decideformyself | IC inbox for neornithes

[ John turned toward her voice, grinning. ]

I think what you meant to say is two absolute geniuses, but I'll let it slide this time.

[ He took several of the towels from her, but lowered his voice to speak again before going back to cleaning with Philip. ]

Thank you for your patience, Weiss. You've been brilliant. Philip really needed some fun today.

[ Philip gives John a quizzical look at that whispering, but focuses on cleaning up. Since Weiss is making such a big deal about it, he might as well. ]

You don't have to whisper back at me, I was only being quiet because I was saying something incriminating about you two dunces.

[ Yeah, she's sticking with that. At least she's helping them clean up. Weiss gets up on a table to get across the mess to start cleaning up from the other side of it. She really has no problem with climbing up on tables so long as no one's going to bust her for it. ]

Did you two at least learn something from this?

And I was whispering because I was saying something incrimination about you being nice.

[ He smiled, obviously teasing. ]

I learned not to do experiments in the library. Also that volcanoes are cool.

I learned how to make a volcano.

Hey, I can be nice.

[ Just not usually at the same time as she's being crabby. Still Weiss is going to roll her eyes at them both being like lol volcano instead of learning. She'll just be here cleaning up. ]

Well, at least you got the no-library part.

[ He only smiled wider at her retaliation. ]

Well I got it, I don't know if this one did.

[ He bent over to wipe a spot on the floor while pointing to Philip. ]

Yes, yes, I understand. [ He waves dismissively and keeps mopping up volcano gunk. ]

What gave you two the idea to build a model volcano in here anyway?

I thought it would be a good time and he suggested we do it here, so...

I really didn't think it would blow up like that.

It was the first location that came to mind. [ He also didn't know it would be this messy. Learning experiences! ]

If you promise to do it outside, I'll suggest getting some mentos, tape, and a two liter bottle of diet soda. Put two mentos on the tape, then tape it to the edge of the soda bottle and screw the cap closed. Shake it up, then toss it up into the air over some cement. I'm not doing it with you, but I think you might want to try that. Don't do it inside though or you'll honestly regret it.

[ From Weiss's list of things she's wanted to try but grew up with too strict of a family to ever actually make a huge, unprofessional mess unbefitting an heiress. ]

Weiss! You're the last person I'd think would come up with something like that.

[ That was, like, the best idea ever. ]

You sure you don't want in on it? The more the merrier and all that. We'd love to have you on our little science team.

[ HUGE. GRIN. ]

We have to do that next! If Weiss Schnee does not want to participate, that's her loss.

I'll.. watch from a distance. It's likely to be much more messy than this was, though I've never done it myself.

[ She doesn't want Coke stained clothing, alright. ]

Fine, fine. You're dismissed this time, but next time I definitely want you in full attendance!

Perhaps in her honor we should put together an experiment involving acid?

[ Weiss can definitely tell she's not welcome. She might be harsh, but she doesn't miss things like that. She was trying to ignore it until now, but her tone turned a little sour after Philip spoke that time. ]

I don't want to nor have time to play around with you two.

[ She's going to pick up the towels that she had been cleaning with and put them on the table next to their volcano. She didn't really feel like sticking around honestly. It wasn't like she felt good about what she did, but she's not going to stick around and have to deal with passive aggressiveness. ]

I think you two have it from here.

John grimaced immediately, shortly after shooting Philip an extremely cross look. He understood why Philip was upset, really he did, but that wasn't an excuse to treat Weiss poorly. He could tell she wanted to be friends by the way she had left her guard down just a bit, but then...

Sometimes it was hard to remember Philip really was just a teenager.

"Weiss," he stepped forward, carefully putting a hand on her arm, "I won't tell you not to leave, but in Philip's stead I am sorry. I meant everything I said about wanting you around."

He paused momentarily.

"I'll make sure you get a real apology from him later." With that, he moved his hand away.

[ Philip folds his arms and raises an eyebrow. Yeah, no she won't.

Or so he thinks. ]

[ Weiss swatted John's hand off of her arm about the same time he was moving it away, backing away from him and narrowing her eyes. ]

I'm tired of being killed and I'm tired of losing. So that acid isn't the only thing I'm prepared to do and if that makes me a bad person, then I'm going to have to deal with it. You two might be willing to sacrifice yourselves constantly for every person you know, but the reality is? The only person I have here is someone who spent most of his life trying to destroy me and everyone I've ever cared about. So if I have to get my hands dirty so I don't get killed again, I'm going to. I'm tired of losing. I'm going to keep doing things like this to protect the people I like when I can because that's the only thing I can really do to keep myself from becoming as bad as my father.

[ It was something she honestly hadn't told anyone, but she wasn't going to just let them keep thinking she was some weak girl who needed apologies for her own actions, nor someone who was just going to take other people making her feel worse than she already did. Not if she was going to survive. ]

I need an apology from either of you about as much as I need snide remarks about what I've done.

[ Or what she's going to do. Weiss turns to leave now, content with what she's decided is the final word. ]

[ He let her go. There was nothing else to be said or done.

John hadn't expected her to spill her heart, but he understood a lot of what she'd said. He understood the desire to protect those important even if the cost was high. He'd always thought there was more than one road, always a choice, but he didn't know that he would do different than Weiss if those he cared deeply for were in danger and there was no alternative.

Finally, he turned to Philip. Between the events that had just transpired and the troubling thoughts he was having, his expression was not quite as friendly as it had been earlier. ]

What've you got to say for yourself, then?

[ He watches Weiss leave, frowning. On one level that defense makes sense... but at the same time, he knows what Shotaro would say about that. Hurting somebody to save yourself, or even to save somebody else, isn't acceptable.

He's just getting so many mixed messages here. ]

...say for myself?

Could you not tell she was actually trying to get along with us? I don't like what happened to the man you were fighting either, but it's not fair to judge her so harshly. All she really needs is some kindness to push her in the right direction. You know, as in the very same thing you needed not so long ago. Why would you treat her with hostility when you used to be the same?

[ His own words were extremely blunt at that point, but he wanted Philip to understand the ramifications of what he'd done. ]

[ It's not just Ankh-- he instinctively thinks, but then he realizes that he can't blame Weiss for his own freakout. That's entirely his own fault. So he just shakes his head, a troubled look on his face. ]

It's been made very clear to me that it's wrong to hurt others. So to have somebody else hurt someone on my behalf, when she wouldn't have even suffered if she had refrained...

Edited 2014-10-30 05:17 (UTC)

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