Flint Madden (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
flint_garou) wrote2012-02-19 11:40 am
flint_garou) wrote2012-02-19 11:40 am
Entry tags:
It's okay to need space.
What matters is how you go about it.
19 February, 2012
The moon is in the waning New (Ragabash) Moon phase (17% full).
Late morning, nearly afternoon, and Flint's downstairs, in the lobby of the tenement building. The boy is sitting crosslegged on the couch and apparently deep in thought, from the steady, even breathing and stillness of his posture. An empty plate and empty cup are near him, set aside after he'd finished eating but not dealt with yet, perhaps to let the cockroach that's taken an interest in the crumbs on the plate have at it, first.
Kavi pauses in the doorway, and leans against the frame. He watches the boy, but doesn't speak.
Flint is not entirely turned towards the doorway, and it takes a long moment before the motion of a breath inward brings his gaze in that direction. The cub doesn't startle, exactly, but whatever train of thought he'd had is abandoned in favour of a nod of greeting to the older Galliard. "Hi, Kavi-rhya," Flint offers, gaze dropping into his lap with a faint chewing on his upper lip after he's spoken.
Kavi nods in answer to the greeting, but remains where he is for a moment more. "Hey," he says, when he finally moves, and crosses to sit near the boy, facing him. "Are… Do you want to talk about it?"
Shoulders fall a little, and the cub scoots so that there's room, moving the plate—cockroach and all—out of the way to the floor nearby. "Maybe," Flint says. "If you want to talk, I guess?" There's only a half-beat of hesitation in the answer, before the boy pulls in a deep breath, gaze drifting upwards to watch Kavi for reaction, for anything.
Kavi's expression is gentle, encouraging, and his answer is a simple nod.
Flint takes another deep breath. "I shouldn't've run away," the boy begins, stating something that's now common knowledge through the tenement about his little escapade with leaving, and being brought back soon thereafter by Ishmael. "It was stupid of me, and I'm sorry." Flint pauses, hands folding in his lap so that he doesn't fidget, then adds, "I was being impulsive. Again."
Kavi nods again, but there's no judgement in his expression, or in his voice. "I'm listening."
"Thanks," Flint says, quiet, before continuing. "I. I freaked out when Star— Starcaller?" There's a moment of hesitation as to the name. "Showed up. I was just working on trying to piece together a song, in the hallway, and then suddenly there was a wolf there and he was going too fast for me to understand anything he tried to say, and then, when I called Mouse-rhya, she." One hand waves off part of the explanation that the boy can't word. "I couldn't get to her apartment like she told me to, and then everything happened and then there was a mess. And I could have called you, or Devon, or Ishmael or anyone and not bothered her with it." Faint twinges of guilt line the boy's words as he speaks.
Kavi shakes his head at that. "Mouse was there. Here. Not all of us were. Calling the elder when there's a problem, here, is the right thing to do. She let me know, and I came, but I was far away. Too far to help, before it was too late."
Flint nods slowly. "And I mean, and then I started to clean up, but. The entire smell of blood everywhere was making me nauseous and it didn't help me not panic," he says, with a faint frown. "And then Devon said what he did. And Devon. Devon was trying to be helpful," the cub clarifies, "but it just didn't sound helpful since I was still half-panicking."
Kavi nods once more, slowly, this time. "He needs to work on how to say the things he says. And. And you need to work on hearing what he means, instead of the words he uses."
Flint draws a knee up to his chest, and nods. "Yeah," the boy acknowledges. "And so, then, after I finished cleaning up, I. I didn't end up calmed down so well. Really don't like the smell of blood and all, and I wasn't thinking, and I wanted space, and I took my stuff and my backpack, and I left. Probably. Three in the morning?" The boy's manner is even more subdued at this admission, another glance over to Kavi after he's fallen silent.
Kavi pulls his lower lip between his teeth. "Sometimes— It's okay to need space. To need to have a place to go. To think." He glances upward, toward the lobby ceiling, and then back to the boy. "Sometimes I go to the roof. And you can always do that. But. If that's not enough? If you need to be away? Call Rina. She'll take you out."
"Mmhm," the boy says, acknowledging that. "'kay. Yeah. I. I didn't really go anywhere in particular, and then I ended up, sneaking back into my grandparents' place when I needed somewhere to sleep," Flint continues, quiet. "And then, Ishmael-rhya showed up a while later and. And brought me back here and everything. And I know I shouldn't've just left and that it was dangerous. For me, and my grandparents, and everything." This time, the boy's gaze settles on Kavi, tentative, rather than just a glance and looking away. "I wasn't really thinking when I left, or thinking about that, or that you and everyone'd worry."
This time the older galliard remains silent, still for a long time. When he finally speaks, his voice is low and quiet, and the words come slowly. "You have a family, here. Whatever happens, however you're feeling, we're your family. Mistakes get made, and we apologize for them, and move on. I could tell you that you should think of those things, think of your own safety, and your grandparents, and how people would feel. But you already know. All I'll tell you is. The next time you're hurting, try turning in a different direction, first. Turn to the roof. Turn to my apartment. Turn to your phone and call me, or Rina, or Mouse. And then, take a breath, so that you can remember everything you know."
Flint nods, then eventually offering Kavi a small smile, a little, pulling in another deep breath before he actually speaks. "Yes," he acknowledges. "Thanks, Kavi-rhya."
Kavi answers the smile with a small one of his own. "When it's hard? Even just a little, even before it's too much? You can talk to me." He looks toward the door, almost as though he might be able to see the street outside.
The cub stretches his arms out to the sides, even though he's backed kinda into one corner of the couch, and then nods. "Most of the time. most of the time I just feel like, like I get it, get stuff. But, I will. Especially before. So that it doesn't get to be too much." Flint shrugs a little, typically teenaged in shrugging it off now that he's more-or-less done speaking. "And you're right. Talking… helps." It's said with the tone of an interesting realisation, like Flint hadn't thought of it that way before.
Kavi smiles again at that last, pulling his gaze back from the door, and there's something knowing about his expression. He nods, but doesn't say any more to that. After a moment, he nods again. "We should ask Rina to take you for shooting lesso— I mean, to teach you, not. She's good. And she's a good teacher."
Flint makes a half a face for a moment, until Kavi makes the correction, at which the expression turns back to something more normal, and then he grins, nods. "I'd like that," Flint says.
Kavi pushes up to his feet, the smile still present. "I'll call her," he says. "We'll see if she can take you on Monday or Tuesday. It's an important skill to learn."
Flint reaches to grab the heretofore abandoned plate and glass, gathering them to go and wash them at some point. "Neat," the cub says, grin not fading in the slightest. "And at some point, can I come find you? There's another like. I think, two songs, one of which I mostly remember and one of which I only kinda do." The cub's expression turns fluidly into a pout of annoyance at the half-remembered songs.
"Sure," Kavi answers, and crosses to the door. He pauses, there, one hand on the knob, and looks back to the cub. "You can come find me, or call me, anytime. Stay safe," he says, and then heads out.
19 February, 2012
The moon is in the waning New (Ragabash) Moon phase (17% full).
Late morning, nearly afternoon, and Flint's downstairs, in the lobby of the tenement building. The boy is sitting crosslegged on the couch and apparently deep in thought, from the steady, even breathing and stillness of his posture. An empty plate and empty cup are near him, set aside after he'd finished eating but not dealt with yet, perhaps to let the cockroach that's taken an interest in the crumbs on the plate have at it, first.
Kavi pauses in the doorway, and leans against the frame. He watches the boy, but doesn't speak.
Flint is not entirely turned towards the doorway, and it takes a long moment before the motion of a breath inward brings his gaze in that direction. The cub doesn't startle, exactly, but whatever train of thought he'd had is abandoned in favour of a nod of greeting to the older Galliard. "Hi, Kavi-rhya," Flint offers, gaze dropping into his lap with a faint chewing on his upper lip after he's spoken.
Kavi nods in answer to the greeting, but remains where he is for a moment more. "Hey," he says, when he finally moves, and crosses to sit near the boy, facing him. "Are… Do you want to talk about it?"
Shoulders fall a little, and the cub scoots so that there's room, moving the plate—cockroach and all—out of the way to the floor nearby. "Maybe," Flint says. "If you want to talk, I guess?" There's only a half-beat of hesitation in the answer, before the boy pulls in a deep breath, gaze drifting upwards to watch Kavi for reaction, for anything.
Kavi's expression is gentle, encouraging, and his answer is a simple nod.
Flint takes another deep breath. "I shouldn't've run away," the boy begins, stating something that's now common knowledge through the tenement about his little escapade with leaving, and being brought back soon thereafter by Ishmael. "It was stupid of me, and I'm sorry." Flint pauses, hands folding in his lap so that he doesn't fidget, then adds, "I was being impulsive. Again."
Kavi nods again, but there's no judgement in his expression, or in his voice. "I'm listening."
"Thanks," Flint says, quiet, before continuing. "I. I freaked out when Star— Starcaller?" There's a moment of hesitation as to the name. "Showed up. I was just working on trying to piece together a song, in the hallway, and then suddenly there was a wolf there and he was going too fast for me to understand anything he tried to say, and then, when I called Mouse-rhya, she." One hand waves off part of the explanation that the boy can't word. "I couldn't get to her apartment like she told me to, and then everything happened and then there was a mess. And I could have called you, or Devon, or Ishmael or anyone and not bothered her with it." Faint twinges of guilt line the boy's words as he speaks.
Kavi shakes his head at that. "Mouse was there. Here. Not all of us were. Calling the elder when there's a problem, here, is the right thing to do. She let me know, and I came, but I was far away. Too far to help, before it was too late."
Flint nods slowly. "And I mean, and then I started to clean up, but. The entire smell of blood everywhere was making me nauseous and it didn't help me not panic," he says, with a faint frown. "And then Devon said what he did. And Devon. Devon was trying to be helpful," the cub clarifies, "but it just didn't sound helpful since I was still half-panicking."
Kavi nods once more, slowly, this time. "He needs to work on how to say the things he says. And. And you need to work on hearing what he means, instead of the words he uses."
Flint draws a knee up to his chest, and nods. "Yeah," the boy acknowledges. "And so, then, after I finished cleaning up, I. I didn't end up calmed down so well. Really don't like the smell of blood and all, and I wasn't thinking, and I wanted space, and I took my stuff and my backpack, and I left. Probably. Three in the morning?" The boy's manner is even more subdued at this admission, another glance over to Kavi after he's fallen silent.
Kavi pulls his lower lip between his teeth. "Sometimes— It's okay to need space. To need to have a place to go. To think." He glances upward, toward the lobby ceiling, and then back to the boy. "Sometimes I go to the roof. And you can always do that. But. If that's not enough? If you need to be away? Call Rina. She'll take you out."
"Mmhm," the boy says, acknowledging that. "'kay. Yeah. I. I didn't really go anywhere in particular, and then I ended up, sneaking back into my grandparents' place when I needed somewhere to sleep," Flint continues, quiet. "And then, Ishmael-rhya showed up a while later and. And brought me back here and everything. And I know I shouldn't've just left and that it was dangerous. For me, and my grandparents, and everything." This time, the boy's gaze settles on Kavi, tentative, rather than just a glance and looking away. "I wasn't really thinking when I left, or thinking about that, or that you and everyone'd worry."
This time the older galliard remains silent, still for a long time. When he finally speaks, his voice is low and quiet, and the words come slowly. "You have a family, here. Whatever happens, however you're feeling, we're your family. Mistakes get made, and we apologize for them, and move on. I could tell you that you should think of those things, think of your own safety, and your grandparents, and how people would feel. But you already know. All I'll tell you is. The next time you're hurting, try turning in a different direction, first. Turn to the roof. Turn to my apartment. Turn to your phone and call me, or Rina, or Mouse. And then, take a breath, so that you can remember everything you know."
Flint nods, then eventually offering Kavi a small smile, a little, pulling in another deep breath before he actually speaks. "Yes," he acknowledges. "Thanks, Kavi-rhya."
Kavi answers the smile with a small one of his own. "When it's hard? Even just a little, even before it's too much? You can talk to me." He looks toward the door, almost as though he might be able to see the street outside.
The cub stretches his arms out to the sides, even though he's backed kinda into one corner of the couch, and then nods. "Most of the time. most of the time I just feel like, like I get it, get stuff. But, I will. Especially before. So that it doesn't get to be too much." Flint shrugs a little, typically teenaged in shrugging it off now that he's more-or-less done speaking. "And you're right. Talking… helps." It's said with the tone of an interesting realisation, like Flint hadn't thought of it that way before.
Kavi smiles again at that last, pulling his gaze back from the door, and there's something knowing about his expression. He nods, but doesn't say any more to that. After a moment, he nods again. "We should ask Rina to take you for shooting lesso— I mean, to teach you, not. She's good. And she's a good teacher."
Flint makes a half a face for a moment, until Kavi makes the correction, at which the expression turns back to something more normal, and then he grins, nods. "I'd like that," Flint says.
Kavi pushes up to his feet, the smile still present. "I'll call her," he says. "We'll see if she can take you on Monday or Tuesday. It's an important skill to learn."
Flint reaches to grab the heretofore abandoned plate and glass, gathering them to go and wash them at some point. "Neat," the cub says, grin not fading in the slightest. "And at some point, can I come find you? There's another like. I think, two songs, one of which I mostly remember and one of which I only kinda do." The cub's expression turns fluidly into a pout of annoyance at the half-remembered songs.
"Sure," Kavi answers, and crosses to the door. He pauses, there, one hand on the knob, and looks back to the cub. "You can come find me, or call me, anytime. Stay safe," he says, and then heads out.