pc ♠ laurence

[fried]

wauh

Comments

[fried]

Perhaps not, but it still hurts to see. It's significant.

[ ... ]

Your younger self told me about him, I think.

[outdistanced]

...Yeah. Madam's always been strict, but nothing like that.

[ he closes his eyes and nods. ]

We were still friends back then.

[fried]

You're not now?

[outdistanced]

We haven't been for years. When he refused to stop using his powers or reading books we weren't supposed to even have, I just stopped talking to him.

[fried]

I see. [ ... ] I assume this is because you were afraid of the trouble that might bring.

[outdistanced]

[ eyes trained on the floor, he nods. it's not something he's proud of. ]

She's practically worshipped in the Tower. Madam. But she's never tolerated anyone breaking the rules - no one but Iris, and even with him, he used to tell me that sometimes, she'd say these awful things to him. So I was always a little scared of her.

It was just easier to not get involved. Stay in my lane and keep my head down, so I didn't get thrown out to the spawncampers.

[fried]

It isn't so terrible to want to protect yourself.

[ reaches gently to pat him on the shoulder. ]

You're young, in a place that seems volatile and ready to turn on you at any moment. Not everybody can or should lead the charge.

[outdistanced]

It's... not usually like that. The punishments for breaking the odd rule are just normal things, like maybe we’d get grounded for a few weeks or something, or maybe they’d smack some sense into us once. No one's ever been hurt like that before. It was always fine, as long as we were good.

...But I shouldn’t have abandoned him. If I hadn’t, maybe he’d still be safe.