It could have been so much worse, taking a direct hit from the kind of
force Scott can muster. Especially when he's the opposite of Tris, exposed
to more of his power source out here on the Barge rather than less. She's
grateful no one had to request Erskine's revival.
"You weren't affected by the flood, were you?" Tris asks, eyeing him
shrewdly. "Did you bait him by being your impressively exasperating
self?" One thing about Erskine that's always impressive!
If the direct hit had gone through, someone would have had to request his arrival. But while the protection he'd thrown up to dissipate the force somewhat hadn't prevented the momentum from slamming him against the door, it had stopped him from being disintegrated by the force of the attack.
He cracks an eye open, giving her a look of hurt innocence, helped by the bruising. "I don't go around making deals with cats and I'm apparently unaffected by whatever the...other part of the flood was." He drops the look, suppressing the urge to sigh. "I was the same as normal, since we've known each other for going on two years, I doubt it was that."
"Good. No cats or other magical entities, please. We've both had quite
enough of deals this year."
She tilts her head and studies Erskine for a moment. "Scott was affected,"
she says, slowly and evenly. "Which means that, as the person who should
have been thinking straight, you could have chosen to be a little
less frustrating until he regained control."
"I don't think I made any deals this year. Last year, maybe but this year I kept my New Year's Resolution. Probably."
He cracks an eye open to give her a hurt look. "First, I would point out that I didn't know he was affected when I was first there. Second, I feel is a harsh interpretation, going around blaming the victim because someone was being messed with."
He has a good memory, and a very long one; cracking his head against the door isn't useful for figuring out exact timelines. "Sounds good, I always feel that you have to maintain a New Year's Resolution to really count it."
He smiles slightly. "I suspect it might not be reassuring to point out that this was me being careful and exercising self-preservation."
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It could have been so much worse, taking a direct hit from the kind of force Scott can muster. Especially when he's the opposite of Tris, exposed to more of his power source out here on the Barge rather than less. She's grateful no one had to request Erskine's revival.
"You weren't affected by the flood, were you?" Tris asks, eyeing him shrewdly. "Did you bait him by being your impressively exasperating self?" One thing about Erskine that's always impressive!
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He cracks an eye open, giving her a look of hurt innocence, helped by the bruising. "I don't go around making deals with cats and I'm apparently unaffected by whatever the...other part of the flood was." He drops the look, suppressing the urge to sigh. "I was the same as normal, since we've known each other for going on two years, I doubt it was that."
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"Good. No cats or other magical entities, please. We've both had quite enough of deals this year."
She tilts her head and studies Erskine for a moment. "Scott was affected," she says, slowly and evenly. "Which means that, as the person who should have been thinking straight, you could have chosen to be a little less frustrating until he regained control."
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He cracks an eye open to give her a hurt look. "First, I would point out that I didn't know he was affected when I was first there. Second, I feel is a harsh interpretation, going around blaming the victim because someone was being messed with."
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"Let's continue the trend into the new year." She doesn't address the 'probably,' though she does eye him shrewdly when he says it.
"I don't consider it your fault. Or Scott's, for that matter. I just wish you'd be careful and exercise slightly more self preservation, that's all."
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He smiles slightly. "I suspect it might not be reassuring to point out that this was me being careful and exercising self-preservation."
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"How so?" Go ahead, Erskine, Tris will listen to your reasoning.
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