Cleo
May 25, 2018 8:04 AM
Or with fire. Or mind control. by Cleo
What Parker said was, for the most part, comfortingly sensible. He wasn’t coming out with trite cliches, or trying to tell her there was nothing wrong her. He got the problem. He acknowledged that there was a risk. And that helped. Because the one thing she really didn’t want was him to be unaware - to blindly keep following, even though there was danger. She had been afraid to tell him, both because she was scared he would run away but also because she was scared that he wouldn’t. That he would try to pretend they could just carry on as normal. But he wasn’t doing either of those things. He had found a middle way. He acknowledged the truth of the situation - that she was dangerous, that things might go wrong. But he still wanted to stay. If she had been asked what she needed from him, she wouldn’t have been able to say - part of the reason telling had been scary was that she didn’t like either of the outcomes she could think of - but this was it.She blinked as Parker tentatively held out the gift. It was such a normal thing to do that, under the circumstances, it was bizarre. It was an action that belonged to a different life - a normal one.
“Thank you,” she said, taking it hesitantly. She held it, not yet removing the cloth it was wrapped in. She felt that opening the present marked the point that this conversation was over. That seemed very appealing, on the one hand, but...
“I don’t think they’re superpowers,” she said softly. For the most part, Parker’s answer had reassured her, but that bit still made her feel like he was looking at it far too optimistically. “I… I can make fire. And I can play with people’s minds. I can’t think of anything good those things can be used for. I think… I think it’s better to hope that I learn how to control it, and that I never use it.”
That felt finished. And she turned her attention to the present in her hands, carefully lifting off the bandana. Her breath caught as she saw the present, with all the little personal touches woven into it.
“Oh, Parker!” she smiled. “It’s lovely.” And she sort of wanted to reach out and hug him but she didn’t really feel like she knew how to do that and feel ok at the same time, so she just rocked a little on her toes and smiled at him. “I got you something too, but it’s in my room. I’ll bring it to dinner later.”
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Cleo
Or with fire. Or mind control.
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