Q&A Sessions for Orders and Conscience

Question: Rejection/White's Story

Northwind: OKAY, maybe this time we will get a question answered—Blue, put down the Silthir oil.

Blue: Why?

Northwind: Because if you throw it, it will corrode the Skeld from the inside out and you'll be blown out into space. Sucked out. No, blown out.

Cyan: Oh, please don't let that happen. Suffocating once was enough for me.

Blue: Fine. Now what's the question?

Northwind: *Turns to White* rosevoltaris would like to know your backstory, Sky.

White: You're kidding me.

Yellow: Why are you so defensive now? C'mon, all of us answered our questions.

White: I—I...

Lime: Just spit it out. It can't possibly be worse than some of ours. I mean, at least you aren't arguing with your sibling about... hey, was it a sink that they were arguing about?

Green: I believe so.

Brown: What's up with kitchenware with you humans?

Black: Sky, it's okay. I'm sure that Northwind would let you stop if it gets to be too much... *glares at Northwind*

Northwind: Hey, leave me out of this. I'm just here as a mediator. And to zap you out of the existence if you don't at least give us some details. People are reading this, you know!

White: *Takes a breath* Okay. Okay, I'll talk.

Red: Young Sky, it sounded like you were in the middle of an interrogation.

White: ... Is that not what this is?!

Orange: It is an interrogation. Geez, come on. The suspense is killing me.

White: *Reaches out and grasps K'dela's hand* So, uh, I never really had very supportive parents... like, they would just leave me to figure things out for myself and stuff like that. It wasn't neglect, and I could take care of myself just fine, but after that, I was very much an introvert, and my social skills went... *puts his thumb down*

Orange: Let me guess, that's when you became a scholar?

White: Yeah. The perfect moniker, I guess. Anyway, after the bombings, the clean-up, and the peace treaty was signed, my mom... left us. Me and my dad. One morning, I woke up to see her holding her bags at the door and slamming the door in my father's face. She... left a note and... it...

Black: *Squeezes his hand* You okay?

White: *Sighs* Yeah. She basically told me that I wasn't her son anymore, blah, blah, blah, et. cetera. I was too emotional, not manly enough, whatever, whatever. I mean... maybe it was my fault that she left and that's why my dad started to get mad at me all the time...

Lime: White, if there's anything that I've learned, it's that it is rarely the child's fault if the parents can't work something out. Did your mother ever contact your dad again?

White: Radio silence. Has been that way for the past twelve years. Yay.

Lime: Okay. What was your dad mad about, then?

White: It was just... really little things, like reading too much, who my somewhat-friends were, becoming depressed when he was yelling—which is such a double standard—and stuff like that. Every single thing was enough to make him go nuclear.

Black: Like Vac'shar before therapy nuclear or...

White: Not that bad. But he would hit the wall and stuff like that... he never did alcohol or drugs, but it was just hard. I mean, he also kept a tight leash on me; as soon as school got out, I was supposed to come straight home and if I was more than fifteen minutes late, he would explode at me. I never went to school events, no parties, nothing.

Blue: Okay, that's it. No parties?! How did you live?!

White: Uh... I did other things? Like, read. A lot.

Northwind: And that's all you remember?

White: Yeah. Why?

Northwind: Sky... your mother cheated on your father.

White: ... What.

Northwind: *Checking his notes* Yeah. She cheated on him and that's why she left. Your dad was scared that he wasn't going to be good enough for you either and that's why he had such a tight leash on you. And then the way that he exploded when you told him you applied to MIRA... well... that was all of his fears realized. You left him. Like everyone else in his life.

White: Oh my gosh...

Northwind: Yep. Don't worry, though. You should be safe here.

White: But... now I feel bad...

Black: Sky... how could you care so much about others?

White: It's in my genes. Hey, maybe after this I could go visit him?

Northwind: Uh... erm... about that... I don't think so. Not soon, anyway?

White: Why?

Northwind: Just... real-life stuff! It's fine. Really. Anyway...

Blue: We can now corrode the Skeld from the inside out?

Everyone: NO!!!

Blue: Yes? Alright!

SIZZLE