[ There's still no response by the time he's managed to get away from the Lads (and cool his head), however long that turns out to have been. So... guess he'll just have to leave her a voicemail. He sounds calmer than before, at least. ]
Angel. I need to apologize for my behavior back there. Believe me, I didn't mean to frighten you.
[ His impulse is to tell her "You didn't do anything wrong," but... well, she did sort of invade his personal space, and grab him without his consent, and shove his hand into her face to sniff it for some reason. None of that was the foremost thing on his mind, at the time, but in hindsight, it was downright creepy of her.
Still, he's already decided not to call her on it. Oh, if it had been a man doing the same to a woman, he'd have called it phenomenally inappropriate at best - but for some reason, with the roles reversed and himself on the receiving end, he doesn't mentally frame it the same way. He sighs. ]
It's just - direct contact, skin-to-skin, it gives me this sort of burning feeling. It's not you, the same would have happened with anyone. I'm not angry with you, and I'm sorry if it seemed that way. You couldn't have known.
... Please drop me a line if you can. I'd rather we didn't start off on the wrong foot. Thank you.
[ It does take some time, not because she's ignoring him on purpose or in particular. But it had frightened her, torn her away from the good way she felt, and so she did what was familiar. She hid. Under a pile of Reindire, safe and sound, and cried her eyes out.
It's only after that, that she comes back. Not talking very much, but keeping to herself.
So when she gets the second message, she takes a minute, and tired as she sounds, she does make sure to answer. She knows quit simply, he isn't in the wrong, she is. ]
[ He can hear the guilt in her voice, and it's not surprising. It wasn't that long ago that she announced she'd rather die than harm another person. His tone is gentle, reassuring. ]
No no no, don't apologize. You didn't hurt anyone. I'm perfectly fine, no harm done.
That's not true. Clearly there was some kind of harm done or we wouldn't be here, would we?
[ She sighs. Chewing on the inside of her lip as she tries to put it into words. ]
I find... reality hard sometimes. Not for the usual reasons, but it's hard for me to.... remember. This doesn't come easy to me. Thank you for talking to me, and giving me a chance to learn from my mistakes. It means a lot, honestly.
[ Okay, okay, no permanent harm, then. But that's splitting hairs at this point, so he decides not to harp on it.
He's not... entirely sure what she's trying to express. Is she talking about some sort of ... dissociation issue, or culture shock, or what? Still, this isn't a good time to pry. She is sorry about what happened, even if he still feels it's more his fault than hers. The air has been cleared, neither of them is angry, and they'll both be more careful in the future. That's pretty close to an optimal result, right there. ]
Of course. And thank you for your concern.
[ Before they head to signing off, though, he adds an afterthought- ]
Oh - one thing. If you don't mind, I'd rather we keep this ... quirk of mine confidential. From the lads, if nothing else. Is that all right?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
audio; @Qubit [backdated to AWHILE AGO whoops]
Angel? It's Qubit. Please respond.
2/2
Angel. I need to apologize for my behavior back there. Believe me, I didn't mean to frighten you.
[ His impulse is to tell her "You didn't do anything wrong," but... well, she did sort of invade his personal space, and grab him without his consent, and shove his hand into her face to sniff it for some reason. None of that was the foremost thing on his mind, at the time, but in hindsight, it was downright creepy of her.
Still, he's already decided not to call her on it. Oh, if it had been a man doing the same to a woman, he'd have called it phenomenally inappropriate at best - but for some reason, with the roles reversed and himself on the receiving end, he doesn't mentally frame it the same way. He sighs. ]
It's just - direct contact, skin-to-skin, it gives me this sort of burning feeling. It's not you, the same would have happened with anyone. I'm not angry with you, and I'm sorry if it seemed that way. You couldn't have known.
... Please drop me a line if you can. I'd rather we didn't start off on the wrong foot. Thank you.
no subject
It's only after that, that she comes back. Not talking very much, but keeping to herself.
So when she gets the second message, she takes a minute, and tired as she sounds, she does make sure to answer. She knows quit simply, he isn't in the wrong, she is. ]
Hello, Qubit. It's Angel.
no subject
Angel, yes, hello. Are you doing all right?
no subject
I'm doing alright. Better than I did to you, it seems.
[ There lays the palpable pause, the heaviness of her voice in that knowledge. ]
I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt anyone.
no subject
No no no, don't apologize. You didn't hurt anyone. I'm perfectly fine, no harm done.
no subject
[ She sighs. Chewing on the inside of her lip as she tries to put it into words. ]
I find... reality hard sometimes. Not for the usual reasons, but it's hard for me to.... remember. This doesn't come easy to me. Thank you for talking to me, and giving me a chance to learn from my mistakes. It means a lot, honestly.
no subject
He's not... entirely sure what she's trying to express. Is she talking about some sort of ... dissociation issue, or culture shock, or what? Still, this isn't a good time to pry. She is sorry about what happened, even if he still feels it's more his fault than hers. The air has been cleared, neither of them is angry, and they'll both be more careful in the future. That's pretty close to an optimal result, right there. ]
Of course. And thank you for your concern.
[ Before they head to signing off, though, he adds an afterthought- ]
Oh - one thing. If you don't mind, I'd rather we keep this ... quirk of mine confidential. From the lads, if nothing else. Is that all right?