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[credere]

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voice - after the pairing announcement

[garbagepilot]

[There are probably better ways to do this, but-]

I don't suppose you're yourself right now, are you?

[She would really rather have this conversation with the version of Credence she knows, but it's also not exactly like she can just not reach out.]

[credere]

Who else would I be?

[So, no, not really.]

[garbagepilot]

[Fantastic. She'll just ignore that question, then.]

Would you like to meet somewhere to talk?

[Ordinarily she'd just come by and hand his folder right over to him, but waiting on that seems like a good idea just about now.]

[credere]

Because you own me now?

[garbagepilot]

If I believed that I would have told you, not asked you. The simple thing would just be to say no.

[credere]

Alright, then.

No.

[garbagepilot]

Alright then. If you need me, you know where to find me.

[Because she doesn't have anything even remotely resembling the desire to deal with petulance on this scale. And just to make that clear, she hangs up first.]

Spam

[credere]

So that's left like that for a day or so. And then, the next day, there's a cautious tap on the door of Rey's cabin.

It's so quiet it could be missed.

Re: Spam

[garbagepilot]

Of course, she does care too much about Credence to just leave him to the wolves, so to speak. She keeps a careful eye on him with her item, with the Force, checking in on him to make sure he isn't hurt or in danger, under any kind of impossible to defeat distress. It's the same way she looked after Alfie, after Tommy, so she knows that he's as safe as he can be here.

But when the knock comes and she finds him on the other side of her door, it is a bit of a surprise.

"Credence," she says, clearly uncertain where to start here. "Would you like to come in?"

[credere]

Credence isn't looking at her. He's staring at the floor, face blanched with fear, his entire body trembling minutely.

He holds out his hand without a word, his belt looped around his palm for her to take.

[garbagepilot]

She hasn't read his folder yet, and she's never been I'm a place where disobedience meant a beating that she received. She's entirely aware of the penchant plenty of men have for punishment and she still remembers the stink of Unkar Plutt's breath when he promised to make an entire cantina watch him make her pay for stealing the Falcon from him, but this is something she has never seen.

There's a boy on her doorstep looking pale as a sheet holding his own belt out to her. She feels like she might be sick.

"Come inside," she decides for him, and she takes him by the wrist - doesn't touch the belt for a second - and pulls him into her room. Once the door is shut, once no one else can see, she pulls him into a tight, tight hug.

[credere]

Credence goes - stumbles, off-balance - where he's pulled, right into that hug. This side of him has none of the other's anger and mistrust; right now, he's starving for contact. For any kind of affection.

But for all that, he's never been hugged by any woman besides his sister (and then only once or twice). He has no idea what to do with his hands and they remain limply at his sides.

[garbagepilot]

She can make up for that easily enough, though. She keeps one arm tight around his shoulders and the other one goes up to curl protectively against the back of his neck.

"I will never hit you, Credence," she swears to him. "No matter what happens between us I will never, ever do that."

[credere]

He's shaking in her arms, and even though he's much taller than her he feels utterly insignificant, even fragile.

"I d-don't know why I was so rude to you," he whispers. The fact is that he doesn't even remember doing it, but that's no excuse.

[garbagepilot]

She hadn't intended to go on hugging him after the initial grab, but the way he's trembling makes it feel like an impossible thing to even consider letting him go.

"That was only a part of you, Credence, it wasn't who you really are." She murmurs to him, so soft and warm and comforting. "I'm not even sorry that you have that side to you, it's a good thing to be able to be firm like that. You didn't do anything wrong."

[credere]

"I had no right to talk to you like that," he whispers, but it's barely a breath. He doesn't even have the backbone to insist that he misbehaved, right now.

[garbagepilot]

"It's alright, Credence," she promises him, leaning back only enough so she can put her hand on his cheek and make him look at her. "I'm forgiving you for it because I know that's not who you are entirely, it was just a part of you, alright?"

[credere]

"Alright."

He'll agree to anything she says, because right now, she's wrong - that part of him is completely absent.

[garbagepilot]

It doesn't feel at all like progress, not really, so she just takes his hand and leads him farther in to her ship.

She sits him down, them goes to start making him tea. Thanks to Alfie tea has become sort of a thing of comfort for her, so it only makes sense to pass that along. When she comes back it's with two cups, the pot, and a little plate of cookies she had taken from the cafeteria this afternoon.

"I haven't read your file," she says as she sits down with him. "I don't plan to, either."

Once whatever is happening with the Barge is over she'll ask him if he wants it, but right now she doesn't really think she'll get an answer he honestly means.

[credere]

He nods, uncertainly, and only sits down when it becomes clear that it'll be awkward and stupid for him to remain standing.

"Yes, ma'am."

[garbagepilot]

"How do you feel about this, Credence?" She asks him, but it still feels just as- not pointless, but ineffectual. "We were temporarily paired, but this is much different."

[credere]

"It's fine, ma'am."

Everything is fine, right now; if he was his normal self he might be able to summon up some actual enthusiasm, but right now that feels like a leap too far.

[garbagepilot]

She has no idea what to do with this version of him, this Credence who seems to be just a shell of himself, so she decides all she can do is give him this tea, some food, and then send him on his way. They can try again after whatever is happening and maybe then make some progress.

So they sit in relative quiet and comfort with their tea, but eventually-

"Did you ever bring Jesse your belt like that?" She asks him, can't help wanting to know.

[credere]

He looks up, surprised, his eyes not quite meeting hers.

"Oh - no, miss, never. I n-never talked to Jesse like that."

[garbagepilot]

"Alright, well- let's promise each other something, okay? I don't think you will,"

She just has to get that out there first, and she reaches out to put her hand over his and hopefully drive it home, her faith in him.

"But if you ever do do anything that makes you think you should be punished, come to me first and we'll figure that out together. No more taking people things to hurt you with."