video

[rathercommon]

[ Kitty's voice is a little strained. ]

Right, so...Hullo, Kitty here. And we've already had a bit of input on glorious-war and glorious-war-but-do-be-careful-about-it-because-the-Russians-are-a-bit-scary, and at this point everyone's probably like shut it won't you. But for anyone who's still out there and still listening, just...

This is hard for us. We've lost our friends. That's scary. But remember that no real harm has been done yet. They've been kidnapped, but no one's been killed. The situation right now is not that bad. But it has the potential to get so much worse if we let loose our anger. Remember, the weapons in the Russians' possession - and in the Americans' - can scorch the earth. Kill everyone. Everyone. It won't just be us who go if we escalate this war: it'll also be the little kids in the school down the street from you, and the girl who always remembers your order at the malt shop, and the bloody...puppies in the animal shelter.

So those of you who are thinking that it's time to go burn down Russian cities, or join up with the army as they march to destroy our enemies - close your eyes and think of the entire baskets of puppies and kittens that'll get scorched into nothing but atoms when this war gets stepped up and the bombing starts. Okay? So instead, maybe let's give thought to negotiation. Forgiveness. Stepping down the violence. Some of the kidnapped have gotten word out - I bet you anything they'll agree.

Comments

audio; private

[aberth]

I could do tea.

[ He could use the company. ]

audio; private

[rathercommon]

Good. Thanks. I'd like it a lot. Half an hour?

audio; private WOULD YOU LIKE TO RP THE TEA DRINKING OUT?

[aberth]

The garage? Or the bar?

audio; private obviously????

[rathercommon]

I was thinking my home, actually.

audio; private yes good

[aberth]

Oh.

[ ADAM IS SUCH A TEENAGE BOY. ]

Okay, cool. I'll be there.

-> action

[rathercommon]

I'll see you here.

[ When Adam arrives, she has a nice enough spread. Scones, a few biscuits laid out on a plate, some nice jam, and a pot of tea ready and steaming. She gestures him inside to the table. It's not hard to tell which parts of the house are hers and which are Billy's - his are sloppily tended to or gleaming with some strange magic, while hers are neat and precise and bare of personality. The old habits of a revolutionary who had to be able to pack up at a moment's notice die pretty hard. She still keeps a fake passport in a plastic bag in the toilet tank of her private bathroom. ]

Come on inside. How do you take your tea?

[aberth]

[ Adam looks like he hasn't slept in days and there's a vine leaf sticking out of his shirt pocket like he doesn't even need roots to grow them anymore. But still, he gives her a small smile as he ducks inside and glances quickly around the apartment.

When she asks him that question he blinks. ]

I don't know.

[ Kitty, he's an American boy of eighteen. Of course he doesn't know how tea is made. ]

[rathercommon]

[ No, of course he doesn't know. Her prompt is gentle. ]

Sugar? Milk?

[aberth]

Sugar.

[ He isn't a fan of things that are sweet, but that's what you do, isn't it, when you feel like you're in shock. ]

Thanks.

[rathercommon]

[ She nods, and goes about making his tea for him - pouring it out precisely, stirring in the sugar. She makes damned good tea, and it's nice to do - for about forty-five seconds, she has something to occupy her hands and her mind.

Then she places the tea in front of Adam, and that's lost. She sits down across from him. She looks tired. ]

I think Ronan hates me now.

[aberth]

He hates everyone.

[ That's not fair. But Adam is lost and confused and angry so he won't be fair. He wraps his hands around the cup and looks at her. ]

I wouldn't take it personally.

[rathercommon]

[ She arches her brows at him. ]

He thinks I'm a coward who wants to abandon him to his fate. I think that gets a special hate.

[aberth]

[ Ah.

Adam almost wants to laugh but he's not sure he'd be able to stop and ending up in a hospital for insane post-tree minions would be terrible right now. ]

He thinks fighting is the only thing a person can do. [ Adam sounds even and calm but his hand nervously goes to flatten the hair near his ear. ] It's how he was raised.

[rathercommon]

[ She lifts her chin in acknowledgment. And then, clipped, she says: ]

He says he's sure my government loved me.

[ And then she reaches out and grabs a biscuit and snaps it suddenly and viciously in half and says: ]

He can go fuck himself.

[aberth]

He doesn't understand.

[ Adam leans forward, his elbows brushing the tabletop. ] He's got a whole different bag of issues so he doesn't get it. And believe me, I'm not saying that to defend him. He's good at knowing which part is the soft bit and how to get to it. It's fucking awful.

Don't take it to heart, Kitty.

[rathercommon]

I know.

[ She subsides, choking down her temper - for a moment. Then it flares back up again. She lifts her head, snarls: ]

I've been hunted down literally like an animal, by animals, for my refusal to back down. I watched my friends -

[ Die. She clenches her teeth on that one and just shakes her head. Forces herself to calm. ]

I know. I'm sorry. He's scared, I know that, but I couldn't even...even yell at him, because he's scared and I didn't want to make it worse. But I swear to God, Adam, the next time I see him I'm going to empty my pepper spray in his face.

[aberth]

[ Ronan Lynch can defend himself. Adam doesn't want to be the one to do that for him. So he listens and he nods, shrugging one shoulder. ]

Okay.

[ How many times has Adam wanted to hurt Ronan himself? That's the nature of the beast to damaged people. ]

[rathercommon]

[ The non-response kills the satisfaction of her anger. She glances off to the side, unhappy. ]

Sorry. You don't want to hear that.

[aberth]

[ He takes a careful sip of his tea and then considers her. ]

No, I get it. When I met Lynch I thought he was an arrogant shitbag. He was mean and he was a jerk and he never fucking cared about anything. I fucking hated him. [ Parrish and Lynch, the war years. ]

Then I got angry. I get what he's doing because I was doing it too. But I'm not saying he hasn't been a dick to you. He has. You've every right to be angry. Maybe showing him that will make him think next time.

[rathercommon]

[ She shakes her head. In frustration: ]

I feel like it just makes him want to fight me. He just gets encouraged when I get furious at him. And sometimes that's okay, but...Not about this.

[aberth]

I'm really sorry.

[ He can't defend Lynch, but he also can't agree with beating the crap out of him either. ]

I know it's shitty.

[rathercommon]

[ She shrugs one-shouldered. ]

Yeah. Sorry. You came to get your mind off things, not to hear me whinging.

[aberth]

I came for tea.

[ Which he lifts up and drinks. ] This whole mess, it's super fucked up. You can talk, if you want. It's still a distraction.

[rathercommon]

[ And she lets out a sigh. And speaks quietly. ]

I just...I'm really scared, I guess. For them. But also for more than them.

[aberth]

About home?

[ Because that's what they've just been talking about, after all. ]