[She's been mostly out since she was brought back to the Barge. She's had moments of fitfulness, which were caused by pain and vivid nightmares. But now the worst, as they say, was over. She was fully awake at last, but she wasn't getting out of the infirmary any time soon.]
[It's nearly a full day before Iris can make herself stop avoiding Rogue; when she does, it's almost by stealth. Iris is normally someone you can see coming a long way off, but she's so shut down and subdued right now she could almost be mistaken for someone else. She pulls a chair up to sit by Rogue's bedside, and says nothing for a long moment; then she looks up.]
[Rogue could tell when she was being avoided, and figured Iris would come by when she was up to it. And from the way the other woman looks, she didn't seem up to doing this quite yet anyway. Poor Iris.]
Ah know. It's not yer fault. [Rogue reaches out and lays her hand over Iris'. It didn't matter that she was one of the many Creed had put in the Infirmary, Iris had suffered just as much.]
[Iris flinches; being told that is salt in a wound, wellmeant or not. She squeezes Rogue's hand and the reserves of walled-up guilt and rage writhe briefly in her mind; then she slams the gate back down hard and she's quiet again, once more vague, glassy and diminished.]
That's probably true. It were still me responsibility and I still failed it. Asking 'ow you're doing's a daft question. What can I do, love? 'Ow can I 'elp?
[There was little sense in telling Iris not to beat herself up, not to feel responsible, because if their situations were reversed, Rogue knew she'd feel the same way. Sometimes things happened and no matter how much people forgive you, it just makes you feel worse.]
Once Ah'm up an' runnin' again, gimme fifteen minutes with him. [She's absolutely calm and even when she says it. There's certainly rage and fear inside her where Creed was concerned, but the only way that wouldn't get worse was if she got on an even keel with him.] Maybe twenty.
[From anyone else, that would have just been annoying; but she owes Rogue. So Iris listens, her eyes growing alertly thoughtful.]
...All right.
[It's deliberate, getting her acquiescence out before the question.]
What d'you want to do to 'im? No, I'll rephrase that, 'cause what I want's to pitch 'im into a sun right now and I'm not doin' that either. What are you going to do?
Just even up the scales between us. If Ah don't, he could take it as an admission of weakness. [And that would be bad.] He'll walk away from it.
[And it wasn't just to get even. It had a lot to do with being able to put it behind her, to heal mentally after what he'd done to her. To remind herself that she was strong and capable of handling him when he came at her.]
One of the things I'm trying to do 'ere is to change the ideas 'e's got about 'ow people work. 'E's built up this... myth around what strength and power actually are, and what 'is place in the universe is. I'm not going to get anywhere without 'e 'as a major paradigm shift.
On the other 'and, I also told 'im I wouldn't shield 'im from the consequences of 'is choices, and this definitely counts.
[Rogue doesn't mention the other reason, and Iris doesn't acknowledge it, but she's aware of it all right; it's the largest reason why she's backing this.]
Baby steps, darlin'. It'd be a lot easier t'tweak his perpective than try ta change it completely. [Rome wasn't built in a day and all that. And heck, here she was, the one person who really knew Creed, had said he was a lost cause, who was fresh from being tortured by him, and she was offering Iris the benefit of the doubt about him.]
Oh aye, it's not going to be quick; not this one. In some ways, this port's done us some good. It's...
[She realises what she's just said and gives Rogue a brief, shamefaced glance.]
...I'm sorry. I know. I just meant ...'e threw the worst 'e could at us, with all the circumstances tilted in 'is favour, and none of us 'ave given up. It might sink in better this way.
[She hated that shamed look on Iris' face. She frowned and sighed.]
Darlin', it wasn't anythin' that could be helped. And Ah've been worse off, Ah promise. [Not comforting, Rogue.] Just let me give him a proverbial smack on the nose with a metaphorical newspaper, and Ah'll be right as rain, and able ta do whatever ya need ta fix his sorry hide.
Must remember to ask 'er sometime. So 'e's got all this 'istory with a bunch of folk, but only on one side. I tell you, for a straightforward gobshite like Victor, 'e's not 'alf got a knack for makin' shit complicated. Arsehole.
[She's still looking tired and diminished, but pulling the conversation into the practical raises her spirits visibly.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
chiming
no subject
Date: 2013-08-29 10:42 pm (UTC)From:I'm sorry. I tried. I did.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-30 07:49 am (UTC)From:Ah know. It's not yer fault. [Rogue reaches out and lays her hand over Iris'. It didn't matter that she was one of the many Creed had put in the Infirmary, Iris had suffered just as much.]
no subject
Date: 2013-08-30 06:18 pm (UTC)From:That's probably true. It were still me responsibility and I still failed it. Asking 'ow you're doing's a daft question. What can I do, love? 'Ow can I 'elp?
no subject
Date: 2013-09-01 08:04 pm (UTC)From:Once Ah'm up an' runnin' again, gimme fifteen minutes with him. [She's absolutely calm and even when she says it. There's certainly rage and fear inside her where Creed was concerned, but the only way that wouldn't get worse was if she got on an even keel with him.] Maybe twenty.
no subject
Date: 2013-09-01 08:12 pm (UTC)From:...All right.
[It's deliberate, getting her acquiescence out before the question.]
What d'you want to do to 'im? No, I'll rephrase that, 'cause what I want's to pitch 'im into a sun right now and I'm not doin' that either. What are you going to do?
no subject
Date: 2013-09-01 08:36 pm (UTC)From:[And it wasn't just to get even. It had a lot to do with being able to put it behind her, to heal mentally after what he'd done to her. To remind herself that she was strong and capable of handling him when he came at her.]
no subject
Date: 2013-09-01 08:46 pm (UTC)From:One of the things I'm trying to do 'ere is to change the ideas 'e's got about 'ow people work. 'E's built up this... myth around what strength and power actually are, and what 'is place in the universe is. I'm not going to get anywhere without 'e 'as a major paradigm shift.
On the other 'and, I also told 'im I wouldn't shield 'im from the consequences of 'is choices, and this definitely counts.
[Rogue doesn't mention the other reason, and Iris doesn't acknowledge it, but she's aware of it all right; it's the largest reason why she's backing this.]
no subject
Date: 2013-09-01 09:20 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-09-01 09:26 pm (UTC)From:[She realises what she's just said and gives Rogue a brief, shamefaced glance.]
...I'm sorry. I know. I just meant ...'e threw the worst 'e could at us, with all the circumstances tilted in 'is favour, and none of us 'ave given up. It might sink in better this way.
no subject
Date: 2013-09-01 09:34 pm (UTC)From:Darlin', it wasn't anythin' that could be helped. And Ah've been worse off, Ah promise. [Not comforting, Rogue.] Just let me give him a proverbial smack on the nose with a metaphorical newspaper, and Ah'll be right as rain, and able ta do whatever ya need ta fix his sorry hide.
no subject
Date: 2013-09-01 09:58 pm (UTC)From:I knew there were a reason I liked you. Thank you, love.
[And time for a subject change, with Iris' patented innocent expression - which isn't very.]
'Ey, I hear Erik were rather spectacular.
no subject
Date: 2013-09-02 12:38 am (UTC)From:Channeled the lightnin' right down on Creed's head. [Yeah, Rogue was pretty impressed, and rather proud of Erik.]
no subject
Date: 2013-09-12 02:14 pm (UTC)From:[Forgive her, your universe is confusing as hell.]
no subject
Date: 2013-09-12 02:28 pm (UTC)From:[Yeah, trying living in it sometime, Iris.]
no subject
Date: 2013-09-13 08:18 am (UTC)From:[She's still looking tired and diminished, but pulling the conversation into the practical raises her spirits visibly.]