[log] Decoherence [open]

[snowblindmods]

Characters: anyone
Location: In Norfinbury, and yet not.
Date: At all times, and yet not.
Summary: What you remember isn't what happened, probably. A place to play out situations that happened in the test drives or elsewhere. Things that happened and didn't happen.
Warnings: general horror warnings; please include more specific warnings in subject lines as necessary!

Comments

[mrcreamsicles]

I'm not coddling him. Can't it be that I'm not cool with you ordering him around like that? Can't it be just that?

[That is why he's doing it. He doesn't move now, can't relax even a little.]

[devoutish]

Then leave, and go comfort him.

cw: some kind of weird ass toxic masculinity

[mrcreamsicles]

Yeah, man, I'm gonna go give him a hug and a pat on the back. There there, House, go on an' cry into my shoulder. Have ourselves a whole manly fuckin' talk about our feelings and paint our nails after. You think that's going to work?

[Attempting to convince him that way, he means, but House has never been one for taking comfort straight even without the mocking tone he's put to it.]

[devoutish]

I don't think this is.

[Alfie doesn't so much as twitch. He barely even blinks.]

You're not gonna get out of this room with anything you took, and that's just the fucking end of it.

[mrcreamsicles]

[Alfie's steady posture and confidence are the most unnerving thing about the whole encounter.]

Really? Over a harmonica, bro? You've got the Vicodin.

[devoutish]

It's not about the harmonica; surely you understand that. It's about what it represents. Mm? What it means to him.

[mrcreamsicles]

Pretty petty of you, man.

[He's still not moving.]

You already took his dignity. What do you need a trophy for?

[devoutish]

It's not a trophy, either.

[mrcreamsicles]

Didn't know you were such a dedicated harmonica virtuoso you had to steal one off a dude the most spineless way you could.

[devoutish]

Davesprite, let me ask you something, all right?

[He crosses his arms over his chest.]

Do you wanna have a proper conversation about this, or do you wanna make jokes?

[mrcreamsicles]

You really can't tell? You really can't figure it out? Look a little closer, dude. All this has been my brand new, one man pantomime: "Go Fuck Yourself, I'm Keeping the Harmonica." Thought you might like your own preview performance before I take it out on the indie circuit.

[devoutish]

Right, then. Then I'm not gonna answer your questions, and you can keep thinking what you're gonna think whether it's the truth or not; that's all right with me.

[mrcreamsicles]

Cool. You want to quit stalling and get to the point, then?

[Because what else is there for it? He's not going to hand it over like there was some big misunderstanding, as if Alfie could have a good reason for this at all. Not wanting to fight doesn't mean he wants to stand here waiting for the inevitability to kick in. Not wanting doesn't mean it won't happen.]

[devoutish]

This is the point, here. Set it down, Davesprite.

[mrcreamsicles]

And I'm saying I'm not going to.

[devoutish]

Are we gonna stand here forever, then?

[mrcreamsicles]

You're the one standing there. Where am I supposed to go, bro?

[devoutish]

[He inclines his head at Davesprite.]

My point.

[He doesn't plan on letting him go with the harmonica, and the door is his only way out.]

[mrcreamsicles]

[What does Alfie even get out of doing it like this? Davesprite's expression shifts subtly, still locked down from any larger emotion.]

If you're going to fight me for it, then hurry up and do it.

[devoutish]

[Alfie doesn't say anything to that. He just stands - face impassive, arms folded, no change.]

[mrcreamsicles]

[At this point it just figures. Davesprite sighs out, rolls his shoulders, and sets in to wait. He's not going to move right now, not when Alfie's already expecting it. It's not just a simple issue of getting past him, either. He's going to have to... to, what, incapacitate him? If he goes down, Alfie's almost certainly going to steal his stuff, and it would be impossible to fight if he tried to just barge past with all his stuff at once.]

[What the fuck is he supposed to do?]

[He doesn't want this. He doesn't want to die or be stabbed or to try to kick the shit out of some bearded gangster at least twice his age. This isn't a training match or anything. And—and even if he does somehow manage to knock him out or get past him or whatever else, what's going to happen after? What did he even think he was going to accomplish?]

[And the worst thing about it, Alfie doesn't even have the decency to come start the fight himself when he's the one who brought the damn knife out in the first place.]

What would you even do if I did hand the harmonica back?

[It comes out in a rush. Shit. He adjusts his grip on the scissors and squares his shoulders.]

Just wait until I've got my back turned and stab me anyway?

[devoutish]

[Alfie just blinks at him, expression unchanging.]

I thought we agreed we weren't gonna talk.

[mrcreamsicles]

And yet my mouth is moving.

[The amount he hates this sure isn't decreasing.]

[devoutish]

Well, then, I'll go back to that question I asked before. Eh? We can talk honestly, like men. I'll be truthful about my thoughts my motives, what I'm fucking doing here--

[To a point, of course. He figures he reserves the right to keep some things hidden.]

-- or you can crack jokes and make your assumptions. This is a situation where you pick one or the other, Davesprite; you can't have it both ways. I'm not gonna have a proper conversation if you're not gonna take it seriously.

[mrcreamsicles]

[And how the fuck is he supposed to just talk and be open when they're doing this? He got his ass kicked if he did. You don't get to go I don't want to fight when the answer is here's an attack coming at you anyway. It's not the cool thing, not the badass thing, not what he trained for and not a guard that's easy to just let down when Alfie has been solid and confident the whole damn time.]

[He can't say that either.]

Just get to your point.