It never said that all resets came because people turned on each other? I--
[Stuttering to a halt, Quentin frowns, hand barely skimming over his lantern where it's attached to his belt and he jerks his head up, not really buying the apology but also, it's not like there's much of a choice but to choke it down, since Riku has something to show him and he helped, even if he did get a little handsy about it.]
That's fine. [It's not fine, and Quentin for maybe the first time since he set foot in the park to find Riku, holds his head up and makes eye-contact, voice low and intense.] We need to trust each other, even if every other person who came before us fucked it all up and started in on a murder campaign. We need to, because if we don't-- that's when the murders really start up. When we turn on each other for reasons. Sure, at first it's going to sound like really good reasons but it's going to end with people killing each other over the last slice of cheese.
Twenty-five times? That's nothing. Where I came from, someone reset the timeline thirty-nine times, because we failed to listen. Because we didn't find each other fast enough or we didn't trust each other enough when it really mattered, because we all thought we knew better. Too arrogant, too full of pride and spite and fear. Thirty-nine. Times.
[39 times, before Jane figured out that removing Julia from Quentin was the way to go. It made Julia a Goddess and Quentin learned to trust other people than just her. Learned to lean on them and be leaned on in return, by pushing all of his self-doubt, all of his anger and resentment and how small he usually felt, all the truths about who he is and what is, pushed so far down he's choking on them on most days. But they won. In the end.]
We could even be the same people, who just keeps coming back - over and over- until this gets done. A fixed time-loop to prevent the attack. So. What if we do something different this time? Ask Will if-- when-- how it started for his group. And do something else.
I'd give you my lantern again. Just don't-- do the. Please don't put your hands down my pants again?
no subject
[Stuttering to a halt, Quentin frowns, hand barely skimming over his lantern where it's attached to his belt and he jerks his head up, not really buying the apology but also, it's not like there's much of a choice but to choke it down, since Riku has something to show him and he helped, even if he did get a little handsy about it.]
That's fine. [It's not fine, and Quentin for maybe the first time since he set foot in the park to find Riku, holds his head up and makes eye-contact, voice low and intense.] We need to trust each other, even if every other person who came before us fucked it all up and started in on a murder campaign. We need to, because if we don't-- that's when the murders really start up. When we turn on each other for reasons. Sure, at first it's going to sound like really good reasons but it's going to end with people killing each other over the last slice of cheese.
Twenty-five times? That's nothing. Where I came from, someone reset the timeline thirty-nine times, because we failed to listen. Because we didn't find each other fast enough or we didn't trust each other enough when it really mattered, because we all thought we knew better. Too arrogant, too full of pride and spite and fear. Thirty-nine. Times.
[39 times, before Jane figured out that removing Julia from Quentin was the way to go. It made Julia a Goddess and Quentin learned to trust other people than just her. Learned to lean on them and be leaned on in return, by pushing all of his self-doubt, all of his anger and resentment and how small he usually felt, all the truths about who he is and what is, pushed so far down he's choking on them on most days. But they won. In the end.]
We could even be the same people, who just keeps coming back - over and over- until this gets done. A fixed time-loop to prevent the attack. So. What if we do something different this time? Ask Will if-- when-- how it started for his group. And do something else.
I'd give you my lantern again. Just don't-- do the. Please don't put your hands down my pants again?