The message came from seemingly nowhere, a comm code not unseen but not as common as others either. The chat history was predominantly him sending various things and getting typically deriding comments back; the more egregious, the longer the essay (rant) especially involved food or fashion. At one point, there had been one about taking a walk, and another time, some words of surprising but firm affirmation. Here and there, some light chatting. They were a long way from being denied as friends of a kind anymore.
Today was different.
🦈: tell me something
Within the room of Minnie’s apartment that he’d turned into a makeshift study, Bril thumbed through the first of several books he’d acquired on the topic of forensics and crime scene analysis. He’d taken up the topic with the hopes of making better use of his psychometry powers. The subject matter was a bit dry and morbid for his tastes, but nonetheless informative. Minnie was giving Femi a bath, and he could already hear his little fur-baby’s cries of distress even before the sound of running water echoed from down the hall.
“Can’t help you this time, little one,” he muttered to himself with a chuckle.
A chime from his datapad caught his attention. He flipped it on and grinned upon seeing the amusingly name for Foxen on the screen. But when he opened their message chain, his smile disappeared.
🥼 : Are you alright, Foxen?
The message that followed came perhaps a disconcertingly long time later, but he was able to watch the progress, at least.
🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: no.
Bril set his book aside and placed his full attention on his datapad.
🥼: What’s going on? You can talk to me.
🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: difficult 🦈: boxes not working. 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: tell me something
🥼 : We have a saying back home. In Basic, it translates to: “A single hand cannot cover the sky.” 🥼 : It describes the importance of relying on others to help us get through difficult times. 🥼 : It’s never easy, but letting others help can make the weight of our difficult feelings way less.
🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: i haveb opinions on proverbs. 🦈: not now though 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: this is reaching out 🦈: not ashamed. Help necessary, efficient 🦈: just 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: difficulty high. ICan’t be helped. So asking useless but still asking
🥼 : Yeah, I understand. Sometimes it’s just good to have someone to talk to, even if it won’t solve the problem. 🥼 : Do you want to go for a drive, Foxen? We could get a bite to eat. Just talk. Skip stones. Whatever you want.
There was a long pause after that offer. The dancing dots continued to appear, then disappear, then stopped entirely for several minutes. But if Bril waited, a reply came.
🦈: currently incapable of driving & not trusting you behind any yoke yet if Minnie taught you 🦈: self food already intaken 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: stones, maybe. Debatable allotment. Maybenl 🦈: Mission Gaile Flyndt focus.
🥼 : I can drive my speeder bike just fine, thank you. And Minnie is a great pilot! 🥼 : Would sparring help you clear your head a bit?
🦈: DENY 🦈: likely make worse 🦈: too little control. Hurt possible. 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: fought so much in that pit. If not for Mission, never agaifn 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: Flyndt makes better 🦈: he 🦈: everything 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: °•°•°•
The dots went away again.
🥼 : <a:loading:647604616858566656> 🥼 : <a:loading:647604616858566656> 🥼 : I respect your decision not to, but I also want you to know that I’m a lot tougher than I look. But I completely respect not wanting to fight now unless you absolutely have to. 🥼 : I could just tell you dumb jokes or get on your nerves to get your mind off things :D
🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: never thought id be masochistic 🦈: but consideration happening 🦈: your threat assessment is not inadequate. Do not think you are not ‘tough’ 🦈: the self is the problem 🦈: the self is the problem overall
🥼 : You have to be kinder to yourself, Foxen. 🥼 : You’ve been through so much. More than I can really even comprehend, most days. It takes time, to heal. And being affiliated with the Brotherhood in any capacity doesn’t make that easy to do. 🥼 : Give yourself some grace.
🦈: have you been talking to Jax? 🦈: ugh, 2 ½ of you 🦈: aware how much the self has been through. It is extreme. 🦈: however 🦈: currently failing all protocols. Boxes. Nothing working. Need to ask. Can’t Ask for too much 🦈: trying to compensate by additional outreach 🦈: °•°•°• 🦈: sentence structure improving. This is helping.
🥼 : I just don’t want to add “attacked by Ewoks” to my growing list of accomplishments since joining the Brotherhood.
🦈: so either you’re assuming you’ll be attacked by Ewoks if you go or that you’ll do something to activate such a response’ 🦈: •°•°•° 🦈: former: speciesist at best 🦈: latter: logical. you’re punchable. 🦈: It isn’t terrible as a planet. 🦈: pain in the neck assured
🥼 : wat 🥼 : what do you mean I’m punchable! 🥼 : i’m like the least punchable person I know
🦈: have you considered visiting an opthalmologist 🦈: or psychiatric clinic. 🦈: status critical.
The exchanges continued a bit longer before signing off.
Obviously it wasn’t very much.
But it was something.