Chatlog: The continuing Saga of What To Do With Jonathan Crane
This is in-progress, set in a private sideroom of the Sanctuary.
* Nightcrawler bamfs in, having received Some's text message.
Some: "Hey."
Nightcrawler: "Hallo, Some!" Kurt comes over for a hello hug. "How is everyone?"
* Some gives him a hug, but it's a bit short. "Doing good. Jon's nearly there on an antidote thing, Kurt's eating, Savvy hasn't burnt down her house... Jon finally told me what you guys talked about."
* Nightcrawler smiles through the descriptions, then blinks. Talked abou- oh. "How has he been, actually?"
Some: "Terrified. But he wouldn't tell me anything about it until the others were home." >:|
Nightcrawler: "He was terrified then, as well."
Nightcrawler: "We talked for a while, and agreed that until the kidnapping had been sorted out, things were too stressful to make good decisions."
* Some nods. "He's still afraid. We've talked about it now, and I wanted to hear... What he's described to me is essentially a bark collar. It sounds barbaric and I wanted to hear another side of what had been discussed."
Nightcrawler: "What we discussed was that Jon has lost all of his friends, and misses them. He is unable to trust the people in the Nexus," he gestures toward the Sanctuary at large, "and after his many infractions with and threats of fear gas, they certainly have learned not to trust him."
Nightcrawler: "So we talked about finding ways to help with this."
* Some nods. "We've been working on that. He hasn't even threatened the Nexus since he came back, and he's working on his friendship with Mr. Grey, and you."
* Nightcrawler nods. "I am glad Gabriel is back. Jonathan is quite thoughtful and aware of the problems that he faces. Rassilon did give him...I do not know if he had a name for it. Something that they had done before, to allow him to understand emotions in others, better."
* Some nods. "Empathy. Not like the psychic version, just some of what most people have... I can definitely tell... Why isn't that enough?"
Nightcrawler: "If he could swear never to bring fear gas into the nexus, perhaps it would be."
Nightcrawler: "If he could swear that he would not kidnap people, for vengeance or for this Work he is doing, perhaps it would be."
* Some sighs. "I know. But he's not going to learn anything by being punished whenever he thinks about going back to it."
Nightcrawler: "If you have other propositions, I am more than willing to hear them. What I fear, for and from Jon, is that he has a very skewed and unhealthy understanding of what power is. Of what fair retrobution is. Sometimes he is able to think clearly about things, but sometimes he is not, and when he does not, it puts other people in a great deal of danger."
Nightcrawler: "It is a vicious cycle, the fear gas. At some point, Jon becomes threatened and pulls out a cannister to defend himself. Perhaps then he gets carried away with the fun of making these people afraid of him. Perhaps he gases them anyway, just to show them, to teach a lesson. They experience mental and emotional torture. Then, they plot to take their vengeance, because now /they/ are threatened."
Nightcrawler: "Or, worse, perhaps it is a friend of his, who says something triggering, or who makes a mistake. Jon is angry or hurt or betrayed, and feels that he make things even before life can be fair again."
Nightcrawler: "He must find other ways, Some. However it is that we can make it work, I am willing, but the fear gas has to stop."
* Nightcrawler bamfs in, having received Some's text message.
Some: "Hey."
Nightcrawler: "Hallo, Some!" Kurt comes over for a hello hug. "How is everyone?"
* Some gives him a hug, but it's a bit short. "Doing good. Jon's nearly there on an antidote thing, Kurt's eating, Savvy hasn't burnt down her house... Jon finally told me what you guys talked about."
* Nightcrawler smiles through the descriptions, then blinks. Talked abou- oh. "How has he been, actually?"
Some: "Terrified. But he wouldn't tell me anything about it until the others were home." >:|
Nightcrawler: "He was terrified then, as well."
Nightcrawler: "We talked for a while, and agreed that until the kidnapping had been sorted out, things were too stressful to make good decisions."
* Some nods. "He's still afraid. We've talked about it now, and I wanted to hear... What he's described to me is essentially a bark collar. It sounds barbaric and I wanted to hear another side of what had been discussed."
Nightcrawler: "What we discussed was that Jon has lost all of his friends, and misses them. He is unable to trust the people in the Nexus," he gestures toward the Sanctuary at large, "and after his many infractions with and threats of fear gas, they certainly have learned not to trust him."
Nightcrawler: "So we talked about finding ways to help with this."
* Some nods. "We've been working on that. He hasn't even threatened the Nexus since he came back, and he's working on his friendship with Mr. Grey, and you."
* Nightcrawler nods. "I am glad Gabriel is back. Jonathan is quite thoughtful and aware of the problems that he faces. Rassilon did give him...I do not know if he had a name for it. Something that they had done before, to allow him to understand emotions in others, better."
* Some nods. "Empathy. Not like the psychic version, just some of what most people have... I can definitely tell... Why isn't that enough?"
Nightcrawler: "If he could swear never to bring fear gas into the nexus, perhaps it would be."
Nightcrawler: "If he could swear that he would not kidnap people, for vengeance or for this Work he is doing, perhaps it would be."
* Some sighs. "I know. But he's not going to learn anything by being punished whenever he thinks about going back to it."
Nightcrawler: "If you have other propositions, I am more than willing to hear them. What I fear, for and from Jon, is that he has a very skewed and unhealthy understanding of what power is. Of what fair retrobution is. Sometimes he is able to think clearly about things, but sometimes he is not, and when he does not, it puts other people in a great deal of danger."
Nightcrawler: "It is a vicious cycle, the fear gas. At some point, Jon becomes threatened and pulls out a cannister to defend himself. Perhaps then he gets carried away with the fun of making these people afraid of him. Perhaps he gases them anyway, just to show them, to teach a lesson. They experience mental and emotional torture. Then, they plot to take their vengeance, because now /they/ are threatened."
Nightcrawler: "Or, worse, perhaps it is a friend of his, who says something triggering, or who makes a mistake. Jon is angry or hurt or betrayed, and feels that he make things even before life can be fair again."
Nightcrawler: "He must find other ways, Some. However it is that we can make it work, I am willing, but the fear gas has to stop."