"I don't think you're an idiot, or unable to take care of yourself. I've checked and your marker has kept moving. I didn't say 'I thought that happened', but it could happen and I'd have no way of knowing. And you're just being a dick right now and I don't know why."
"No, it isn't," he says with a tired sigh, "I want to to know how I hurt you and why I hurt you. I want to know what upset you about what I said. And I want to know if this is how we're going to do things from now on."
"I was annoyed with you and I've been busy." Even now he's not paying him
much attention, or doesn't seem to be. "Anyway, I assumed you'd be busy
tracking down your other half."
"Why didn't you just say that?" grumbled just a little. He shakes that off. Breathes out. "And I found out where he was on the post. Then it was just a matter of avoiding him. It sucks, but I'll see him when we're back on the boat."
Sigh.
"Why are you annoyed with me? Or why were you annoyed with me?"
"Because it wasn't necessary. And because it felt distinctly like I was
being talked over," he says crisply. "Did you continue your conversation
privately?"
He nods, and then he'll sort through the posts until he gets to the posting. Then he'll lift it up and offer it to Astarion. He didn't say anything he minds Astarion reading.
He thanked him, he told him he wasn't going to punish Astarion for his opinions or his choice to speak up, and that he does think it's important to keep the place clean. Nothing more or less.
Astarion glances through the conversation. Scrolls down and then back up.
"'I think it'll help him'," he reads out loud, then spits out a high laugh
and tosses the device in John's general direction. "Fascinating. Well, you
know I'm no more dead than usual. I'll be sure to make some kind of a
live-sounding noise the next time you contact me."
"That wasn't what I was talking about. Why would you even think that was what I was talking about? When the fuck have I ever made anything about this about my power over you? Think for a second!"
"Maybe that's not what you were talking about, but that's what happened,"
Astarion says, in a tone best described as 'aggressively chipper'. "Just
answer the question, would you?"
"I can't because I don't think that," he growls, because Nameless Mists if he could erase 'fake chipper voice' from reality, he would. He hates it. "What I was saying was the opposite of that. That it's good you can tell someone that you think they're an asshole or that you disagree with something and you know I won't hurt you or make you pay for it or make you do something like apologize or make you do the work. I-"
And he lowers his voice.
"Are you forgetting what I saw during the flood? Because I didn't. That's what I think is good: you having chances to dislike things loudly and publicly."
He huffs again and shakes his head.
"I disagreed with you but I didn't use any power. I didn't tell you to stop speaking. I didn't tell Zack to back off, because it was your fight to have with him outside of me making sure he wasn't going to force you to anything. And I didn't tell you to stop arguing: you stopped on your own. And I tried to give you space to be angry at me afterwards so you knew it was okay and you didn't need to deal with me."
Astarion couldn't forget what John saw during the flood if he wanted to. And he does want to.
"Thank you for your benificence," he says sweetly, briefly turning to him to offer an exaggerated, sweeping bow. "However, I am already extremely good at disliking things and people, and I still did not need you to show up and underline the fact that the two of you had already made a decision on the small matter of whether or not I can be forced to serve."
"It's not beneficence! And I wasn't trying to underline anything! And it isn't serving." His tone turns grumpy. "Just because it reminds you of shit doesn't make it the same thing."
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"I don't think you're an idiot, or unable to take care of yourself. I've checked and your marker has kept moving. I didn't say 'I thought that happened', but it could happen and I'd have no way of knowing. And you're just being a dick right now and I don't know why."
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"Oh! That's just my personality, darling," he says blithely. "Since you've found me, did you want something?"
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Astarion looks baffled at being accused of not being a dick, but recovers quickly.
"You neither hurt nor upset me. Don't worry your shockingly handsome little head about it."
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"Then why have you been ignoring me? Why did you stop answering me?"
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"I was annoyed with you and I've been busy." Even now he's not paying him much attention, or doesn't seem to be. "Anyway, I assumed you'd be busy tracking down your other half."
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"Why didn't you just say that?" grumbled just a little. He shakes that off. Breathes out. "And I found out where he was on the post. Then it was just a matter of avoiding him. It sucks, but I'll see him when we're back on the boat."
Sigh.
"Why are you annoyed with me? Or why were you annoyed with me?"
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Astarion glances at him.
"Hazard a guess."
This isn't rhetorical. He'd actually like to hear him take a stab at it.
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"You think I dismissed your opinion and your feelings regarding the idea that inmates contribute to our shared living space?"
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"Close," he permits. "It's actually that you contributed to the conversation with whatshisname at all. It wasn't necessary."
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"Because it wasn't necessary. And because it felt distinctly like I was being talked over," he says crisply. "Did you continue your conversation privately?"
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He nods, however. Nodding. So weird. New!
"I did, but mostly just to make sure that it was set that you wouldn't smell or be asked to work."
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Astarion considers this. Then holds out a hand.
"Show me."
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He thanked him, he told him he wasn't going to punish Astarion for his opinions or his choice to speak up, and that he does think it's important to keep the place clean. Nothing more or less.
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Astarion glances through the conversation. Scrolls down and then back up.
"'I think it'll help him'," he reads out loud, then spits out a high laugh and tosses the device in John's general direction. "Fascinating. Well, you know I'm no more dead than usual. I'll be sure to make some kind of a live-sounding noise the next time you contact me."
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"You don't even know what I meant, I'd wager. But no, I'm not going anywhere."
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"Thank the gods for small mercies. Please, stay exactly where you are."
Because he's walking.
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"You know what I meant!"
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"Oh, now I know what you mean?"
Another laugh. He's still walking.
"Well, then. Since I'm so inconsistent, perhaps you'll tell me how it's good for me to have his power over me and yours thrust into my face?"
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"That wasn't what I was talking about. Why would you even think that was what I was talking about? When the fuck have I ever made anything about this about my power over you? Think for a second!"
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"Maybe that's not what you were talking about, but that's what happened," Astarion says, in a tone best described as 'aggressively chipper'. "Just answer the question, would you?"
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And he lowers his voice.
"Are you forgetting what I saw during the flood? Because I didn't. That's what I think is good: you having chances to dislike things loudly and publicly."
He huffs again and shakes his head.
"I disagreed with you but I didn't use any power. I didn't tell you to stop speaking. I didn't tell Zack to back off, because it was your fight to have with him outside of me making sure he wasn't going to force you to anything. And I didn't tell you to stop arguing: you stopped on your own. And I tried to give you space to be angry at me afterwards so you knew it was okay and you didn't need to deal with me."
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Astarion couldn't forget what John saw during the flood if he wanted to. And he does want to.
"Thank you for your benificence," he says sweetly, briefly turning to him to offer an exaggerated, sweeping bow. "However, I am already extremely good at disliking things and people, and I still did not need you to show up and underline the fact that the two of you had already made a decision on the small matter of whether or not I can be forced to serve."
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"It's not beneficence! And I wasn't trying to underline anything! And it isn't serving." His tone turns grumpy. "Just because it reminds you of shit doesn't make it the same thing."
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