[TINY CAT PEOPLE] VOID SESSION: ACT 4

[skinstealer]

VOIDSY: What if…we ask Wax to take care of Chops?
VOIDSY: Even if we lose, as long as Spit doesn’t screw Wax over, Chops will get to live.
VOIDSY: If it’s so unsafe to have them here, or have our friends look after them-
CHELSEA: Stop.
 

You stop.

CHELSEA: I didn’t come to you because I figured you’d pass the buck onto someone else. 
CHELSEA: I came to you because you have the most stake in this, and from what Spit’s said, you’re also a bleeding heart that wants to actually help TCPs.
CHELSEA: No offense.
CHELSEA: I’m sorry if me asking you to make hard decisions makes you insecure-
VOIDSY: That’s not-
CHELSEA: -but you’re just going to have to deal with it.
 

They take a deep breath.

CHELSEA: Sending Chops to Wax is an option, but not a very smart one.
CHELSEA: I have no doubt that he’d take Chops in as his own, but due to still collaborating with Spit against his will, they’d still be exposed to us and our team.
CHELSEA: The only way Wax would be able to get around that would be to hold Chops entirely in secret- only able to watch the game from a distance.
CHELSEA: I don’t want them caged.
CHELSEA: War is bad enough. Forcing them into isolation…
 

Something about their voice changes for a moment, the cat trailing off. 

CHELSEA: …sorry.
CHELSEA: It’s not what I want for them.
CHELSEA: I know this isn’t an easy situation to come up with solutions for, but all caging a person in does is make them feel trapped.
VOIDSY: No, no…you’re right. 
 

You wrack your brain for solutions as the cat watches you, their eyes boring into yours.

VOIDSY: We need to take care of Chops, but we can’t just…make promises we can’t keep.
VOIDSY: So…best idea would be to be ready for when things go wrong, and take a more…prepared route.
 

They nod, hanging onto your words.

CHELSEA: Keep going.

VOIDSY: You’re right that there’s no place fully free from possible fallout and danger, should a catastrophe strike.
VOIDSY: And…it’s unknown when things may go horribly wrong.
VOIDSY: So we need to stop sugar-coating things, and keep expectations realistic.
VOIDSY: For fuck’s sake, we just had one of our TCPs do an amputation within his first day or…however long it’s been of being alive.
VOIDSY: So…no more playing around.
CHELSEA: That’s much better.
CHELSEA: So, what are you going to do now?
VOIDSY: Well…we still want to keep Chops around.
VOIDSY: Some of us think that we should make some kind of holding cell so that they’re still “captured”, but…
VOIDSY: Some of us are afraid of that feeling like a cage, especially after what you said. So that’s out.
VOIDSY: We do want to teach Chops skills, but keeping them practical for now is a good idea.
CHELSEA: Go on.
VOIDSY: In the event that Chops does have to stake it out on their own without help- or any emergency scenario, really- it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give them something like first aid. 
VOIDSY: Though…learning from our TCPs directly would be the best idea, we think.
VOIDSY: We could always just tell our TCPs what to teach them, but if it comes from them…that’d be honest interaction that could build trust.
VOIDSY: If the TCPs ask us what they should do, that’s one thing, but agency is important here.
 

 

The corner of their mouth twitches up into a smile, but only for a moment.

CHELSEA: I like that.
VOIDSY: When it comes to emergencies, also…it’d be a good idea to make emergency plans for evacuating, reconvening, etc…
VOIDSY: We need to make sure that even if communication’s disrupted, our TCPs can still take care of themselves. 
CHELSEA: Good.
CHELSEA: You want to encourage as little reliance on you as possible, while still giving them a support system.
VOIDSY: There’s just one more thing, off the top of our heads…
VOIDSY: Why don’t you just…have Spit’s TCPs meet up and discuss options? Spit’s not watching them-
CHELSEA: No, but she has her hooks in them pretty badly.
CHELSEA: That, and only Hark was allowed to talk at first.
CHELSEA: I gave Chops the skill for it once I was sure I could get them to run away, but Writhe, Raw, and Bile weren’t given it either- or at least, until you gave Raw and Writhe it yourself.
CHELSEA: I’m planning on giving the skill to Bile myself, but…
 

They grimace a little.

CHELSEA: I…want to work with him a little more first. He very clearly doesn’t trust me and I fear that the second he gets the skill and the opportunity, he’s going to tell on me.
CHELSEA: I might be able to pass it off as me just…not knowing how to interact with nonverbal TCPs, but considering Bile’s nosy as it gets and has probably seen me taking care of Chops through all the secret passageways in the pit…
 

They shake their head, clearly at a loss.

CHELSEA: It’s a delicate situation.
CHELSEA: I can encourage it with Writhe and Raw though, now that you have them and I can easily pass the blame on teaching them onto you.
CHELSEA: But…Bile and Hark are both horribly, horribly brainwashed, and I’m going to need more time.
CHELSEA: They’re going to be the hard ones to turn.
 

They pause for a moment, choosing their words carefully.

CHELSEA: You’re…good with TCPs.
CHELSEA: I’m good with understanding Spit’s tactics, and I seem to have gained Chops’ trust, but…
CHELSEA: I haven’t exactly had the best track record with…”parenting”.
CHELSEA: Not that this is one-to-one, of course- but there is a sense of raising someone up, albeit rapidly.
CHELSEA: I hate to ask but, do you have any ideas- keeping in mind that we don’t have time for things like games or diversions- on how to break through to those two?