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[abrightboy]

This is Bright. Leave a message.

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[abrightboy]

“They recognize a piece of them is missing,” Malcolm says.

[hippie_ninja]

It makes him think of Sephiroth, makes him fall quiet a moment. "That has to be hard."

[abrightboy]

“Certainly. That’s why I offered to help them. But that doesn’t justify torturing people to death. They were warned about that. But they have a weak Warden, so I don’t know if anything will change,” Malcolm observes.

[hippie_ninja]

"What would you do if you were his warden?"

[abrightboy]

“I would have talked to the rest of the Barge well before now, for one thing,” Malcolm says.

[hippie_ninja]

He shrugs. Yeah, Rawne's silence is pretty deafening. "Okay. Then what?"

[abrightboy]

“I usually love chatting about this stuff but…” He studies Jesus for a moment, then gestures between them. “What is it about this that makes me feel like you’re evaluating me?”

[hippie_ninja]

"I'm not. No more than I usually am, anyway." People are constantly evaluating each other. "I'm just curious how different people would handle a massive issue like what Avalon presents."

[abrightboy]

“And we should have all had that discussion already. Kind of twisted that Will’s the only one that’s been punished so far, just for protecting himself. Even more twisted that the only person whose behaviour was brought to a crowdsourcing forum was mine. For caring about that.” He shrugs. “My inmate just had a big problem, right before Avalon happened. Do you think my actual decision on that issue was too emotional?”

[hippie_ninja]

"You're softening the reality of what happened with Will. And I understand why you're doing it, but you're not doing him any favors with it. He lost control, Malcolm. It wasn't self defense."

[abrightboy]

“I didn’t say it was self defence. I said he was protecting himself. There’s a distinction there. And you didn’t answer my question,” Malcolm points out.

[hippie_ninja]

He gives him a Look. "And you're still spinning it to soften the reality."

[abrightboy]

“It wasn’t emotional. It was rational and well managed and you don’t want to credit me with that, so you’re deflecting to that,” Malcolm points out. “Guess what: people can be more than one thing.”

[hippie_ninja]

"You're changing the subject. I had no problem with how you handled it, Malcolm; remember? And I've never said people are one thing." He's risked his life trying to prove that people contain multitudes. "It's insulting that you're trying to paint me this way just to avoid talking about how you're spinning things to make sure you're somehow the victim."

[abrightboy]

“I’m not a victim. I asked you a question before you made your insinuations about how I view Will. You didn’t answer, so I asked again. You didn’t answer, so I answered it for you and drew my own conclusions. You had your chance. Now. As for Will. Do I think he lost control? Absolutely. He had an outsized fear response based on how Avalon harmed him before. Is that right? No. Is it understandable? Yes. Should he face more consequences than the provocateur that previously tortured him and promised, this time, to sink a blade in his back? No. Should his Warden be working on other methods for coping with a situation like that? Yes, but she knows that. Does that clarify matters?” Malcolm asks.

[hippie_ninja]

"This? This is why I'm not doing therapy with you, Malcolm. You need help. More than I do. I really hope you take it."

[abrightboy]

“…You’re not doing therapy with me anymore?” First he’s heard of it, though he shouldn’t be surprised. This guy has gotten on the Shaw koolaid since their early conversations. “Okay, I guess. Your call. But what exactly did I say that indicates I need help more than you do? I gave you a very reasonable analysis just now. So… what gave off the crazy vibes?”

[hippie_ninja]

"I don't want a therapist who makes assumptions about me when I'm trying to stay on topic. I don't want a therapist who puts words in my mouth or who assumes I see the world in black and white terms. I don't want a therapist who resists taking any accountability for his own part in arguments. You're just not the right fit for me, Malcolm. No one here is right now."

[abrightboy]

“We’re not doing therapy right now. This would be a whole different conversation if we were,” Malcolm points out. “And you haven’t answered my question. Again. Is that just… something you don’t do? Answer people’s questions so they can understand your shades of grey? They have to just trust they exist without knowing what they are? I’m not allowed to understand how you draw conclusions about me? What is it?”

[hippie_ninja]

"I'm not going to trust someone who assumes the worst about me, Malcolm."

[abrightboy]

"I didn't do that. I asked you questions and you assumed I assumed that. But, like I said, your call. Let's go back to the other thing. What exactly did I say that made you think I need more help than you do?" Malcolm asks.

[hippie_ninja]

"You literally said you assigned ulterior motives to me. I didn't imagine that, did I?"

[abrightboy]

"I did say that. About our previous conversation. I also said that I put them on hold in light of you coming here. And even then, I only brought it up because I was making a distinction between subtext and ulterior motives. Right? That's what I told you about it."

[hippie_ninja]

"So you only admitted to me you were assuming wrong, dark motives about me because you were being pedantic, and that's supposed to make me feel better...? Malcolm, I think you're a good person. But I think your fears and your anxieties and your experiences lead you to assume the worst about people--about me, in particular, because I had the gall to be concerned about your ethics and your interactions with another warden. And I can't trust you with myself because of that."

[abrightboy]

"You still haven't answered my question," Malcolm points out.