xp_logs | Poor Unfortunate Souls

Clint's just finishing the setup for the squidlets when Topaz happens by. The conversation doesn't go at all as expected.

It was really Clint's bad luck that Topaz already happened to be in an awful mood. It had been two days since the ocean adventure, her hair still smelled like salt water, she had gotten back a failed test and had the professor keep her after to discuss "concerns" over her continuously falling grades...

And now she was walking into the chapel, intent on burying herself in the library for the rest of the week, fuck everything else, and what did she see? Clint. Clint with a tank. Clint with a tank with two of those squid things in it. Topaz stopped dead halfway across the room, staring blankly at the tank before saying the only words that really made sense in this situation.

"What the bloody fuck?"

Clint froze for a bare moment before spinning around on his heels and offering Topaz a broad smile. "Hello, T! Would you like to meet Squidward and Ursulette? Officially, I mean?"

Topaz was still staring at the tank. Squidward and Ursulette. "You brought two of those things back?" she asked in disbelief. She wasn't sure how she had missed that, but she didn't really think she could be blamed. She'd had a pretty killer headache during the ride back to shore. "Why?"

"Sure," Clint said. "They followed Wanda back to the boat. They're babies, so leaving them out in the middle of the ocean didn't seem fair."

The look on Topaz' face made it clear she wasn't moved by the squids' situation. "You do remember that those things controlled people to try and kill us right?" She asked slowly, as if worried for Clint's sanity.

"Hey now, it's not their fault they were used for nefarious purposes," Clint said, raising his eyebrows. "They're not evil by nature."

Easy for you to say, Topaz thought bitterly, glaring at the squids. One of them didn't tell you that no one would care if you killed yourself. Out loud she said, "I'm going to start charging for help with possessions and brainwashing. Prices are doubled if it's your own fault."

Squinting, Clint asked, "What kind of logic is that?"

"You pay extra for your own stupidity." Topaz shrugged. "Try to resist the urge to take out Squidward or Ursalette and play with them for a couple days, yeah? I need a recovery time."

"That's harsh, T," Clint said, giving her his biggest, saddest eyes.

"Nanites, anger stick, now squids." Topaz ticked off the events on her fingers. "We're up to three possessions or brainwashings. Just be happy I'm not Amanda and will refrain from physically slapping you."

Clint side-eyed Topaz. "If it'll keep you from charging me -- and counting those things against me -- you can totally slap me. It won't be the first time it's happened and it's definitely not gonna be the last."

Topaz looked Clint up and down for a moment, then back at the squids in the tank. "Too tall for me," she finally concluded. "Guess you better avoid getting possessed or brainwashed. Or make nice with Amanda. That's her area of expertise anyways."

"Is it?" Clint asked, his brows rising. "I wouldn't know. She and I are on good terms? Definitely better than when I first got here. But you're my magical go-to. So I guess I'll just have to fork over some cash. After you've gotten me exorcised of whatever's gotten into me, of course."

"Am I?" Topaz quirked and eyebrow right back. "Boy are you in trouble, then. I'll be in the library." She gave a wave as she turned and headed for the stairs.

Narrowing his eyes at Topaz's retreating back, Clint pulled his phone from his pocket and pulled up Amanda's contact information.

Clint actually does call Amanda. She gives him some information he didn't have and they both facepalm a lot.

Hitting Amanda's name on his screen, Clint shifted to hold the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he turned back toward the squids in their individual tanks.

It took a few rings, but eventually it was picked up and Amanda's drowsy voice replied. "Yeah? What is it?"

"What's wrong with Topaz?"

"Huh?" Amanda's voice sounded puzzled, but became more alert with her next words. "Clint? What do you mean, what's wrong? What happened?"

"I dunno, that's why I'm calling you. I just had this bizarre conversation with her where she said I should talk to you if I didn't wanna get charged for being possessed or brainwashed cause she was too short to hit me, which was the only way she wouldn't charge me. It was weird and you're like her magical sensei or whatever, so what's going on?" He opened the mini fridge next to the squid tanks and pulled out a bag of fresh bait fish.

"She what?" Amanda rubbed her eyes and sat up on the couch, where she'd passed out after getting back from Florida. Magical hangovers where the worst. "She said you were possessed?"

"Nah, I'm not possessed. It was just a super weird conversation. And then, when I told her she was pretty much my go-to for weird stuff -- no offense -- she basically said, 'Poor you,' and then walked away. Like, cold."

Amanda sighed, the sound clearly reaching Clint, and let her head fall back against the couch. "To be honest? I have no fucking idea what's happening with her. She's been like this since the thing with her dad trying to bring her mum back from the dead. I mean, yeah, she's not dealing, but she won't talk to me about it. Or about anything, really. It's like she blames me for something. Or something." It wasn't the most coherent sentence, but it was the best she could manage, especially considering the topic. "It's freaking me the fuck out."

"Her dad did what?" Clint asked, halfway gaping at Squidward. "I mean -- Jesus, yeah. That'd mess somebody up. Christ, what the hell is with the world these days?" After putting the bait fish back in the mini fridge, Clint moved over to a desk chair and flopped into it. "But if she's not talking to you... is she talking to anybody? Or's she just hermitting in the library?"

"I don't know. If I get anywhere near her, she bolts, and with her empathy, there's only so much sneaky watching over her I can do. But if I know her, then no, she isn't. But we can't make her talk."

"She needs so much therapy," Clint said, moving his phone to his hand so he could drape his other arm over his face. "And I say that as someone who also needed a lot of therapy, back in the day." Then he sighed and held his silence for a moment before muttering, "I guess we'll just have to be as supportive as she'll let us be?"

"She's as bad as me when I was a teenager," Amanda agreed. "And yeah, that's the plan at the moment. I can't do much, but I appreciate having someone else who can keep a better eye on her than she'll let me. Hopefully this... whatever it is, won't last too long?"

"Hopefully," Clint agreed. "And yeah, no problem. I'll keep you updated, I guess. And if things get... weirder? We'll... I dunno, handle it."

Poor Unfortunate Souls - Nature vs Nurture