![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[The day after this.]
Early in the morning, Colin asked Detlef to meet him at the bakery in the evening. That time has approached, and Colin has just finished most of his evening routine--eating supper, cleaning dishes, cleaning the bakery, cleaning himself--and is in the process of lighting the candles when Detlef arrives. He gives a quick glance to confirm it's him.
"Thank you for coming," he sighs.
Early in the morning, Colin asked Detlef to meet him at the bakery in the evening. That time has approached, and Colin has just finished most of his evening routine--eating supper, cleaning dishes, cleaning the bakery, cleaning himself--and is in the process of lighting the candles when Detlef arrives. He gives a quick glance to confirm it's him.
"Thank you for coming," he sighs.
"Of course," he says brightly, straightening his jacket and closing the door behind him.
"Is everything all right? Did you want to practice anything in particular?" They're clearly alone here, unless someone is hiding in a corner. And if someone is, then they can play it off like he's practicing breads.
"Is everything all right? Did you want to practice anything in particular?" They're clearly alone here, unless someone is hiding in a corner. And if someone is, then they can play it off like he's practicing breads.
Detlef strikes the sexy pose and it gets a smile out of Colin. He needed that smile. And the temptation to play along and take this in a whole other direction is...there. But this has to be done. He holds out a piece of paper and a pen.
"Sitting up, I'm afraid," he says apologetically. "I have to sit behind you. Back to back."
"Sitting up, I'm afraid," he says apologetically. "I have to sit behind you. Back to back."
At least Colin's smiling again. It had looked fairly dour there for a few moments. Detlef sits up and stretches a little, giving Colin a very curious look.
"So what are we doing? Trust exercises? Drawing cats from memory? I'm going to have to keep asking and doing things that are more ridiculous each time until you fill me in."
"So what are we doing? Trust exercises? Drawing cats from memory? I'm going to have to keep asking and doing things that are more ridiculous each time until you fill me in."
Colin maneuvers to sit behind Detlef with his own paper and pen. He takes a deep breath.
"All right. I need you to think of ten things about yourself that I don't know. Some of them must be lies and some must be true. For everything you say, write down whether it's true or false, and keep the list in order. And just write T or L--each has only two pen strokes. And no outrageous lies. Keep everything believable. Or, you can tell truths that sound like lies, but not lies that sound like lies. And don't give any hints."
"All right. I need you to think of ten things about yourself that I don't know. Some of them must be lies and some must be true. For everything you say, write down whether it's true or false, and keep the list in order. And just write T or L--each has only two pen strokes. And no outrageous lies. Keep everything believable. Or, you can tell truths that sound like lies, but not lies that sound like lies. And don't give any hints."
He swallows, a spike of fear hitting for a moment before he remembers who this is. It's Colin. He's not being questioned by a Shepherd, and it's not like his parental units have suddenly shown up. Detlef takes a breath.
"My littlest sister's name is Leonie, and the other is Maja. My favorite color is pale blue." That's one truth and two lies so far, Leonie and Nele were his sisters, and he loves very dark blue... though it's a little possible Colin knows about the color.
"Um. I need new boots." Two truths, and he continues until he's at six truths and four lies.
"My littlest sister's name is Leonie, and the other is Maja. My favorite color is pale blue." That's one truth and two lies so far, Leonie and Nele were his sisters, and he loves very dark blue... though it's a little possible Colin knows about the color.
"Um. I need new boots." Two truths, and he continues until he's at six truths and four lies.
Colin focuses more on what he's feeling from Detlef than on what Detlef is actually saying as he writes down what he thinks the answers are. When they are done, Colin releases a breath.
"All right. I've written down what I think the answers are. I couldn't see what you were writing. So..."
He turns around and sits by Detlef, setting their papers side by side. Every single answer matches Detlef's.
"All right. I've written down what I think the answers are. I couldn't see what you were writing. So..."
He turns around and sits by Detlef, setting their papers side by side. Every single answer matches Detlef's.
It breaks the tension again, and Colin laughs. He needed that laugh, too.
"I...I've always been good at telling when people lie. I've always been good at telling what people are feeling even when they're hiding it. Last night, with Farogil? The way he felt was so strong, and I wasn't even looking at him when it hit me. I...
"Maybe I've been using the Vice for years, without even knowing it."
"I...I've always been good at telling when people lie. I've always been good at telling what people are feeling even when they're hiding it. Last night, with Farogil? The way he felt was so strong, and I wasn't even looking at him when it hit me. I...
"Maybe I've been using the Vice for years, without even knowing it."
He gives Colin a half-smile in return.
"You can feel feelings." Colin doing that isn't a worry. The shepherds, though? He's quiet for a few moments before he realizes Colin may be able to feel his rising stress and he'd like that to not be misinterpreted. "Not everyone is born with the Vice, but the Shepherds say they are. Which means that either the Shepherds believe it and have it, or the Shepherds are lying, but if they have it and can feel what people are feeling..."
He exhales, trying to get his worry under control.
"You can feel feelings." Colin doing that isn't a worry. The shepherds, though? He's quiet for a few moments before he realizes Colin may be able to feel his rising stress and he'd like that to not be misinterpreted. "Not everyone is born with the Vice, but the Shepherds say they are. Which means that either the Shepherds believe it and have it, or the Shepherds are lying, but if they have it and can feel what people are feeling..."
He exhales, trying to get his worry under control.
It's an unsettling thought, but Colin reaches out to squeeze Detlef's hand and give him a smile.
"If they could, they'd have caught me. My whole life is a lie. And if they had people who could do that, they'd put one in every team. Claim it's the blessing of the gods or something that makes it different from the Vice. We'd definitely have heard about it, since it would have made people more afraid of them and less likely to use the Vice. You...you can't feel my feelings, can you?"
"If they could, they'd have caught me. My whole life is a lie. And if they had people who could do that, they'd put one in every team. Claim it's the blessing of the gods or something that makes it different from the Vice. We'd definitely have heard about it, since it would have made people more afraid of them and less likely to use the Vice. You...you can't feel my feelings, can you?"
Edited 2019-08-19 01:10 (UTC)
And probably the Shepherds that had killed the man a few weeks back would have caught him, if they could do that. Detlef closes his eyes and gets his fear back under control as he shakes his head.
"No. I've just got... what I'd think anyone has, intuition and expression and voice. Hunches, but I couldn't do what you just did if you lied and told the truth to me."
"No. I've just got... what I'd think anyone has, intuition and expression and voice. Hunches, but I couldn't do what you just did if you lied and told the truth to me."
Edited 2019-08-19 01:13 (UTC)
"I didn't really know I could do it until last night. What we just did, I...wasn't sure if I could do it then. I needed to be sure."
He sighs heavily. "So. Not everyone who uses the Vice can do it. It's just another difference in our powers. And it makes sense. I hate crowds, you love them. We get different things off large groups of people."
He sighs heavily. "So. Not everyone who uses the Vice can do it. It's just another difference in our powers. And it makes sense. I hate crowds, you love them. We get different things off large groups of people."
"Mm, do I," he says, teasing and innuendo coming easily despite the revelation of that particular ability leaving him a little shaken. It's safe to be the flirt. And the jester.
"Company, crowds; people are fun." He could do without being read, but he's assuming that Colin's not doing it deliberately. "Are there times when you feel less clear on what someone's feeling? Around certain things or time of day?"
"Company, crowds; people are fun." He could do without being read, but he's assuming that Colin's not doing it deliberately. "Are there times when you feel less clear on what someone's feeling? Around certain things or time of day?"
"I wondered that." Colin shifts so his legs are folded and his elbows rest on his knees. "If I'm tired, it's less clear. And it seems like it wasn't as strong in the early morning, till the moon came up. But something was...I went to get water, around noon? And it was stronger on the trip home than on the trip there."
He shifts as well so he can sit back-to-back with Colin again, mostly so he can use him as a backrest. It's comfy.
"So... water, or daylight, or both, make it stronger?" Detlef pushes himself to his feet, keeping his thoughts neutral as he goes over to the counter. Kittens. He's thinking about kittens and kittens only as he fills a cup from a pitcher of water and brings it back over, to hold it over Colin's head while grinning. "Want to test it?"
"So... water, or daylight, or both, make it stronger?" Detlef pushes himself to his feet, keeping his thoughts neutral as he goes over to the counter. Kittens. He's thinking about kittens and kittens only as he fills a cup from a pitcher of water and brings it back over, to hold it over Colin's head while grinning. "Want to test it?"
"Last night, it was really strong, while the moon was still--"
Oh. Now Detlef is threatening him with a pitcher of water. Colin has to suppress a smile, because despite his dour mood over this and his desire not to be soaked in his own home, Detlef is so damn charming about it.
"Don't you dare."
Oh. Now Detlef is threatening him with a pitcher of water. Colin has to suppress a smile, because despite his dour mood over this and his desire not to be soaked in his own home, Detlef is so damn charming about it.
"Don't you dare."
Edited 2019-08-19 03:57 (UTC)
He sets down the pitcher and kneels next to Colin before wrapping his arms around his friend.
"Because you're Colin. Someone I've known for years. Is it nerve-wracking to know that someone can do that? Yes. I don't like people knowing what I'm thinking. But you're not people, you're Colin, and the worst you're going to do is foist burnt bread on me and make me feel guilty if I don't take it."
"Because you're Colin. Someone I've known for years. Is it nerve-wracking to know that someone can do that? Yes. I don't like people knowing what I'm thinking. But you're not people, you're Colin, and the worst you're going to do is foist burnt bread on me and make me feel guilty if I don't take it."
Colin's arms go around Detlef tightly, tears coming to his eyes. How is it that he is more afraid of this than his friend is? The places he could go with this, the intrusiveness, his own lack of control over it, it's all too much. But then something Detlef says provokes an automatic response.
"I'd never make you eat burnt bread," he says, and suddenly gives a breathy chuckle. It's such a lame thing to say, and more than that, it might prove Detlef's point.
"I'd never make you eat burnt bread," he says, and suddenly gives a breathy chuckle. It's such a lame thing to say, and more than that, it might prove Detlef's point.
Detlef snorts.
"You'd better not, or I'd have to train the horses to drop you on your ass whenever you got on." He shifts backward a little, hands still resting on Colin's shoulders. "Breathe. And ten we should see what makes the ability stronger or weaker so we can be prepared against any malevolent sorts who have it."
"You'd better not, or I'd have to train the horses to drop you on your ass whenever you got on." He shifts backward a little, hands still resting on Colin's shoulders. "Breathe. And ten we should see what makes the ability stronger or weaker so we can be prepared against any malevolent sorts who have it."
Colin wipes tears away with the heel of his hand and obediently takes a deep breath, the knot of fear in his stomach much eased. He nods.
"You're right. But not by making a river in my bakery." He gives a nod in the general direction of the city gates. "Not when there's already one outside."
"You're right. But not by making a river in my bakery." He gives a nod in the general direction of the city gates. "Not when there's already one outside."
Page 1 of 3