godsays | 17th metal . text

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17th metal . text

[ Kelsier brought him a rabbit.

A strange-looking rabbit with fur around its face. And then Kelsier left.

Zane stares at the rabbit.

It stares back.

He picks up his communicator, finally, breaking a long silence. He doesn't want to go through the process of apologizing to people. He wants them to be apologized to, but he can't... he doesn't know how to begin.

So: ]

What do you do with a rabbit

[ deck spam ]

[ ...and now he is hunting. On deck. For the hidden rabbit supplies. Damn it Kelsier. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Allomancy is fueled by metals. Charles will only let me have the ones that can't do any harm.

[...But.]

And if you're attacked? What are you supposed to do?

Even if I do get metals, they burn out faster than they should and they aren't as powerful as they should be.

[ It is a source of unending frustration. ]

I don't know. When I was attacked last, I'd been stealing pewter - for strength, and speed - and then Charles decided it was best to take it more away.

[It doesn't make sense, Charles wouldn't leave him powerless, and she frowns hard at the thought.]

Is it because of the girl?

Because of her, he took away the... emotional metals. He had Kelsier search for any I might have kept.

[ And, of course, Zane had tried. ]

[Her brow furrows and she looks around; she wouldn't expect any less of him.]

Emotional metals?

Zinc can be used to Soothe emotions in others. Brass can be used to Riot them.

I would think he'd leave you zinc, then.

WIth a skilled Allomancer, brass and zinc can be used to the same ends.

[And of course he's skilled.

It strikes her, abruptly, that she has been in a similar situation before: she spent so much time in Loki's company, and he had been strong, but hopelessly limited. He'd understood her, too - and would have used her magic.

She'd have offered it to him. She doesn't offer now, crosses crosses her arms loosely in front of her, and moves closer to the bed to peer at Dani.]

Has he said how long?

No.

[ A beat. What was that, a moment of suspicion? ]

I didn't say your magic was beautiful because I wanted to manipulate you. It is.

I'm sure you believe that.

[Her eyes dart back to his face, and she wishes so badly that she was better at reading people, at determining what they want, feel, think. But she always hitches her cart to the wrong horse. She doesn't want to believe she's done that here, but proof is hard to come by.

She hesitates, and lifts one hand in front of her. Her eyes turn gold again, and a white-blue ball of heatless light appears in her hand. She stares at it, twisting her fingers and watching it hover above them.]

It's not always like this. Pretty and useful and harmless. [And she thinks that maybe she means herself, too, when she looks up at him.]

It's beautiful. And it's terrible.

Beauty is never harmless.

[ It is a keen edge, a blade, and when it draws blood it draws, at the same time, professions of admiration. The wounded like to be hurt by beauty.

He watches the light, but does not let himself become transfixed. ]

If I ever want your help, I'll ask for it. And you'll know why I'm asking. I'm done manipulating like that.

[She clenches her hand, extinguishes the light and lets her arms drop to her sides.]

Good. [She doesn't admit, I'm done being manipulated like that.]

Do you want my help getting the things Kelsier's left?

[ He hears it anyway, and for a half-second, she reminds him of Vin.

...no. She isn't like Vin. ]

Keep an eye out for really stupid things around the deck.

[ This has worked, more or less, so far. ]

...that's what I've been doing.

[Her brow creases just a little - anything for a pet bunny must be really stupid - but she doesn't move yet.]

Come with me.

[ He draws in a shaky breath, and looks to the door, wary, afraid. ]

You've been in control the whole time I've been here. [It's gentle, in a way, though gentleness is not easy for her.]

Come with me.

[ A single, tight nod. He doesn't like it. He doesn't want to. But he will. ]

[She shifts her weight like she's about to move for the door, but she pauses, not certain if he'll follow. That's the only reason she holds her hand out for him.]

[ He has tin; Charles left him tin. And he isn't sure why, but he touches the reserve within him and burns it before he reaches for her, so the touch of her hand is like a shock, a slap against cool water.

Just a brief touch, just a moment, because he lets his hand slip out of hers again and moves for the door.

Out on deck, he is afraid, and tense, and alive; he prefers the open air, he just wishes it didn't come with the danger, the out-of-control monster that springs from him. ]

[She doesn't try to keep his hand, following him instead out the door and up to the deck. For the most part, she keeps her silence, and scans the deck with slowly arching eyebrows.]

Did he really hide it? [She's watching, when she's not looking; afraid and tense is not out-of-control, and that's good enough. Afraid in tense is just another state of clinging to control.]

He hid it all - separately.

[ Unbeknownst to him, they're looking this time for a colorful rabbit hay rack. ]

[She doesn't say that he's ridiculous, but the look is on her face. She lapses into silence for a long while, searching - though she doesn't go terribly far.

Eventually, she points toward a spot under a bench, where colors have caught her eye.]

What is that?

[ He goes for it, and fishes it out from beneath, a look of exasperation on his face. ]

Something I could have found in a moment if I had iron or steel.

[ Damn all of them, anyhow. ]

17th metal . text

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