greatoldjohn: (in: hand over eyes and lighter)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah.

[ Nothing he's going to voice beyond that, but he gets it. ]

Okay.
greatoldjohn: (in: WEEP)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
I am sorry that I assumed. I try not to. But I make mistakes.

I'm probably going to make mistakes with you but it's not because I want to or I don't care. It's because everything I know is really fucking different from everyone else here. Like 'a home'. I've never had that. I know how important it is to people. But it's not something I would have thought of. [ He'd had a kingdom, a space, a domain. He tries to think of it as a home, had painted it and tried to feel homesick, and it hadn't really worked. There's a lot of reasons he doesn't use the room in Arthur's that often and that's one: he isn't quite to the point of painting over it, but he's getting closer. ] And that's not an excuse. I'm not saying it's okay that I fucked up.

I'm saying you can just tell me I fucked up. I'll try to listen. I do want to help you.

But I also know this whole thing isn't... comfortable. It can't be, because you're changing. And this kind of change is messy and bloody and raw and it aches sometimes. I've done it.

I know I can't just tell you to be comfortable. Or that being your warden makes it okay. But I do want to help you. I don't... want to dissect you.
greatoldjohn: (in: hold you close through the pain)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay. I can do that.

Are you okay with... spending time with me? Or... dealing with me at all while we're waiting?
greatoldjohn: (Default)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
So... what do you like to do?
greatoldjohn: (Default)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 07:28 pm (UTC)(link)
I wouldn't mind reading in the room with you sometime. Or listening to you play. I've never heard a lyre, but I play the violin. I learned from Lestat.
greatoldjohn: (in: looking over)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay. I'm trusting you not to avoid me. I won't try and bother you.

[ A pause before-]

Do you not want to talk about what you like?
greatoldjohn: (in: visions and trauma)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 08:41 pm (UTC)(link)
I have had sex. Or... something that is roughly the same as sex that was done for enjoyment. And I killed many things.

But I'm a little confused on the liking sex. Because you called all the sex before 'disgusting' and you said that doing all the things you did were punishment enough just doing them. So do you like sex or is it just what you're familiar with, like... that thing we talked about before?
greatoldjohn: (out: wruugh)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
...were you allowed to do other things? Or even see if you liked other things?
greatoldjohn: (in: see no evil)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Right.

So you like those things... but they're also the only things you were allowed to do.

Maybe we could start trying some other things together? To see if you like other things too?
greatoldjohn: (in: looking over)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 09:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Jedao gave you a lyre. Have you seen all the different kinds of music there are here? All the different instruments?

I work at the art gazebo so we have a bunch of them. You can try any of them to see if you like how they sound.

And there's lots of records and tapes and CDs in the library. I like trying new music. We could see what new things you might like.
greatoldjohn: (Default)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay.

You can come up to the gazebo any time you like. I'll try to keep some music on hand to listen to while we're there, or maybe Lestat can help play things on the piano. Have you met Lestat?
greatoldjohn: (Default)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 09:33 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm glad you like him. He's a really good friend.

He works there with me. And he taught me how to play the violin.
greatoldjohn: (Default)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2023-10-22 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
I wanted to write a duet to another piece of music. And violin seemed like the best option.