"He sent you back to--!" Okay, apparently she wasn't entirely lost to self-pity; for a moment she looked plain horrified.
"....
"Yes, I remember. I didn't know the specifics, just that you had been through some kind of nightmare you clearly didn't deserve."
She stood quietly for a few moments, expression thoughtful now as well as bitter. "I don't care what the Admiral's agenda is. I just want to go. I just don't understand how we're supposed to become better people when the lesson we learn again and again is that there is no fucking justice, and no reward for being decent.
"I tried decent. I tried it really really hard." She swallowed a lump in her throat. "You've been trying it too. But what's the point? Franklin and Iago are both far from decent. And they are graduated. And we're stuck here being tormented."
She covered her face with her hands. "I can't sleep on a bed anymore. I have a mat in my room. I'll try on that. Thank you. I..."
She still wanted to beat Crane. That was just a given. But could she really risk getting every other mage in the place in trouble?
"Maybe the lesson here is that if we can survive this place, we can survive anything. I don't know. It isn't fair. What's happened to you isn't fair, and what's happened to me isn't fair. The world isn't fair. My life off the Barge is far from fair." He felt so bad for what she had gone through, and he wished he could ask the Admiral why he would graduate someone immediately after the bloke kidnapped someone. Surely even the Admiral had to know that would have repercussions for the person who had been kidnapped.
"I know you tried. You're the Inmate no one believes is an Inmate. There are bad people on this Barge. Some of those bad people are Inmates, and some of those bad people are Wardens. There are good Inmates, and there are good Wardens. We're buggered right now, the two of us, but that doesn't mean we'll be buggered forever. Maybe it'll turn around someday." Maybe not. But he didn't know for sure, either way.
He rested a tentative, careful hand on her shoulder as she covered her face. "I'll put a protective spell up on your room. No one who means you harm will be able to get in." Snape had given him all his magic back, soooo... "I can go as freaky as you like with wards. I know some rather interesting ones. But a simple protective spell will keep anyone who means you harm from entering."
"I don't expect life to be fair. But this is beyond unfair and straight into a farce. I get this done to me, and I'm expected to just go on, keep my appointments and climb back into my box of being a good, well-behaved, nearly powerless little victim. I don't want to be that person anymore. She got me hurt. No one takes her seriously."
She listened, and her lips twisted. "Wardens universally have power over us regardless of their moral state or whether they should have the right. And yes, some of them are real fuckers. As is the Admiral--he's so arbitrary that he may well be insane. Justice and high ideals? Where the hell are they represented here in this "place of redemption"?
"I just want my powers back, but Tony won't let me. He's helping make sure I'm nothing but a victim here and I want to kill him for it." Or maybe herself. The idea was growing in her mind. There might be some well meaning people here, but she had simply had it with having Tony and everyone pat her on the head and tell her emptily that it was going to be all right. All that rage, turned inward because it had no outlet...."Only having my powers back will make things all right, because then I can kick almost anybody's ass."
She looked down.
"Thanks. I'll just take the simple one right now. I appreciate it."
"You should be able to defend yourself. My last Warden limited my powers, to an extent, but he had it so I could defend myself if necessary. That way I wasn't off picking fights, but if someone came at me, they'd regret it." He frowned. He didn't think she was far off when she saw the Admiral was insane. How could he graduate someone who had done this?
"I don't pretend to understand how this place works." If it even did work. "It isn't right that you can't defend yourself. You were born with powers. That's who you are. If your Warden feels they should be limited, I suppose that's his prerogative, but you should never be bloody defenseless." It was doing far more harm than good. "Let's go magic the shit out of your room."
She settled down some as he spoke, and nodded finally. "I am going to try to figure out a compromise. Something. I do like Tony, I just so don't agree with him on this decision."
She pushed away from the wall, nodding. "Yeah. And Sirius...thanks."
"He has to understand that you want to be able to defend yourself. He may not want you to have full use of your powers, but that's a special situation. No one wants to be bloody kidnapped, especially when you could have avoided it if you had your powers."
He smiled and gestured for her to lead the way. "Anytime, Wanda. There's no need to thank me."
Wanda looked at him. Then at the door. Reaches for the one scrap of humor she can find inside.
"Nope. Must be a ghost puppy."
*bark bark! whiiiiine! scratchscratchscratch*
[She sighs and shakes her head, a tiny smile on her face.]
Yeah, hangon, let me let him out.
[She unlocks the door and an enormous puppy with a teddybearish frame scrambles out and starts bouncing in circles around her, tail wagging so fast it can barely be seen.]
Sorry I thought I replied to this!sirius_is_a_dogOctober 13 2011, 01:58:09 UTC
"I should have known it was only a matter of time once the rust and ash started appearing. Ghost puppies are always next." His face was the picture of solemnity, until the puppy burst out of the room. When he saw the huge puppy bounding around Wanda, he grinned.
"This is Fozzie McBearbear, Fozzie for short." She scooped him up with a small umph and he wiggled and lapped at the air in Sirius's general direction. "I train with him for a couple of hours a day so he'll be a good guard some day. Unfortunately I also spoil him for twelve hours, so he'll probably grow up to be a hundred and eighty pound lovesponge."
"Awww. Well, if you ever need another dog to run about with him, let me know." He reached out and petted Fozzie's head, scratching behind his ears. He missed running about with other animals, like they used to do back in the old days. Moony would never risk it now. And there was no James, and if the rat showed up, he would eat him.
He gave Fozzie another good few scratches before getting out his wand and eying Wanda's door. "Why don't you go on in and get your rest. I promise no one will be able to get in who means you harm."
"....
"Yes, I remember. I didn't know the specifics, just that you had been through some kind of nightmare you clearly didn't deserve."
She stood quietly for a few moments, expression thoughtful now as well as bitter. "I don't care what the Admiral's agenda is. I just want to go. I just don't understand how we're supposed to become better people when the lesson we learn again and again is that there is no fucking justice, and no reward for being decent.
"I tried decent. I tried it really really hard." She swallowed a lump in her throat. "You've been trying it too. But what's the point? Franklin and Iago are both far from decent. And they are graduated. And we're stuck here being tormented."
She covered her face with her hands. "I can't sleep on a bed anymore. I have a mat in my room. I'll try on that. Thank you. I..."
She still wanted to beat Crane. That was just a given. But could she really risk getting every other mage in the place in trouble?
"...fine."
Reply
"I know you tried. You're the Inmate no one believes is an Inmate. There are bad people on this Barge. Some of those bad people are Inmates, and some of those bad people are Wardens. There are good Inmates, and there are good Wardens. We're buggered right now, the two of us, but that doesn't mean we'll be buggered forever. Maybe it'll turn around someday." Maybe not. But he didn't know for sure, either way.
He rested a tentative, careful hand on her shoulder as she covered her face. "I'll put a protective spell up on your room. No one who means you harm will be able to get in." Snape had given him all his magic back, soooo... "I can go as freaky as you like with wards. I know some rather interesting ones. But a simple protective spell will keep anyone who means you harm from entering."
Reply
She listened, and her lips twisted. "Wardens universally have power over us regardless of their moral state or whether they should have the right. And yes, some of them are real fuckers. As is the Admiral--he's so arbitrary that he may well be insane. Justice and high ideals? Where the hell are they represented here in this "place of redemption"?
"I just want my powers back, but Tony won't let me. He's helping make sure I'm nothing but a victim here and I want to kill him for it." Or maybe herself. The idea was growing in her mind. There might be some well meaning people here, but she had simply had it with having Tony and everyone pat her on the head and tell her emptily that it was going to be all right. All that rage, turned inward because it had no outlet...."Only having my powers back will make things all right, because then I can kick almost anybody's ass."
She looked down.
"Thanks. I'll just take the simple one right now. I appreciate it."
Reply
"I don't pretend to understand how this place works." If it even did work. "It isn't right that you can't defend yourself. You were born with powers. That's who you are. If your Warden feels they should be limited, I suppose that's his prerogative, but you should never be bloody defenseless." It was doing far more harm than good. "Let's go magic the shit out of your room."
Reply
She pushed away from the wall, nodding. "Yeah. And Sirius...thanks."
Reply
He smiled and gestured for her to lead the way. "Anytime, Wanda. There's no need to thank me."
Reply
Maybe I'll just try to sleep again, sort this crap out more in the morning. You're right about that.
[When they got near her door it rattled in its frame.]
*bark!*
Reply
He looked startled when the door rattled, but when he heard the bark he smiled. "Do you have a dog?"
Reply
"Nope. Must be a ghost puppy."
*bark bark! whiiiiine! scratchscratchscratch*
[She sighs and shakes her head, a tiny smile on her face.]
Yeah, hangon, let me let him out.
[She unlocks the door and an enormous puppy with a teddybearish frame scrambles out and starts bouncing in circles around her, tail wagging so fast it can barely be seen.]
Reply
Reply
Reply
He gave Fozzie another good few scratches before getting out his wand and eying Wanda's door. "Why don't you go on in and get your rest. I promise no one will be able to get in who means you harm."
Reply
"All right, Sirius. Thanks again..." she hugged Fozzie to her chest and walked inside.
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment