tucky | ♻ 017 | video/spam

[video]

[Tiffany Doggett appears to be moving up in the world. Horatio, Venus, and Tig's posts had sparked the beginnings of "I wonder..." feelings in her; when Venus had asked if anyone had magic powers, she'd experimentally wished for a couple new songs to appear on her iPod - and lo and behold, it had worked.

Two hours later, she's lounging like a queen on one of the poolside chaises, looking cool in a bikini and a pair of designer sunglasses, margarita glass in hand. The clothes folded on the chair beside her look new, too. Behind her, the pool room is noticeably expanded - the ceiling is taller, the pool itself is much bigger, and there's a twenty-foot water slide that empties out into the deep end.

There's also a hot tub.]

Y'all got any requests? I'm feeling generous today.

[Merlin is still in a coma, and she's seriously hating that, spending a good deal of her time hanging around him and fretting. But this? This is a good distraction.]

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[Every good thing has its downside, though, and non-stop wish-granting is no exception. Every so often, the built-up exhaustion will reach a boiling point and Tiffany will quietly vanish, retreating to her room and crawling into bed for days on end. Calls and texts will go unanswered, as will knocks on her door; however, she won't bother locking it, so anyone who tries can wander in. Eventually, she'll start to perk back up, and the process will begin anew.]

[filtered to Dillon, Iris, Mason, and Simon; dated to after Arthas's post]

I been hearing a lot of real, you know, contradictory things right now - mostly about these powers we got and whether or not we should use them. I have heard we could destroy ourselves if we do, and I have heard they're the only way to save ourselves. I'm gonna tell you right now I don't know what the right answer is, and I'm not gonna ask what you think 'cause I bet no one else really knows either.

So I just wanna say, stay safe. I'm... I'm pretty fucking scared right now, as you can probably see, and I I'm feeling the effects from this a little bit. I think I'm just kinda tired, but I don't know. But I love y'all and I want y'all to be okay, so take care of yourselves and tell me if you need anything from me. Anything at all.

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What do you know now?

[He's quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. How to explain where this all has taken him?]

I didn't know if I would stay when I first got here. I came to help my people back home, but the Admiral didn't tell me the inmates here were dead, too. When I found out... I was furious. I almost left then and there. Kieren stopped me.

I think I've told you what it's like to be undead in my world, haven't I?

[He looks at her, finally, not lifting his head but turning it enough to see her. There's a hint of the old Simon in his voice, that barely-suppressed righteousness.]

They imprison us. Exploit us. Experiment on us. Everything I've done in my second life has been about putting a stop to that.

Exploited?

[She frowns.]

Simon, don't tell me you're on Arthas's side. You don't think we should destroy the Barge. Do you?

Jesus, no.

[He sits up quickly.]

No, that's not what I meant at all.

Good.

[Relieved, she slumps against him again.]

Then... what did you mean, Simon?

That...

[Well, this won't sound good now, but there's no other way to put it.]

He's not completely wrong, either. I didn't come here to be part of a machine that does that to people. And...

[He sighs.]

When I decided to stay, I decided I was going to protect you. All of you -- the inmates. That that would make it all right to stay. I've failed in that miserably.

This place didn't make him like that.

[She doesn't know Arthas at all, and yet she sounds very sure of herself here.]

You have protected me, Simon. Remember that port? You came for me. I was scared and worried I was making all the wrong choices, and I was praying to God for help - and then there you were. All of a sudden, like you'd been sent by Him.

[Softly:]

I also gave Arthas his magic back. When I was his warden. I thought I was helping him.

[She doesn't know what to say to that. If he weren't Simon, she'd probably be angry. But he is Simon, and maybe it's hypocritical, but that matters.

She turns her face against his shoulder, burrowing against his shirt.]

[He slips an arm around her and sinks his fingers into her hair, resting his chin against the top of her head.]

Iris and Dillon... I don't know that there's anything else I can do for you that they can't.

What?

Sure there is. They ain't you. You ain't them, but they ain't you.

I like it best when you're all here, with me.

But you don't need me here.

What if I do?

Tiffany...

[She doesn't, he thinks, although the effort is both touching and heart-wrenching. He tightens his hand in her hair and closes his eyes.]

I'm being pulled in too many directions. They don't have that problem.

I know. I know.

[She wipes at her eyes.]

I'm sorry. I'm not gonna try and stop you.

I'm sorry. I just... don't know what else to do.

I want to protect you all from the sorts of things that happened to Arthas, but when some of the people trying the hardest to hurt you inmates are other inmates... the ones I tried the most to keep safe...

[He doesn't expect her to have an answer, not really. He's thinking out loud a little bit, justifying even more.]

Arthas is the one people need protecting from, I think. Whatever happened to him, I ain't sorry about it.

[That's a little off-topic, but she can never resist the urge to rag on Arthas these days.]

Simon, I don't want you to go. I don't. I'm gonna have a big hole in my heart if you do. But I'm not gonna try to make it my decision, so you don't got to worry about that. I won't try to mess your plans up, whatever they are.

♻ 017 | video/spam

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