wwiii | Spree Living Room, Sunday Afternoon

What was a rich guy to do when he was stupidly bored, making faces at the fact that his normally four-person cabin was down to two and a hedgehog, and wanted to get his hands on something to help take the edge off?

Well, the cabins were named after candy, after all. And, while Warren had never really had the chance to indulge in, say, certain brand-names of candy while growing up, there was nothing keeping him from doing so now, right?

In spades?

Look, he had no frame of reference for things like, 'that is way too much money to spend on way too much candy.'

And that was why he was carrying a case of Spree into his cabin today. He'd been inspired.

This could only end in stomach ache.

[For the cabinmate! Unless you have some reason to be in Spree!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

wwiii

Oh, Warren totally hadn't noticed. Really.

"She did a lot for me, too," he noted, carefully. "She... She understands things, on a level that most people don't even bother to consider. And then from there, she makes whatever it is you're afraid of... seem maybe not so bad."

From:

trigons_child

"It is part of what she is as Queen of her land," Raven said. She knew exactly what Warren meant because she'd experienced that from Karla as well. "She is a healer, as am I, of the body and heart and mind, though our gifts work in different ways."

From:

wwiii

"A good person is a good person, no matter what power they have or where they come from," Warren decided with a shrug. "I respect what she is, and that there are things that she can do because of that, but I think I'm more inclined to just let myself believe that Karla is as understanding as she is because she's Karla, first and foremost."

From:

trigons_child

"I did not say that she was not," Raven pointed out, a tiny bit testily. "Her gifts enhance who she is."

From:

wwiii

"No," Warren countered, "they enhance what she can do. They might help her demonstrate who she is, but I don't really know if that's the same thing."

He sighed, shaking his head a little.

"Maybe I don't understand the way you do, because I'm not a healer," so far as he was aware, "I just grew up being told that a person shouldn't let themselves be defined by their abilities, no matter what the people around them choose to think."

Which had led to a lifetime of hiding his. Gold star, Warren.

From:

trigons_child

"I am quite certain I know Karla much better than you do," Raven said defensively, but she did concede, "Though I am not always able to communicate clearly because I was raised in a very different world. But do not attempt to correct me on what I do or do not know about her."

If she stopped to think about it, she'd agree with Warren, but she was already on the defensive and also had her own issues with defining herself by what she was. Just a bit.

From:

wwiii

"I wouldn't dream of it," Warren sighed, running a hand through his hair awkwardly. "And I'm not suggesting that anyone here knows her better than anyone else. I think... Maybe I was just doing a poor job at saying that she'd be an amazing person, no matter what her powers were."

And a shrug. He didn't want to put anyone on the defensive. He wasn't entirely certain what Raven was defensive about. But he did know a soured mood when he saw one, and was, at least, bright enough to figure out when he was the root of it.

Or at least full of enough guilt issues to believe the same.

From:

trigons_child

"I think we both can agree on that," Raven said, relaxing a bit. She didn't mean to become so cranky -- and yes, for Raven that was Terribly Cranky -- and she understood it just about as much as Warren. "She is...quite amazing. And beautiful and kind."

From:

wwiii

"All of that," Warren agreed, relaxing slightly as he noticed that Raven was. "Really, it's a wonder that you're the first person to come here to make sure that I'm not taking advantage of her."

Warren should watch what he says. If he tempts fate enough, he'll end up with a procession of suspicious friends demanding to know his intentions.

From:

trigons_child

"Karla is close to several people who possess the skill of telepathy," Raven said. "It is quite possible they have already investigated and were satisfied." Way to incite paranoia there, Raven. "Or perhaps they already knew you, whereas you and I have only spoken a few times in the past."

From:

wwiii

Oh, Warren already had a bone to pick with one such telepath. For all the good that it would do him, trying to call out Emma Frost on anything.

"My thoughts are mine," he said, with something almost actually resembling a backbone creeping into his voice for a moment. "If anybody who doesn't know me wants to know anything, they can ask. There are things about me that I don't need to see thrown about just because it suits somebody who had the means to take it."

From:

trigons_child

"That is why I asked you about your intentions toward Karla instead of merely pulling your emotions from your heart," Raven said. "Sometimes I cannot help it when people are projecting strong emotions, but I do my best to shield myself against them."

At least until she decided she liked you and then she'd pester you endlessly if she picked up on any emotional turmoil or physical pain. Just ask Chuck!

From:

wwiii

Warren watched Raven for a moment, and then nodded and sighed, relaxing again.

"I appreciate that," he admitted. "I'd like to think that the majority of the island's telepath population is just as considerate."

From:

trigons_child

Raven had to come to the defense of her friends. She didn't really know Emma, but she was close to Dinah and Sookie. "In general, yes," she said. "But sometimes they may not be able to help it, such as with me and emotions. When people feel strongly, I cannot help but sense it, and it may be much the same with thoughts for them."

Clearly, she didn't know Emma.

From:

wwiii

And Warren didn't know Dinah, but the odds were high that he wouldn't have any problem with her, either.

"If I'm... thinking loudly, and they pick up on those thoughts, that's one thing," Warren said, carefully. "It's people who go deliberately digging that I'd have problems with. And really, so far as I know, nobody here is like that. I don't have anything against telepaths. I really don't, and that's not really what I meant to convey. It's more... opportunists, I guess. People who go digging and then use what they can find in order to get the upper hand when it suits them best."

Warren could introduce Raven to Emma sometime.

That would be interesting.

From:

trigons_child

They were acquainted due to several mutual friends, but they'd never really had any direct conversation. Interesting was probably putting it lightly.

Raven shook her head. "I agree, that is wrong, and I would not like that, either. And it could be very dangerous." Especially if someone poked at her inner demon.

From:

wwiii

"Dangerous on too many levels," Warren sighed, drumming his fingers against his knee in a bid to get rid of some excess energy. Too much sugar. "I think what worries me the most about something like that... Would be that they'd know exactly how dangerous, if they saw enough."

Emma had hissed at him about doctors. And to anybody else listening, she was talking about the clinic.

But she'd been talking to Warren. She hadn't meant the clinic at all.

From:

trigons_child

"I do not think anyone who would try to pry my thoughts from me would know just how dangerous that could be," Raven said quietly. She'd eased out of the demonic closet -- though she didn't go around announcing it -- and while she wasn't as worried any more about people reacting negatively to finding out about her heritage, if someone were to poke too deeply and stir the part of her that was her father's, she wasn't sure what might happen.

She forced a less anxious tone to her voice. "But as I said, none of the telepaths that I know would ever do such a thing without a very good reason."

From:

wwiii

He tried a wry smile on for size.

"I hope I'm not supposed to take that to mean that looking in my head without letting me know, in order to make sure that I'd be good to Karla, is a very good reason. I didn't lie to you about my intentions, I wouldn't lie to them, either, so long as they were open with me about their concerns."

From:

trigons_child

"I do not think they would," Raven said, shrugging slightly. "Not unless they suspected you would lie to them, or thought you were harming Karla in some way. But I know you have given me not reason to believe that."

Which was, in a way, oddly disappointing, but she banished that thought.