[Audio] - after Deior's post

[sociopathicwolf]

[Sealed to Chloe]
Stay with me until we figure out whatever this is?

[It's a question, but only just barely. And only because he remembered to add a slightly questioning tone at the end there.]

[Sealed to Liz]
Where are you? Near light?

[Sealed to Alex, Toph, Sollux, Shepard, Kevas]
You good?

Comments

[drinkuntilidie]

[Zandali + Translated Text]

Is that a trick question?

[sociopathicwolf]

[Audio]

[Nah, just a poorly phrased one. But Kevas is responding, which is a good enough answer for Derek.]

Probably should revise that to, "are you still alive, or have you been eaten by whatever's out there in the dark?"

[drinkuntilidie]

[Zandali + Translated Text]

Now that you mention it, I was wondering what that was chewing on my leg.

[Just because he's crippled doesn't mean he can't be a smart ass.]

[sociopathicwolf]

[Audio]

[Despite himself, Derek smiles a little. Kevas being a smart ass is actually kind of reassuring.]

A little chewing never hurt. Just make sure you throw something at it if it gets too annoying.

[drinkuntilidie]

[Zandali + Translated Text]

Been poking it with a stick for a while now.

[sociopathicwolf]

[Audio]

Should give it a thump on the head, too, for good measure.

[drinkuntilidie]

[Zandali + Translated Text]

Now that will teach it a lesson.

[sociopathicwolf]

[Audio]

It'll think twice before chewing on you again.

[drinkuntilidie]

As it should. I taste bad anyway.

[sociopathicwolf]

[And for some reason, it's that comment that suddenly makes Derek a little awkward. Or more than a little, and very aware of why Derek'd been avoiding Kevas before.]

Yeah.

[drinkuntilidie]

[Kevas can guess where this sudden awkwardness is coming from.]

Relax little mon, I don't blame you for what happened. You weren't yourself.

[sociopathicwolf]

[That...isn't at all what he's expecting. Most people blame Derek, for anything they can. He's pretty sure Kevas wouldn't say that if he didn't mean it, but -

But now's probably not the time to start debating about whether or not he should be blamed for it.]

It still shouldn't have happened.

[He's pretty much blaming himself, anyway. Well, and a little bit Kloe.]

I - I'm sorry.

[drinkuntilidie]

No it shouldn't have, but that was never your fault in the first place.

[Kevas blames Kloe and only Kloe for all that happened. Derek was just a innocent bystander as far as he's concerned.]

Nothing you gotta apologize for little mon. Not in my eyes anyway.

[sociopathicwolf]

[There's a slight shuffling sound as Derek shifts his weight, awkward and uncomfortable. He's not actually sure he knows what do to with this. The only adult that'd ever just not blamed him for something was his dad.]

But I-

[He knew what could happen if he was infected, and he didn't do anything about it. He should have done something more. He cuts himself off, though, and there's a long pause before his next, soft words.]

Thanks.

[drinkuntilidie]

[Deal with it Derek, this is just how Papa Kevas rolls.]

You don't have to thank me. You're a decent little mon and I ain't gonna hold sometin' dat ain't be joor fault anyway. Especially when I was doomed to die to begin wid.

[sociopathicwolf]

[But what if he doesn't want to deal with it?]

You were?

[Derek's not sure if he agrees with any of that - definitely not the bit about it not being his fault, and maybe not the part about him being decent - but it's that last bit that's caught his attention.]