[It is unlike him to do this in this fashion, but he recognizes the necessity of it. Still, when he reaches out it is unlike the gentle brush of Cathaway, uncolored by emotion, an empty space that seemed to gape, somehow nearly as unsettling as a mind too bare. His words are preceded by the obviousness of his attention, an anticipation, the mental equivalent to clearing his throat. And the words- stony and without warmth or comfort, unyielding and stern. He will not react to interruption. He won't even hear it.]
There are many things to discuss with you. [You- you, all of you, everyone he addressed- the clear knowledge that it was not a personal message, but a shared one.] This mission was a failure. Do not think to see it as anything less. The simplest of exercises intended only to allow those unaccustomed to gain some small experience with unfamiliar places. A harmless excursion.
[There's a pause, like a breath, a cold wind going colder.]
It was my failure that I saw you as anything but children, incapable of understanding that your choices have consequences. It is not a mistake I will make again. Your actions have proven you to be irresponsible, dangerous, and foolish. And as a result one of your own has died, for nothing. Those in his brood have now lost something irreplaceable. Do not imagine this feeling will go, do not imagine this emptiness will be filled by another. It will not. You will never be as strong as you could have been with him.
[It is simple fact, even as they grew they would lend each other strength. Now they had one less to draw from. There was a potential they would never reach.]
Hosts are lost. This is the reality of our situation, but Adam Parker did not die because we sought to strike a blow against the ones who hunt us. He did not even die because he made a foolish mistake. He died because you made a selfish choice. Remember this, your decisions effect more than you. Even your own life is not just yours any longer. You should be at least responsible enough not to drag those who should be able to rely on to their death.
[There is little point to this, he knows. Those that had behaved poorly would not listen to words, and if they had not yet learned a lesson there would be more loss and more suffering before they did. Still, this is too soon for this.]
There will be some time before you will be sent on your first true mission. I suggest you use it to better yourselves, for all of your sake.
[And the connection drops- cleanly as if he had flipped a switch. His mind was still there, as it always was, but distant, uninviting. This was never meant to be a dialogue.]
Edited (bet u thought u got out of ur spankin) 2016-04-28 03:56 (UTC)
[ The verbalish smackdown isn't taken well on Steve's side. For all his determination there's still guilt for Ilde's part (his part) in Parker's murder. The Prince's voice picks at those scabs. Everyone linked to Parker would be having it ten times worse. A public shaming for them all wasn't needed.
There's no reason to knock this time, even with the door half shut. ]
(What about the others?) [ An image of Anakin when he was in his coma, now awoken. An image of another closed pod, this person hasn't. The Prince hadn't explained the last time he asked what this was. ]
[Steve's displeasure isn't hard to read, not with him pressing on the connection.
Prince doesn't care. They could dislike him, he would not die from it. But they would if they didn't take their responsibility to each other more seriously. This mission had been almost without danger. The next would not be. If they behaved as they had they would die, and he would be too far from them to do anything.]
Sometimes there are problems with the connection between a host and their symbiote. Typically time and rest will correct the issue, but sometimes it does not.
[It wasn't hopeless. It never was. But to come so far, to escape death as they had only to fall into some endless sleep- it was hardly satisfying. And there was no way of knowing who was susceptible, no pattern he had ever found. It happened, seemingly at random. Some were great losses, others were- less so.]
[There is a moment of silence, thick with unprojected sentiment that it seems longer than it is. He attempted to always chose his words carefully, although he did not always succeed. This question required more care than usual.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Day 165, mid-morning
There are many things to discuss with you. [You- you, all of you, everyone he addressed- the clear knowledge that it was not a personal message, but a shared one.] This mission was a failure. Do not think to see it as anything less. The simplest of exercises intended only to allow those unaccustomed to gain some small experience with unfamiliar places. A harmless excursion.
[There's a pause, like a breath, a cold wind going colder.]
It was my failure that I saw you as anything but children, incapable of understanding that your choices have consequences. It is not a mistake I will make again. Your actions have proven you to be irresponsible, dangerous, and foolish. And as a result one of your own has died, for nothing. Those in his brood have now lost something irreplaceable. Do not imagine this feeling will go, do not imagine this emptiness will be filled by another. It will not. You will never be as strong as you could have been with him.
[It is simple fact, even as they grew they would lend each other strength. Now they had one less to draw from. There was a potential they would never reach.]
Hosts are lost. This is the reality of our situation, but Adam Parker did not die because we sought to strike a blow against the ones who hunt us. He did not even die because he made a foolish mistake. He died because you made a selfish choice. Remember this, your decisions effect more than you. Even your own life is not just yours any longer. You should be at least responsible enough not to drag those who should be able to rely on to their death.
[There is little point to this, he knows. Those that had behaved poorly would not listen to words, and if they had not yet learned a lesson there would be more loss and more suffering before they did. Still, this is too soon for this.]
There will be some time before you will be sent on your first true mission. I suggest you use it to better yourselves, for all of your sake.
[And the connection drops- cleanly as if he had flipped a switch. His mind was still there, as it always was, but distant, uninviting. This was never meant to be a dialogue.]
thanks for the spanking, spacedad
no subject
ishsmackdown isn't taken well on Steve's side. For all his determination there's still guilt for Ilde's part (his part) in Parker's murder. The Prince's voice picks at those scabs. Everyone linked to Parker would be having it ten times worse. A public shaming for them all wasn't needed.There's no reason to knock this time, even with the door half shut. ]
( What about the others? ) [ An image of Anakin when he was in his coma, now awoken. An image of another closed pod, this person hasn't. The Prince hadn't explained the last time he asked what this was. ]
no subject
Prince doesn't care. They could dislike him, he would not die from it. But they would if they didn't take their responsibility to each other more seriously. This mission had been almost without danger. The next would not be. If they behaved as they had they would die, and he would be too far from them to do anything.]
Sometimes there are problems with the connection between a host and their symbiote. Typically time and rest will correct the issue, but sometimes it does not.
[It wasn't hopeless. It never was. But to come so far, to escape death as they had only to fall into some endless sleep- it was hardly satisfying. And there was no way of knowing who was susceptible, no pattern he had ever found. It happened, seemingly at random. Some were great losses, others were- less so.]
They will be safe here.
no subject
( There's really nothing we can do for them? )
[ A fate like that, getting tucked away in those pods forever, is deeply disturbing to him. ]
no subject
Stay alive, so that they never wake up alone.
no subject
( Understood. )
no subject