He came home after what he did to you and told me what happened. We talked... I found out he had a potion that might be able to stop his powers. Or it might kill him.
I made him take it, Arid. It's why he didn't see you coming.
[ Arid takes a moment to process this new information, anger muddied by the new sentiments it provokes. Uncertainty, suspicion, fear; when she chose to take revenge herself, she had accepted the risk that she may have again been routed. Now, she wonders how likely an outcome that would have been if Sims had not been weakened first. ]
Then I thank you for that much.
[ It is a sour gratitude. From his commentary on the trial, Arid knows that it was never Martin's intent for Sims to die. Weakening him was a reasonable precaution to take for the future, but it did not make up for what had already happened. It was not justice.
She is still angry. But if there exists a way to keep Sims in check, Arid can force enough civility to see it done. ]
It's not something you need to thank me for. It was a plaster over a gaping wound. It wasn't enough, and I should have told you about it sooner. I should have checked in on you before we met in that alley.
[But between the trials, the killer bears, and everything else... it hadn't been his main priority.]
There's half a bottle of the potion left. Jon's too sick to get out of bed right now, but it's something I plan to bring up when he's well enough he might be able to survive another dose if the first has worn off.
[ It is with mixed surprise and shame that Arid realizes that she is not just angry, but hurt. It is an inane reaction. There is no guarantee she would have even accepted his concern if he had expressed it earlier and yet, reading his words, it occurs to her that she had nonetheless expected it. Anticipated it, even.
And when instead Martin had only acknowledged what happened weeks later, when Arid was in the throes of violent mania, that sent its own message: that her pain only mattered when it was a threat.
Not that she will express this to him. It is humiliating enough for her alone to know that she could feel hurt at a human's silence. Easier to focus on questions of practicality—of containment. ]
Is there a viable means of securing more of this potion? If not, it will not suppress his abilities indefinitely.
I'll have to talk to Shiro about that. I'm not sure exactly where he got it. Jon seemed to think it was in limited supply, though. Maybe asking Sodder? She's sent things to me in my blessing basket when I've asked for them. I don't know how wholly reliable that is, though. Have you asked her for anything before?
No. She sent me the body I inhabited during our last encounter, but I did not request it.
[ How long would the remaining potion last? If Martin had convinced Sims to take it immediately after he violated her, then the effects must remain for at least several weeks. Perhaps that will be enough time to secure more of the potion, but there is no guarantee—nor is there a guarantee that Sims will continue to allow his powers to be constrained, even if more can be found. ]
Understand that there is no truce between him and me. Regardless of whether he is under the effect of the potion, if he approaches me without cause, I will interpret his intentions as hostile and respond in kind.
I understand. I'll let him know and see what I can do to get more of the potion. I'll make sure he takes another dose when he's well enough to leave the house.
[He wants to point out that Jon was being affected by Deerington, much as she had been when she'd attacked Martin. But that's not really his place, and it would cheapen whatever reassurance he's been trying to offer. Maybe he can explain to K? There likely won't be sympathy, but maybe a little more capacity to understand.]
There doesn't need to be a truce between us, either. I know I made a mistake, Arid. I can wait for you to reach out to me in the future, if you'd prefer I no contact you at all.
I did also want to let you know one of the gardening robots we worked with a couple of months ago seems like they're getting ready to go back into the forest if you wanted to say goodbye. They got trapped with us in the dome, and I think they're ready to go home. We've done our best to repair them after they got hurt from the orcs. They've been living around Blackwood Run. You can probably find them near my house. They were fixing the flowers after the dome shattered, and they're just about finished.
If you do want to visit them, if you could just let me know, and I can make sure Jon's not around or he stays inside the house.
[ When Arid had first seen Martin's message appear in her inbox, she had expected anger. She had expected accusations, excuses, and demands from the man whose ally she had murdered, from the one who had argued so vehemently that Sims did not deserve death. She had found none of those things and yet, her own anger remains, mingled with a hollow sadness.
It would be easier if Martin was spiteful. It would make this feel like no loss at all. ]
Affirmative. Unless it is relevant to Sims's containment, do not initiate further contact with me.
[ Martin had helped Arid. He had given her counsel on that which puzzled her and corrected her error when her perspective had been compromised. But he is also the one who convinced her to trust Jonathan Sims. He is the one who had attempted to shield the man from justice and who remains his ally even now. How could Arid continue to interact with him knowing his proximity to the one who had violated her? His care for him?
There is no answer; she cannot. ]
I will be there to see the robots depart within the next hour. Ensure that Sims remains inside.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
He came home after what he did to you and told me what happened. We talked... I found out he had a potion that might be able to stop his powers. Or it might kill him.
I made him take it, Arid. It's why he didn't see you coming.
no subject
Then I thank you for that much.
[ It is a sour gratitude. From his commentary on the trial, Arid knows that it was never Martin's intent for Sims to die. Weakening him was a reasonable precaution to take for the future, but it did not make up for what had already happened. It was not justice.
She is still angry. But if there exists a way to keep Sims in check, Arid can force enough civility to see it done. ]
Does any of the potion remain?
no subject
[But between the trials, the killer bears, and everything else... it hadn't been his main priority.]
There's half a bottle of the potion left. Jon's too sick to get out of bed right now, but it's something I plan to bring up when he's well enough he might be able to survive another dose if the first has worn off.
no subject
[ It is with mixed surprise and shame that Arid realizes that she is not just angry, but hurt. It is an inane reaction. There is no guarantee she would have even accepted his concern if he had expressed it earlier and yet, reading his words, it occurs to her that she had nonetheless expected it. Anticipated it, even.
And when instead Martin had only acknowledged what happened weeks later, when Arid was in the throes of violent mania, that sent its own message: that her pain only mattered when it was a threat.
Not that she will express this to him. It is humiliating enough for her alone to know that she could feel hurt at a human's silence. Easier to focus on questions of practicality—of containment. ]
Is there a viable means of securing more of this potion? If not, it will not suppress his abilities indefinitely.
no subject
I'm not sure exactly where he got it.
Jon seemed to think it was in limited supply, though.
Maybe asking Sodder?
She's sent things to me in my blessing basket when I've asked for them.
I don't know how wholly reliable that is, though.
Have you asked her for anything before?
no subject
[ How long would the remaining potion last? If Martin had convinced Sims to take it immediately after he violated her, then the effects must remain for at least several weeks. Perhaps that will be enough time to secure more of the potion, but there is no guarantee—nor is there a guarantee that Sims will continue to allow his powers to be constrained, even if more can be found. ]
Understand that there is no truce between him and me. Regardless of whether he is under the effect of the potion, if he approaches me without cause, I will interpret his intentions as hostile and respond in kind.
no subject
[He wants to point out that Jon was being affected by Deerington, much as she had been when she'd attacked Martin. But that's not really his place, and it would cheapen whatever reassurance he's been trying to offer. Maybe he can explain to K? There likely won't be sympathy, but maybe a little more capacity to understand.]
There doesn't need to be a truce between us, either. I know I made a mistake, Arid. I can wait for you to reach out to me in the future, if you'd prefer I no contact you at all.
I did also want to let you know one of the gardening robots we worked with a couple of months ago seems like they're getting ready to go back into the forest if you wanted to say goodbye. They got trapped with us in the dome, and I think they're ready to go home. We've done our best to repair them after they got hurt from the orcs. They've been living around Blackwood Run. You can probably find them near my house. They were fixing the flowers after the dome shattered, and they're just about finished.
If you do want to visit them, if you could just let me know, and I can make sure Jon's not around or he stays inside the house.
no subject
It would be easier if Martin was spiteful. It would make this feel like no loss at all. ]
Affirmative. Unless it is relevant to Sims's containment, do not initiate further contact with me.
[ Martin had helped Arid. He had given her counsel on that which puzzled her and corrected her error when her perspective had been compromised. But he is also the one who convinced her to trust Jonathan Sims. He is the one who had attempted to shield the man from justice and who remains his ally even now. How could Arid continue to interact with him knowing his proximity to the one who had violated her? His care for him?
There is no answer; she cannot. ]
I will be there to see the robots depart within the next hour. Ensure that Sims remains inside.
no subject
Goodbye, Arid. Please stay as safe as you can.