IC contact for lastvoyages

[tucky]

[If I don't have an active post up, feel free to use this post to have your character call, videochat, text, or knock on Tiffany's door.]

Comments

[orderfromchaos]

[Truth time.]

I think she does need to change, and I think she won't.

[Which is tragic, but at some point, her fault. No matter what's been done to her, her choices now are her own, and she exults in them. And - it's a statement about Dillon as much as it is about Sylvanas, a relevant admission that his philosophy diverges from Tiffany's on this point. The person Sylvanas is, currently, is terrible.]

I don't like her. I don't care about her. I care about what she does.

Maybe that means it shouldn't be my call, even if I think it's not about revenge. I don't know.

[tucky]

[Tiffany is silent for a moment, because she doesn't really disagree. She wants to, but she doesn't. She doesn't want the Barge to be a place of punishment and condemnation, and as a warden she doesn't want to be an agent of that - but sometimes it is, and sometimes she is just by being here. She can distance herself from it as much as possible, but she can never separate herself from it it entirely.]

I don't think it should be either of our calls. And whatever stuff happens, I think it should be part her call, too.

[orderfromchaos]

It's not who she is naturally, you know. Being undead. It's a thing that was done to her.

[But she's chosen to embrace it, thinks it's irrevocable, defines her now. And how different would it be, all provocation and punishment aside, if he changed her against her will again? Maybe there's someone who could talk to her about whether she really wants to be what Arthas made her, but Dillon isn't that person. Definitely not right now.]

Even if you shouldn't be, right now you are her warden. And it's you that got hurt. If you think I shouldn't, I'll abide by that.

[There's a part of him, deep down, that just doesn't want to deal with her at all. Sylvanas is determined to be at war, and Dillon has a war of his own which is more than enough to worry about. But at the same time - ]

But it's not okay, that she hurt you. Anymore than if she hurt another inmate.

[He doesn't quite say Lourdes or Pietro, can't bring himself to be that manipulative. He doesn't want to crush her principles just because he disagrees. But he does want to make the point that she is just as worthy of protecting as anyone she cares for.]

[tucky]

[Tiffany had not known that. It does make sense, though - all people (most people?) who are dead were alive at some point.

But it doesn't really change her opinion, either. It makes her think of Simon, who hasn't always been undead, but who would be completely miserable if he had to be alive again.]

I don't think you should do anything without talking to her, and people like Luna.

I'm sorry. I know it's not okay that she hurt me. But I think I gotta expect some danger if I'm gonna be here.

[orderfromchaos]

Some, yeah. But that doesn't mean you don't get to try to make it safer.

You don't have to pretend to trust somebody who's never asked for trust, just because - just because some people it helps.

Just...don't go on your own, next time, okay? At least check in with people first.

[tucky]

If I checked in with people they'd feel bad for not stopping me.

[orderfromchaos]

Tiffany, if you'd checked in with anybody, we would have stopped you. Or - helped you, anyway, because she was a clear and present threat. And we feel bad that we didn't anyway.

[tucky]

You shouldn't. The choices I make ain't your fault, even when they're bad ones.

[orderfromchaos]

Tiffany, you're my friend. We're - a community, all of us, even if it's a weird hard crazy one. We get to help each other. And we get to ask for help.

Your choices aren't my fault, and Sylvanas's choices aren't your fault, but I still feel bad that I could have stopped this if I were paying a little more attention. I mean, wouldn't you?

[tucky]

Maybe you couldn't've stopped it, Dillon. Why do you think you could have?

[orderfromchaos]

[A little huff-out of breath.]

I could turn her into dust in less time than it took for her to cross the room to reach you. That's the least of the ways I could have stopped her.

[tucky]

You think I would've wanted you to do that?

[orderfromchaos]

You might not like it, but I'd do it anyway. I'd do it if she were hurting anyone who couldn't defend themselves, and I'd be right.

[tucky]

I don't want you solving my problems for me, Dillon.

[orderfromchaos]

Don't think like that.

We're all here to help each other. That doesn't stop because you graduated - it's even more important. My first inmate, Elsa, Jean helped so much with her, because she had experience in helping people control their powers, and I didn't, and she needed that. You helped me when I thought I was going to fall apart, just by being you. You're -

[His voice actually chokes.]

Lourdes is my problem, more than anyone's, and I know you're not doing it for me but you are so good for her.

We have different tools. We should solve problems with each other.

[tucky]

No, I... I believe that, too. I do.

But that ain't the same as you jumping in to rescue me whenever I get in trouble.

[orderfromchaos]

That wasn't just you getting in trouble. That was her making a decision to brutalize someone, because she wanted to and no one could stop her.

You were reckless, and stupid, and you were believing too hard in ideas about inmates instead of what you actually knew about her, and that doesn't matter. You don't deserve what happened, it wasn't fair consequences, she isn't some natural mindless force that you stumbled into. She committed a kind of violence that nobody deserves, and any warden in a position to rescue you - or anyone else she had her hands on - had a duty to it.

You can't always get rescued, with how crazy things are.

But you deserve it.

And next time it's something like that - something you're scared of in advance - instead of pushing through it alone, you should give us a chance.

[tucky]

... Okay.

But what if I'm not scared but other people are?

[She's thinking about Lourdes and the Enclosure here.]

[orderfromchaos]

[He hugs her, then, because he has to, for a second, and get the lump in his throat back down. Gets a few breaths and settles back,]

...then, I guess, you should at least give us a chance to talk about it first. So we can understand why you think something's not risky, or worth the risk, and we can maybe think of things you missed. Does that sound okay?

[tucky]

Yeah. And I'm already doing that. I'm just not coming to a lot of agreements, you know?

... Lots of people are worried about me and Lourdes and her powers in the Enclosure.

[orderfromchaos]

Oh.

[Well. He can see where they're coming from, but also he knows how Lourdes really feels about Tiffany; he's not worried at all.]

Like who?

[tucky]

A few people. I don't really wanna name names.

But I don't want to give y'all a chance to run in and save me. I don't think she's gonna do anything to me, but if she did, I'd wanna solve it with just us. And you, maybe.

[orderfromchaos]

[He shakes his head.]

No, I think you're right. She would take advantage with a lot of other people, but your trust is really important to her.

Why don't you want to tell me? It's not like tattling, they didn't do anything wrong to worry about you. But I could maybe help reassure some of them.

[tucky]

I don't want them to think that... I don't know. That if they don't agree with something I do, I'm just gonna go tell you or Iris or somebody and get you to talk to them about it for me.

We all take care of each other here, but I'm not a kid.

[orderfromchaos]

Well, first of all, it wouldn't work if I didn't agree with you this time.

Second - I'm not talking for you. She's important to me; I'd like to help people understand for her sake, too.

I know it's not the same kind of public discussion as the powers one, but - I don't know. I'd just like to be part of it.