[SPELLBIND - IC CONTACT]

[oneandmikleonly]

action 💧 telepathy 💧 other?

Comments

[oneandmikleonly]

...I'm sorry. Edna disappeared recently too, so -- yes. I'm sorry.

[there's not a lot to offer but sympathy, there]

Sorey might be able to explain it better than me, but...it's a sort of...he cleanses your soul with holy fire while also taking part of the emotional burden upon himself. Malevolence will come back if the situation that caused it just remains exactly the same, though, which is why I suggested other things too.

[JUST #PYROSELFIES WON'T CUT IT, THEY'RE FROM THE ANIME THIS TIME]

[splinten]

I'm sorry too, dude.

[There's a flicker of alarm that Dirk yanks back. If they were in person, Mikleo would feel it join with a small spike in the malevolence.]

It'd make Sorey take the burden on? No offence, but that seems brutal.

[DIRK WILL NOT MAKE ANIME JESUS BEAR HIS SINS!!]

[oneandmikleonly]

9S offered to keep an eye out for her, since it's sort of his job to look out for things... You could ask him to look out for them too, or I could ask him for you if you wanted.

[there's an odd pulling back from mikleo too when dirk sends that over; a few seconds where he distances himself so his own worries over it don't spill over to dirk as well]

...it sort of comes with the territory, and honestly, he'd want to help you? It's a lot easier for him to take that briefly to help one friend than it would be for a field full of murderous strangers.

[which has also happened.]

[splinten]

You know there are seriously some problems with him taking on all the emotional burdens of a field of murderous strangers.

[LIKE. FOR REAL.]

[oneandmikleonly]

You think I don't know?

[there's something in there; a sharp stressful note he isn't able to modulate in time]

...sorry. I was pointing it out as a contrast, not as an alternate option.

[splinten]

[Jesus. There's a pause.]

It's okay. You sound less than okay, though, dude.

[oneandmikleonly]

It's an ongoing worry of mine too, that's all. I can help him in combat, but seraphs can't help Shepherds with...the emotional burden...not directly, anyway.

It's not -- [a mental sigh.] This wasn't supposed to be about our problems.

[splinten]

Like I said, it's okay. I can't in good conscience ask even Fantasy Soul-Diving Jesus to purify my soul when it puts that kind of burden on him. I'll have to work on being less of a pathetic piece of shit the old fashioned way.

Which is apparently goats.

[oneandmikleonly]

[another pause

then, on a gentler note]

I have not found any good goats in the marketplace yet, but we could go flying.

[splinten]

This is going to end in me carrying you back in my sylladex again, huh.

[he isn't saying no though]

[oneandmikleonly]

No, that time was with a boat, not a goat.

[he's smiling, a little bit; you can hear it, even though telepathy]

When do you want to...?

[splinten]

[Good. Dirk feels bad about prying into Sorey's things and how that upsets Mikleo. He can understand; it'd kill him watching Jake or Roxy or Jane take on burdens like that.]

Whenever you're free, dude.

[oneandmikleonly]

Okay. Hm. Where are you right now?

[splinten]

I'm at the edge of the city where we came in.

[Mikleo knows that Dirk is Not used to people.]

[oneandmikleonly]

Perfect. Don't move -- well, no, I mean, of course you can move. But don't go anywhere.

[there's a little period of silence after that]

[splinten]

[Mikleo will find a campsite that Dirk and Jake have been using, because they're stupidly anxious about being near too many people. Dirk raises a hand to greet Mikleo as he approaches.]

I was going to apologize ironically about moving just now, but you undercut the literal interpretation of your command.

[oneandmikleonly]

Is it still ironic if you point it out anyway, or is that on a different level...?

[he waves back, picking his way into the camp; is Dirk actually physically blorting more malevolence right now than the last time they talked?]