[corbeau as a shining knight riding his bughorse into battle is never going to leave jacinthe's mind now, thanks!!!]
I can imagine so! But you both have become something so very incredible in the process; like something out of a fairytale, almost! But made real, and made to protect those who cannot do so themselves.
[Jacinthe sighs a little dreamily...]
What of the rest of your team, if I may ask? I take it you share quite a precious bond with them, as well?
[you get that image out of your mind right now, missy!!!
Anyway, that gets a scoff from him; Corbeau's not the sort to truly enjoy fairytales and he definitely doesn't strike the image of someone from one!! He's a mob boss!!! His reputation is in shambles...]
You're right, though. For quite some time, it was just the two of us. We ended up bringing Garbodor onto the team when we found him as a Trubbish struggling to find food. Roserade - a Budew at the time - had gone exploring and gotten lost and was eager to join the first friendly trainer he came across. Barbaracle, as a Binacle, was the only one I went out of my way to catch, and that was entirely because I wanted something to help balance out my team's weakness to Ground-types.
[Look how well that worked given Barbaracle's also a Rock-type...]
Arbok and Gyarados were obtained even later, with the latter further helping against my team's weaker matchups and the former being a gift from Philippe. Apparently he considered importing a foreign Poison-type Pokémon, but ended up distracted by taking down a smuggling ring operating under our noses. Ekans was an apology for that "failure" to notice the group.
[...Though that doesn't really explain Gyarados's origins very well. No point going into the Lysandre Buneary hole today. Or ever, actually.]
[Jacinthe continues to listen with rapt attention, and really, she's absolutely enthralled to hear each of those stories. It feels more...
It feels organic, in a way that sees Jacinthe entertained and enraptured like she's listening to a fable. Like when she was younger and her parents would read her stories, and yet...never gave her the opportunity to make her own. Everything was decided for her, with perfect Pokemon that she's bonded with, sure, but...
If you notice any brief dampening of Jacinthe's expression, it's your imagination.]
...Your partners truly are the greatest friends with you, aren't they? Even Barbaracle and Gyarados, those added to help enhance your team's strengths--I can feel their love for you when we battle together. I think that's a beautiful thing, all be told.
Thank you. For sharing that much with me. [...] It's genuinely quite nice to hear other's stories like that, I confess. I feel like it helps one learn more about the person training them, perhaps...or at least it does now!
[It's strange to see her hanging on his every word, like he's telling the most fascinating of stories. Kind of sad too, knowing that she didn't get the opportunity to pick her partners. She never had experiences like that, where she just stumbled across a little guy needing assistance and being unable to turn a blind eye and ending up with a new friend because of it.]
Took awhile for some of them to warm up to everyone, but yeah. We're a pretty good team at this point.
[Scolipede makes another one of those sounds, a pleased rumbling as he bumps Jacinthe's hand to remind her to keep petting.]
It's not often I talk about this sort of thing. Bit of a shame you've taken a peek behind the curtain and seen my softer sides. My reputation may never recover.
[He's smirking as he says it, though; it's not as though she was entirely unaware of his true nature before these stories, after all.]
[--Oh dear, and here she forgot to keep spoiling her little man! Jacinthe will absolutely redouble her petting efforts, chuckling a bit as she listens to him talk like that. She knows he has to keep his reputation in line or none will fall in line; it's how she's always operated too, though she can imagine her current reputation is in shambles in entirety. And it's...
It's strange, how freeing it is the more she thinks about it. A little bit like she's freefalling, too, but being here in this office right now feels...safe. She feels safe right now. It's a far cry from when she first came in here weeks ago, naive to the events of the world around her and the suffering of others.]
Oh dear, it certainly wouldn't if this got out! But lucky for you, I'm quite good at keeping secrets when asked; I'll Fairy Lock this one away for safe keeping. You may count on it.
[Corbeau's kind nature can remain her little secret to keep; she even mimes the gesture of zipping her lips, locking them up, and throwing away the key for good measure. And for a little bit, she'll be silent, even; just petting Scolipede and enjoying the first real ease she's felt in a very long time, without the assistance of her booze and her records. But she looks relaxed, briefly, and it's...
It's nice. Corbeau's bleeding heart feels like a home she's always wished she had, in a way.]
...Merci beaucoup, my dear friend. Keep this up and I might feel like I'm in a real home, you know.
[It earns another soft heh from him, but he's content to let the silence settle between them, eyes on Scolipede who is greatly enjoying the attention. Spoiled brat. But he does deserve it, since he usually has to look intimidating when he's out and only ever gets to pester Philippe for pets otherwise.
Eventually Jacinthe speaks up again and Corbeau looks back at her, expression unreadable for a moment as he tries to work out how to respond to that.]
The Rust Syndicate is a home to many of our members, you know. We've taken in a lot of people who don't have anywhere else to go, for whatever reason. I wouldn't go so far as to call us all family, as for some this is just a job, but for others... Well, it's the closest thing they've got.
[It's the closest thing he's got too. They aren't anywhere near a normal family. But does it really matter? It's not like he's ever going to have a normal family anyway, so this is good enough.]
[Jacinthe's eyes almost dare close for a moment, nuzzling into Scolipede without thinking for a brief moment if allowed--it's when he speaks again that her eyes open, her own expression unsurprised but...
It makes sense, doesn't it? That this place would be a home to so many. Even during the worst of days, the Rust Syndicate has given their all for their leader. To call them mere servants, as she has...is it really fair to them, when they're here out of choice? When they're here out of what Jacinthe can only assume is love, out of the same hand that Corbeau reached toward her when her parent's cruelty was on full display? It makes something sting, Jacinthe realizes. She's always been able to force her way, to march forward like the hurricane she is (was?) and make others follow her. Corbeau has earned the loyalty of so many in this city, who serve him unflinchingly, loyally.
...Jacinthe can't even begin to imitate such gestures, but it makes a pit settle in her stomach as she wonders just how much she's actually done for the SBC. They all act nice and go along with her when it suits them, but she's always been distant in a way.
How strange. How envious she is, all be told, of the loyalty he's earned. She could never be that person, and yet he still...]
...You're making that offer all the more tempting, Corbeau. [Jacinthe's gaze averts.] It gladdens me to hear that, though. That they have a warm, kind home like this to come to, after taking care of our dear city for so long.
[Scolipede doesn't mind at all, he moves so she can settle in against him easily, nuzzling up to her once she's settled. Cozy.
Her response is... not quite what he was expecting, but probably something he should have expected. She wants to get away from her parents - and for damn good reason. Why wouldn't she want to escape to somewhere she can feel marginally more safe?]
Then think about it. It's not an offer I'm taking back.
[But it isn't a decision she needs to rush into either.]
The Rust Syndicate looks out for everyone it can. Lumiose as a whole, of course, but we prioritize our own. If there's trouble for one of us, there's trouble for all of us.
[A roundabout way of saying that she'd be someone they'd look after too, if she'd let them. Granted, even the entire might of the Rust Syndicate may not be enough to combat old money if her parents truly wanted to drag her back kicking and screaming, but damn if they wouldn't put up a fight.]
I'm glad we can offer so many a place to call home. Finding a new meaning for that word can be difficult, and it takes some of them a long time to truly settle in, but it's worth it when they do.
[Then think about it. It's not an offer I'm taking back.
Jacinthe's gaze has to avert at that, feeling so struck in a strange way that's...it's nice. It's really nice, and she doesn't know what to do with it if she's being entirely honest with herself. If it really is true that they're looking to replace her, then she won't have a home to go back to soon, most likely. Either that or her parents will try to take her back with them, and...
Something icy tears through her briefly at the thought. No, no, she doesn't want that. She doesn't want that at all, she can't let it come to that. She just can't. She'll never be able to see any of her friends again if they do that, she's sure.
But hearing Corbeau say all of that, it really does help. She's...not alone. She's really and truly not alone, anymore.]
...I'll continue to think about it; if something happens with the SBC and they... [She considers telling him. Philippe will probably say something if she doesn't, but this is meant to be reprieve, not further stress.] Thank you. I truly do appreciate having the option, my dear friend.
It is good that they have a home with you, though. Their devotion has always been clear to you, but now...I see much better, why they are. You've truly given them something irreplaceable, and they in turn give you their loyalty.
[Corbeau inclines his head a bit when she pauses, but Jacinthe doesn't continue that train of thought. Well, if it's important, she'll likely tell him later.]
I'm sure you will.
[Maybe not with the SBC, at least not the way it is now. It's a little hard to separate Jacinthe from her parents within it, after all. But separated from all of that... Yeah, of course he can see it happening. She may be a little much to deal with, but it's not like he's the easiest boss to work for either.]
Though I hope you won't stress them out nearly as much as you've worried me these past few days.
[He's going for joking, but doesn't quite land it. It is true; every moment spent awake was spent worrying about what the actual hell Jacinthe was doing. She's damn lucky nothing happened to her.]
[The idea is a nice one, that maybe she could. She's not perfect and she knows it, as much as she's tried to delude herself into thinking she is; she still doesn't like being face to face with what feels like a broken mirror, but that's a problem she can acknowledge later. Or never. Never would be very good.
Of course, the joke Corbeau lets out...it gets Jacinthe to pause a bit, because--maybe she's overthinking it again. He's just saying that because he needs to do his job, isn't he? It's why he's playing it off this way. Isn't the problem that happened last time that she overthought this and pried into something that she shouldn't have?
...]
I...did not realize that I had worried you so much.
[It's soft when she says it, and she tries to shake her head and shake off the thoughts that swarm her--she doesn't succeed, but...]
I truly do mean it, that I do not want to give you--or them, further reason for worry. And that I intend to try and ensure that I do not act recklessly.
[Corbeau's quiet for a moment, staring at Jacinthe like she's grown a second head.]
Why wouldn't I be worried?
[This is not a helpful response and he knows it, but her words are truly baffling. Of course he was worried. How could he not be? She ran off on her own after the man who tried to poison her without any of her companions and no way to reach her. Of course he was worried!]
See to it that you don't. You're lucky things turned out as well as they did this time. Don't take any big risks like that again.
There's a brief tenseness in Jacinthe like she's getting tetchy again, like she wants to start a fight again--but he's still recovering. He literally saved her life. He...]
I...don't know. [The words come out softer than intended, as if there's something in her head that she really doesn't know how to verbalize, honestly. She ends up looking away from Corbeau, the tetchy feeling fading into more of a confused look in her own right.] I think I'm just shocked that you decided to take me in like this, after all that has happened. That you haven't called this off at all. This...has to have gone beyond the limits of our contract, oui? Even with extra payment for...
[Jacinthe waves her hand like her next words are obvious; maybe they are, maybe they aren't, but her head swirls with what could genuinely be the reason she said that. Maybe it's that she just doesn't know what to feel. Maybe she doesn't really know what to do with someone who's staying by choice, rather than the money she keeps throwing at him. Maybe it's the fact that it's giving her a feeling, and--
Jacinthe starts to stand, pointedly avoiding Corbeau's gaze. She at least smiles, but it's a little more distant.]
...I may simply be getting into my own head again, my friend. Please, excuse me; regardless of the state of my head, I do appreciate everything you're doing, and have no intention of making your job any harder than it already has been.
[...]
...I'd like to drink with you sometime again, actually, if you're amendable to it. Once you've recovered, of course.
[She genuinely doesn't seem to get it, which keeps his temper from flaring. This isn't Jacinthe playing dumb and wasting his time, this is Jacinthe struggling with figuring out exactly where they stand. Which is fair enough, he supposes, given Corbeau's never really voiced his thoughts on the subject. Sure, it started as a job, but how the hell could it remain only that after he's learned so much about her? After seeing who she truly is and knowing that she's someone just as lost, desperate, and alone as some of the people he's plucked from the streets of Lumiose and given a new life here in the Rust Syndicate?
(As he himself was, once.)
Corbeau pushes his glasses up, gaze flicking to some point on the floor as he continues.]
You expect me to turn a blind eye from someone who needs help? C'mon, Jacinthe. You know me better than that.
[He'd be doing the exact same thing even if she wasn't paying him, at this point. This bleeding heart of his may be a detriment in his position, but it's something he wouldn't trade for the damn world. It took a lot of struggling to reach this point and accept it in himself, and he isn't going to let the world rob him of it.]
I'm giving you this offer because I want to help - not because of any amount of money you've given me.
After our last discussion, I don't want to make some sort of assumption because I really don't--
[She's stopped short by the next thing Corbeau says, and the growing, slightly tetchy and confused heat in her tone dies off at that. He...wants to help her; she knows it should be obvious, and she's eternally grateful. But that discussion and her part in it is still on her mind, and maybe it's preventing her from really understanding because...
What does he see her as? What does he see in the mirror in front of him, old and withered and shattered by her own delusions and expectations?
Themida always told her to never apologize unless she meant it. And no matter how sorry Jacinthe felt, it was never enough for her. Maybe there's a part of her that actually wants to say it, that she's sorry (for what? that she doesn't get it, that his care is so foreign to her that she has to question where it comes from?) and she actually means it this time, but what if he just doesn't believe her?]
...Thank you. [...] I hope that my gratefulness is at least obvious, even if I seem to have a hard time with the rest. I do fear it may simply be a problem with me; not even my parents offer this level of care, and they claim to love me, though only with conditions.
[...Oh. That might be--]
I...suppose that is merely something that confuses me as a whole, maybe?
[She's getting riled again, and though she does calm down, it's obvious this whole thing is hitting her strangely. Even Scolipede has noticed, watching her with the same cold, calculating stare he uses on the battlefield. Determining how much of a threat she is, and whether he needs to start taking things seriously. He's remarkably still now, just watching, waiting for the signal to strike, much like a coiled Ekans. It isn't necessary of course - but that's how Scolipede has always been. Once bitten, twice shy, they say - or in his case, multiple times bitten, eternally shy.]
It is, don't worry about that. [Corbeau holds up a hand, palm down, and Scolipede releases a soft rumble before settling again.] It isn't the easiest or most straightforward thing to accept, particularly when it's so unfamiliar.
Kindness doesn't always come easy. It doesn't usually come with no strings attached. I understand your hesitation and confusion about it, because that's exactly how I reacted when it was offered to me at first.
But I'll continue offering it, because that's what I've decided to do. I'm not a man to go back on his word or change his mind.
[How strange it is. How...nice it is, actually, to know that this much is unconditional; the idea that he keeps throwing rocks at the metaphorical window that is her soul, and that he'll keep doing so. Because that's his word.
Jacinthe smiles softly, and she feels a little bad for withdrawing so badly from this. But it's...]
Maybe I've been so used to it being fake that I really don't know what to do if someone is treating me with genuine kindness. It's almost funny. But you're right; it's that strings attached kindness that I have always been so used to. It's why I always found it so much easier to yank the strings into my own hands, because I couldn't let anyone else take mine.
[It really isn't. But she'll finally look back to Corbeau at that--looking to Scolipede for a second too, giving him a small smile before looking back to Corbeau, her expression warm.]
...Thank you, for being so stubborn, and...reaching your hand out again and again. It is something I hold dear to me, if I may be honest with you. And...well.
I know not if the feeling is mutual, but I am glad to call you my friend--and not simply to be polite, either.
Yeah. A lot of your behavior makes sense knowing what I do now. Better to use those around you before you can be used - something like that, right?
[He's not coming at it from the same angle she is, obviously, but he gets it. It took him a long time to learn to trust people. It took him a long time to accept that he could extend that kindness to humans and not be hurt or taken advantage of in response. Lysandre was the first person who reached out his hand and asked for nothing in return, and it gave Corbeau the courage to do the same. He understands how Lysandre's kindness became so warped, how he ended up on this path of destruction, and he hates that he's glad he didn't have to walk it with the man.]
I'll keep offering it. You can count on that.
[Calling him a friend, though... She tossed the term around so casually before, but she really means it now. It's not something Corbeau's really given much thought to - and why would he? They are what they are, it doesn't need a label. But...]
Yes, exactly that! Better to force them on my path than end up with broken strings.
[...Oh. She didn't expect him to just actually say it but--
...
Jacinthe actually looks a little struck for a moment before her eyes sparkle just the tiniest bit, and she laughs and it's--a little startled, but absolutely warm and delighted and she looks surprisingly jazzed about that?]
I'm--delighted to hear that, Corbeau! [Friends!!! Genuinely, even!!!] I'm happy to know that with certainty! People are so very confusing to me even on a good day that it can be hard to tell!
Thank you. ...I should probably let you get back to your work now, shouldn't I?
[She looks so damn happy about it that he can't help but feel a little bad. If he'd realized it'd mean this much to her, he could've just told her sooner...]
I do have some things to square away before I retire for the night, but you're free to visit whenever you'd like.
[Scolipede gives Jacinthe a last (gentle) headbutt of thanks as well.]
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clefablite) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sranks2025-10-22 06:33 pm
no subject
I can imagine so! But you both have become something so very incredible in the process; like something out of a fairytale, almost! But made real, and made to protect those who cannot do so themselves.
[Jacinthe sighs a little dreamily...]
What of the rest of your team, if I may ask? I take it you share quite a precious bond with them, as well?
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Anyway, that gets a scoff from him; Corbeau's not the sort to truly enjoy fairytales and he definitely doesn't strike the image of someone from one!! He's a mob boss!!! His reputation is in shambles...]
You're right, though. For quite some time, it was just the two of us. We ended up bringing Garbodor onto the team when we found him as a Trubbish struggling to find food. Roserade - a Budew at the time - had gone exploring and gotten lost and was eager to join the first friendly trainer he came across. Barbaracle, as a Binacle, was the only one I went out of my way to catch, and that was entirely because I wanted something to help balance out my team's weakness to Ground-types.
[Look how well that worked given Barbaracle's also a Rock-type...]
Arbok and Gyarados were obtained even later, with the latter further helping against my team's weaker matchups and the former being a gift from Philippe. Apparently he considered importing a foreign Poison-type Pokémon, but ended up distracted by taking down a smuggling ring operating under our noses. Ekans was an apology for that "failure" to notice the group.
[...Though that doesn't really explain Gyarados's origins very well. No point going into the Lysandre Buneary hole today. Or ever, actually.]
no subject
It feels organic, in a way that sees Jacinthe entertained and enraptured like she's listening to a fable. Like when she was younger and her parents would read her stories, and yet...never gave her the opportunity to make her own. Everything was decided for her, with perfect Pokemon that she's bonded with, sure, but...
If you notice any brief dampening of Jacinthe's expression, it's your imagination.]
...Your partners truly are the greatest friends with you, aren't they? Even Barbaracle and Gyarados, those added to help enhance your team's strengths--I can feel their love for you when we battle together. I think that's a beautiful thing, all be told.
Thank you. For sharing that much with me. [...] It's genuinely quite nice to hear other's stories like that, I confess. I feel like it helps one learn more about the person training them, perhaps...or at least it does now!
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Took awhile for some of them to warm up to everyone, but yeah. We're a pretty good team at this point.
[Scolipede makes another one of those sounds, a pleased rumbling as he bumps Jacinthe's hand to remind her to keep petting.]
It's not often I talk about this sort of thing. Bit of a shame you've taken a peek behind the curtain and seen my softer sides. My reputation may never recover.
[He's smirking as he says it, though; it's not as though she was entirely unaware of his true nature before these stories, after all.]
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It's strange, how freeing it is the more she thinks about it. A little bit like she's freefalling, too, but being here in this office right now feels...safe. She feels safe right now. It's a far cry from when she first came in here weeks ago, naive to the events of the world around her and the suffering of others.]
Oh dear, it certainly wouldn't if this got out! But lucky for you, I'm quite good at keeping secrets when asked; I'll Fairy Lock this one away for safe keeping. You may count on it.
[Corbeau's kind nature can remain her little secret to keep; she even mimes the gesture of zipping her lips, locking them up, and throwing away the key for good measure. And for a little bit, she'll be silent, even; just petting Scolipede and enjoying the first real ease she's felt in a very long time, without the assistance of her booze and her records. But she looks relaxed, briefly, and it's...
It's nice. Corbeau's bleeding heart feels like a home she's always wished she had, in a way.]
...Merci beaucoup, my dear friend. Keep this up and I might feel like I'm in a real home, you know.
no subject
Eventually Jacinthe speaks up again and Corbeau looks back at her, expression unreadable for a moment as he tries to work out how to respond to that.]
The Rust Syndicate is a home to many of our members, you know. We've taken in a lot of people who don't have anywhere else to go, for whatever reason. I wouldn't go so far as to call us all family, as for some this is just a job, but for others... Well, it's the closest thing they've got.
[It's the closest thing he's got too. They aren't anywhere near a normal family. But does it really matter? It's not like he's ever going to have a normal family anyway, so this is good enough.]
no subject
It makes sense, doesn't it? That this place would be a home to so many. Even during the worst of days, the Rust Syndicate has given their all for their leader. To call them mere servants, as she has...is it really fair to them, when they're here out of choice? When they're here out of what Jacinthe can only assume is love, out of the same hand that Corbeau reached toward her when her parent's cruelty was on full display? It makes something sting, Jacinthe realizes. She's always been able to force her way, to march forward like the hurricane she is (was?) and make others follow her. Corbeau has earned the loyalty of so many in this city, who serve him unflinchingly, loyally.
...Jacinthe can't even begin to imitate such gestures, but it makes a pit settle in her stomach as she wonders just how much she's actually done for the SBC. They all act nice and go along with her when it suits them, but she's always been distant in a way.
How strange. How envious she is, all be told, of the loyalty he's earned. She could never be that person, and yet he still...]
...You're making that offer all the more tempting, Corbeau. [Jacinthe's gaze averts.] It gladdens me to hear that, though. That they have a warm, kind home like this to come to, after taking care of our dear city for so long.
no subject
Her response is... not quite what he was expecting, but probably something he should have expected. She wants to get away from her parents - and for damn good reason. Why wouldn't she want to escape to somewhere she can feel marginally more safe?]
Then think about it. It's not an offer I'm taking back.
[But it isn't a decision she needs to rush into either.]
The Rust Syndicate looks out for everyone it can. Lumiose as a whole, of course, but we prioritize our own. If there's trouble for one of us, there's trouble for all of us.
[A roundabout way of saying that she'd be someone they'd look after too, if she'd let them. Granted, even the entire might of the Rust Syndicate may not be enough to combat old money if her parents truly wanted to drag her back kicking and screaming, but damn if they wouldn't put up a fight.]
I'm glad we can offer so many a place to call home. Finding a new meaning for that word can be difficult, and it takes some of them a long time to truly settle in, but it's worth it when they do.
[...He'd know.]
no subject
Jacinthe's gaze has to avert at that, feeling so struck in a strange way that's...it's nice. It's really nice, and she doesn't know what to do with it if she's being entirely honest with herself. If it really is true that they're looking to replace her, then she won't have a home to go back to soon, most likely. Either that or her parents will try to take her back with them, and...
Something icy tears through her briefly at the thought. No, no, she doesn't want that. She doesn't want that at all, she can't let it come to that. She just can't. She'll never be able to see any of her friends again if they do that, she's sure.
But hearing Corbeau say all of that, it really does help. She's...not alone. She's really and truly not alone, anymore.]
...I'll continue to think about it; if something happens with the SBC and they... [She considers telling him. Philippe will probably say something if she doesn't, but this is meant to be reprieve, not further stress.] Thank you. I truly do appreciate having the option, my dear friend.
It is good that they have a home with you, though. Their devotion has always been clear to you, but now...I see much better, why they are. You've truly given them something irreplaceable, and they in turn give you their loyalty.
I...hope I can do that, someday for someone.
no subject
I'm sure you will.
[Maybe not with the SBC, at least not the way it is now. It's a little hard to separate Jacinthe from her parents within it, after all. But separated from all of that... Yeah, of course he can see it happening. She may be a little much to deal with, but it's not like he's the easiest boss to work for either.]
Though I hope you won't stress them out nearly as much as you've worried me these past few days.
[He's going for joking, but doesn't quite land it. It is true; every moment spent awake was spent worrying about what the actual hell Jacinthe was doing. She's damn lucky nothing happened to her.]
no subject
Of course, the joke Corbeau lets out...it gets Jacinthe to pause a bit, because--maybe she's overthinking it again. He's just saying that because he needs to do his job, isn't he? It's why he's playing it off this way. Isn't the problem that happened last time that she overthought this and pried into something that she shouldn't have?
...]
I...did not realize that I had worried you so much.
[It's soft when she says it, and she tries to shake her head and shake off the thoughts that swarm her--she doesn't succeed, but...]
I truly do mean it, that I do not want to give you--or them, further reason for worry. And that I intend to try and ensure that I do not act recklessly.
no subject
Why wouldn't I be worried?
[This is not a helpful response and he knows it, but her words are truly baffling. Of course he was worried. How could he not be? She ran off on her own after the man who tried to poison her without any of her companions and no way to reach her. Of course he was worried!]
See to it that you don't. You're lucky things turned out as well as they did this time. Don't take any big risks like that again.
no subject
There's a brief tenseness in Jacinthe like she's getting tetchy again, like she wants to start a fight again--but he's still recovering. He literally saved her life. He...]
I...don't know. [The words come out softer than intended, as if there's something in her head that she really doesn't know how to verbalize, honestly. She ends up looking away from Corbeau, the tetchy feeling fading into more of a confused look in her own right.] I think I'm just shocked that you decided to take me in like this, after all that has happened. That you haven't called this off at all. This...has to have gone beyond the limits of our contract, oui? Even with extra payment for...
[Jacinthe waves her hand like her next words are obvious; maybe they are, maybe they aren't, but her head swirls with what could genuinely be the reason she said that. Maybe it's that she just doesn't know what to feel. Maybe she doesn't really know what to do with someone who's staying by choice, rather than the money she keeps throwing at him. Maybe it's the fact that it's giving her a feeling, and--
Jacinthe starts to stand, pointedly avoiding Corbeau's gaze. She at least smiles, but it's a little more distant.]
...I may simply be getting into my own head again, my friend. Please, excuse me; regardless of the state of my head, I do appreciate everything you're doing, and have no intention of making your job any harder than it already has been.
[...]
...I'd like to drink with you sometime again, actually, if you're amendable to it. Once you've recovered, of course.
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[She genuinely doesn't seem to get it, which keeps his temper from flaring. This isn't Jacinthe playing dumb and wasting his time, this is Jacinthe struggling with figuring out exactly where they stand. Which is fair enough, he supposes, given Corbeau's never really voiced his thoughts on the subject. Sure, it started as a job, but how the hell could it remain only that after he's learned so much about her? After seeing who she truly is and knowing that she's someone just as lost, desperate, and alone as some of the people he's plucked from the streets of Lumiose and given a new life here in the Rust Syndicate?
(As he himself was, once.)
Corbeau pushes his glasses up, gaze flicking to some point on the floor as he continues.]
You expect me to turn a blind eye from someone who needs help? C'mon, Jacinthe. You know me better than that.
[He'd be doing the exact same thing even if she wasn't paying him, at this point. This bleeding heart of his may be a detriment in his position, but it's something he wouldn't trade for the damn world. It took a lot of struggling to reach this point and accept it in himself, and he isn't going to let the world rob him of it.]
I'm giving you this offer because I want to help - not because of any amount of money you've given me.
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[She's stopped short by the next thing Corbeau says, and the growing, slightly tetchy and confused heat in her tone dies off at that. He...wants to help her; she knows it should be obvious, and she's eternally grateful. But that discussion and her part in it is still on her mind, and maybe it's preventing her from really understanding because...
What does he see her as? What does he see in the mirror in front of him, old and withered and shattered by her own delusions and expectations?
Themida always told her to never apologize unless she meant it. And no matter how sorry Jacinthe felt, it was never enough for her. Maybe there's a part of her that actually wants to say it, that she's sorry (for what? that she doesn't get it, that his care is so foreign to her that she has to question where it comes from?) and she actually means it this time, but what if he just doesn't believe her?]
...Thank you. [...] I hope that my gratefulness is at least obvious, even if I seem to have a hard time with the rest. I do fear it may simply be a problem with me; not even my parents offer this level of care, and they claim to love me, though only with conditions.
[...Oh. That might be--]
I...suppose that is merely something that confuses me as a whole, maybe?
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It is, don't worry about that. [Corbeau holds up a hand, palm down, and Scolipede releases a soft rumble before settling again.] It isn't the easiest or most straightforward thing to accept, particularly when it's so unfamiliar.
Kindness doesn't always come easy. It doesn't usually come with no strings attached. I understand your hesitation and confusion about it, because that's exactly how I reacted when it was offered to me at first.
But I'll continue offering it, because that's what I've decided to do. I'm not a man to go back on his word or change his mind.
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Jacinthe smiles softly, and she feels a little bad for withdrawing so badly from this. But it's...]
Maybe I've been so used to it being fake that I really don't know what to do if someone is treating me with genuine kindness. It's almost funny. But you're right; it's that strings attached kindness that I have always been so used to. It's why I always found it so much easier to yank the strings into my own hands, because I couldn't let anyone else take mine.
[It really isn't. But she'll finally look back to Corbeau at that--looking to Scolipede for a second too, giving him a small smile before looking back to Corbeau, her expression warm.]
...Thank you, for being so stubborn, and...reaching your hand out again and again. It is something I hold dear to me, if I may be honest with you. And...well.
I know not if the feeling is mutual, but I am glad to call you my friend--and not simply to be polite, either.
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[He's not coming at it from the same angle she is, obviously, but he gets it. It took him a long time to learn to trust people. It took him a long time to accept that he could extend that kindness to humans and not be hurt or taken advantage of in response. Lysandre was the first person who reached out his hand and asked for nothing in return, and it gave Corbeau the courage to do the same. He understands how Lysandre's kindness became so warped, how he ended up on this path of destruction, and he hates that he's glad he didn't have to walk it with the man.]
I'll keep offering it. You can count on that.
[Calling him a friend, though... She tossed the term around so casually before, but she really means it now. It's not something Corbeau's really given much thought to - and why would he? They are what they are, it doesn't need a label. But...]
...The feeling is mutual, you know.
[It doesn't hurt any to say it.]
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[...Oh. She didn't expect him to just actually say it but--
...
Jacinthe actually looks a little struck for a moment before her eyes sparkle just the tiniest bit, and she laughs and it's--a little startled, but absolutely warm and delighted and she looks surprisingly jazzed about that?]
I'm--delighted to hear that, Corbeau! [Friends!!! Genuinely, even!!!] I'm happy to know that with certainty! People are so very confusing to me even on a good day that it can be hard to tell!
Thank you. ...I should probably let you get back to your work now, shouldn't I?
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I do have some things to square away before I retire for the night, but you're free to visit whenever you'd like.
[Scolipede gives Jacinthe a last (gentle) headbutt of thanks as well.]
Goodnight, Jacinthe. I'll see you later.
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But oh, let her give Scolipede a little affection first before she bounds off the happiest she's been in a fair while--]
Believe me, I shall--what are friends for, you know? Goodnight Corbeau, goodnight Scolipede! I shall see you both again soon!
[And Jacinthe will retire to her quarters the most jazzed she's ever been in a while!!!]