Event Thirteen.

[awashmods]

To love a human face was to discover The cracks of paint and varnish on the brow; Soon to distrust all impulses of flesh That strews its sawdust on the chamber floor, While at the window peer two crones Who once were Juliet and Jessica.

t's a regular morning here in the Town. The sun isn't shining at all, snow is falling like crazy, and...there may be the sounds of shouts coming from the well, thoroughly muffled. Okay, so it's not a regular morning at all, but you'd better go help those people! The newcomers are here again. Of course, once you get to the well, you'll notice that there's actually no real help you can offer -- it's totally frozen over. As for the newcomers, well... hopefully being suddenly dumped into freezing cold water in the middle of November in a dark, damp well is your idea of a good time, because that's your life now! And that's not even taking into account the mirrors in everyone's homes that are about to wake up and start chattering... Welcome to Awash's thirteenth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. Please keep in mind that while this is a general event log, it is also an intro log; be sure to pay plenty of attention to our newcomers! If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

Comments

[bittybat]

[It's awkward, but he's pretty awkward himself when it comes to a lot of social interactions most people take for granted. Gently, he... puts his hand on her shoulder. It's kind of a hand-holding, kind of a hug, but mostly a way he knows to politely offer some reassurance.]

Even if there's only one person, it's enough to always keep going.

[The mirrors. He hates them. Of course, everyone else is hating them, too. The worst parts of themselves. It's easy to hate the things they've been, the things they are still. Pieces they're trying to change.]

Are you okay?

[stripedown]

[ good job, Damian. This is some kind of improvement in the realm of affection and/or reassurance, probably.

Kisa hesitates to answer immediately, gaze lowering. She knows what she should tell him. She knows what she wants to tell him.

But instead, she shakes her head. ]

[bittybat]

[Actually, Damian appreciates the honesty more than he would have knowing she's obviously not telling him the truth. There's nothing wrong in being not okay, and even if he wouldn't want that for himself, he can respect it in other people.

Sometimes, it takes more courage to admit things aren't good than it does to pretend they are.] Alright.

What do you want to do to make it better? If you could do anything, what would it be?

[stripedown]

Disappear and never hurt anyone again. [ ... says the mirror, still on the ground. Kisa glances down at it, sighing softly.

There's a part of her that still agrees with the mirror. But...

"I want to be better." ]

[bittybat]

[For now, Damian ignores the mirror. He knows saying anything against or to it won't make any difference. He doesn't want the support to be seen as pity, as false and hollow sympathies.]

Me, too. We can be better. I'm not going to lie to you. It's not going to be easy. It's never easy. We might fail over and over. It can take years even. We may not even be here anymore.

But we can change. I know that for a fact.

[stripedown]

[ This is like the saddest pep talk in the history of pep talks, but it's probably also one of the most honest pep talks she's ever heard, so Kisa can't really doubt it.

So she gazes at him fighting the urge to bite her lip-- and nods. If Damian believes it so strongly, even if it takes them forever... then she can't help but believe it. Somehow. They'll be better. ]

[bittybat]

[The exhale that comes out is almost like Damian has been holding his breath for ten years. Rough and tired, Tired especially. He thought the strange happenings of the town would get easier as they went along. Not that they'd be less challenging, but that he'd find them easier.

But it's only become more difficult for him, the softer he gets.]

Sorry if I scared you. With the mirror.

[stripedown]

[ To that, Kisa simply shakes her head, almost automatically.

"You didn't scare me. I just got surprised."

Which is entirely true. Surprised, maybe a little hurt, but overall more worried for him than alarmed for herself. ]

[bittybat]

[It's only a small relief. His eyes drop to the glittering shards of the mirror and the black handle with the round head. This is going to come bite him in the ass, isn't it? He doesn't trust the town.

He can't tell if they're supposed to break them to move on, or if they aren't supposed to break them and accept themselves.] If something happens...

Whatever happens, [Because he knows it's when, not if.] if you need help and can't find anyone else, you can look for me. I'll be in Flavo mostly.

[stripedown]

... [ "You can find me if you need me too."

It's really all she says, even though there still has yet to be a time where Damian has actually needed her help.

For now, though, Kisa fishes out a bit of clean cloth from her pocket and crouches down to start picking up some of the larger shards of glass. Somehow, it feels wrong to leave it like this. ]

[bittybat]

[Damian might think he doesn't need help, that he can do anything on his own--and he can, in a way, he's always willing to learn and try--but he might just be forced to buckle down and find her one day.

A part of him wants to tell her to forget the stupid mirror. Leave it, all the shard, everything, and let the snow cover it. But instead, knowing it's fruitless, he bends down too so he can help her start picking them mostly up.

He doesn't use a cloth, just his hands, but seems skilled in how he handles something potentially dangerous.]

[stripedown]

[ Really, the only reason she's using a cloth is because she'd half-expect Damian to irritably fuss at her for using her fingers instead. Better to avoid that.

But there's still care in how she plucks the shards off the ground, cradling them in the cloth with an air of sadness. That... was a Damian she didn't know, but it feels like there was something important there anyway. ]

[bittybat]

[Would he really do that? Really? Listen. She doesn't need to be picking up shards of glass period!! HE'S TRYING NOT TO SAY ANYTHING. T-minus, like, fifteen seconds.]

You could have just left it here. What are you going to do with the pieces? I already broke it, so it won't matter.

[Don't put them back together, not that it'd do anything probably. He frowns, and the countdown is complete. He reaches out to grasp her by the forearm.] Stop.

Let me pick them up. You hold the cloth.

[stripedown]

[ Ah, there he goes.

Kisa sighs a little through her nose but obediently settles back on her heels. Okay, fine.

"I'll put them away. But I don't want anyone to step on them and get hurt." ]

[bittybat]

That should've been what I said. [But he's a horrible gremlin most of the time, so of course he didn't think about anything but maybe burying it all.] They're not yours to put away.

I'll put them away. I broke it.

[Carefully, he settles the shards in the cloth without letting them be turned in random, jagged directions. It's as meticulous as he typical is on a day to day basis.]

[stripedown]

[ Damian kind of had a lot on his mind?? And Kisa's fine?? With helping??

Gosh!!

Still, she holds the cloth steady, steadying him with slightly pursed lips.

"You're my friend. I wanted to help." ]

[bittybat]

[This is the worst friendship in the history of friendships.]

If you get cut, the cold will only stop the bleeding so much. [Maybe if he's rational about it he won't have to admit he has Feelings like worry or even fear.] You're helping with what you're doing now.

Sometimes... [There's a pause here, almost like he realizes something.] ...you don't have to be doing something substantial for it to be important or helpful to someone else.

[stripedown]

[ ... Yeah, that's kind of a hard concept for her to understand right now, so she's just peering at him uncertainly. There's very little she can do otherwise, though? She doesn't talk, she can't defend him... ]

[bittybat]

[Still careful, Damian drops some of the last, biggest shards into the cloth. Kisa seems unsure, but he doesn't know how to explain yet without sounding... ridiculous. If he could only take his own advice.

How many times has he thought the only help is the help that comes through extremely hard work, sweat and tears?]

Sometimes, just being there is enough.

[With equal carefulness, Damian takes the ends of the cloth and folds them up together so he can knot them securely at the top, like a little sack.]

Be careful. The shards can poke through the sides and the bottom.

[stripedown]

[ Just... being there, huh.

That... actually makes sense. She's still not sure if she's ever done that, but she's felt that towards others. That all she needs is to be near them.

For now, she uses one finger to draw a sleeve down over her hand, then the next, to cup under the cloth bundle.

After a moment of consideration, she offers it up to Damian. ]

[bittybat]

[Despite what he just said, he looks a tad surprised when she offers him the bag of glass shards, but he takes it with the top held and a hand beneath the bottom. Even if he's poked some, his hands are calloused enough it won't matter.]

I'll take them back to the cottage. [If the mirrors don't disappear on their own, he'll bury the shards somewhere after.

Slowly, he rises to stand.] Don't break yours. Just in case. No matter what it says.

[stripedown]

[ Don't get stabbed, Damian, she'll be staring very hard at your hands later. But... for the time being, Kisa shifts carefully to her feet. There's still concern in her gaze, even as she nods, but Damian probably doesn't need her to tag along for anything else.

So instead, she carefully picks up her mirror. ]

Even though breaking would solve all of your problems, wouldn't it?

[ Shut up, mirror. ]

[bittybat]

[He hates these mirrors. (Precisely why he smashed his, honestly.)]

Kisa... [But his face pinches gently, almost like he isn't sure what he had intended to really say. He shakes his head dismissively.] Be careful.

If this isn't the last of what the town has planned.

[stripedown]

[ She doubts it is. It seems... cruel, yes, but also kind of meaningless and that makes her worried. There's probably more to it than this.

For now, she quietly gazes at Damian, and then dips her head in a short nod of acknowledgment, meeting his gaze to try and convey that same sentiment. He's... the one who broke his mirror. She'll be careful, but she's more worried about him and what breaking the mirror might mean. ]