[week three - thursday]

[ceded]

[ This has been such a long day.

This has been such a long week.

When Xion emerges from the bathhouse, it's exhausted and very sore, but finally really clean. She's already in pajamas, because she's quite honestly thinking of taking a quick nap to prepare for her camera vigil. She's barely slept in days with all that's gone on, after all.

But before she tries to brave the stairs up to her room - and she suddenly truly regrets, even though it was no choice of her own, having a room on the second floor - she meanders into the lounge. Pluto is at her side, exhibiting a certain cautious optimism that's, like, more personality than a dog should be able to display, probably?, but somehow works for him.

She seems a little surprised by who she sees there. For a moment, she's hesitant about approaching, but...

... maybe she just needs to give him a chance? He was awful when they met, but that night they all spent together wasn't so bad.

So Xion will hobble her way over, leaning heavily on her walking stick and smiling faintly. ]

Hi, Will.

Comments

[sweats]

[ He just shrugs at her understanding what he meant and instead glances around, looking for the whiskey bottle he kept nearby. When he spots it, he reaches out to grab it and refills his glass. The alcohol takes the edge off, makes him numb to the sensations around him.

Which helps, at the sudden spiral of emotions coming from her as she realizes what he means. He grits his teeth slightly, takes another drink, and then gives a jerky nod of agreement. ]

It's like a sponge. Whatever you feel, any inch of it, I can see it and understand it. Then I feel it, even if I don't want to.

[ceded]

[ The way she stares at him this time is different. It's probably hard to put a name to, and her feelings are complicated.

Then Xion shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath. She does this several times. It takes a few moments, and it's not perfect (and, well, she won't have reason to perfect this skill till tomorrow), but she calms, and so do her emotions. There's something sort of nice about it. Actively reaching for tranquility is strange, and nigh-on unattainable, but hopefully it helps a little.

When she opens her eyes again, she tilts her head and ... decides not to ask. If it's helpful, it's helpful. If it wasn't, she'll learn. ]

... that sounds like a power. Like ... magic, almost. Have you just ... always been that way?

[sweats]

[ Will watches Xion for a moment, gaze careful and curious as she actively tries to quell her emotions. It works, the narrowing perspective making what he feels from her mute. He's able to hear his own feelings, louder and clearer. Even if she doesn't ask, she gets a tilt of his head from Will in acknowledgement. ]

It's not magic. It's a health issue. When you're a child, you have a certain amount of mirror neurons in your brain -- they help you learn how to adapt behaviors from your parents, your family. How to speak, eat, talk. How to react to the world around you. It's your basis for social interaction. As you get older, they fade away and you have your behaviors set.

[ He shrugs, takes another drink. ]

I had an excess of them. As I got older, they never faded away. So, yes. I've always been this way.