An hour or so later, there's a knock at Bash's door. Ossie back in one of his comfortable tweed suits, with two coffees and a small bag of pastries for breakfast. He looks tired, noticeably so.
"I believe I have what you need," Ossie shakes the paper bag in the manner of enticing a cat with treats and makes his way into the room.
"I recalled trying a Vietnamese origin blend on a date once back home that was quite diverting- still not much of a coffee drinker, mind you, but the beazel I was with insisted I try some, so I did. It was quite lovely; surprisingly nutty, as I recall, with touch of smoke, so that's what I ordered for you. Tried to, in any case, you may well have ended up with the house blend, I'm unsure if the cafe works with the same rules as the bars do."
Ossie sits himself down on the couch and sets the pastries atop the bag on the coffee table.
"To be fair, I just ended up with a small collection of 'the good shit' coffees from one of those, uh, weird presents from Sundries? I'm actually planning on putting together a tasting for folks who's interested, once I'm feeling up to it. I promised to let Ava try peaberry if I ever got my hands on any. But for now, this'll be perfect, whatever it is."
Small talk. Pleasantries. And yet he can't help the almost guilty little glances he keeps giving Ossie. Because like with Crichton, he doesn't expect this to turn into a thing, but on some level, he almost wants to be held accountable for what he did.
"Last night, after things got hairy...you know. Fight like that, you grab for anything you can, right? Use whatever's at hand. And one of the things I used...uh. Was you. I raised your body as a zombie, and. Used you to help me take out the scrap riding Jeff, because he was focused on me and not whatever else was around him. I'm sorry, I know that's not...right, to just raise people like that. It's not going to mean anything in the long run, you're not tied to me, and I really wish I could promise I'm never going to need to do that again."
Ossie takes... a very deep breath, in the manner of someone struggling to be the bigger person. Because of course he's angry. Being used for someone else's purposes is the fundamental trauma of the Lost, as universal as birth.
But he can't snap like that, not when Bash is already cringing like a scolded hound. In some cases, what the person puts theirself through is more painful than any punishment that could be imagined. A punishment ends, but you have to live with yourself forever.
"You know, I've been used as furniture before, but they got my consent for that first, wot. This is... a first."
He pinches at the bridge of his nose wearily.
"I'm- please, if you will, just give me a moment to sort out how I'm feeling."
There's a bit of a flinch. "Of course. However long you need."
He reaches for the coffee, finally, wrapping both hands around the cup, but not taking a sip yet.
On some level, there's something reassuring about the anger. Because he'd be angry too, if it was his body. He's so very aware of what a violation it is, how horrible it is for Sirena to do it casually, and here he's done it twice in a month. And as ridiculous as it is, the thought crosses his mind that he could end up addicted to making zombies.
That's not how it works. He knows that's not how it works. But when your mind is beating you up in the most irrational manner, it takes whatever fish it can get.
It takes Ossie a good long moment. And a chocolate croissant, that he manages to somehow eat without dispersing flaky pastry crumbs everywhere.
"I... know you've said that you can't promise you won't need to do that again. But I will ask you to. I... need you to Pledge to me that you won't do it again. Not right this moment, I'll ask you to give me a moment to draft it properly so that you don't get a raw deal of it. But I cannot abide imagining that myself or Giles or Erin could be used like this again. Ever."
Ossie digs about in his jacket for a pen and notebook. He spends a couple of minutes drafting a pledge that your humble author is too braindead to draft out in full presently. The gist is a promise that Bash will not re-animate either himself, Erin, or Giles without their prior expressed permission, in exchange for a promise for whatever assistance Ossie can render when called upon. Should either break the pledge, their own sorceries will turn against them.
He spends a long moment staring at the page. And then he glances up at Ossie, shame compounding on guilt. His cheeks flare with warm color that spreads all the way out to his ears.
"Can, uh. Can you read it aloud to me? I don't wanna...miss something. Mess it up."
Ossie smacks himself in the forehead, then dutifully repeats the entire thing, pausing and reiterating or rephrasing as necessary.
"I cannot be sorry enough, honestly- that was thoughtless and careless of me. Please, don't take it as a deliberate slight against you, the error was unforced and entirely on me."
The Pledge binds, and a sweet-smelling Spring breeze blows past the both of them, carrying the Pledge on the Wyrd.
"I appreciate your apologies, dear boy, and I know you won't do it again. All is forgiven."
A small smile.
"I've been meaning to tell you- the phones have a text to speech and speech to text functionality. Erin mostly makes use of it, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't; I imagine it might make life a little easier for you in that respect?"
"Oh. Uh, maybe. Would people think it's weird, though? I mean, shit like that, it's made for folks like Erin, it wouldn't be some kinda...appropriation or nothing?"
"Here's a question for you; what threshold of suffering or discomfort with this part of your life would be 'sufficient' before you'd be 'allowed' to use the accessibility tools that come standard with these phones? That I should remind you, cost nothing, impact nobody else, and do not need to be disclosed to anyone?"
"I'm daft as they come, so you're in good company there. But does that mean I don't have the right to make my life easier, if there's something I'm struggling with?"
Empathy for others is so much easier than sympathy for oneself after all.
Ossie sighs. Rather like arguing with himself shortly after he dropped out of university. Bash will sit on this metaphorical nail until he's good and ready to get up off it, and there's nothing Ossie can much do about it.
"Thank you for telling me about this, in any case. This was... nasty business, soup to nuts, I can only hope we're not in for a repeat."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 02:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 02:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 02:48 am (UTC)"Hey, handsome. You handling?" He waves Ossie into the room.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 03:33 am (UTC)"I recalled trying a Vietnamese origin blend on a date once back home that was quite diverting- still not much of a coffee drinker, mind you, but the beazel I was with insisted I try some, so I did. It was quite lovely; surprisingly nutty, as I recall, with touch of smoke, so that's what I ordered for you. Tried to, in any case, you may well have ended up with the house blend, I'm unsure if the cafe works with the same rules as the bars do."
Ossie sits himself down on the couch and sets the pastries atop the bag on the coffee table.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 03:39 am (UTC)Small talk. Pleasantries. And yet he can't help the almost guilty little glances he keeps giving Ossie. Because like with Crichton, he doesn't expect this to turn into a thing, but on some level, he almost wants to be held accountable for what he did.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 03:52 am (UTC)Bash seems... fidgety, and Ossie tilts his head a little as he takes a little cream tartlet to eat with his tea.
"What was it that you needed to talk to me about, old thing?"
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 04:03 am (UTC)And he physically braces for an angry reaction.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 04:21 am (UTC)Ossie takes... a very deep breath, in the manner of someone struggling to be the bigger person. Because of course he's angry. Being used for someone else's purposes is the fundamental trauma of the Lost, as universal as birth.
But he can't snap like that, not when Bash is already cringing like a scolded hound. In some cases, what the person puts theirself through is more painful than any punishment that could be imagined. A punishment ends, but you have to live with yourself forever.
"You know, I've been used as furniture before, but they got my consent for that first, wot. This is... a first."
He pinches at the bridge of his nose wearily.
"I'm- please, if you will, just give me a moment to sort out how I'm feeling."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 04:25 am (UTC)He reaches for the coffee, finally, wrapping both hands around the cup, but not taking a sip yet.
On some level, there's something reassuring about the anger. Because he'd be angry too, if it was his body. He's so very aware of what a violation it is, how horrible it is for Sirena to do it casually, and here he's done it twice in a month. And as ridiculous as it is, the thought crosses his mind that he could end up addicted to making zombies.
That's not how it works. He knows that's not how it works. But when your mind is beating you up in the most irrational manner, it takes whatever fish it can get.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 04:33 am (UTC)"I... know you've said that you can't promise you won't need to do that again. But I will ask you to. I... need you to Pledge to me that you won't do it again. Not right this moment, I'll ask you to give me a moment to draft it properly so that you don't get a raw deal of it. But I cannot abide imagining that myself or Giles or Erin could be used like this again. Ever."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 04:37 am (UTC)And it is. Truly, it is.
"Also, this is definitely the Vietnamese." He's got more thoughts on the coffee, but this is so not at all the fucking time.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 04:43 am (UTC)Ossie digs about in his jacket for a pen and notebook. He spends a couple of minutes drafting a pledge that your humble author is too braindead to draft out in full presently. The gist is a promise that Bash will not re-animate either himself, Erin, or Giles without their prior expressed permission, in exchange for a promise for whatever assistance Ossie can render when called upon. Should either break the pledge, their own sorceries will turn against them.
"Will this suffice?"
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 04:46 am (UTC)"Can, uh. Can you read it aloud to me? I don't wanna...miss something. Mess it up."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 04:50 am (UTC)Ossie smacks himself in the forehead, then dutifully repeats the entire thing, pausing and reiterating or rephrasing as necessary.
"I cannot be sorry enough, honestly- that was thoughtless and careless of me. Please, don't take it as a deliberate slight against you, the error was unforced and entirely on me."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 04:54 am (UTC)"But, yeah. I can agree to be bound by this."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 04:57 am (UTC)But Ossie extends his hand to bind the Pledge regardless.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 05:01 am (UTC)Bash takes the offered hand, his skin cooler than might have been expected, especially given how he's been holding that coffee cup.
"I truly am sorry for what I did, Ossie."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 05:05 am (UTC)"I appreciate your apologies, dear boy, and I know you won't do it again. All is forgiven."
A small smile.
"I've been meaning to tell you- the phones have a text to speech and speech to text functionality. Erin mostly makes use of it, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't; I imagine it might make life a little easier for you in that respect?"
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 05:08 am (UTC)"Oh. Uh, maybe. Would people think it's weird, though? I mean, shit like that, it's made for folks like Erin, it wouldn't be some kinda...appropriation or nothing?"
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 05:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 05:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 05:26 am (UTC)Empathy for others is so much easier than sympathy for oneself after all.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 05:34 am (UTC)He pulls the lid off his coffee to look into the cup, as if he could scry in the liquid's surface. Or perhaps so he can dunk a pastry in it.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 05:42 am (UTC)"Thank you for telling me about this, in any case. This was... nasty business, soup to nuts, I can only hope we're not in for a repeat."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-31 06:00 am (UTC)(no subject)
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