damned_bulletin | [totally posted before dinner]

A little bruising on his arm, and you're making it sound like I beat him for fun?

Anyway, you must have talked to him. You can imagine how that facade might try my patience.

Because clearly your patience is more important than possibly causing injury to others.

While how he was acting was unusual and maybe a little frustrating, that's no reason to react violently. You don't know the full story behind what might be going on here.

I wouldn't have grabbed him at all, if he hadn't been trying to run away rather than let me try to talk some sense into him. What you call violence, I call restraint - in both literal and figurative respects.

I may not know what's going on, but I know that this supposed sanity is like all other incarnations of it; it's just a thin shell over what lies beneath. And my only response to such things has always been to peel it away and reveal the truth of a person's nature. It just happens to be less of a game right now, and more of a necessity.

Why are you taking this sudden interest in my business with him, anyway?

Somehow I'm not surprised your idea of 'talking sense' into someone might cause them to try and run away.

I agree that it's unlikely that his story was true, but there are other ways of finding out what is going on and if it's even necessary to try and intervene at this point, before we start terrorising children.

And I'm interested in anyone who hurts others for their own reasons.

In my defense, I'd hardly done anything but greet him before he tried to pull that stunt.

'If it's even necessary to intervene'? You'd rather leave him the way he is, believing nonsense? He's a poor substitute, at best. And substitute suggests a temporary quality, one I intend to ensure. And I assure you, his interests figure into it as much as mine; what do you think might happen to him tonight, the way he is now?

And you're automatically assuming the situation is permanent. Considering the past few nights, it's equally likely this will pass on its own.

Besides, it's entirely possible he won't leave his room, or that it wouldn't change anything anyway.

~~Besides he's not that bad~~

I'm not assuming it's permanent at all; I'm just eager to speed up the process of bringing an end to it.

Possible, yes. How much are you willing to wager on it, however?

Not that bad? He's every bit as 'bad' as Artemis, he just hides it better.

Because that was so effective.

I think you're too eager to believe that just because he's different, he's going to be vulnerable. Do you have so little faith in your 'friend' that you don't think he can look after himself or assert himself over whatever is happening?

...I admit sometimes we didn't see eye to eye, but I wouldn't say Artemis was a bad person.

I'm not aware of the 'wait and pray' technique producing any results at all save by luck, so you're really in no position to critique my methods.

Perhaps you've missed it, but whoever he is right now is not my 'friend'. He thinks he's normal; why should I assume he's capable of coping any better than a normal person could in this place? And, for the record, since I have yet to meet a normal person here, I don't consider this place to be a well-suited environment to them.

He'd be the first to say that he's not exactly a good one, either. He can be nearly as petty and vicious and arrogant as I can, and he's had considerably fewer years to get good at it. And, from what I've observed, this new version possesses the exact same traits without any of the redeeming qualities - such as knowing who to aim them at. He's spent the day alienating and insulting the very people who've gone the furthest to look after him up until now, so don't look to me for sympathy for him.

It's called 'observing the situation before making rash decisions'. You'd probably find you were more effective if you tried it. Waiting a day to see what happens isn't going to cause any damage, but trying to force things could.

So you're saying that the moment someone changes from what you're used to, outside influences or no, you consider them no longer a friend and have no qualms about doing whatever is necessary to get them back to what you want? I'd come to that conclusion already, but I didn't expect for you to freely admit it.

Funny, when I spoke with him, I simply saw a boy who was confused and upset at being insulted and attacked for something beyond his control.

[totally posted before dinner]

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