06-10-2017, 04:45 PM
Oh.
Part of Jade felt warmed by his words, but most of her just felt sick. She felt sick with herself, with what she knew Tearen had gone through to become a new person like this, with this entire situation. The person-- the being-- that she had spoken to at the start of her foray into the Omniverse would never have been like this, so raw and open and filled with ugly, self-belittling emotion. It was almost as if the pressure, stress, and heat of the Underverse had fractured his perfect, untouchable glass exterior, searing into him until he shattered, exposing the gooey mortal center inside.
Her heart constricted painfully within her chest, but she kept the worst of her sadness at bay. She could appreciate the sacrifice he made to return to this state, the awakened recognition of feelings of love and sorrow he felt, but she still hated that hellish place for making him hurt.
A wisp of a sound drew Jade out of her thoughts. Rebecca's sleep-soft breaths and the rustling of her hair against the pillow registered easily within the span of her hearing, as if the Little Sister were settled into the crook of her elbow rather than across the room. Staring at the prime across from her, Jade felt the pebble of confusion that had started to turn over at the start of this conversation become immediately awash in doubt. The sky-wide window beside their chairs hummed in the ensuing silence, a steady hmmm-zmmmmmn that filled the somber space.
She took a steadying breath.
"Listen," she whispered, face crumpling into something pained and probably dumb-looking. "I... I know that you don't think that you were a good guardian for Rebecca, and honestly, you weren't. I'm a little offended on her behalf, to be honest, though I think I get what you're saying. You're not the person you used to be, now. But how am I supposed to be any better? I'm not even-- I'm just a teenage girl, you know, hardly Daddy material!"
Tearen laughed harshly, but finally looked up from where he had been glaring at the floor, so Jade counted it as a win. "Coming from the girl who could apparently shrink entire planets down to size of golfballs, that's not much of an argument." Honestly, what on earth was she getting at?
The young Witch's hands twisted in her lap. She was acutely aware of the ex-enigma's eyes watching her. "I know that. Compared to this, though..." she trailed off, eyes darting up to stare out the window, bottom lip pinched between her teeth. "It's a lot less daunting. I'm just. You know my grandpa, right?"
Tearen tilted his head with bird-like regard, thrown just a bit by the abrupt quesiton, but nodded all the same.
"Okay," said Jade. "O.K. Well, I know you've noticed this, but he's not here. I honestly don't know where he is. A-and, when he was alive, he was so great, so big and incredible and larger-than-life and I wanted to be just like him, I was so happy, but he... I brought him here because I missed him so much and he... he left me."
Her voice cracked a little on those last few words, going high and splintering like a bough bent too much by the wind. Chuckling hollowly, Jade scrubbed at her face with the back of her hand, knowing that her face was probably peaked with even more sharp red now. "I don't ever want to hurt Rebecca like that. And I worry that if I... gosh, I don't even know what word to use, adopt her, that maybe I will hurt her like that, and I couldn't live with mysel-"
"Do you even hear yourself? Jade, you couldn't hurt Rebecca even if you tried. And you wouldn't try, so this entire scenario is so incredibly pointless it's practically spherical. And here we are, stuck talking in circles," Tearen rolled his eyes and sighed, but found himself leaning forward to take Jade's hand so she'd stop fidgeting with it. Her fingers were startlingly petite, almost sparrow-boned, and the back of her hand damp from wiping at her cheeks. "Here's the deal: Rebecca and I will be departing for the Nexus gate soon, and you're welcome to accompany us if you'd like to have until then to make your decision. Whatever you choose, there will be no hard feelings and we will go our separate ways."
Jade nodded slowly, tried to smile. It came out a little wobbly. "Okay. I think I can do that."
Part of Jade felt warmed by his words, but most of her just felt sick. She felt sick with herself, with what she knew Tearen had gone through to become a new person like this, with this entire situation. The person-- the being-- that she had spoken to at the start of her foray into the Omniverse would never have been like this, so raw and open and filled with ugly, self-belittling emotion. It was almost as if the pressure, stress, and heat of the Underverse had fractured his perfect, untouchable glass exterior, searing into him until he shattered, exposing the gooey mortal center inside.
Her heart constricted painfully within her chest, but she kept the worst of her sadness at bay. She could appreciate the sacrifice he made to return to this state, the awakened recognition of feelings of love and sorrow he felt, but she still hated that hellish place for making him hurt.
A wisp of a sound drew Jade out of her thoughts. Rebecca's sleep-soft breaths and the rustling of her hair against the pillow registered easily within the span of her hearing, as if the Little Sister were settled into the crook of her elbow rather than across the room. Staring at the prime across from her, Jade felt the pebble of confusion that had started to turn over at the start of this conversation become immediately awash in doubt. The sky-wide window beside their chairs hummed in the ensuing silence, a steady hmmm-zmmmmmn that filled the somber space.
She took a steadying breath.
"Listen," she whispered, face crumpling into something pained and probably dumb-looking. "I... I know that you don't think that you were a good guardian for Rebecca, and honestly, you weren't. I'm a little offended on her behalf, to be honest, though I think I get what you're saying. You're not the person you used to be, now. But how am I supposed to be any better? I'm not even-- I'm just a teenage girl, you know, hardly Daddy material!"
Tearen laughed harshly, but finally looked up from where he had been glaring at the floor, so Jade counted it as a win. "Coming from the girl who could apparently shrink entire planets down to size of golfballs, that's not much of an argument." Honestly, what on earth was she getting at?
The young Witch's hands twisted in her lap. She was acutely aware of the ex-enigma's eyes watching her. "I know that. Compared to this, though..." she trailed off, eyes darting up to stare out the window, bottom lip pinched between her teeth. "It's a lot less daunting. I'm just. You know my grandpa, right?"
Tearen tilted his head with bird-like regard, thrown just a bit by the abrupt quesiton, but nodded all the same.
"Okay," said Jade. "O.K. Well, I know you've noticed this, but he's not here. I honestly don't know where he is. A-and, when he was alive, he was so great, so big and incredible and larger-than-life and I wanted to be just like him, I was so happy, but he... I brought him here because I missed him so much and he... he left me."
Her voice cracked a little on those last few words, going high and splintering like a bough bent too much by the wind. Chuckling hollowly, Jade scrubbed at her face with the back of her hand, knowing that her face was probably peaked with even more sharp red now. "I don't ever want to hurt Rebecca like that. And I worry that if I... gosh, I don't even know what word to use, adopt her, that maybe I will hurt her like that, and I couldn't live with mysel-"
"Do you even hear yourself? Jade, you couldn't hurt Rebecca even if you tried. And you wouldn't try, so this entire scenario is so incredibly pointless it's practically spherical. And here we are, stuck talking in circles," Tearen rolled his eyes and sighed, but found himself leaning forward to take Jade's hand so she'd stop fidgeting with it. Her fingers were startlingly petite, almost sparrow-boned, and the back of her hand damp from wiping at her cheeks. "Here's the deal: Rebecca and I will be departing for the Nexus gate soon, and you're welcome to accompany us if you'd like to have until then to make your decision. Whatever you choose, there will be no hard feelings and we will go our separate ways."
Jade nodded slowly, tried to smile. It came out a little wobbly. "Okay. I think I can do that."
New to the Omniverse? Don't be afraid to PM me for assistance!
Gamzee Makara Wrote:S’aight. After all, dogs have a tendency to motherfuckin’ bite.