07-16-2017, 10:39 PM
What Rebecca found to be silly about Rapture was not, in fact, very silly to Jade. While the information she had gathered from her reading wasn't especially incriminating and emphasized the wonders of a city unhindered by meaningless social constructs, Tearen's hinting and Rebecca's words thoroughly cemented in Jade's mind that something was horribly, grotesquely wrong with the city under the sea.
One thing that left her literally shaking from rage was when the Little Sister mentioned being "in a box" at some point, and getting "stung by little fizzle-pops" depending on which option she selected from a choice of two buttons, something that sounded suspiciously like psychological conditioning to Jade. When pressed for more information about just who corralled her inside a box, perhaps a bit too harshly by an overexcited and overzealous Jade, Rebecca became unsure and confused, focusing instead on her abandoned bowl of pottage rather than the conversation.
Feeling remorseful, Jade let her interest subside, and then took Rebecca out to a popsicle stand she'd spied beside the inn's front door. For herself she bought something colored a vibrant green that tasted like limes, while Rebecca opted for the sweetest, most colorful rainbow pop the vendor had in his cart. The girls talked about anything but the city of Rapture as they walked across the docks, eating their frozen treats in peace, listening to the gulls crying and the sound of wooden vessels creaking with every shift in the tide.
And that, as they say, was the end of it.
Only, it really wasn't. Gears were already turning in Jade's mind, some damn stubborn gears— she would get to the bottom of this or die trying! And then, even after dying, come back and try again, even more vengeful and full of wrath than the first time! Yeah! She could see it now—
All they needed was a boat! Which was... kind of a big problem? Jade didn't know how to steer a boat or build one that could be suitably watertight for crossing the roughest, toughest ocean waves. So, she would need to locate someone willing to take them along for the ride. Someone open-minded enough not to ask too many questions! Simple in theory, a bit rough in practice. Back to the drawing board.
Another issue was that Rapture was apparently lodged in the muck of the ocean floor, which greatly reduced their options when hitching a ride there. They would need to find a submarine, maybe, or invest in scuba gear if they hoped to find their way into the city. Apparently it was a super exclusive place, too, so that was just another obstacle for them to get over. Ultimately, the trip seemed to be a lot more trouble than it was worth, but there was still one very, very important factor to consider: whether Rebecca really wanted to go there or not.
Well, Jade wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't. The place would probably stir up a lot bad memories, although the young Witch of Space suspected Tearen had done something needlessly complex and cerebral to mitigate the inevitable damage to Rebecca's psyche due to her experiences. But, that didn't change much. The fact that there were likely hordes of little girls running around under the influence of mind-altering trauma and substances didn't change anything. It would still fall to Rebecca to decide, and Jade would never, ever leave her to pursue some crazy, impossible cause, no matter how pure it was.
Tearen had made that mistake once and maybe even regretted his choice, at least a tiny bit. Jade could scarcely stomach thinking about it. This left her at a bit of a loss when it came to broaching the subject again, because Rebecca seemed so... so happy, and Jade didn't want to mess that up. Her whole face lit up when she smiled, eyes shining like twin stars and the sallow, greenish pallor of her skin receding in direct sunlight. It made her seem like any other child, healthy and happy and full of the fruits of life. It was almost enough to make Jade rethink her decision to find out more about Rapture.
But, the subtle traces of baby fat in the little girl's cheeks unsettled Jade. Reminded her of what she suspected had taken place, and what she knew would affect Rebecca for the rest of her life.
Leaning against the cemented railing of the docks, the crashing and splashing of the waters below creating a nice, ambient pulse, Jade turned to Rebecca.
She couldn't let it rest.
"Do you want to go back to Rapture?" Jade blurted, blinking in surprise a second later at her own words. Well, at least the question was out there. Abrupt, quick and easy. Like ripping off a band-aid.
Rebecca looked up from where she was seated on the ground, dress riding up a little over her knees and Bec with his head resting heavily in her lap. The wolf-dog's ears pricked up a hair at the question. Rebecca appeared mostly unaffected, but shifted a bit uncomfortably.
Eyes widening in alarm, Jade quickly back-pedaled. "I mean, it's totally fine if you don't want to, 'Becca. There's a whole Omniverse out there, after all! Who knows how many things there are to see and explore, how many people we might meet... All without going there! Maybe we can meet up with Karkat again, huh? You liked Mr. Shouty McGrumpypants, right? And, hey, I'm sure Valerie is around here somewhe—"
"No."
Jade stopped babbling. Maybe stopped breathing, too, but her blood was roaring so loudly in her ears from residual panic that she honestly couldn't tell.
Wilting just a tad, she nodded in understanding, trying to prevent the mingled sorrow, disappointment and relief from showing on her face. "I totally get it. We can go somewhere else, then, if you'd like! How about a zoo? I hear they have those here!"
Rebecca shook her head, greasy black hair swishing silently. She seemed frustrated, though at what, Jade couldn't tell. "No, I want to... I want to know."
Jade blinked. Okay, what? "Know...?"
"I want to know." Rebecca repeated, nodding once to herself, as if making some grave decision, and then looked to Jade. It was enough to make Jade start, turning her body and feet to fully face the Little Sister. Her yellow eyes seemed more focused than Jade had ever seen them, not as if she were in some other place anymore, lost to fantasy, but truly present.
Stunned and a little numb from shock, Jade nodded. Then, tentatively, like the girl might scare at any moment and take off at a gallop, she smiled.
"Okay. Okay, I think we can do that."
One thing that left her literally shaking from rage was when the Little Sister mentioned being "in a box" at some point, and getting "stung by little fizzle-pops" depending on which option she selected from a choice of two buttons, something that sounded suspiciously like psychological conditioning to Jade. When pressed for more information about just who corralled her inside a box, perhaps a bit too harshly by an overexcited and overzealous Jade, Rebecca became unsure and confused, focusing instead on her abandoned bowl of pottage rather than the conversation.
Feeling remorseful, Jade let her interest subside, and then took Rebecca out to a popsicle stand she'd spied beside the inn's front door. For herself she bought something colored a vibrant green that tasted like limes, while Rebecca opted for the sweetest, most colorful rainbow pop the vendor had in his cart. The girls talked about anything but the city of Rapture as they walked across the docks, eating their frozen treats in peace, listening to the gulls crying and the sound of wooden vessels creaking with every shift in the tide.
And that, as they say, was the end of it.
Only, it really wasn't. Gears were already turning in Jade's mind, some damn stubborn gears— she would get to the bottom of this or die trying! And then, even after dying, come back and try again, even more vengeful and full of wrath than the first time! Yeah! She could see it now—
All they needed was a boat! Which was... kind of a big problem? Jade didn't know how to steer a boat or build one that could be suitably watertight for crossing the roughest, toughest ocean waves. So, she would need to locate someone willing to take them along for the ride. Someone open-minded enough not to ask too many questions! Simple in theory, a bit rough in practice. Back to the drawing board.
Another issue was that Rapture was apparently lodged in the muck of the ocean floor, which greatly reduced their options when hitching a ride there. They would need to find a submarine, maybe, or invest in scuba gear if they hoped to find their way into the city. Apparently it was a super exclusive place, too, so that was just another obstacle for them to get over. Ultimately, the trip seemed to be a lot more trouble than it was worth, but there was still one very, very important factor to consider: whether Rebecca really wanted to go there or not.
Well, Jade wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't. The place would probably stir up a lot bad memories, although the young Witch of Space suspected Tearen had done something needlessly complex and cerebral to mitigate the inevitable damage to Rebecca's psyche due to her experiences. But, that didn't change much. The fact that there were likely hordes of little girls running around under the influence of mind-altering trauma and substances didn't change anything. It would still fall to Rebecca to decide, and Jade would never, ever leave her to pursue some crazy, impossible cause, no matter how pure it was.
Tearen had made that mistake once and maybe even regretted his choice, at least a tiny bit. Jade could scarcely stomach thinking about it. This left her at a bit of a loss when it came to broaching the subject again, because Rebecca seemed so... so happy, and Jade didn't want to mess that up. Her whole face lit up when she smiled, eyes shining like twin stars and the sallow, greenish pallor of her skin receding in direct sunlight. It made her seem like any other child, healthy and happy and full of the fruits of life. It was almost enough to make Jade rethink her decision to find out more about Rapture.
But, the subtle traces of baby fat in the little girl's cheeks unsettled Jade. Reminded her of what she suspected had taken place, and what she knew would affect Rebecca for the rest of her life.
Leaning against the cemented railing of the docks, the crashing and splashing of the waters below creating a nice, ambient pulse, Jade turned to Rebecca.
She couldn't let it rest.
"Do you want to go back to Rapture?" Jade blurted, blinking in surprise a second later at her own words. Well, at least the question was out there. Abrupt, quick and easy. Like ripping off a band-aid.
Rebecca looked up from where she was seated on the ground, dress riding up a little over her knees and Bec with his head resting heavily in her lap. The wolf-dog's ears pricked up a hair at the question. Rebecca appeared mostly unaffected, but shifted a bit uncomfortably.
Eyes widening in alarm, Jade quickly back-pedaled. "I mean, it's totally fine if you don't want to, 'Becca. There's a whole Omniverse out there, after all! Who knows how many things there are to see and explore, how many people we might meet... All without going there! Maybe we can meet up with Karkat again, huh? You liked Mr. Shouty McGrumpypants, right? And, hey, I'm sure Valerie is around here somewhe—"
"No."
Jade stopped babbling. Maybe stopped breathing, too, but her blood was roaring so loudly in her ears from residual panic that she honestly couldn't tell.
Wilting just a tad, she nodded in understanding, trying to prevent the mingled sorrow, disappointment and relief from showing on her face. "I totally get it. We can go somewhere else, then, if you'd like! How about a zoo? I hear they have those here!"
Rebecca shook her head, greasy black hair swishing silently. She seemed frustrated, though at what, Jade couldn't tell. "No, I want to... I want to know."
Jade blinked. Okay, what? "Know...?"
"I want to know." Rebecca repeated, nodding once to herself, as if making some grave decision, and then looked to Jade. It was enough to make Jade start, turning her body and feet to fully face the Little Sister. Her yellow eyes seemed more focused than Jade had ever seen them, not as if she were in some other place anymore, lost to fantasy, but truly present.
Stunned and a little numb from shock, Jade nodded. Then, tentatively, like the girl might scare at any moment and take off at a gallop, she smiled.
"Okay. Okay, I think we can do that."
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Gamzee Makara Wrote:S’aight. After all, dogs have a tendency to motherfuckin’ bite.