shoplifter | Old Game Inboxes.

Yeah, that doesn't make it nice though. And— sometimes when you're used to being alone that's when you need people more, even though you don't know it.

( Growing Up With Lone Wolf Wynonna Earp: Insights And Knowledge, a manual by Waverly. Just because someone can handle something doesn't mean they should have to, or that they should at all.

Waverly nods, understanding, and thinks for a moment. )

Feelings are kinda complicated that way. They can turn into a big ol' tangle that's hard to figure out. Sadness and anger and a bunch of stuff that I don't think there's even names for.

Mm.

[A quiet little sound. She sits for a moment, low on words for a moment.]

Sometimes I think it would have been easier to be emotionless, like they wanted me to be.

[There are so many unpleasant ways to hurt while you're alive, as it turns out.]

I know what you mean. Hurting sucks, and sometimes whatever dark things you're feeling can be overwhelming. But, you know... when you feel things that are good, they can totally outshine the dark stuff. It's like with a whole lot of stuff - you can't have light without dark, or sunrise without the night time, or spring without winter. If you didn't have any of that, then— then there's be nothing.

( She reaches over, and gently sets her hand on Laura's shoulder, checking to see if she's okay with contact. ) It probably sounds dumb right now, but eventually the hurting gets better.

[... She's not pulling away from the touch, at least.

It's better than some of her old reactions.]

I guess it is something I have to get used to.

I didn't feel many good things until after I escaped from the labs.

[She's not really sure if anyone told Waverly about her origins, but... even if they hadn't, Laura's always been particularly open about that dark time in her history... mostly because it's her entire history; it's not like she knew anything else.

And that all meant hurting for eleven years, in some way.]

( Oh, no. They definitely haven't told her anything about it. Outside of the moment she'll be better able to appreciate why - after all, she hasn't told Wynonna or Frank about Breeze, either. Respecting someone's privacy and agency when they've gone through something awful, that's so, so important.

Right now it does sort of feel like she just got hit in the chest with a softball bat, though. )

What?

( Quietly, softly, as Waverly tries to process that. )

I'm— I'm so sorry. I didn't know.

( Isn't sure how to react, either, as she is quiet a few moments. )

I'm really glad you got out.

( Because whatever being in the labs meant, she's a hundred and fifty percent sure it's nothing good. )

[She nods, looking down at her hands.]

Mm. I was... made in them. They wanted to teach us how to kill things. People.

[And they succeeded, even if Laura has tried her best not to become that. She's quiet for a little bit after, to the point where it almost seems like she's shut down all over again. Patience, however, is rewarded with honesty.]

... I like being here, but sometimes I feel... cursed.

I have a friend who— he wasn't made in a lab, but he worked for this place who did experiments on him. I think that was to make him a better fighter. And killer, too.

( But she very gently reaches to set her hand over Laura's. )

As someone whose family is actually cursed, I get that a little. Sometimes it feels impossible to escape whatever's after you.

[There's a long moment where she doesn't say anything in return.

Perhaps she's closed herself off again — perhaps she has little left in her to speak.

Then the girl glances at her from behind her curtain of unkempt hair.]

Do people die around you, too?

... It seems that is all people have done around me, lately.

Sometimes it feels that way. I don't even want to think about what our death rate per capita is. It's gotta be way above average.

( A sad smile, and she wipes away a tear with the back of her hand. )

Have-- has Wynonna told you about us? The attack on the homestead, or our sister, Willa?

I mean, the thing is... I'm not going to pretend I know how you feel, because frankly? I'm not an asshole.

( oh my good lord Waverly swore. ) But I think I understand the gist of it, you know? There's so much death here. Losing people that matter is inevitable.

[... A swear. She's impressed, Waverly, it must've taken some real energy to do.

And maybe Waverly's right. Maybe — she's curses, but even if she hadn't been, she'd have lost people here. She knows death is as common as days that pass, sometimes. Her brows furrow.]

I haven't heard about an attack. Or Willa.

( Waverly is quiet for a few moments, twisting her hands together. )

Willa was our big sister.

( Oh, boy. Is it right to tell her about this? To tell another child about how screwed up that night was? )

She and Daddy were taken by demons when they attacked our home. It's a long story, kinda.

[The reply is short, sweet — unlike the story and it's alleged long-windedness — but Laura sees the picture painted here. It seems like the Earp family would feel plenty cursed when it came to death, too.]

... I'm sorry about your sister. And your daddy.

[And then, with her usual honesty, albeit sad and edged with some lingering pain:]

I lost my daddy, too — he died for me.

If he didn't meet me, he wouldn't have had to.

It's okay. I mean, it's still sad, but you get more used to it over time.

( A quiet inhale, as she leans back and looks up at the ceiling. )

Thing is, when you love someone, you'll do anything to keep them safe. I promise you, he wouldn't change a thing. If he was ready to die for you, then there's no in hell he'd want to do anything other than meet you and protect you.

[She nods, the slightest little gesture.]

What if they do not come back?

What if they're just... gone?

That's normally how it goes. It sucks, but...

( For a few moments she trails off. )

You keep going because you have to, and eventually it gets easier.

Old Game Inboxes.

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