(TSS) Topaz and Amanda || Mystic Rhythms
Nov. 10th, 2020 09:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_topaz posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsTopaz goes somewhere safe to decompress.
Topaz generally tried to respect other people's personal space. She didn't invade their bubbles, she knocked on doors and waited to be invited in, basic things, really.
Basic was currently beyond her, however. She let herself into Amanda's and Marie-Ange's suite without so much as a "hello", walked straight to the couch, and dropped onto it, burying her face in a throw pillow. She had considered just going back to her own room and dealing with this alone, but that had been an almost immediate no. No she wasn't dealing alone. No she didn't want to be alone. There were some problems a cat couldn't help solve.
Almost immediately a weight dropped onto the couch beside her, two arms wrapping around her in a gesture as comforting as the wave of concern and care that accompanied it. Amanda didn't say anything - what could she say? - holding Topaz and hoping it was helping, at least a little.
It helped. A lot. Topaz let herself take comfort from it for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and saying, "So I'm feeling a little bit better about my life choices," in a dry tone that did nothing to cover up the exhaustion and confusion.
Amanda choked a laugh and sat back a little, loosening her hug but leaving one hand on Topaz' shoulder. "Way to find out about the path not taken," she agreed. "And it's a hell of a mindfuck, that's for sure."
"Yeah." Topaz shifted, thoughts chasing themselves around her head. "I... I've never even thought I'd be able to do... everything they were talking about." The levels of magic, the many, many murders, sacrificing the people who had saved her from herself multiple times...
"Good for you. And for us. But unfortunately..." Amanda sighed, thinking of her own history and how close she had come to taking a similar path. "Sometimes it takes only a tiny thing to have huge repercussions. 'S why I'm always at you lot about thinking about why you're using magic instead of just going ahead and poofing all of your problems away." She gave Topaz' shoulder a squeeze. "Sorry, that sounded way too like a 'I told you so'."
"You tend to be right about these things, so I think an 'I told you so' is warranted." Topaz sighed, leaning into Amanda. She wasn't in the mood to pretend she didn't need the comfort right now. "I know she's terrible and killing her is probably the only way to stop all of this, but I got in her head for a minute, and she just seems... sad. Angry. I get that and I kind of hate that I can relate to it."
"Well, in a fucked up way, she is you. So it makes sense you'd understand. And yeah, it is sad. She had all these opportunities, but for some reason she decided to look out only for herself. And I really understand it myself. When you're hurting, and can't see a way out, sometimes all you want is for everyone to hurt as bad." Amanda paused, considering her next words. "If it needs doing, I can take her down for you. You shouldn't have to take that on."
Topaz raised an eyebrow. "Neither should you," she pointed out. "It's not your job to take every single bad thing for everyone else."
"Someone has to. And it's not anything I haven't done before." Amanda was firm. "And killing off evil dopplegangers is a bit much for your first year with the Trenchcoats." Her tone was wry at the last words.
"Really? I feel like it'd be basic compared to some of the other crap that happens around here," Topaz returned in a similarly dry tone. She wasn't optimistic enough to think maybe this wouldn't have to end with the other her dying. She really was too far gone.
"Whatever happens, we'll take care of it." Amanda squeezed her shoulder again. "I won't tell you not to worry, just... we'll take care of it, you and I. You're family, after all."
Topaz gave her a dry, slightly humorless smile. "You reassuring me or reminding me?" She leaned into the touch, a teasing nudge. "I know. It's... It's not okay, because all of this is too messed up. But I'm not going on off the deep end. Promise."
"As Doug would say, 'Both? Let's do both.'" Amanda returned the smile. "And once all this is over, you can go as much off the deep end as you like. You'll have earned it."
Topaz generally tried to respect other people's personal space. She didn't invade their bubbles, she knocked on doors and waited to be invited in, basic things, really.
Basic was currently beyond her, however. She let herself into Amanda's and Marie-Ange's suite without so much as a "hello", walked straight to the couch, and dropped onto it, burying her face in a throw pillow. She had considered just going back to her own room and dealing with this alone, but that had been an almost immediate no. No she wasn't dealing alone. No she didn't want to be alone. There were some problems a cat couldn't help solve.
Almost immediately a weight dropped onto the couch beside her, two arms wrapping around her in a gesture as comforting as the wave of concern and care that accompanied it. Amanda didn't say anything - what could she say? - holding Topaz and hoping it was helping, at least a little.
It helped. A lot. Topaz let herself take comfort from it for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and saying, "So I'm feeling a little bit better about my life choices," in a dry tone that did nothing to cover up the exhaustion and confusion.
Amanda choked a laugh and sat back a little, loosening her hug but leaving one hand on Topaz' shoulder. "Way to find out about the path not taken," she agreed. "And it's a hell of a mindfuck, that's for sure."
"Yeah." Topaz shifted, thoughts chasing themselves around her head. "I... I've never even thought I'd be able to do... everything they were talking about." The levels of magic, the many, many murders, sacrificing the people who had saved her from herself multiple times...
"Good for you. And for us. But unfortunately..." Amanda sighed, thinking of her own history and how close she had come to taking a similar path. "Sometimes it takes only a tiny thing to have huge repercussions. 'S why I'm always at you lot about thinking about why you're using magic instead of just going ahead and poofing all of your problems away." She gave Topaz' shoulder a squeeze. "Sorry, that sounded way too like a 'I told you so'."
"You tend to be right about these things, so I think an 'I told you so' is warranted." Topaz sighed, leaning into Amanda. She wasn't in the mood to pretend she didn't need the comfort right now. "I know she's terrible and killing her is probably the only way to stop all of this, but I got in her head for a minute, and she just seems... sad. Angry. I get that and I kind of hate that I can relate to it."
"Well, in a fucked up way, she is you. So it makes sense you'd understand. And yeah, it is sad. She had all these opportunities, but for some reason she decided to look out only for herself. And I really understand it myself. When you're hurting, and can't see a way out, sometimes all you want is for everyone to hurt as bad." Amanda paused, considering her next words. "If it needs doing, I can take her down for you. You shouldn't have to take that on."
Topaz raised an eyebrow. "Neither should you," she pointed out. "It's not your job to take every single bad thing for everyone else."
"Someone has to. And it's not anything I haven't done before." Amanda was firm. "And killing off evil dopplegangers is a bit much for your first year with the Trenchcoats." Her tone was wry at the last words.
"Really? I feel like it'd be basic compared to some of the other crap that happens around here," Topaz returned in a similarly dry tone. She wasn't optimistic enough to think maybe this wouldn't have to end with the other her dying. She really was too far gone.
"Whatever happens, we'll take care of it." Amanda squeezed her shoulder again. "I won't tell you not to worry, just... we'll take care of it, you and I. You're family, after all."
Topaz gave her a dry, slightly humorless smile. "You reassuring me or reminding me?" She leaned into the touch, a teasing nudge. "I know. It's... It's not okay, because all of this is too messed up. But I'm not going on off the deep end. Promise."
"As Doug would say, 'Both? Let's do both.'" Amanda returned the smile. "And once all this is over, you can go as much off the deep end as you like. You'll have earned it."
no subject
Date: 2020-11-14 12:49 am (UTC)