[It isn't that long until Marco gets here. Fiddleford may have wanted to provide comfort - and Marco may have very much welcomed it - but they both knew he'd be back here sooner or later, and as long as he's concerned about the people here, he might as well see to them without much delay.
He returns Abbacchio's greeting with a stretched approximation of a smile; it's only when the man approaches him that his expression softens to something more natural, more apologetic.]
I recover quickly. [Perks of being a priest, and of being sufficiently accustomed to feeding. Nothing Abbacchio would care to hear about, he's sure.] I... guess I could say the same about this place.
[ Abbacchio isn't the only one here, and there have definitely been some others assisting with the clean-up effort, he thinks it probably looked a lot worse before that, though. ]
It'll get there with some help, I'm sure. There's no need to guess why it is you were targeted, but this, [ gesturing towards the dishevelled state of the store, and the shaken up humans inside. ] This is what pisses me off most — the complete and utter lack of regard for who gets caught up in the middle and finds themselves nothing more than collateral damage.
[ There's no blame in his tone, he's not being accusatory, and given their recent conversations he thinks Marco will understand what it is he means. He begins to move towards a shelving unit that's been knocked over and is leaning on its neighbour, and beckons for Marco to join him and help with straightening it up. If he recovers so quickly, he's not getting out of said effort, either. ]
[Marco sighs. There's no reason for him to be excusing Harry's actions, and he supposes intent doesn't matter when these are the consequences... but he can't help himself. It's the Empathy.
Still, just because his comments are unhelpful, it doesn't mean all of him has to be. Marco picks up Abbacchio's cue quickly enough and gets to helping, using his mechanical hand for the brunt of the weight. Not that it's stronger than the other, but... that way, if anything breaks, it's easier to fix.
... Marco does not do a whole lot of heavy labour.]
[ Seems half the followers of the gods are prone to their thinking being clouded by whichever one they throw their lot in with. It's a mess, and it only seems to be getting messier — rising tension between both sides and disregard for anyone who refuses to pledge. Abbacchio is sure there are bad apples in either camp, but it seems that those who are the most vocal are those on the side of the fog. It has him reassessing where he himself stands, but that can wait for another time.
Instead, he's watching Marco quietly, it's not a particularly heavy shelf — especially not with their strength — he's beginning to get the idea that Marco isn't one for dirtying his own hands. ]
So, what's your plan after this? I imagine you won't be retaliating.
Absolutely not. [Somehow, Marco's tone is simultaneously firm and nervous.] And I hope nobody else is planning to do it for me. It wouldn't solve a thing. Harry needs...
[A pause, and Marco sighs. He's not sure what Harry needs, but...]
If he keeps behaving the way he has been lately, then I don't think retaliation for this is what he should be worried about.
[ He lost someone, didn't he? Someone who meant a lot to him. He knows how difficult that is, knows how easy is it to backslide — Abbacchio had others around him, though, who kept him from slipping too far. ]
Well, no. The peninsula itself will do that much for him. No, I think he needs people, stable influences. Unfortunately, aforementioned behaviour doesn't make him look the most appealing.
No, and I don't think I am either. Call it a conflict of interest — I might be able to relate in some respects, but… [ Harry is a lot. ] And that's the greater issue, isn't it? Whether or not he'd be receptive to such attempts.
[ Abbacchio adjusts the shelving unit, begins tipping it towards one side. ]
That's not why we're here, though, move that end this way slightly.
[Relatability... That's a large part of it, too. It's what makes Marco think he understands what Harry is going through, as well as what makes him certain that he's one of the people Harry is least likely to listen to.
He can't help wondering exactly to what extent Abbacchio relates, too, but it strikes him as a poor idea to pry right now.]
Ah - right. Like this? [Another mumble:] I suppose this is a more productive way to help than what I was planning on.
[ Marco is more than free to pry, even if he might not get any solid answers. Abbacchio is still in an odd spot when it comes to discussing that particular matter with people he's less familiar with.
… Even if the talking about it might actually be good or helpful. Instead, it's easier to ignore it. ]
Exactly like that, yes— though, if I might, what exactly were you planning on doing?
... Honestly, I didn't have much of a plan. [He laughs, brief and quiet.] I just... wanted to come and make sure people were okay. For, ah... closure of a sort? I... suppose.
[ He's quiet for a moment, lost in thought, as they adjust the shelving unit until it's standing upright once more. ]
More often than not, I suspect that the human population are left to clean up after us.
[ In more ways than one — Marco saw Abbacchio's post on the network, so it's a reasonable assumption that that's where his mind is. There's nothing in his tone to indicate that he's judging Marco or his propensity for keeping hold of trinkets, or that he'd simply wanted to seek closure. ]
It's easy to imagine that it's become the accepted norm, that the people who live here don't expect our help and that others of our kind don't expect each other to step up, either. I can't speak for how things have been historically on the peninsula as well as you, probably, but it still bears thinking about.
[The nervous edge in Marco's expression dulls into something more pensive. Once again, he's not sure how to feel about the fact that these aren't things he's given much thought to before... but he can tell Abbacchio isn't judging him. That's something.]
Save for the odd bad year, Bavan is relatively peaceful when it comes to human-monster relationships. I'm sure there's still a good chunk of Vandare that would outright refuse help from us.
[A small, thoughtful headtilt.]
But there's no reason that can't change with time.
Well, the human-monster relations may not be the worst here in Bavan, but I'd hardly call it peaceful. There's more than killings at play here — my second month, we had those doubles exploding everywhere, then there was that sinkhole — who cleaned up after that? That's the sort of thing I mean. The things that happen each month, they don't skip over Bavan because they're more tolerant of us.
[ If all the humans had to worry about was the fact that monsters need to eat them, then Abbacchio can't help but imagine it would be a smaller issue, one no different to the fear of living in a city with a particularly high rate of crime. ]
[Marco's apologetic smile leans much more heavily on the "apologetic" than the "smile," even though Abbacchio isn't judging him. Truth be told, Marco doesn't need anybody else to judge him; he's more than capable of putting himself on trial over things like this.]
I think I've been here for so long these things barely cross my mind anymore. [A tired laugh.] But there's no reason that... ah. I just said that, didn't I? I think-- My point is...
[The shelves are well in place by now, but Marco focuses for a moment on the solid surface beneath his hands. It's grounding.]
I'm glad you're pointing these things out. Genuinely.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I know the one!!
He returns Abbacchio's greeting with a stretched approximation of a smile; it's only when the man approaches him that his expression softens to something more natural, more apologetic.]
I recover quickly. [Perks of being a priest, and of being sufficiently accustomed to feeding. Nothing Abbacchio would care to hear about, he's sure.] I... guess I could say the same about this place.
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It'll get there with some help, I'm sure. There's no need to guess why it is you were targeted, but this, [ gesturing towards the dishevelled state of the store, and the shaken up humans inside. ] This is what pisses me off most — the complete and utter lack of regard for who gets caught up in the middle and finds themselves nothing more than collateral damage.
[ There's no blame in his tone, he's not being accusatory, and given their recent conversations he thinks Marco will understand what it is he means. He begins to move towards a shelving unit that's been knocked over and is leaning on its neighbour, and beckons for Marco to join him and help with straightening it up. If he recovers so quickly, he's not getting out of said effort, either. ]
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[Marco sighs. There's no reason for him to be excusing Harry's actions, and he supposes intent doesn't matter when these are the consequences... but he can't help himself. It's the Empathy.
Still, just because his comments are unhelpful, it doesn't mean all of him has to be. Marco picks up Abbacchio's cue quickly enough and gets to helping, using his mechanical hand for the brunt of the weight. Not that it's stronger than the other, but... that way, if anything breaks, it's easier to fix.
... Marco does not do a whole lot of heavy labour.]
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[ Seems half the followers of the gods are prone to their thinking being clouded by whichever one they throw their lot in with. It's a mess, and it only seems to be getting messier — rising tension between both sides and disregard for anyone who refuses to pledge. Abbacchio is sure there are bad apples in either camp, but it seems that those who are the most vocal are those on the side of the fog. It has him reassessing where he himself stands, but that can wait for another time.
Instead, he's watching Marco quietly, it's not a particularly heavy shelf — especially not with their strength — he's beginning to get the idea that Marco isn't one for dirtying his own hands. ]
So, what's your plan after this? I imagine you won't be retaliating.
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[A pause, and Marco sighs. He's not sure what Harry needs, but...]
He doesn't need to have his beliefs confirmed.
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[ He lost someone, didn't he? Someone who meant a lot to him. He knows how difficult that is, knows how easy is it to backslide — Abbacchio had others around him, though, who kept him from slipping too far. ]
Well, no. The peninsula itself will do that much for him. No, I think he needs people, stable influences. Unfortunately, aforementioned behaviour doesn't make him look the most appealing.
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[ Abbacchio adjusts the shelving unit, begins tipping it towards one side. ]
That's not why we're here, though, move that end this way slightly.
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He can't help wondering exactly to what extent Abbacchio relates, too, but it strikes him as a poor idea to pry right now.]
Ah - right. Like this? [Another mumble:] I suppose this is a more productive way to help than what I was planning on.
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… Even if the talking about it might actually be good or helpful. Instead, it's easier to ignore it. ]
Exactly like that, yes— though, if I might, what exactly were you planning on doing?
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[ He's quiet for a moment, lost in thought, as they adjust the shelving unit until it's standing upright once more. ]
More often than not, I suspect that the human population are left to clean up after us.
[ In more ways than one — Marco saw Abbacchio's post on the network, so it's a reasonable assumption that that's where his mind is. There's nothing in his tone to indicate that he's judging Marco or his propensity for keeping hold of trinkets, or that he'd simply wanted to seek closure. ]
It's easy to imagine that it's become the accepted norm, that the people who live here don't expect our help and that others of our kind don't expect each other to step up, either. I can't speak for how things have been historically on the peninsula as well as you, probably, but it still bears thinking about.
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Save for the odd bad year, Bavan is relatively peaceful when it comes to human-monster relationships. I'm sure there's still a good chunk of Vandare that would outright refuse help from us.
[A small, thoughtful headtilt.]
But there's no reason that can't change with time.
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[ If all the humans had to worry about was the fact that monsters need to eat them, then Abbacchio can't help but imagine it would be a smaller issue, one no different to the fear of living in a city with a particularly high rate of crime. ]
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[Marco's apologetic smile leans much more heavily on the "apologetic" than the "smile," even though Abbacchio isn't judging him. Truth be told, Marco doesn't need anybody else to judge him; he's more than capable of putting himself on trial over things like this.]
I think I've been here for so long these things barely cross my mind anymore. [A tired laugh.] But there's no reason that... ah. I just said that, didn't I? I think-- My point is...
[The shelves are well in place by now, but Marco focuses for a moment on the solid surface beneath his hands. It's grounding.]
I'm glad you're pointing these things out. Genuinely.