[Just as Vicious gave Sparkling the courtesy of his attention while he was speaking, so too will Sparkling listen to every word that Vicious has to say without pause or interruption. Even if he thinks of things mid-sentence, he'll choose to keep his peace until he's certain the man has finished telling everything he wants him to know.
And it is...a lot to chew on, and even more to swallow. Something like making a career out of being a criminal doesn't exist in quite so literal terms back on Earthbread. Though he wouldn't claim to understand everything about the Cookies who choose to work with Dark Enchantress Cookie, he just knows that they each have their own reasons for doing so. They're devotees. Outcasts. Cookies abandoned by the world who have nothing left to turn to. Cookies that are bitter, or sour, or unpleasant in flavor...
It sounds to Sparkling like Vicious is in a similar situation, except this is not work he revels in like, say, Pomegranate does. It's work he does because he has no other choice.
I'm trapped.
His hands curl into half-formed fists in his lap as he keeps his red eyes centered on the other's much brighter white ones.]
I should be the one apologizing to you, Vicious.
[Is how Sparkling chooses to finally break the silence after what must feel like an eternity to the Shade, his expression serious as much as it is soft.]
"Someone like me..." [He shakes his head.] What is that supposed to mean? It implies that I'm, well...that perhaps I deserve a better lot in life, for whatever reason.
But I don't. I'm no more deserving than you are. You said it yourself, you are trapped back home. You haven't had a choice but to continue the life you're living, to survive. ...and somehow, I imagine you're not the only one in that position.
[His expression softens further.]
I'm not going to try to convince you that you're a good person. But what I will tell you is that the Vicious I know is someone I haven't been disappointed to put my trust in.
I was terrified of everyone when I woke up here. And to be honest with you? Some days, I wake up afraid that this is all some...elaborate ruse to lull me into a sense of security, so that I can be eaten like so many others have.
You didn't have to be honest with me, knowing that I would have had every right to reject you once I knew the truth. ...but you care about me enough that you were willing to take that risk.
That means everything, to me.
[He finally closes his eyes, just long enough to recenter his gaze on Vicious before opening them again.]
Thank you. For trusting me. I promise I won't betray that trust.
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And it is...a lot to chew on, and even more to swallow. Something like making a career out of being a criminal doesn't exist in quite so literal terms back on Earthbread. Though he wouldn't claim to understand everything about the Cookies who choose to work with Dark Enchantress Cookie, he just knows that they each have their own reasons for doing so. They're devotees. Outcasts. Cookies abandoned by the world who have nothing left to turn to. Cookies that are bitter, or sour, or unpleasant in flavor...
It sounds to Sparkling like Vicious is in a similar situation, except this is not work he revels in like, say, Pomegranate does. It's work he does because he has no other choice.
I'm trapped.
His hands curl into half-formed fists in his lap as he keeps his red eyes centered on the other's much brighter white ones.]
I should be the one apologizing to you, Vicious.
[Is how Sparkling chooses to finally break the silence after what must feel like an eternity to the Shade, his expression serious as much as it is soft.]
"Someone like me..." [He shakes his head.] What is that supposed to mean? It implies that I'm, well...that perhaps I deserve a better lot in life, for whatever reason.
But I don't. I'm no more deserving than you are. You said it yourself, you are trapped back home. You haven't had a choice but to continue the life you're living, to survive. ...and somehow, I imagine you're not the only one in that position.
[His expression softens further.]
I'm not going to try to convince you that you're a good person. But what I will tell you is that the Vicious I know is someone I haven't been disappointed to put my trust in.
I was terrified of everyone when I woke up here. And to be honest with you? Some days, I wake up afraid that this is all some...elaborate ruse to lull me into a sense of security, so that I can be eaten like so many others have.
You didn't have to be honest with me, knowing that I would have had every right to reject you once I knew the truth. ...but you care about me enough that you were willing to take that risk.
That means everything, to me.
[He finally closes his eyes, just long enough to recenter his gaze on Vicious before opening them again.]
Thank you. For trusting me. I promise I won't betray that trust.