IC inbox for Snowblind

[thewarningafter]

@beyonce

You've reached Dr. Stephen Strange. Leave a message and my secretary will get back to you.

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[thewarningafter]

[The Cloak gives way...just around his hand, letting his arm sink into its folds as the rest of it stays parked right where it is, practically glued to the tablet.]

Oh, so the kind that's only potentially lethal. What are you planning?

[bywolves]

I'm not telling you, because you can't keep your mouth shut. [ He's also just shaking his hand holding the tablet, trying to get the Cloak off. Buddy. Please. ]

[thewarningafter]

...Because you think someone's going to stop you, or because it has to be a secret from someone in order to work? My money's on the former after the things I've seen people do here, but you never struck me as all that self sacrificing.

[bywolves]

Gee. Thanks. [ You're not getting any sort of information out of him, Stephen. ] How long is it going to take you to get to the museum?

[thewarningafter]

I don't know. I've never been this far this way before and the last time I went through the ruins it took me something like a week.

[There's a beat, and while the next part comes spilling out at the same frenetic pace as the rest, he does at least sound genuinely apologetic.]

I'm sorry I just told everyone you're a half elf on the open network, by the way.

[bywolves]

[ It is a really good thing Royce is so numbed out lately. His immediate reaction is a very distant, very muted sort of rage that only lasts for a few seconds, and then there's nothing. He knows he should be angry, though. This used to matter.

Royce is silent for a long moment. ]

I don't know what to say to you. [ He's going to try with a little more force to scrape the Cloak off of him. If he has to, he's going to drop the tablet. ]

[thewarningafter]

I really am sorry. It was a dick move even if I didn't mean to do it, it's just Karkat mentioned secrets and it was the first one that came to mind. And I wasn't going to tell you that because it's not really his fault.

[The Cloak finally seems to sense the shift in mood and lets Royce push it away. It takes up vigil in the air next to him instead, no longer touching.]

[bywolves]

No. It isn't his fault. [ Oof, protective instinct activate. You know, the one, solitary struggling paternal instinct that he's got. ] I hope you told him that.

[thewarningafter]

Of course I told him that. He just doesn't believe me because he's a teenager and he's got a bunch of pent up angst.

[bywolves]

[ Sigh. ]

Most everybody knows already. [ Royce mutters. ] House doesn't keep secrets. Don't use it as an insult and I won't hold a grudge.

[thewarningafter]

Well, yeah, it's been an open secret for a while now. It's still off the census, though; I don't get why it has to be such a big deal but if you want it a secret I'm not going to make it easier for people who don't dig for it, same as Karkat's --

[And off his feed clicks as Stephen finishes that sentence off-air.]

[bywolves]

[ He calls back. ]

It's a big deal because I don't want it spread across the network like something to needle me with. Just like you don't appreciate House making fun of your spelling mistakes.

[ That's snapped. A beat. ] I know about Karkat's blood. You're going to want to be careful with that one too, Strange.

[thewarningafter]

They're not mistakes. I know how to spell, Royce; I'm probably the single most educated person in this town right now. I just don't need Doctor Asshole acting like I somehow need a reminder that I'm going to live the rest of my life with hands that shake. And what do you think I'm doing? I've had my finger on the button to hang up ever since he reminded me that I've got secrets to spill. I can't un-think this stuff.

[bywolves]

And I don't need Doctor Asshole making light of the fact that half elves are considered less than rats in my world.

[ Proving his point, Stephen! ] Doesn't need a reason behind it, anyway. You don't want your secrets advertised, I don't want mine. Should be more than enough of a reason for it to be a big deal.

I'm aware you're keeping it to yourself. Might want to keep that ego to yourself as well.

[thewarningafter]

Oh, screw you. I've been keeping your secret since House told me about it, no questions asked. I literally refused to ask questions, and do you know how hard that is for me? I'm not going to pretend that I'm anything less than I know I am, not when I already have no idea what the hell I'm doing here, not when Billy's over there acting like I should have all the answers because his Stephen Strange would be better at this.

[Daaaamn iiit.]

Stop making me think about things.

[bywolves]

Nobody knows what they're doing here. [ Royce says after a moment. He has to digest all that. ] What a struggle, not asking questions about things that aren't anybody's business. You're so brave, Strange.

[ Picking at Stephen makes him feel a little better. Sorry, buddy. ]

[thewarningafter]

But we should, shouldn't we? Because we're all exceptional. Just a bunch of special little snowflakes handpicked for problem solving. Gabriel had to point that out to me, maybe because some people are such secretive bastards.

[bywolves]

Some people don't like having their personal business spread all over just because a nosy doctor wants information and whines about it when he can't get it.

[ He's trying to be sympathetic but it's really, really hard. ] Why does it matter? We'll either get out or we won't. Knowing someone's history doesn't change that.

[thewarningafter]

Which is why I didn't ask. There are a lot of things that came up when I started keeping the census that I don't ask about. I'm not doing this to satisfy my -- alright, I'm partly doing this to satisfy my own curiosity, but I'm getting a little tired of people telling me not to do things I'm already not doing.

[bywolves]

Didn't need to start keeping a census, either. You brought this on yourself. [ He mostly just sounds annoyed, not angry. ]

[thewarningafter]

So sue me for wanting something I could control. You don't ever try to do anything useful with your downtime?

[bywolves]

Surprise, not everybody enjoys the fact that you have that control.

And yes. I do. Which is why you might have to come collect your cloak by itself.

[thewarningafter]

Surprise, I'm going to keep doing it anyway. What kind of experiment are you doing that's going to get you to the museum? Or are we talking about a maybe that'll keep you from getting there?

[bywolves]

And you wonder why people get angry. [ Anyway. ] It might prevent me from getting there.

[thewarningafter]

Did I say I wondered? I know why people are angry, I juts care less about that than about the benefits of it. Am I going to be adding a fourth obituary date for you?