cephalopodcounselor | City of Ariel

Yes, of course it is.

[Now she's really concerned, John. What could be that bad?]

ok, well, this was back before you got here.
there was this event where, uh...
about a week and a half ago?
where this event made people want to, like, breed and stuff.
that's why davesprite laid eggs.
they're not mine!!!
but, uh...
he'd just gotten out of re-ed too.
and... stuff happened.

Yes, I know the eggs aren't yours.
They're Tumnus and Davesprite's.
He's been to re-ed?
That's quite the news bomb.
And what stuff happened?

he... he hurt me.
he didn't mean it!!!
it wasn't his fault, it was because of all the other stupid stuff that was going on, the event and re-ed and the chips...

How did he hurt you?

[Normally, she would throw several questions at him at once, but this was a delicate mater. John didn't seem quite himself.]

he wasn't careful with his claws.
and he almost...

[There's a pause as he takes a couple moments to steady himself.]

he grabbed me off the ground, flew me away, slammed me into a wall, and ripped my pants off. it was all really rushed and too fast and i told him to slow down but he wasn't listening and he almost just...

[Another pause to try and keep himself together.]

i shoved him back and he stopped but i couldn't just...
he really needed help but...
...
i was scared.
i was really really scared.
what if he hadn't stopped? what if he'd...
and all i could think about was getting myself ready as fast as possible so it wouldn't hurt if he tried to do it again...
i asked him to go slow and he did at first and i was affected by the event too so it was good for awhile but then after everything was over and stuff faded, it just hurt because... because he wasn't careful with his claws.

[Every time Rose went to start composing a reply another snippet of conversation sowed up in her head. She waited a couple of minutes after the last one to make sure it was the last before replying.

It wasn't easy though. John's story was unpalatable at best and outright horrifying. Which is saying something when you've communicated with the horrorterrors and gone grimdark.]

John, first of all, thank you for coming to me with this.
I know it must have taken a lot of strength and courage to speak up about it.
I can imagine that your feelings are quite mixed up about this.
The fact that you agreed to move in with us makes me believe that you want to forgive him, but are unsure how to or even if you should.
I can't give you the answer to that beyond "listen to your heart."
If it's true what I've heard about both re-ed and the events, the chances are immeasurably strong that Davesprite feels as bad, if not incredibly worse about this as you do.
The experience was, from the sounds of it, traumatic to the both of you.
The fact that Davesprite asked you to move in with us as well speaks volumes to his own feelings.
Ones he might never express aloud.
I think he seeks forgiveness just as much as you may want to give it to him.

but i did forgive him.
it wasn't his fault and i told him i didn't blame him at all.
i asked him why he picked me of all people because i thought he was still mad at me but he said he grabbed me because he knew me.
but that's not all that happened...
afterwards, he gave me some kind of pills that healed me but they also made me really horny so i kind of jumped davesprite.
and he just let me.
and now he's got me a keyboard and i'm pretty sure it's just because he's feeling guilty about the whole thing.
ever since i figured out how much of a jerk i've been to him in the past, i just want us to be friends but the city keeps on making stupid stuff happen that messes that up.
i'm not mad at him and he was one of the first people i did stuff with here and that was really great so i know it won't always be terrible but...
i guess i've been kind of avoiding him.
i don't want to get hurt again and i know he wouldn't mean it but...
i don't know.
i hate this place!
one of the first things i remember davesprite telling me when i got here was he wouldn't let anyone hurt me and this place goes and makes him do it.
i hate hate hate this stupid city.

John, he did not buy you that piano because he felt guilty.
He bought me an electric violin and he has nothing to feel guilty about when it comes to me.
He wanted to give us both something nice to welcome us into the new home.
Make it feel a little more like it's ours, too.
It's a gift, not pennance.
I think what you need to do is tell him what you told me.
If you want, you can send him our conversation word for word.
Both of you need to get on the same page and soon or it's going to make living in the same house incredibly tense for you two.
I can't say I like this city any better than you do right now, but it did give me the chance to have both of you in my life again.
It's not all bad, but it's not great either.

i guess so.

[He's still not entirely convinced but he doesn't really want to argue about it.]

maybe...
that's one of the things i'm really glad for being here.
i don't...

[He's a little ashamed to admit it but it's true.]

i don't think i would have cared about being his friend if both he and dave were around.
but it's been just me and him and the trolls so i've gotten to know him as just... davesprite.
i had a talk with di about stuff and got it all figured out with her help and that's another thing that sucks about this city, nobody remembers anything when they go home.
i don't want to forget he's my friend. i don't want to go back to treating him like a jerk. i don't want to forget... he's important to me.

He is just Davesprite.
Sigh. The both of you and questioning what level of Dave he is has become exasperating.
He has experiences that the other Dave does not, and vice versa.
I'm glad you have tried to get to know him and are learning to treat him as his own person.
But it's about more than that.
However, I will drop that lecture for now because other matters are more pressing.
Try, and I mean honestly give it your all in your attempt to fix things with him.
As for returning and forgetting him...
I think a part of him will always be with you even if you can't remember it.
And you'll work toward repairing things with him when you return if circumstances allow.

what do you mean, it's about more than that?
i know he has different experiences than dave. they're not the same exact person anymore.
a part of him will always be with me? wow, rose, that sounds really cheesy.
but... i'll do my best.

We'll talk about that another time, John.
It might sound cheesy, but from my own experience, I would say it's quite true.

ok, if you say so.

I do.

City of Ariel - Voicemail

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