[ Aha, he thinks he knows what this is about now. Ford (tells himself that he) doesn't really care about what's up with Ozpin, but Willow is a compassionate young woman and he sees a lot of his own tendencies in her. His tone takes on a gentler note as he continues. ]
I'm sure any Vileblood that wants to can manage it, but it isn't something you can manage for them. Not anymore than you can stop Ruby from leaving ice cubes everywhere she goes, or I can stop Dipper from getting prophetic visions.
[ Willow's joke is a relief, and prompts Ford to add: ]
We barely even need the freezer anymore with Stanley around.
[ But, back to the actually serious matter at hand. Helping Ozpin is something Ford doesn't really care about (he continues to tell himself, despite the evidence to the contrary) but Willow? Willow he wants to do right by, and so the decision is easy. ]
I'll send you the notes I have so far. They aren't much, but hopefully it can get you started.
[ The next question is a little bit of a surprise, but he sees no reason to say no, and thus: ]
[Ford gets a breath of laughter for the joke before she moves on.]
Thanks. That should help a lot - at least give us a starting point. And I'll share anything we should find with you, of course. In case you need it some day too.
[Ford is probably the only person in Trench who has seen Willow both at her absolute best and her very worst, which makes it far easier to trust his opinion on this. She takes a deep breath. Best to give him the whole story, probably.]
Vampires are demons in my world. So, basically they can turn people, and take over their body, and their memories, but the person that was there before is just... gone. They don't always - I mean, a lot of the time, they just kill, and it's a pretty common thing.
Anyway. There's also a Slayer - she's got mystical powers specifically for fighting supernatural evil. Back home, she's one of my best friends - I've been helping her for years, which is how I got into magic in the first place. Actually, the first spell I ever did was to put the soul back in that vampire I told you about earlier. It was the people close to my friend he was going after.
So, when I found out about Ozpin, all the instincts from home kicked in, and I did what I thought I had to to protect everyone. He's been lying, he's been drinking from Sleepers, he's even been staring at some of the other people who live with us - that's maybe going down a path to some really bad places really fast. I told him to stay away until we could get things figured out, and got Tara to cast that spell I told you about to keep him from coming back in uninvited.
Away from it a little bit, I'm kind of starting to think maybe I overreacted a little. I'd kind of like the opinion of someone I know I can trust, who isn't... you know. Quite so close to it all.
[ A lot of this is concerning news, of course, but not so concerning that Ford isn't taking careful, extensive notes about everything Willow tells him. Vampires are one of those things he's realized are a sort of multiversal constant. Nearly every civilization he's come across has some sort of vampire-like creature. Cataloguing the differences is always interesting, particularly when the true mechanics are different from what he's familiar with, even if they seem the same on the surface.
The news about Ozpin, though... that's troubling, to say the least. Deeply troubling, and it's something Ford feels like he may bear at least some responsibility before. He saw Ozpin attack that zealot, after all. Maybe he should have expected that the situation wouldn't just solve itself, that Ozpin couldn't be expected to just go home and immediately be fine. It's something he needs to address, and something he will address. ]
[Willow pauses. She's not sure what sort of reaction she was expecting, but this wasn't quite it. She's just going to let him have his moment, though. It's fine.]
Uhh, yeah. It worked too. He tried to come back, and couldn't cross the threshold - it looked kind of like walking right into an invisible wall.
[ At this point Ford actually disconnects the voice feed for a moment. Laughing is extremely inappropriate when Willow is coming to him for help.
But Ford is a horribly petty person and he hasn't had the chance to laugh about anything relating to Oz lately. So he's going to take a moment to basically just giggle to himself over the situation and resulting mental image before he finally returns to answer Willow's question. ]
[ When he does finally return he clears his throat and manages to maintain a serious tone - mostly because the more he speaks, the more he realizes how much of himself he's putting on the table with this response. ]
I can't blame you for being cautious given your experience but I wasn't exaggerating when I said that being a vampire isn't the most dangerous thing about Ozpin. Do what you think you need to. Just...
[Ford's validation is appreciated probably more than he realizes in light of how things have gone at home with everything happening, but she's going to set that aside for a minute. The reminder that suppressing Ozpin's vampiric traits won't change who he is, though, is heartbreaking, even with what little she knows of the situation.
She knows he likely doesn't want sympathy, especially from a much younger friend, but it's impossible to not apologize for making him dredge up the past.]
I know. I'm sorry, Ford. This is all probably bringing up a lot of old memories. I appreciate your help, though, for what it's worth. Really. Thank you.
Honestly, things are rough right now, but it'll be okay. You don't have to worry about me.
[She absolutely does feel like she has to fix the situation, especially since she feels like she's made it about a thousand times worse. She's not even going to try to hide it.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cryptograms) wrote2021-09-04 07:34 pm
no subject
I'm sure any Vileblood that wants to can manage it, but it isn't something you can manage for them. Not anymore than you can stop Ruby from leaving ice cubes everywhere she goes, or I can stop Dipper from getting prophetic visions.
no subject
I'm sure there's going to come a time when we're glad to have our own portable icemaker in the house.
[She goes back to being serious again, but with a cooler head, she is starting to think that maybe she overreacted a little.]
But even if he has to do the tough part, maybe I can at least find him the instruction manual.
[She pauses for a moment, in thought.]
Hey. Um. Can I get your opinion on something? Judgement free zone?
no subject
We barely even need the freezer anymore with Stanley around.
[ But, back to the actually serious matter at hand. Helping Ozpin is something Ford doesn't really care about (he continues to tell himself, despite the evidence to the contrary) but Willow? Willow he wants to do right by, and so the decision is easy. ]
I'll send you the notes I have so far. They aren't much, but hopefully it can get you started.
[ The next question is a little bit of a surprise, but he sees no reason to say no, and thus: ]
Of course. What is it?
no subject
Thanks. That should help a lot - at least give us a starting point. And I'll share anything we should find with you, of course. In case you need it some day too.
[Ford is probably the only person in Trench who has seen Willow both at her absolute best and her very worst, which makes it far easier to trust his opinion on this. She takes a deep breath. Best to give him the whole story, probably.]
Vampires are demons in my world. So, basically they can turn people, and take over their body, and their memories, but the person that was there before is just... gone. They don't always - I mean, a lot of the time, they just kill, and it's a pretty common thing.
Anyway. There's also a Slayer - she's got mystical powers specifically for fighting supernatural evil. Back home, she's one of my best friends - I've been helping her for years, which is how I got into magic in the first place. Actually, the first spell I ever did was to put the soul back in that vampire I told you about earlier. It was the people close to my friend he was going after.
So, when I found out about Ozpin, all the instincts from home kicked in, and I did what I thought I had to to protect everyone. He's been lying, he's been drinking from Sleepers, he's even been staring at some of the other people who live with us - that's maybe going down a path to some really bad places really fast. I told him to stay away until we could get things figured out, and got Tara to cast that spell I told you about to keep him from coming back in uninvited.
Away from it a little bit, I'm kind of starting to think maybe I overreacted a little. I'd kind of like the opinion of someone I know I can trust, who isn't... you know. Quite so close to it all.
1/2
The news about Ozpin, though... that's troubling, to say the least. Deeply troubling, and it's something Ford feels like he may bear at least some responsibility before. He saw Ozpin attack that zealot, after all. Maybe he should have expected that the situation wouldn't just solve itself, that Ozpin couldn't be expected to just go home and immediately be fine. It's something he needs to address, and something he will address. ]
no subject
Did you really banish him from his own house?
no subject
Uhh, yeah. It worked too. He tried to come back, and couldn't cross the threshold - it looked kind of like walking right into an invisible wall.
1/2
But Ford is a horribly petty person and he hasn't had the chance to laugh about anything relating to Oz lately. So he's going to take a moment to basically just giggle to himself over the situation and resulting mental image before he finally returns to answer Willow's question. ]
2/3 i lied
I can't blame you for being cautious given your experience but I wasn't exaggerating when I said that being a vampire isn't the most dangerous thing about Ozpin. Do what you think you need to. Just...
no subject
... Just don't expect that suppressing any vampiric traits will fundamentally change who he is as a person.
If he decides he wants to hurt someone, he will.
no subject
She knows he likely doesn't want sympathy, especially from a much younger friend, but it's impossible to not apologize for making him dredge up the past.]
I know. I'm sorry, Ford. This is all probably bringing up a lot of old memories. I appreciate your help, though, for what it's worth. Really. Thank you.
no subject
[ His slightly tired but still steady tone might even make it sound like that's true. ]
I'm more worried about you. Don't think you have to fix the situation just because you might be able to.
[ Even Ford knows how hypocritical that probably sounds coming from him - but even so, he feels like it has to be said. ]
no subject
[She absolutely does feel like she has to fix the situation, especially since she feels like she's made it about a thousand times worse. She's not even going to try to hide it.]
This is pretty much another Tuesday in Sunnydale.
no subject
Alright.
Take care of yourself, Willow - and contact me if there's anything else you need assistance with.
no subject
[There's warmth in her tone as she answers. Ford's concern is appreciated, of course, but she appreciates his acceptance even more.]
That goes for you too - and I'll send back anything useful I find. Maybe it'll help Mabel some day.