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Isabella cannot reconcile it.
Timid, respectful, obedient, harmless Nathaniel.
And a monster who'd capture Shell off the street and force her home with him and destroy her.
She can't fathom it. She is not a perfect copy of the other Bells. She thinks - they agree, for that matter - that she's turned out gentler and softer than they. Certainly she did not have as fine an education, except perhaps compared to Shell Bell, except in music. But they are still undeniably, essentially versions of her.
She has to know what happened to Voice, to make him Voice and not timid, respectful, obedient, harmless Nathaniel.
So she tells Micaiah where she will be going, and asks Jane to take her there, and she seeks out Voice.
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jovahs_heiress
He is on the phone with his mother, exchanging meaningless pleasantries in subdued tones.
jovahs_heiress
Skipping by amounts of time is going to take a lot of trial and error to yield anything interesting.
When is the next time he touches someone?
When is the next time he touches someone?
One accidental brush with a stranger on a subway train, that leaves him nervous and unhappy for almost an hour. One handshake with someone who seems to be a friend, if not a close one - that time he doesn't seem upset about it afterward at all.
The time after that, he's standing outside an apartment building late at night, kissing a woman on the cheek and then watching to make sure she gets inside safely.
He doesn't seem upset about that one, either.
The time after that, he's standing outside an apartment building late at night, kissing a woman on the cheek and then watching to make sure she gets inside safely.
He doesn't seem upset about that one, either.
There are several more encounters with this girlfriend. Many of them involve kisses.
Sometimes he cries afterward, or has insomnia, or (in one memorable instance) throws up. But these reactions are not the norm.
Just one problem: as their relationship progresses, she starts talking about how he should be on better terms with his parents. Apparently one phone call to his mother roughly once a month doesn't cut it. She wants to meet them, and she thinks he should see them more.
He doesn't seem able or willing to give her any reasons behind his continued, faltering, hesitant refusals.
Sometimes he cries afterward, or has insomnia, or (in one memorable instance) throws up. But these reactions are not the norm.
Just one problem: as their relationship progresses, she starts talking about how he should be on better terms with his parents. Apparently one phone call to his mother roughly once a month doesn't cut it. She wants to meet them, and she thinks he should see them more.
He doesn't seem able or willing to give her any reasons behind his continued, faltering, hesitant refusals.
jovahs_heiress
Angela does not think he should be on better terms with his parents.
But this has already happened, and her input would likely not be called for even if these events were currently in progress.
On and on...
But this has already happened, and her input would likely not be called for even if these events were currently in progress.
On and on...
And on and on.
In one argument, she slaps him. He flinches away and then leaves almost immediately. The stress reaction that night is particularly intense.
Most of the contact after that is initiated by his girlfriend, not him. But despite increasing tensions, they don't break up.
They do keep arguing. About increasingly trivial things. Sometimes his girlfriend uses mild physical force, a slap or a shove, and that always ends the disagreement in her favour. As this happens more and more, he becomes more and more frightened and submissive in her presence.
In one argument, she slaps him. He flinches away and then leaves almost immediately. The stress reaction that night is particularly intense.
Most of the contact after that is initiated by his girlfriend, not him. But despite increasing tensions, they don't break up.
They do keep arguing. About increasingly trivial things. Sometimes his girlfriend uses mild physical force, a slap or a shove, and that always ends the disagreement in her favour. As this happens more and more, he becomes more and more frightened and submissive in her presence.
It very much isn't.
They persist in this unhappy equilibrium for a while. And then one day they argue again, and she hits him again, and he hits back.
There is a lot of screaming, and a lot of crying, and much shoving and slapping from both sides, and then his girlfriend's head hits the corner of the granite countertop and there is a lot of blood.
He calms down after that.
He doesn't seem to have a problem touching her once she's dead. He touches her hands, her lips; he cries into her hair and holds her and tells her he's sorry, over and over, he's sorry he's sorry he's sorry sorry sorry sorry until the word dissolves into quiet sobs.
They persist in this unhappy equilibrium for a while. And then one day they argue again, and she hits him again, and he hits back.
There is a lot of screaming, and a lot of crying, and much shoving and slapping from both sides, and then his girlfriend's head hits the corner of the granite countertop and there is a lot of blood.
He calms down after that.
He doesn't seem to have a problem touching her once she's dead. He touches her hands, her lips; he cries into her hair and holds her and tells her he's sorry, over and over, he's sorry he's sorry he's sorry sorry sorry sorry until the word dissolves into quiet sobs.
jovahs_heiress
Angela bites her lip and draws in a sharp breath.
She goes forward, watching him - recover? Does he do that, this time?
She goes forward, watching him - recover? Does he do that, this time?
...In a sense, yes.
The death of his girlfriend is made to quietly go away, with the judicious application of money and lies. He returns to the normal rhythms of his life; he graduates from school and becomes a lawyer; he moves to a better apartment.
He is more careful than ever not to touch anyone. But he... looks at them, sometimes. Longingly.
The death of his girlfriend is made to quietly go away, with the judicious application of money and lies. He returns to the normal rhythms of his life; he graduates from school and becomes a lawyer; he moves to a better apartment.
He is more careful than ever not to touch anyone. But he... looks at them, sometimes. Longingly.
Outside a cafe, he kisses a woman on the cheek and offers to walk her home.
He walks with her.
She does not get home.
He walks with her.
She does not get home.
jovahs_heiress
Oh dear.
She cannot retroactively read his mind, but what can she tell about why he'd do this?
She cannot retroactively read his mind, but what can she tell about why he'd do this?
He seems very pleased with himself afterward. Happy. Secure. A little nervous, but that passes.
And he is less nervous when he does it again.
And again.
And he is less nervous when he does it again.
And again.
jovahs_heiress
Angela watches a bit more.
But she's not sure how much more she can stand.
There is not so very much more of it. He is found out; he tries to evade capture; he fails; he is killed in the process.
jovahs_heiress
[Take me home now, please, Jane.]
And she is home, and she wants her Micaiah, where is he?
jovahs_heiress
"A great many things, a long time ago. I - I think Nathaniel will be fine. Voice was never taken from his parents, and there was a long, slow descent into - problems, after that." Pause. "I gave Voice a daemon, to keep him company, in exchange for his consent that I look at his past on his world."
