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.]
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?"
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.
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.
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."
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."
"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.
"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?"
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.
"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."
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.
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.
"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."
She's absolutely right, of course. Just because he has the right doesn't
mean he's interested in exercising it, and absolutely not in the state
that the flood has left him in.
She nods, and she gives him a quick smile, but it still feels a lot like talking to a brick wall, or a puppet of Credence that's had the soul sucked out. It's- odd, and uncomfortable, but more than anything it just makes her wonder if this is how he would have turned out if he had stayed under the influence of his mother any longer.
"So- tell me something good that's happened to you since you came here. Anything, even if it's small."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 12:29 pm (UTC)[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
Date: 2017-07-19 12:31 pm (UTC)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
Date: 2017-07-19 12:43 pm (UTC)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?"
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 12:53 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 01:02 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 01:09 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 02:21 pm (UTC)"I will never hit you, Credence," she swears to him. "No matter what happens between us I will never, ever do that."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 02:49 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 04:08 pm (UTC)"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."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 04:19 pm (UTC)"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.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 04:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 05:36 pm (UTC)"Alright."
He'll agree to anything she says, because right now, she's wrong - that part of him is completely absent.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 06:41 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 07:02 pm (UTC)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."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-20 12:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-07-20 02:19 pm (UTC)"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.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-24 04:11 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-24 04:15 pm (UTC)He looks up, surprised, his eyes not quite meeting hers.
"Oh - no, miss, never. I n-never talked to Jesse like that."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-24 06:01 pm (UTC)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."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-24 06:06 pm (UTC)The touch to his hand gets a startled blink, but he doesn't flinch or pull away, just stays stock-still.
"Of course I'll come to you. You're my warden."
And nobody else has the right to beat him for misbehavior.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-24 06:45 pm (UTC)"And if anyone does try to hurt you, you have every right to defend yourself."
Not that she thinks he will in this state, or possibly ever, but maybe if she says it often enough he'll start to believe it.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-24 07:40 pm (UTC)"Yes, miss. I understand."
She's absolutely right, of course. Just because he has the right doesn't mean he's interested in exercising it, and absolutely not in the state that the flood has left him in.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-30 03:27 am (UTC)She nods, and she gives him a quick smile, but it still feels a lot like talking to a brick wall, or a puppet of Credence that's had the soul sucked out. It's- odd, and uncomfortable, but more than anything it just makes her wonder if this is how he would have turned out if he had stayed under the influence of his mother any longer.
"So- tell me something good that's happened to you since you came here. Anything, even if it's small."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-30 09:44 am (UTC)Credence hesitates, but he doesn't really need to reach very far for an answer.
"I've made some friends, miss."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-31 11:12 am (UTC)"Friends that you can trust to help you while you're here?"
(no subject)
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