[ dextera wouldn’t have said they were friends, but it oddly warms his heart that she’s reaching out to him after time away. so many people are coming back… ]
::::D! Thank you. It may sound strange, 8ut I am really glad to 8e 8ack here. I want to catch up! Could we hang out? I mean, talking here is fine, too. I don't really know what you prefer!
[ since he's mute or whatever. look, this is her best effort at being sensitive. ]
[ dextera doesn’t question her happiness to be back here, because he understands. if he’d gone back home, he’d be miserable, with or without these memories. what is more important and certainly stranger is that vriska wants to see him, of all people. ]
Yeah! I mean, I know we only talked that one time, 8ut despite appearances, I was actually pretty impressed 8y you. This freaky alien chick got all up in your shit and you handled it like a champ. Speaking of getting all up in your shit, I would like to try to continue working on that whole pseudo-telepathy thing we did. If you'd like to, of course. Plus, there is something specific I would like to ask you a8out, actually!
[ he’s flattered. should he be flattered is a different matter, but he thinks it’s sort of nice that vriska would think about him. though, he supposes it’s only been an instant for her, but months of an absence for him. ]
You aren’t freaky. I knew a girl with horns back home, too.
I’d like the help, though. I’ve gotten OK at communicating with my hands, but the reality is that there are still too many things I can’t do. So, yes. I’ll answer your questions, and you can help me.
Haha, aw. That's kind of you to say. Honestly, I have gotten pretty used to 8eing the town's resident weirdo, so it's fine. People aren't as shitty to me a8out it as they used to 8e 8ack when we all first got here. You would? Gr8! Then it sounds like we've got a deal. So like I said in the 8eginning, let's hang out!!!!
[ people in this town have grown quite a lot… or maybe they’ve just all become accustomed to strange things. either way, vriska came back at a good time. ]
[ dextera only vaguely remembers what vriska looks like—he’s lucky that she is an alien, marked by grey skin and orange horns, because there’s no way he’d recall her facial features. ]
[ It's one of the rare benefits of being so utterly alien. No one can miss her.
She totally won't beat him there because she's excited to see someone she knew, or anything. She's just early because she was in the area, even though she had to have been on her laptop to write those messages. Look, don't ask questions. Here she is, sitting on the edge of the well and kicking her feet, humming tonelessly to herself. She'll perk up when she sees him coming, and waves. ]
Hey! Thanks for coming. [ a beat, and with a crooked smile: ] It is nice to see you when you're not crying.
[ vriska sure did come out swinging with that comment, and dextera smiles politely even though he’s a bit thrown—it does make him realize, however, how much less he cries these days than he used to, though. ]
Heh heh. [ an awkward laugh, as he waves back. ] Long time no see.
[ signed, and thanks to the magic of the town, intelligible! much more efficient than charades. ]
but at least he laughed. her smile warms and she hops off the well to join him. the sign language briefly arrests her, but then she lights up, curious and amused. ]
Whoa! I understood that. Cool. Bullshit story magic, I guess! But I certainly won't look a gift hoofbeast in the mouth. [ she blinks up into his face. ] You said there are things you can't do with your hands. What sort of things did you mean?
[ there are lots of things, really, but when it comes to communication, being forced to use his hands is limiting. he wasn’t born with no voice, and he’s only had a few months to get used to this form of speaking. his instincts still want him to open his mouth. ]
I can’t yell. I need to be seen. If I’m in trouble, I might not be able to tell anyone.
[ Her smile fades into something a little more serious, and she'll nod slowly. ]
Actually, to be honest with you, that is one of the reasons I wanted to see if we could make the whole telepathy thing work. If you were alone and you got into trouble, you couldn't exactly yell for help.
[ ...
A brief shake of her head and she gives him a more bracing smile. ]
Come on, give it a try. [ she taps her temple. ] This time I won't freak out, promise.
[ dextera appreciates her reassurance, and hearing her now, he’s reminded of the kindness she showed him all that time ago—though perhaps just an instant prior, for her. it’s hard to make sense of time in this town, for the people who come and go.
he nods. ]
Do you need to touch my hand?
[ or… is she more powerful than that? he can’t remember. he doesn’t know. ]
[ Vriska's expression takes on a speculative cast. ]
Actually, I've never tried touching someone before to make it easier to read their minds. No, I don't need to, but maybe it'll help while we're practicing? Fuck if I know. Let's find out!
[ She holds a hand out to him, still smiling. if they just believe they can totally do this!!!!!
[ that’s a very bold way of going about it, but dextera nods. the mind reader in his world only needed to get near him—which he’s grateful for, since she was a little creepy, but he doesn’t mind holding vriska’s hand.
he reaches out to her, his fingers brushing her palm once, nervously, before he takes her hand more firmly. ]
[ Many things can be said of Vriska, and none of those things will ever be that she's shy.
Since this is physical contact happening on her terms, she's actually completely comfortable with it. She curls her hand around his, matching the strength of his grip, but her eyes stay on his face.
After a moment, she'll give a small smile. ]
Okay so far! By the way, I can't think a reply back into your head. That's just not something I know how to do! So I'll be replying out loud. Try something more complex!
[ oh, she can’t? dextera supposes that’s more welcome than not, really—he doesn’t like the idea, when he’s already had someone who could do that and took advantage of it in a way he’s still recovering from.
he nods, relaxing, but he doesn’t let go of her hand. ]
I appreciate… your help.
[ it’s strange to think those words at her, honestly, because thoughts are usually more abstract than that—and it’s not like communicating with his brother, where their connection has always been nigh-telepathic. ]
[ Vriska's quiet for a moment, eyes searching his as she tries to process that. It doesn't feel like what she's used to doing. When she browsed the minds of her friends (and enemies, etcetera), it was more like a glimpse, an impression of feeling. She always thought of mind control as the far more useful aspect of the power.
Of course, that's not what's happening here. This far more passive, beneficial use of her blood-given abilities is a strange thing to get used to.
Eventually she nods, once she's quite sure of what he "said." ]
Hey, you're helping me, too! We both get to learn something here. If we get good at this, you might be able to call out to me from a distance! Here, I'm gonna try letting go.
[ And she does, releasing his hand and taking a step back. ]
[ she got it! that feels like progress, compared to last time, where he’s pretty sure she was upset, or at least overstimulated by his attempt to speak straight into her mind.
without actually saying anything else, he offers her a reassuring smile and a nod. yes, indeed, he’s much brighter than he used to be—when did it become such a simple, pleasant thing to work together with others? he holds his hands up in a pacifying wait gesture, just to clear his mind again, and takes a deep breath.
[ She doesn't want to talk about last time. She WAS upset and overreacted and she wants to pretend that part never happened.
Instead, she's just putting in her best effort at making it work this time! (Quietly, she feels a little bit like she owes him after she was so mean.)
Vriska nods at his gesture, and actually closes her eyes, trying to shut out other stimulus. She still startles a little when she hears his voice in her head, but not nearly so violently as the first time they tried this. She opens her eyes again and grins. ]
You bet I can. Look at that, real progress! It's almost like we're not totally incompetent at this.
[ at least dextera’s voice is gentle, and small, incapable of any harshness even within the safety of his own mind—or hers, as it were. although his hands have blood on them, his heart is much softer than that.
when she opens her eyes, it’ll be to a subtle nod. this time, he signs. ]
then, is it possible that even if vriska left this place, dextera could still contact her with enough effort—or does the town have too tight a lock on outside communication? ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Of course I remember.
Welcome back, Vriska.
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Thank you. It may sound strange, 8ut I am really glad to 8e 8ack here.
I want to catch up! Could we hang out? I mean, talking here is fine, too. I don't really know what you prefer!
[ since he's mute or whatever. look, this is her best effort at being sensitive. ]
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You want to hang out with me?
[ dextera doesn’t question her happiness to be back here, because he understands. if he’d gone back home, he’d be miserable, with or without these memories. what is more important and certainly stranger is that vriska wants to see him, of all people. ]
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Speaking of getting all up in your shit, I would like to try to continue working on that whole pseudo-telepathy thing we did. If you'd like to, of course.
Plus, there is something specific I would like to ask you a8out, actually!
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You aren’t freaky. I knew a girl with horns back home, too.
I’d like the help, though. I’ve gotten OK at communicating with my hands, but the reality is that there are still too many things I can’t do. So, yes. I’ll answer your questions, and you can help me.
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You would? Gr8! Then it sounds like we've got a deal.
So like I said in the 8eginning, let's hang out!!!!
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Now? Where should we meet?
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I’ll be there in a moment.
[ dextera only vaguely remembers what vriska looks like—he’s lucky that she is an alien, marked by grey skin and orange horns, because there’s no way he’d recall her facial features. ]
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She totally won't beat him there because she's excited to see someone she knew, or anything. She's just early because she was in the area, even though she had to have been on her laptop to write those messages. Look, don't ask questions. Here she is, sitting on the edge of the well and kicking her feet, humming tonelessly to herself. She'll perk up when she sees him coming, and waves. ]
Hey! Thanks for coming. [ a beat, and with a crooked smile: ] It is nice to see you when you're not crying.
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Heh heh. [ an awkward laugh, as he waves back. ] Long time no see.
[ signed, and thanks to the magic of the town, intelligible! much more efficient than charades. ]
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but at least he laughed. her smile warms and she hops off the well to join him. the sign language briefly arrests her, but then she lights up, curious and amused. ]
Whoa! I understood that. Cool. Bullshit story magic, I guess! But I certainly won't look a gift hoofbeast in the mouth. [ she blinks up into his face. ] You said there are things you can't do with your hands. What sort of things did you mean?
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I can’t yell. I need to be seen. If I’m in trouble, I might not be able to tell anyone.
[ a pause. ]
…and it takes a long time. To talk.
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Actually, to be honest with you, that is one of the reasons I wanted to see if we could make the whole telepathy thing work. If you were alone and you got into trouble, you couldn't exactly yell for help.
[ ...
A brief shake of her head and she gives him a more bracing smile. ]
Come on, give it a try. [ she taps her temple. ] This time I won't freak out, promise.
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he nods. ]
Do you need to touch my hand?
[ or… is she more powerful than that? he can’t remember. he doesn’t know. ]
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Actually, I've never tried touching someone before to make it easier to read their minds. No, I don't need to, but maybe it'll help while we're practicing? Fuck if I know. Let's find out!
[ She holds a hand out to him, still smiling. if they just believe they can totally do this!!!!!
(actually she's nervous af) ]
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he reaches out to her, his fingers brushing her palm once, nervously, before he takes her hand more firmly. ]
…
[ and then, in thought: ]
OK?
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Since this is physical contact happening on her terms, she's actually completely comfortable with it. She curls her hand around his, matching the strength of his grip, but her eyes stay on his face.
After a moment, she'll give a small smile. ]
Okay so far! By the way, I can't think a reply back into your head. That's just not something I know how to do! So I'll be replying out loud. Try something more complex!
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he nods, relaxing, but he doesn’t let go of her hand. ]
I appreciate… your help.
[ it’s strange to think those words at her, honestly, because thoughts are usually more abstract than that—and it’s not like communicating with his brother, where their connection has always been nigh-telepathic. ]
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Of course, that's not what's happening here. This far more passive, beneficial use of her blood-given abilities is a strange thing to get used to.
Eventually she nods, once she's quite sure of what he "said." ]
Hey, you're helping me, too! We both get to learn something here. If we get good at this, you might be able to call out to me from a distance! Here, I'm gonna try letting go.
[ And she does, releasing his hand and taking a step back. ]
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without actually saying anything else, he offers her a reassuring smile and a nod. yes, indeed, he’s much brighter than he used to be—when did it become such a simple, pleasant thing to work together with others? he holds his hands up in a pacifying wait gesture, just to clear his mind again, and takes a deep breath.
then, a bold, but simple thought. ]
Can you hear me?
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Instead, she's just putting in her best effort at making it work this time! (Quietly, she feels a little bit like she owes him after she was so mean.)
Vriska nods at his gesture, and actually closes her eyes, trying to shut out other stimulus. She still startles a little when she hears his voice in her head, but not nearly so violently as the first time they tried this. She opens her eyes again and grins. ]
You bet I can. Look at that, real progress! It's almost like we're not totally incompetent at this.
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when she opens her eyes, it’ll be to a subtle nod. this time, he signs. ]
I wonder… how far it works.
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[ Vriska crosses an arm across her chest to hold her elbow, and tap a thoughtful finger on her cheek with her free hand. ]
Of course, going only one way, it will be somewhat limited in its use.
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then, is it possible that even if vriska left this place, dextera could still contact her with enough effort—or does the town have too tight a lock on outside communication? ]
There’s really no way for you to respond?
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