[ Severus just sort of-- raises his hands and shrugs, before lowering his hands again and exhaling a sigh. ]
He's Tyke's darling, but even if he wasn't, he'd never listen to any discipline. He never has, he never will. The only way to make him stop is to put him in prison.
[ Or. Kill him. Ahah. ]
I'm tired of it. [ And how. ] But I don't know any method of sorting it that'd be effective.
[ Claire snorts, bitter. She can think of about a hundred solutions but none of them are practical or, strictly speaking, very moral. She rolls her eyes. ]
That's like the most corrupt thing I've heard. [ Not ever heard, but very probably the most corrupt thing she's heard this month. ] The head of security likes him so he not only gets a free pass to keep getting away with things, but also gets to be in the department. Yeah, okay, that continues to inspire faith.
[ Which isn't a solution, but the reality of it is that outside of given Sirius a black eye - not likely to make the situation better - Claire doesn't have any ideas. ]
You were with me when it happened anyway. Even if someone tried to construe it as you asking William to do something for you, he's still a person perfectly capable of making decisions on his own and could have just said, you know, no.
[ She glances once at the remaining bandages and the red of his eye and feels angry and a little hopeless all at the same time. It's all bullshit. ]
[ Severus gives her an odd look, and seems almost surprised. You were with me.
Even though they've progressed as much as they have, Severus is still not used to thinking of himself as anything but alone. It's just always been like that. These little things that happen, offhand phrases, touch him more than perhaps should be normal. He doesn't doubt her, it's just so unfamiliar still. ]
.. Thanks.
[ She's right. He knows, but it's still unfair and stupid and it'll end up a trainwreck, like everything does. ]
[ Claire blinks at him for a moment, almost as if she's not entirely understanding of what she's just heard let alone the context of it. Eventually her lips press together and thin her mouth out into a fine seam. ]
There are people here who care about you and who are going to stand up for you. Maybe sometimes in ways that you don't like or expect, but they'll just do it anyway because it's who and how they are. That's the way that it works. I know it's not what you're used to and kind of weird and, in this case, kind of ridiculous, but I hope that this more than anything helps you understand that not everyone is against you. [ She folds her hands together, lacing her fingers in the circle of her lap. ] If Tyke or anyone else in security tries to put this on your shoulders, they're going to have a lot of pissed off people to deal with.
[ That's probably the most that she's ever said about it, but she's careful not to find anything else to focus on other than his profile. It's how she feels, anyway, wrapped up and bundled in a stern but still heated tone, retroactively angry for all the damage that's already been done and for what might still be around the corner. Claire protects everyone that she knows and then some. It's an innate need, loud and sometimes obnoxious. ]
What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to say thanks. That's all.
[ It's borderline overwhelming, because he doesn't know how to accept it or what he's supposed to do or say. Severus doesn't have a lifetime to draw from of hugs from parents or teachers sorting out classroom fights. He's just had--
Lily.
Who Claire reminds him of so much sometimes.
He reaches out to take her folded hands in one of his, not bothering to try and articulate something. The look he shoots her is a little awkward and a little self-depreciating, trying to apologize for being an idiot about everything but trying to thank her, too. Severus can be so articulate sometimes, but when it comes to shit like this he's got no bloody clue. ]
[ She understands that more than she understands anything else about him. Maybe all the reasons and pieces don't line up in a cohesive pattern when she lays them flat and tries to lock them all together, but she doesn't need all the details to arrive at the conclusions that she has for a long time now. That he doesn't know how, entirely, to say what might be expected or just nice to hear in these scenarios doesn't matter. Claire expects to be thanked and expects him to apologize like she expects unprovoked cardiac arrest.
Both of her hands fold over the one of his that reaches out, thumb catching across a knuckle. It's a strange dichotomy sometimes, to know how acerbic and articulate he can be only to catch him in moments at a loss. If she thinks about it too much, it makes her sad to know that this is just a detour on the way back to a life that promises to be more of all the shitty things he's experienced here, with none of the injections of decency to break it up. It doesn't inspire pity or even sympathy, just a greater drive to make time worth experiencing more worthwhile, somehow. ]
That was pretty wild west of William, though. [ But there's a certain degree of fondness to be found there. ] Give me your other hand.
[ It's too difficult to comment on William, whom Severus feels torn in a dozen ways over. It was easier when he was only angry at him; Severus is good at being angry at people. He doesn't know what to do with this and doesn't want to think about it more right now.
So he gives her his other hand as requested, tangling fingers with hers. He's never experienced this sort of gentleness with anyone else. If someone is touching him it's to try and hit him. There were little exceptions, like Lucius catching him on the shoulder or back of his neck to lean in, but there was always something proprietary about it. Everything now is still a bit of a marvel. It might always be. ]
[ Expecting no comment in return, Claire spreads her fingers out on the opposite hand much the same way she had before. For now there might not be anything to say about William, despite her knowing exactly where she stands on his actions, and there might not be for a while, on Severus's end. Of course it's easier to just be mad at someone without stepping back to look at the scope of everything, but given the circumstances and the still healing radius of his eye and face, Claire doesn't prod it any further.
Rather, she bends her head and lets her knee push against his knee, and gets to work. ]
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no subject
He's Tyke's darling, but even if he wasn't, he'd never listen to any discipline. He never has, he never will. The only way to make him stop is to put him in prison.
[ Or. Kill him. Ahah. ]
I'm tired of it. [ And how. ] But I don't know any method of sorting it that'd be effective.
no subject
That's like the most corrupt thing I've heard. [ Not ever heard, but very probably the most corrupt thing she's heard this month. ] The head of security likes him so he not only gets a free pass to keep getting away with things, but also gets to be in the department. Yeah, okay, that continues to inspire faith.
[ Which isn't a solution, but the reality of it is that outside of given Sirius a black eye - not likely to make the situation better - Claire doesn't have any ideas. ]
You were with me when it happened anyway. Even if someone tried to construe it as you asking William to do something for you, he's still a person perfectly capable of making decisions on his own and could have just said, you know, no.
[ She glances once at the remaining bandages and the red of his eye and feels angry and a little hopeless all at the same time. It's all bullshit. ]
no subject
Even though they've progressed as much as they have, Severus is still not used to thinking of himself as anything but alone. It's just always been like that. These little things that happen, offhand phrases, touch him more than perhaps should be normal. He doesn't doubt her, it's just so unfamiliar still. ]
.. Thanks.
[ She's right. He knows, but it's still unfair and stupid and it'll end up a trainwreck, like everything does. ]
no subject
There are people here who care about you and who are going to stand up for you. Maybe sometimes in ways that you don't like or expect, but they'll just do it anyway because it's who and how they are. That's the way that it works. I know it's not what you're used to and kind of weird and, in this case, kind of ridiculous, but I hope that this more than anything helps you understand that not everyone is against you. [ She folds her hands together, lacing her fingers in the circle of her lap. ] If Tyke or anyone else in security tries to put this on your shoulders, they're going to have a lot of pissed off people to deal with.
[ That's probably the most that she's ever said about it, but she's careful not to find anything else to focus on other than his profile. It's how she feels, anyway, wrapped up and bundled in a stern but still heated tone, retroactively angry for all the damage that's already been done and for what might still be around the corner. Claire protects everyone that she knows and then some. It's an innate need, loud and sometimes obnoxious. ]
What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to say thanks. That's all.
no subject
Lily.
Who Claire reminds him of so much sometimes.
He reaches out to take her folded hands in one of his, not bothering to try and articulate something. The look he shoots her is a little awkward and a little self-depreciating, trying to apologize for being an idiot about everything but trying to thank her, too. Severus can be so articulate sometimes, but when it comes to shit like this he's got no bloody clue. ]
no subject
Both of her hands fold over the one of his that reaches out, thumb catching across a knuckle. It's a strange dichotomy sometimes, to know how acerbic and articulate he can be only to catch him in moments at a loss. If she thinks about it too much, it makes her sad to know that this is just a detour on the way back to a life that promises to be more of all the shitty things he's experienced here, with none of the injections of decency to break it up. It doesn't inspire pity or even sympathy, just a greater drive to make time worth experiencing more worthwhile, somehow. ]
That was pretty wild west of William, though. [ But there's a certain degree of fondness to be found there. ] Give me your other hand.
no subject
So he gives her his other hand as requested, tangling fingers with hers. He's never experienced this sort of gentleness with anyone else. If someone is touching him it's to try and hit him. There were little exceptions, like Lucius catching him on the shoulder or back of his neck to lean in, but there was always something proprietary about it. Everything now is still a bit of a marvel. It might always be. ]
no subject
Rather, she bends her head and lets her knee push against his knee, and gets to work. ]