[ skull isn't as hard as it should be. she's disappointed in it. ]
Doesn't want you to. [ she closes her eyes, thinks. ] He wants you to ... to do good and be strong and cut your own hair. [ she looks again, thinks she sees tam and mcnair and doesn't know which is the monster. ] Gonna make your old man proud one day.
[She may have said it nice, but Tom still frowns. He so desperately wants to be normal. It's not that he's ashamed of the wolf but he's well aware of all the normal things in life he's missed out on. School, friends, even just playing in the park with others without the worry that he'd accidently scratch one.
[ fantasies aren't good, are all she knows and she's Not Quite Right. her face falls for him and it's a wonder, which side of reality they're standing on. ]
Probably safer. Her hands don't shake.
[ trained in a lot of ways but that one. shouldn't trust the ones that don't know how to bend. ]
[ the switch is sudden and she should've seen it coming, but she flinches like she's been struck. her eyes dart around the room, looking for a sign, maybe, or a way out - but there's only tom and he's. he's not dangerous the way he thinks he is.
river averts her eyes and tries not to let her lips tremble. ]
They come in twos. Hands that don't need to grab because once they've caught you, you're theirs. And they're always reaching -
[ her voice grows more frantic as she speaks, more panicked and scared, so she stops and shakes her head, lowers it down to a whisper. ]
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[His face falls to match that frown]
Lean on meself now I guess. Ain't hard. Sometimes I don't even think about him.
[except all those quiet moments where he does just that]
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[ skull isn't as hard as it should be. she's disappointed in it. ]
Doesn't want you to. [ she closes her eyes, thinks. ] He wants you to ... to do good and be strong and cut your own hair. [ she looks again, thinks she sees tam and mcnair and doesn't know which is the monster. ] Gonna make your old man proud one day.
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It ain't so easy to cut my own hair. Maybe you could do it for me?
[Because someone doesn't realise there could be danger in letting River do things]
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I might draw shapes.
[ they are going to get into so much trouble together. ]
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Can't ya just cut it normal like?
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[ said as though that's the best possible this he could be, not normal. ]
Wouldn't even know if no one says. Right at the crown.
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Normal is a favorite fantasy of his]
Maybe I'll jus' ask Alex.
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Probably safer. Her hands don't shake.
[ trained in a lot of ways but that one. shouldn't trust the ones that don't know how to bend. ]
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[Cautiously]
River, what did that Smiley say ta make you sad? Them blue hand things, what'd that mean?
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river averts her eyes and tries not to let her lips tremble. ]
They come in twos. Hands that don't need to grab because once they've caught you, you're theirs. And they're always reaching -
[ her voice grows more frantic as she speaks, more panicked and scared, so she stops and shakes her head, lowers it down to a whisper. ]
They're not supposed to be here.
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[He hopes because seeing River so frightened is upsetting and makes his stomach twist in funny ways]
Even if they was here you got loads a friends that won't let them hurt you none.