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[abrightboy]

This is Bright. Leave a message.

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[chaos_drifter]

“More negative than positive, and more neutral than negative.” They pull a pen out of their pocket and one of the blank journals out of the bucket at their feet. They toss the bracelet towards the other end of the couch, and the cat follows it.

They sketch a set of x- and y-axes inside the front cover of the journal, labeling the ends of the x-axis “positive” and “negative”, and the ends of the y-axis “high energy” and “low energy.” Then they draw a circle near the center of the bottom left quadrant, close to the y-axis.

They turn the page towards Malcolm. “Like this.”

[abrightboy]

"How far along the y axis have you felt anything?" Malcolm asks.

[chaos_drifter]

“Not very far.” They mark a point just above the origin.

[abrightboy]

“So… by your baseline, your feelings about Rawne are pretty intense,” Malcolm surmises.

[chaos_drifter]

Avalon nods. “They are. The mental and physical components are still separate, but both are stronger than what I usually feel.”

[abrightboy]

"Is there anyone else here you feel that way about?" Malcolm asks.

[chaos_drifter]

“I may feel some empathy for Sameen Shaw, because both of us have difficulty recognizing our emotions. What I feel around her is more of an understanding than a connection, possibly because I spend less time with her.”

[abrightboy]

"Maybe it would benefit both of you if you tried spending more time with her," Malcolm suggests.

[chaos_drifter]

“It might. She seems to be comfortable talking to me.”

[abrightboy]

"I expect it's easier than talking to someone whose emotions she can't relate to."

[chaos_drifter]

“She is also not the kind of person I would have killed.”

[abrightboy]

Interesting. "Why is that?"

CW: Suicide

[chaos_drifter]

“Most of my victims already wanted to die.”

Re: CW: Suicide

[abrightboy]

Malcolm tilts his head.

"Will didn't."

[chaos_drifter]

“I know. I thought I could get him there, but he killed me instead.”

[abrightboy]

"We're survivors, me and Will," Malcolm tells him.

[chaos_drifter]

“Is that why you love each other?” Or like. They have trouble telling the difference.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm smiles faintly.

"No. But it's one of the reasons we understand each other."

[chaos_drifter]

Avalon takes the bracelet from the cat and wraps it around the wrist opposite their beads. Pensive flashes across the bracelet’s panel, then fades.

Oh. Now they recognize it. “I see.”

[abrightboy]

"Forming a connection with someone always requires some level of understanding and trust. And the deeper the understanding, the more likely a stronger bond of friendship or love. If you and Shaw have a fundamental understanding of each other because of your shared struggle with emotions, maybe you could become close friends," Malcolm suggests. "Though sharing an experience isn't necessarily required for understanding."

[chaos_drifter]

They still find it odd that Rawne trusts them. They have not given him many reasons to do so. “That would be useful. It would give me more of a pattern so that I can recognize which thoughts or feelings are associated with friendship.”

[abrightboy]

“Then there’s your assignment. Reach out to her and let me know how it goes,” Malcolm tells him.

[chaos_drifter]

They nod. “I will.” They reach over to the kitten and and lift her into their bucket.

[abrightboy]

“Talk to you soon,” Malcolm tells them. “And if you need to talk in the meantime, feel free to call.”

[chaos_drifter]

“Thank you.” They scan the floor for any other objects. When they know that they have everything, they leave the room, carefully closing the door behind them.