[ 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? ]
Not unless the person I was communicating with was also a psychic. I can hear you because I can read minds, but the same would have to be true for you for us to talk that way!
[ A pause, and she pulls her mouth to one side like :T while glancing off. ]
Maybe my ancestor could have done it. But I'm not her.
[ oh. dextera definitely can’t read minds, but the archangel—well, at that thought, dextera absentmindedly rubs his wrist, and waits for vriska to continue whatever train of thought she’d gotten onto.
her ancestor? not her “mother,” or even a grandmother? ]
[ It says a lot for how she's grown as a person that she catches the gesture at all. However, she has no idea what it could mean, and simply files it away.
Besides, that makes her bark a sharp laugh. ]
Soooomething like that, sure! You would not want to meet her, trust me.
[ dextera doesn’t know anything about his own ancestors. he’s not a special person in any way, he thinks… his powers came from an outside source, and his brother’s lack of purification ability is proof of that. ]
Thanks. That's kind of you to say. ... actually, I'm going to use that as an incredibly smooth segue into the questions I wanted to ask you about in the first place!
[ she gestures loosely with a hand, an idle motion more than anything. ]
I heard you went into the woods and found something. I was hoping you could tell me about it!
[ dextera blinks, surprised by that incredibly smooth segue, but he actually has no problems with it so he’s not going to argue with the change in topic. he nods. ]
[ A laugh. ] Everything? John told me you made a post about it, but I thought it'd be better if I just asked you about it directly. To my understanding, you and Guren went into the woods and found a ghost, who gave you a journal in exchange for completing a test she gave you, right?
[ dextera never thought of that old woman as a “ghost,” exactly, but that certainly fits the bill, doesn’t it? she disappeared as strangely and suddenly as she had appeared in the first place.
he nods again. ]
The journal was just one option, but it was the one we took.
[ it’s like talking to his brother, which is not something he had any practice with when vriska was here the first time. maybe it’s because of this that he feels a little more comfortable doing it, so he nods, and speaks slowly in her mind. ]
We were allowed to take either this journal, a notepad, or a pocket watch. The journal seemed like it would be the most… helpful… because neither of us are psychic.
[ Her brow furrows, and she has to concentrate to hear him clearly. It's very strange, hearing someone talk in her head. Serket psychic powers have typically been all about control other overs. Being a recipient of any kind, much less passive, is new and strange. But this is not a bad thing, she reminds herself, and it's good practice.
She'll nod slowly. ]
I think you made the right choice. What do you think the chances are of someone else getting a shot at this kind of thing if they went out in the woods?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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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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Not unless the person I was communicating with was also a psychic. I can hear you because I can read minds, but the same would have to be true for you for us to talk that way!
[ A pause, and she pulls her mouth to one side like :T while glancing off. ]
Maybe my ancestor could have done it. But I'm not her.
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her ancestor? not her “mother,” or even a grandmother? ]
It runs in the family?
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Besides, that makes her bark a sharp laugh. ]
Soooomething like that, sure! You would not want to meet her, trust me.
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I’m sure there’s something only you can do, too.
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Thanks. That's kind of you to say. ... actually, I'm going to use that as an incredibly smooth segue into the questions I wanted to ask you about in the first place!
[ she gestures loosely with a hand, an idle motion more than anything. ]
I heard you went into the woods and found something. I was hoping you could tell me about it!
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[ dextera blinks, surprised by that incredibly smooth segue, but he actually has no problems with it so he’s not going to argue with the change in topic. he nods. ]
What do you want to know?
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he nods again. ]
The journal was just one option, but it was the one we took.
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What were the others? [ she taps her temple. ] You can try telling me here, if it's easier.
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We were allowed to take either this journal, a notepad, or a pocket watch. The journal seemed like it would be the most… helpful… because neither of us are psychic.
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She'll nod slowly. ]
I think you made the right choice. What do you think the chances are of someone else getting a shot at this kind of thing if they went out in the woods?