Vicious (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
goodolfashionedvillain) wrote2030-02-01 04:42 pm
goodolfashionedvillain) wrote2030-02-01 04:42 pm† RYSLIG- IC INBOX †
INBOX
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transilience
goodolfashionedvillain) wrote2030-02-01 04:42 pm
transilience
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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.
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Hold on just one second, is this-- acceptance? No, no, he must have said something wrong. There's no way Sparkling could have just accepted that explanation from him. Maybe he should have been clearer, maybe he should give details. Though... maybe he shouldn't. Maybe it's safer if he doesn't. It looks like Sparkling isn't going to pry, but-- but why? He can't honestly be that innocent. Is that naivete? Is that blind trust? Why? What did he do to deserve it? Sparkling has to have misunderstood. He's really going to... align himself with him, after all of this?
He can't wipe the confusion off his face fast enough, but when he does, it's with a smile. The disbelief remains evident in the knit of his brow, however, entirely unsure of how he got here or if he even deserves to be here in the first place. There's no way it was just this easy.]
You-- [Can't. You shouldn't.] You're too kind, Sparkling. I appreciate that, more than I can express. I'm. Honored, really. Thank you.
[He hasn't had someone readily accept him like this since Fearless almost half his life ago. Would it be stupid to squander the opportunity, now? He should take it. He shouldn't ruin it. He should hold it close and nurture it and not squeeze the life out of it before it's even had a chance to run it's course.
Don't fuck this up.]
I do think you're a good person, though. An amazing person. I'm just saying I think you deserve better than the sort of nonsense I come from, and the sort of nonsense I end up in. You've been kind, generous, sweet even. [Yes he was going for the pun, yes it was bad.] I just. I'm not used to-- I can't imagine why you'd want to--...
[Vicious shakes his head and gives up on that last part, waving a hand. Sparkling's opting to be your friend, idiot. Accept it. Maybe he's a Bad Boy cookie back home and Sparkling just hasn't told him yet. Though... How bad can a cookie really be? The thought forces a laugh despite himself.]
Forgive me, I'm so sorry, I just-- I have such a hard time imagining you getting up to debauchery, much less criminal activity. But what do I know, you could get up to all sorts of trouble I don't know about, right? Maybe I'm not giving you enough credit.
[All he can hope is that all the teasing will land, despite not exactly being the best at timing it. He just wants to lighten the mood, even a little bit. Moping is no way to make a new friend, after all.]
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But does that necessarily make you good, even if you're going through all of the motions to present yourself that way? He sometimes wonders...
That attempt to lighten the mood leaves Sparkling chuckling in spite of himself, so it seems that it landed in the way Vicious had hoped it would, despite everything. Even if Sparkling looks tired (dead tired, you might say) he's still genuine in the way he's holding himself here- at least he hopes.]
Well...the only grand adventure I can claim fame to involves pirates, but I wasn't really doing anything wrong then...just happened to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
[He leans back in his chair again, shrugging one shoulder as he brings a hand carefully up to rest near his chin. While the tension hasn't been fully eased between them, it's clear that they've made some headway. Something...has changed about their budding friendship irrecovably, but it's not necessarily in a bad way. Sparkling would argue it's just paved the way for things to be more...on an even keel between the two of them. Less coworkers who just know one another at what they present to the public, and more of who they are really. And that's not something Sparkling can say he gets with a lot of people.
He just wishes this didn't feel so weighted in his own favor. Vicious has poured so much of his life out for Sparkling to know about, and even if there are still secrets he doesn't know, it feels like he knows far more than he should as it is.]
But...thank you, truly. It means a lot for you to say that.
[He rubs at his cheek a little, letting his gaze shift to one side a bit.]
I...I do hope I haven't pressured you, Vicious. I just felt like I needed to tell you how I felt about all of this, so you weren't left wondering.
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[His brows raise at the concept of "pirates," and then further once he considers they would probably have been some sort of cookie pirates, which is just fascinating in and of itself. It's hard not to envision Sparkling's life as having been like living inside of a children's book; pure and innocent, full of adventure, but where no true harm could come to the heroes of the story or the citizens of the kingdom... Then again, he doesn't know much. There's a very good chance he could be completely wrong! He just hopes that one day Sparkling would feel comfortable enough to regale him of more tales from his life back home, but not at the expense of dredging up more unpleasant thoughts.]
Oh, think nothing of it, it's just... the truth. I like you, even if I don't know all of you, yet. I just appreciate you giving me the chance to get to.
[He watches the young vampire with a warm smile, hoping the sincerity would read more evidently than the sadness lining his eyes. This has been... a hard conversation for him, but one he likes to think he's navigating well enough. The gratitude vastly outweighs the anxiety now, at least, since it does seem to be going better than before, but... he can't help but worry that one day soon, that disappointment will come and undo all this trust he's been so graciously given. Surely it's only a matter of time.
No-- don't think like that. He can be good. It will all be fine.]
I'm-- no, no, don't worry. Really, I'm glad you said something. I... had been thinking about you for the last few days, so I'm glad to hear from you at all, especially after all that, you know?
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[It may change Vicious' opinion on whether or not Sparkling has ever gotten into any trouble before...but at least that trouble wasn't inherently his own fault. Mostly.
It's not unusual, hearing that he's liked. Sparkling craves those words, relishes in them when they're offered whether they're genuine or paying him lip service. He likes to think he's gotten good at being able to differentiate between the two, but there are some times that he knows that he just doesn't care. Real or not, it's good to be appreciated. It's good to be liked. It's a priority, actually.
Maybe it shouldn't be, and maybe it's not healthy, but that's where Sparkling is in his life. So he knows he's going to be leaving this conversation feeling...not exactly good, but better than he could have. Because even if Vicious could on the off chance just be saying whatever he can to save face with Sparkling, the sad thing is that it works. He's vain and prone to flattery enough for it.
It's a hollow sort of understanding about himself that gnaws at the backs of his senses, but it's something he's learned to ignore.]
Oh, is that so? And here I had no idea I was such a popular guy.
[Okay that's OBVIOUSLY a joke, especially with the way the words almost titter their way out of him, but it's a good sign that the mood has been lifted.]
But I do understand. This whole...business with changes, and everything...it's been a lot. I apologize for not keeping in touch, but I'll try to be better about that in the future. For when...I don't know, I start growing talons or something.