Quentin heads up, to wait by the door to let him in, still a little unsteady from the fight- but resolved. They're now through 'cooling off period' and into 'delaying the inevitable.'
Elijah, for his part, doesn't have the punch-black shadows under his eyes
any more, although he's still looking a little hollowed-out from
undereating. He offers a nod.
"Elijah," says Quentin, who has two human eyes, but has waited until the last of the death toll passed. He reaches for his pocket watch, uses it on the door, and moves to hold it for him.
He goes and gets one poured, along with a tonic and lime for himself- and then nods at one of the back tables. It's quiet this time of day, but they can head to the back.
"She's upset you were hurt. I am too, for that matter. I reacted in a moment of temper, and didn't anticipate it'd affect you that badly. I'm sorry for that."
"No need. I was just startled," Elijah says, not pointedly or with any
emphasis, just....quoting. No need to hash out the details of a panic
attack so severe he'd been fully prepared to push himself off the mortal
coil, however temporarily. "The moment passed."
Elijah nods at that, once, then reaches into his pocket and rummages
through his communicator for a particular conversation.
He places it on the table between them and sips his water.
"...I had a conversation with Gortys which clarified my thinking," he says,
eventually. "She questioned why I hadn't programmed my androids to be
inherently good or evil; I told her that defeated the point of them having
free will, of being inherently people. The element of choice. It
seemed reasonable that I extend that to another human, despite my..."
"I understand that what you did before was create a situation harmful to
inmates, because your wardenship was making your own inmate's condition
worse."
"Steve had- a pretty severe case of PTSD. And while I tried to talk to him about it pretty often, he just brushed me off. Kept the conversation about nothing. Met with me for breakfast every day and politely discussed the goings on on the boat. This until he had a flashback so severe he killed someone." And pinching the bridge of his nose. "It says something about this place that I genuinely don't remember who, but it was a full on, uncontrolled, violent snap- and I logged online to let people know it wasn't a psychotic murderer but an inmate in crisis, and commented to the other wardens that how the fuck are people supposed to graduate when they're weighed down with trauma and no one here is doing shit to help them with it? In my head it made sense to protect him from community retaliation. He experienced it as such a major violation of his privacy that I don't even really tell the whole story any more, and he graduated at least a year ago."
"So you attempted to facilitate his escape, it didn't work, and you were
demoted," Elijah concludes, altogether confident that anything Quentin has
to add is simply background color.
"So I offered him the chance to change wardens, and he said no. He didn't trust me any more, but he'd rather not go through the trouble."
He corrects, holding him back.
"I couldn't do it. I couldn't be there, doing nothing for him. And he'd been abandoned by so many people that me insisting would have fucked him up badly. It was break him out, get demoted, or get left forever in this dead end relationship of him drowning slowly while I idly watch and try to encourage him to talk about his feelings. And if this doesn't resonate, you aren't paying attention."
"If you're expecting it to, you aren't either," Elijah remarks. "I haven't
been abandoned by anyone. My trauma does not seem as...deeply seated. And
I don't consider my relationship with you to have been damaged, although I
appreciate the reverse is true."
"I don't know if we even have a relationship, Elijah. I'm socially inept at the best of times, and you're fucking impenetrable? For all I know I could just be someone who brings you food and trusts you a convenient amount?"
Because;
"Apparently I'm definitely not someone whose welfare matters to you."
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timeasmymeasure
Re: private
Date: 2019-07-04 12:45 pm (UTC)You've got one very protective diminutive robot friend.
I'm calm enough to sit down with a cup of coffee whenever you are. Do you want another couple of days, or shall we do it now?
Re: private
Date: 2019-07-04 12:46 pm (UTC)...I suppose I have. I've been staying with her until recently.
Now is fine. Where would you like to meet?
Re: private
Date: 2019-07-04 12:48 pm (UTC)[Not the dining hall.]
-bar. Whichever would suit you better.
Re: private
Date: 2019-07-04 12:51 pm (UTC)The bar, thank you. I'll meet you there shortly.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 12:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:06 pm (UTC)Elijah, for his part, doesn't have the punch-black shadows under his eyes any more, although he's still looking a little hollowed-out from undereating. He offers a nod.
"Quentin."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:08 pm (UTC)"You're looking better."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:09 pm (UTC)"Thank you," Elijah says, meeting his eyes briefly but not remarking on the obvious. "You're looking well yourself."
Civil, quiet.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:11 pm (UTC)A twist of a rueful smile, before glancing over at the barback, wondering;
"Do you want a drink?"
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:12 pm (UTC)"What did she - never mind. That's between the two of you. Just a glass of water, thank you."
He doesn't think he's ever wanted a whiskey more in his life, but he's conscious of drinking on an empty stomach.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:16 pm (UTC)"She's upset you were hurt. I am too, for that matter. I reacted in a moment of temper, and didn't anticipate it'd affect you that badly. I'm sorry for that."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:18 pm (UTC)"No need. I was just startled," Elijah says, not pointedly or with any emphasis, just....quoting. No need to hash out the details of a panic attack so severe he'd been fully prepared to push himself off the mortal coil, however temporarily. "The moment passed."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:27 pm (UTC)Agrees Quentin, sinking into his seat;
"I've been there." And they don't need to talk about it. "Now that we're here, I'm finding I don't really know what to say."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:34 pm (UTC)Elijah nods at that, once, then reaches into his pocket and rummages through his communicator for a particular conversation. He places it on the table between them and sips his water.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:38 pm (UTC)"Elijah."
Bucky hasn't given him the 'yes' yet, but that he even asked.
"Thank you."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:41 pm (UTC)"...I had a conversation with Gortys which clarified my thinking," he says, eventually. "She questioned why I hadn't programmed my androids to be inherently good or evil; I told her that defeated the point of them having free will, of being inherently people. The element of choice. It seemed reasonable that I extend that to another human, despite my..."
Ugh. Emotional expression.
"....fears."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:43 pm (UTC)He asks, looking up, as he finishes reading.
"If I make a formal request, the Admiral will usually accommodate ending a partnership."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:46 pm (UTC)Elijah looks up, his expression impenetrably blank.
"Are you asking me if I would prefer another warden or telling me that you would prefer another inmate?"
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:48 pm (UTC)He says, and pulls his glasses off, to clean them.
"I've done this before. This exact thing. It ended in multiple fatalities. I've regretted it for years. We should- have a conversation."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:50 pm (UTC)"I understand that what you did before was create a situation harmful to inmates, because your wardenship was making your own inmate's condition worse."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 01:55 pm (UTC)He says, and sips his tonic.
"Steve had- a pretty severe case of PTSD. And while I tried to talk to him about it pretty often, he just brushed me off. Kept the conversation about nothing. Met with me for breakfast every day and politely discussed the goings on on the boat. This until he had a flashback so severe he killed someone." And pinching the bridge of his nose. "It says something about this place that I genuinely don't remember who, but it was a full on, uncontrolled, violent snap- and I logged online to let people know it wasn't a psychotic murderer but an inmate in crisis, and commented to the other wardens that how the fuck are people supposed to graduate when they're weighed down with trauma and no one here is doing shit to help them with it? In my head it made sense to protect him from community retaliation. He experienced it as such a major violation of his privacy that I don't even really tell the whole story any more, and he graduated at least a year ago."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 02:00 pm (UTC)"So you attempted to facilitate his escape, it didn't work, and you were demoted," Elijah concludes, altogether confident that anything Quentin has to add is simply background color.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 02:11 pm (UTC)He corrects, holding him back.
"I couldn't do it. I couldn't be there, doing nothing for him. And he'd been abandoned by so many people that me insisting would have fucked him up badly. It was break him out, get demoted, or get left forever in this dead end relationship of him drowning slowly while I idly watch and try to encourage him to talk about his feelings. And if this doesn't resonate, you aren't paying attention."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 02:15 pm (UTC)"If you're expecting it to, you aren't either," Elijah remarks. "I haven't been abandoned by anyone. My trauma does not seem as...deeply seated. And I don't consider my relationship with you to have been damaged, although I appreciate the reverse is true."
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 02:30 pm (UTC)Because;
"Apparently I'm definitely not someone whose welfare matters to you."
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