. She is hideously, terrifyingly lonely. If she wasn't, she wouldn't need to say she wasn't. But she has her pride.] But he's never had anyone really in his corner. And a pack would always be. That's why I adopted him.
Plus he's a pretty cute kid. I want to see him have a life now that his bitch mother's not around him.
She fucking sucks, I hate her. I screamed at her last time, but then she burnt down the library, so if she turns up again we've just got to like, lock her in a broom cupboard.
[Relieved at this common ground.]
And I get that. I won't- get back into why I disagree with you with every bone in my body. But I kind of do, and I care about him too, so.
[He hums, because only maybe. No, this will be a good exercise.]
So right now-
[And;]
Actually, I don't know how to do this without violating his confidence. I'm probably already way the fuck over the line in terms of being an intrusive friend.
[She laughs softly] It's hard for me to remember how to do human friendships. In packs we're together so much that we all just kind of know everything.
No that's not all true, I guess. When I was human, we were always poking into each other's business. But that wasn't a good way to have friends. Now you know why I'm bad at boundaries.
How about...I ask questions, and if you can't answer them, you can't answer them.
Were you afraid of the Obscurus? Or was it something else?
You know those grade ten science experiments that everyone always remembers where the teacher pours water on some innocuous substance and it catches fire?
You should come over and talk in person. I've got a half pack left to share.
[Waggling her cigarettes at him.]
I get what you're saying, though. And I did think about that. But wolves have some built in...controls, I guess. We have to or we'd be extinct.
Why didn't you talk to me when you thought someone was trying to turn him? You don't mix things you don't know anything about but-
[It's possible the other wolf has explained, she supposes, but it doesn't seem likely with how Quentin reacted.]
If we'd all talked maybe we all would've at least understood what was going on. I feel like instead, we ended up giving Credence all kinds of information that didn't fit into a whole picture.
...Jesse used to yell at me. When he was stressed out by me. I hate it, and I never figured out how to make it better, and I hate that I made you this upset. I don't know if talking can help or if it's just how it's going to be. What do we do? Do we talk or do we just let it lie?
I'm just not comfortable right now with talking through why I'm feeling this way. It's like- if we tease it apart I'll have no choice but to just swallow it and pretend that I don't think what I definitely do think. I'm not gonna sit there and yell at you in person. But that was crazy dangerous and I think it would have fucked up his life for good, and I do think you allowed yourself to see more hope and promise in it than you should have because of very legitimate needs you have that aren't being met.
That doesn't make me mad at you or hate you, but- unless you have something radically new to tell me, I'm not shifting on that position.
[She does him one better: she washes her face and puts on a little makeup to hide the redness around her eyes, and to give herself a sense of things being back to normal.
When she sees him, she smiles for him, though she gives him a little more space than she normally does.]
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[This seems to relax her.]
I can see that. I'm glad it wasn't him. Most of the male recruiters, they go in friendly and if it doesn't work, they have ways of forcing it.
Which would've gone real bad, with the Obscurus and all.
[She thinks about that for a moment. About the destruction to the Barge. About how destroyed Credence would have been.]
I'm sorry, too, Quentin.
I'm not lonely. [She is. She is hideously, terrifyingly lonely. If she wasn't, she wouldn't need to say she wasn't. But she has her pride.] But he's never had anyone really in his corner. And a pack would always be. That's why I adopted him.
Plus he's a pretty cute kid. I want to see him have a life now that his bitch mother's not around him.
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[Relieved at this common ground.]
And I get that. I won't- get back into why I disagree with you with every bone in my body. But I kind of do, and I care about him too, so.
[Fireworks, apparently.]
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[This may or may not be hyperbole.]
...Actually...could we talk about it? Why you disagree so much? Just don't- yell at me again. Please.
[She's not pleased with how being yelled at shuts her down so hard. But it does, and he's seen it, so there's no pretending it doesn't.]
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[He hums, because only maybe. No, this will be a good exercise.]
So right now-
[And;]
Actually, I don't know how to do this without violating his confidence. I'm probably already way the fuck over the line in terms of being an intrusive friend.
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No that's not all true, I guess. When I was human, we were always poking into each other's business. But that wasn't a good way to have friends. Now you know why I'm bad at boundaries.
How about...I ask questions, and if you can't answer them, you can't answer them.
Were you afraid of the Obscurus? Or was it something else?
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You just can't mix these things willy nilly.
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[Waggling her cigarettes at him.]
I get what you're saying, though. And I did think about that. But wolves have some built in...controls, I guess. We have to or we'd be extinct.
Why didn't you talk to me when you thought someone was trying to turn him? You don't mix things you don't know anything about but-
[It's possible the other wolf has explained, she supposes, but it doesn't seem likely with how Quentin reacted.]
If we'd all talked maybe we all would've at least understood what was going on. I feel like instead, we ended up giving Credence all kinds of information that didn't fit into a whole picture.
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[But-]
Annie, this is still really stressing me out. Like-
[He shouldn't come by if they're going to keep going, and it shows, in the colour in his cheeks, the unsteadiness in his hands.]
cw light mention of verbal abuse
[She only smokes when she's stressed.]
...Jesse used to yell at me. When he was stressed out by me. I hate it, and I never figured out how to make it better, and I hate that I made you this upset. I don't know if talking can help or if it's just how it's going to be. What do we do? Do we talk or do we just let it lie?
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That doesn't make me mad at you or hate you, but- unless you have something radically new to tell me, I'm not shifting on that position.
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[She had thought she did when they were fighting.]
I still think you don't understand much about what I am. But...you know a lot about Credence, and magic. And I trust that.
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[Breathing out.]
Just. Walk slowly.
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[She does him one better: she washes her face and puts on a little makeup to hide the redness around her eyes, and to give herself a sense of things being back to normal.
When she sees him, she smiles for him, though she gives him a little more space than she normally does.]
I started reading 'cause of you.
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Can I like- give you a hug? Would that be okay?
[Heee doesn't know how to do this.]
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[She's already stepping toward him, already pulling him to her, and there's a hint of her supernatural strength in how she holds onto him.
Rest assured: Annie will hug even the most uncertain people as if they hug daily.]
We're okay. Okay?
[Maybe she's hard to understand, with how she muffles the words against his chest.]
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[He agrees, squeezing her tight in return.]
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Gonna make me cry.
[And when she looks up at him, her eyes are a little bright.]
What if I end up hating your favorite book? That seems like it'd be a big red line.
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[He points out, with a snort.]
I can live with some mixed reviews.