Deerington Inbox

[survivalthroughhate]

"This is Maul. State your business."

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[survivalthroughhate]

Well, first off, take a big breath in, hold it, and only breathe out through your mouth when you feel you can't hold it in anymore.

[If nothing else, at least this will give Maul a chance to get a word in edgewise with the rapid-fire talking.]

I'm pleased you've decided to pursue this path. [Because getting his claws into another teen in Deerington is always gonna be a good idea.] But I must ask what happened to get you to this point? You sound like you're in a great deal of distress.

[clussy]

(For once, Eddie actually listens to Maul immediately. It might be the most obvious suggestion to how deep his current problem actually went. He isn’t great at it, there is some embarrassing stuttering of breath on his end, but he is doing his best to try. Eventually it pays off and when he speaks, it is slower. He still sounds woefully miserable though.)

Richie and I got trapped in his headspace but we could like feel and see what each other were thinking. I tried really hard to keep myself from being too transparent but...dude, it was awful. I thought I was gonna to cry. (There is a very real break in his voice and there it is: Eddie was completely vulnerable to Maul right now. Absolutely exposed about the one thing he cared about most in the universe.)

I just- I can’t fucking lose him again just because my head won’t shut up ever.

[survivalthroughhate]

[Yep, Maul catches the fact that Eddie actually obeys him without any sass instantly. Oh shit. This must be more serious than he initially thought.

He can't even find it in himself to mock the kid or make fun of what had happened to him. Maul might be new to the concept of romantic love, but love itself in any form? He knows all too well how much that can hurt.]

I wasn't even aware he'd come back, though I did have my suspicions...

[Who else would have put the username "trashmouth" as their network ID?]

Yes, I can see why that would be great motivation for you to want to learn to control your mind. Everyone thinks being able to read minds all the time is a gift but it can prove to be a hindrance some of the time. Alright, I'll teach you what I can.

[clussy]

Yeah...He came back only just like two months ago just about. (Eddie sighs quietly.) And he doesn't remember ever being here before. He's from some other world kind of like Deerington where a bunch of people from different universes was pulled in.

(Which meant that Richie didn't remember anything about them or any of the progress they had made. Or not made.)

Ugh. I've never thought that stuff sounded like a gift before. I hate having to listen to my own thoughts. Listening to other people's would be even worse.

Thank you. (And there it is, a touch of real appreciation.) It's not like I didn't want to learn before. It's just a lot to unpack and I honestly hate that I've got all this stuff going on. I don't want to annoy anyone with it. I mean more than I already do. Believe it or not, I used to be waaay more obnoxious.

[survivalthroughhate]

You two will be fine as I've already told you. For one, you two have no else who you would get along with, so you're stuck with each other for ill or for better. And for another, you also balance each other out well. If I can find someone, you'll do just fine.

[Maul apparently still had just a touch of that optimism high that he'd gotten hooking up with Reaper. If he ever actually slept with the man, all of Deerington was going to know about it, because it was going to take a week to get the smile off Maul's face.]

It can be a gift or curse depending on how one looks at it. Being able to read people has given me a good insight into how the mind of sentient beings work, but it can be a terrible thing to read all the time.

[No wonder Maul got so testy with people, given what he could sense in their heads. His voice actually has a tone that could almost be called kind to it when he speaks next.]

Eddie, if I didn't want you around or had no patience to offer you, you can be certain I would have already made that perfectly clear. I'm not one to spare the feelings of others purely to make them feel better.

[Maul was a terrible liar to begin with. Better to be bluntly honest with people and let the truth hurt far worse than a lie ever could.]

[clussy]

Yeah, I guess you're right...(There really was no one else better for him than Richie, and Eddie knew that. It had been confirmed several times over the past four years one way or another. Still, he wished sometimes it would be a little easier.

Maybe if someone just spoke up it would be, but when has Eddie ever taken the easy road.

Eddie wasn't much better. Not that he was ready to sleep with Richie or would be for a while, but if they wound up dating? He'd be just as obnoxious as Maul. Romance was infectious.)

I think I'd go batshit. I mean, like, more than I already am.

(He already felt paranoid about what people thought about him.

Hearing that Maul actually ...cared to have him around? Eddie softens, his shoulders slumping down with silent relief. He was nervous about his connections to people his own age let alone adults. Adults rarely liked kids hanging around, and he knew Maul was right. It's Maul. In some ways, his cold bluntness made for better company purely because Maul was right - it probably would be obvious if he wanted nothing to do with Eddie.)

Well, all right, when you put it like that it sounds obvious. Thanks, Maul. (That 'thanks' definitely sounded like he was thanking him for more than just the reassurance.)

[survivalthroughhate]

If you've ever wondered why I have such a deep contempt and anger for people, that's one reason right there. Knowing what they think all the time grows very tiresome.

[People never had the best intentions all the time and so Maul had grown world-weary reading what they really thought of those around them all the time at an early age. To truly know what people's opinions of him was certainly had helped cement his mindset into become a bitter and angry person.

It's a shame this is on audio because Eddie misses the rarest of rare sights: Maul smiling in a non-threatening and almost sweet manner.]

Anytime. Now just let me know when you have time to come over and I'll show you what I can to help your mind.