Excuse me, Dokja. I'm really really really sorry to bother you but Are you home right now?
[ she tried so hard to avoid getting into this situation with anyone but she already knows Sooyoung isn't around at the moment so she can't even go to her first resort... and she would rather spend the whole day trapped in her bedroom than text Joonghyuk. which is what will happen if she doesn't get help. so. Dokja it is. ]
[ oh. yeah, of course. turn the doorknob, that makes sense. she should have just
five minutes later: ]
I can't. I swear I'm not lying!!! Please please please don't be angry with me But when I try to use the doorknob... I just don't understand how it works? Even though two days ago I didn't have a problem with it??
[ bullshit he believes her. she really wishes she hadn't had to use up Dokja's courtesy already, but... it's fine. it doesn't matter if he's angry. even if he hits her— ]
Yes, please come in, Dokja.
[ sure enough, the door is neither locked nor jammed. ]
[ He's expecting there to be... some kind of issue with the door. But everything goes smoothly as he turns the knob and opens the door.
There's not an ounce of anger on his face, just slight bewilderment as he stands by the doorway, eyebrows drawn together in concern as he looks to where Ruby is. ]
[ in Ruby's mind, there is no doubt that this is a problem. perhaps Dokja is a mild person and he isn't quick to anger, but even then, there will be annoyance: he's only just let this girl into his home, and already she's a nuisance? no matter his temper, it's a strike against her. and she knows how quickly those build up.
so when Dokja opens the door, Rudbeckia steps forward and throws her arms around his middle to cling to him with a teary wail: ] Dokjaaa!
[ it doesn't work in every situation, but this is such a minor irritation. crying should be able to defuse it, right? ]
I'm sorry I made you come just to open a door for me, I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really really couldn't!
[ A quiet 'oof' escapes him at the sudden impact around his middle, and Dokja wobbles for a moment before quickly steadying himself. He wasn't at all expecting Ruby to grab onto him like this, so it takes a second for him to bleed the tension out of his body, still unused to physical contact.
But once his brain catches up to speed, Dokja offers an awkward pat to her shoulder that he hopes will be comforting. ]
That's okay, really. I was down in the basement so coming back up here wasn't any trouble.
[ There's honesty in his words for once, as well as the same level of concern from just moments ago. Glancing at the doorknob shows there's nothing wrong with it... He'd discovered that for himself simply by opening it as well, so. ]
[ it's hard to miss that wooden reaction, even if he doesn't throw her off—she's built her life around being sensitive to these things. Rudbeckia is quick to release Dokja after he makes an effort at comforting her, takes a half-step back and wipes a tear from her eye with a dainty flick of her finger. ]
No, I haven't had anything other than Signor Joonghyuk's cooking and some fruit from the markets... but I've had that before and nothing ever happened. [ a pitiful sniffle. ] Do you think I might be cursed, like at the festival?
[ can she trust that he really believes that, and isn't thinking of her as someone lying for attention? ]
[ Having had strange things happen to him since arriving in this place, Dokja figures it's just one more random effect from who knows what. But what an odd curse to befall someone... And not from eating anything this time?
He shakes his head before he loses himself any deeper in his thoughts and returns his attention to Ruby. ]
[ is he testing the curse, or is he testing her? ahhh, she hates this. couldn't he have just let her out and told her not to bother him anymore? ]
Of course! [ without issue, she turns and closes the door, pulling it shut with a quiet click. then, hesitantly: ] Do you... want me to try opening it again?
[ part of her thinks of throwing a tantrum. to just say: I don't want to. so that she doesn't have to go through the humiliation or the scrutiny or whatever scorn will come. but it won't be any better that way, either. she may as well do as he tells her to.
it's just a door. she should be able to open it. she looks at it, and she searches every corner of her mind for an answer, and there is just—nothing. Ruby places a hand against the wood and tries to push it. she grasps the doorknob but doesn't turn it, as if the thought doesn't even occur to her, as if its purpose is a complete mystery to her. ]
... I can't. I don't understand how it...
[ this is so stupid. it's just a fucking door, but that isn't the problem here, that's not why she can hear her own heartbeat racing or why she feels like she should claw at the wood until her fingers bleed just to prove her honesty. she thinks of her father's face the first time she was bedridden by her strange illness, and Cesare's hands after she tried to call off her engagement, and her husband's glare on the night a demonic monster crept in through her window. what happens every time she expects someone to believe her. ]
I'm not lying. [ she doesn't turn to face Dokja; whatever is there, she doesn't want to see it. her voice is flat, a despairing monotone, shot through with some tense wire thread of desperation drawn taut to breaking point. pressed flat to the door, her hands are shaking. ] I know you won't believe me, but I swear I'm not. I'm sorry.
[ the same plea she'd made in her texts. her scalp is tingling, anticipating the moment he seizes her by a fistful of hair. why didn't she just stay in her room? it's not like she would have starved. maybe he'll just throw her back in there anyway, to see whether she's really telling the truth. ]
[ He doesn't notice her turmoil at first, too absorbed in the peculiarities of the whys and hows of this curse. To take the knowledge of something as basic as opening a door and doing away with it... It's relatively harmless now, but the fact that there's a power capable of doing such a thing unnerves him. How far does that power extend and what else can be taken from them without a moment's notice?
And then he's brought back to the situation at hand, blinking clarity to his eyes when he spots her shaking hands, and he finds himself confused. He'd considered the possibilities of this being a prank at the start, but seeing what he sees now, what reason would there be for this to be a lie? ]
I don't think you're lying, Ruby. You don't have to be sorry.
[ There's no seizing of anyone's hair, and when Dokja does lift a hand, it's to reach for the doorknob, turning it slowly for her to see. ]
Like this. And if you can't do this either, we'll leave the doors open for you.
[ there's a moment when his hand first enters her peripheral vision that Rudbeckia flinches from him—but he reaches past her, no sudden movements, his voice calm. the fear releases its crushing grip around her airway, and a hiccup escapes her. ]
... Um, like... this... [ although she just watched him do something, as soon as she tries to mimic the action, it's incomprehensible again. her trembling hand hovers at the doorknob, and then she draws it back to herself. ] ... I watched you. I-I don't know why I can't do it...
[ trying to explain any further is impossible. not because she couldn't put it in words, but because the words get stuck in her throat. as always, her instinct is to skip to the end: accept the blame and apologise. if she talks too much, he'll only interrupt her in the middle, and a half-finished explanation makes her look worse, sounds like she's making excuses...
she can try. at least that much. ]
It's like. When I look at the doorknob. I can't wrap my head around how it works. It doesn't make any sense to me.
[ this time, her eyes are burning with real tears, humiliated: god, she fucking hates this. hurriedly, she adds: ] It's okay, I can just stay put, I don't want to trouble anyone.
[ nothing in her voice or the way she cringes away from him, makes herself smaller, suggests that this is a passive aggressive ploy or guilt-trip. if anything, she seems desperately, urgently sincere. ]
[ Even for someone as oblivious as Dokja, the signs are too glaringly apparent to go unnoticed for long. He spots the way she flinches, the waver in her voice, the wet shine to her eyes, and Dokja's heart sinks. This is learned behavior, much of it recognizable from personal experience. He decides to stop pressing the issue, her explanation enough for him, and instead, Dokja smiles softly.
They haven't known each other long, a kept distance that Dokja likes to maintain with others, but they've spoken to each other enough that he thinks a hint of familiarity rests between them. So when he slowly lifts a hand to place it gently atop her head, he hopes he isn't going too far. ]
If I say it enough times, you'll eventually have to believe me, right? You're not troubling anyone, especially not me.
[ His concerned gaze lingers on her for just a moment, questions behind his eyes at seeing her react in this way, but choosing not to voice them out loud. It's not his place to pry, only offer what solutions he can think of. ]
We'll leave this door open, but why don't we hang a blanket over the doorway for privacy?
[ the motion of his hand is slow and telegraphed in a manner that keeps her from flinching again, even if she's startled by the gesture. her expression of shock is softer this time: there's no trace of fear, only a genuine confusion. like she doesn't understand what he's doing. her features slacken, and it changes her whole face somehow, less childish. ]
That's... [ oh, her hiccups are gone. Come on, Ruby, get back in character. ] I-If you don't mind. It's not important if it doesn't work out, but I'd be really grateful...
[ at best, she would have thought—at best, Dokja might treat her with exasperated courtesy, the half-hearted kindness you would grant a child after a tantrum. but his touch is gentle, and his smile certainly seems sincere. he doesn't press the issue, nor does he storm out or dismiss her with callous disregard as Iske always did. though the hair on the back of her neck prickles from the physical contact... his hand on her head doesn't remind her of Cesare at all, either. ]
It's my problem, though, so please let me help you as well.
[ Like this, caught up in a situation that should be absurd, Dokja loses himself in the task at hand. He's been spending more and more of his days away from this makeshift "home" in an effort to avoid the silent questions he can see in the eyes of his companions, and now during this rare occasion where he's back, he's glad to be busying himself with something else.
His hand slips away from the top of Ruby's head as he points a reassuring smile in her direction before turning to open the door. They'll have to prop it open, he thinks. For now, the blanket door. ]
Sure. Can you get me a chair from the kitchen, please?
[ There shouldn't be any doors in the way of that mission. ]
I'll get the blanket and something to hang it with.
[ I'm manifesting a supply closet in the general vicinity so Dokja can go there for these items. ]
[ it gives her a moment to breathe, standing in the kitchen alone; a moment to double over, lean on the counter with her face buried in her arms, inhale, exhale. get her shit together. he'd delegated an easy task that gave her the space to recoup, and she has to wonder how deliberate a decision it was. Dokja must be good with children—not that she particularly wants to be thought of as a child, but. however he sees her, it only matters that she can take advantage of it.
her character is rebuilt in a hurry, and when she returns with a chair, she's smiling as sunnily as ever, like nothing had ever happened. ]
[ At her approach, Dokja looks up from where he'd been readjusting the spare blanket he'd found and smoothly meets her smile with one of his own. She seems better now, the panic from earlier quelled in the time it took to retrieve the chair he'd asked for, and something about his smile becomes knowing before he turns his gaze downward at her question.
Yeah, so. What Dokja had wanted was a bit along the lines of a rod to hang across the top of the doorway so that he could drape a blanket over it, but what he has in his hands is a hammer and some nails.
[ while she was in the kitchen, she did start to wonder what Dokja was planning, and he must be smarter than her so surely he would have a decent idea... but no, he's just holding a hammer. well. that is the easy way. ]
It will definitely work, but... Are you sure? [ what she's actually asking is: ] W-Will the others be angry with us?
[ she cannot even conceive of having the confidence to just casually nail a fucking blanket to a doorframe. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
@lark, mid-november.
I'm really really really sorry to bother you but
Are you home right now?
[ she tried so hard to avoid getting into this situation with anyone but she already knows Sooyoung isn't around at the moment so she can't even go to her first resort... and she would rather spend the whole day trapped in her bedroom than text Joonghyuk. which is what will happen if she doesn't get help. so. Dokja it is. ]
@dokja
yes i'm home. did you need something?
[ Is she out of toilet paper :( ]
no subject
Just
Before you say anything, I'm not this stupid, okay?
I know I'm not smart but I really truly swear I'm not this much of an idiot ðŸ˜
[ a brief pause while she goes to scream into her pillow before having to humiliate herself, and then: ]
I'm in my room and I can't open the door.
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is it jammed?
[ It's an old building that they had to very quickly fix up so maybe they gave her a room with a faulty door because what else makes sense. ]
or maybe someone left something outside of your door on accident.
i'll be up in just a moment.
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I'll explain more when you're here but it's like
I don't understand how to open it all of a sudden?
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IS THIS A PRANK. ]
have you tried turning the doorknob?
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five minutes later: ]
I can't.
I swear I'm not lying!!! Please please please don't be angry with me
But when I try to use the doorknob... I just don't understand how it works?
Even though two days ago I didn't have a problem with it??
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[ He says this but it's like he's trying to convince himself that this isn't an elaborate prank being played on him.
Anyway, not too long after his last text, there's a knock on her door! Along with a muffled voice. ]
Ruby? Can I come in?
cw implied abuse
Yes, please come in, Dokja.
[ sure enough, the door is neither locked nor jammed. ]
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There's not an ounce of anger on his face, just slight bewilderment as he stands by the doorway, eyebrows drawn together in concern as he looks to where Ruby is. ]
Is everything okay?
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so when Dokja opens the door, Rudbeckia steps forward and throws her arms around his middle to cling to him with a teary wail: ] Dokjaaa!
[ it doesn't work in every situation, but this is such a minor irritation. crying should be able to defuse it, right? ]
I'm sorry I made you come just to open a door for me, I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really really couldn't!
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But once his brain catches up to speed, Dokja offers an awkward pat to her shoulder that he hopes will be comforting. ]
That's okay, really. I was down in the basement so coming back up here wasn't any trouble.
[ There's honesty in his words for once, as well as the same level of concern from just moments ago. Glancing at the doorknob shows there's nothing wrong with it... He'd discovered that for himself simply by opening it as well, so. ]
Did you eat anything strange lately?
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No, I haven't had anything other than Signor Joonghyuk's cooking and some fruit from the markets... but I've had that before and nothing ever happened. [ a pitiful sniffle. ] Do you think I might be cursed, like at the festival?
[ can she trust that he really believes that, and isn't thinking of her as someone lying for attention? ]
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He shakes his head before he loses himself any deeper in his thoughts and returns his attention to Ruby. ]
I think so, or something similar.
[ Gestures to the door. ]
Could you try closing it for now?
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Of course! [ without issue, she turns and closes the door, pulling it shut with a quiet click. then, hesitantly: ] Do you... want me to try opening it again?
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Yes, please. We should get a better understanding of what this is.
[ He wouldn't want her to be trapped inside her room or anywhere else a second time!! ]
cw abuse I'M SORRY SHE'S LIKE THIS YUUL......
it's just a door. she should be able to open it. she looks at it, and she searches every corner of her mind for an answer, and there is just—nothing. Ruby places a hand against the wood and tries to push it. she grasps the doorknob but doesn't turn it, as if the thought doesn't even occur to her, as if its purpose is a complete mystery to her. ]
... I can't. I don't understand how it...
[ this is so stupid. it's just a fucking door, but that isn't the problem here, that's not why she can hear her own heartbeat racing or why she feels like she should claw at the wood until her fingers bleed just to prove her honesty. she thinks of her father's face the first time she was bedridden by her strange illness, and Cesare's hands after she tried to call off her engagement, and her husband's glare on the night a demonic monster crept in through her window. what happens every time she expects someone to believe her. ]
I'm not lying. [ she doesn't turn to face Dokja; whatever is there, she doesn't want to see it. her voice is flat, a despairing monotone, shot through with some tense wire thread of desperation drawn taut to breaking point. pressed flat to the door, her hands are shaking. ] I know you won't believe me, but I swear I'm not. I'm sorry.
[ the same plea she'd made in her texts. her scalp is tingling, anticipating the moment he seizes her by a fistful of hair. why didn't she just stay in her room? it's not like she would have starved. maybe he'll just throw her back in there anyway, to see whether she's really telling the truth. ]
no subject
And then he's brought back to the situation at hand, blinking clarity to his eyes when he spots her shaking hands, and he finds himself confused. He'd considered the possibilities of this being a prank at the start, but seeing what he sees now, what reason would there be for this to be a lie? ]
I don't think you're lying, Ruby. You don't have to be sorry.
[ There's no seizing of anyone's hair, and when Dokja does lift a hand, it's to reach for the doorknob, turning it slowly for her to see. ]
Like this. And if you can't do this either, we'll leave the doors open for you.
no subject
... Um, like... this... [ although she just watched him do something, as soon as she tries to mimic the action, it's incomprehensible again. her trembling hand hovers at the doorknob, and then she draws it back to herself. ] ... I watched you. I-I don't know why I can't do it...
[ trying to explain any further is impossible. not because she couldn't put it in words, but because the words get stuck in her throat. as always, her instinct is to skip to the end: accept the blame and apologise. if she talks too much, he'll only interrupt her in the middle, and a half-finished explanation makes her look worse, sounds like she's making excuses...
she can try. at least that much. ]
It's like. When I look at the doorknob. I can't wrap my head around how it works. It doesn't make any sense to me.
[ this time, her eyes are burning with real tears, humiliated: god, she fucking hates this. hurriedly, she adds: ] It's okay, I can just stay put, I don't want to trouble anyone.
[ nothing in her voice or the way she cringes away from him, makes herself smaller, suggests that this is a passive aggressive ploy or guilt-trip. if anything, she seems desperately, urgently sincere. ]
no subject
They haven't known each other long, a kept distance that Dokja likes to maintain with others, but they've spoken to each other enough that he thinks a hint of familiarity rests between them. So when he slowly lifts a hand to place it gently atop her head, he hopes he isn't going too far. ]
If I say it enough times, you'll eventually have to believe me, right? You're not troubling anyone, especially not me.
[ His concerned gaze lingers on her for just a moment, questions behind his eyes at seeing her react in this way, but choosing not to voice them out loud. It's not his place to pry, only offer what solutions he can think of. ]
We'll leave this door open, but why don't we hang a blanket over the doorway for privacy?
no subject
That's... [ oh, her hiccups are gone. Come on, Ruby, get back in character. ] I-If you don't mind. It's not important if it doesn't work out, but I'd be really grateful...
[ at best, she would have thought—at best, Dokja might treat her with exasperated courtesy, the half-hearted kindness you would grant a child after a tantrum. but his touch is gentle, and his smile certainly seems sincere. he doesn't press the issue, nor does he storm out or dismiss her with callous disregard as Iske always did. though the hair on the back of her neck prickles from the physical contact... his hand on her head doesn't remind her of Cesare at all, either. ]
It's my problem, though, so please let me help you as well.
no subject
His hand slips away from the top of Ruby's head as he points a reassuring smile in her direction before turning to open the door. They'll have to prop it open, he thinks. For now, the blanket door. ]
Sure. Can you get me a chair from the kitchen, please?
[ There shouldn't be any doors in the way of that mission. ]
I'll get the blanket and something to hang it with.
[ I'm manifesting a supply closet in the general vicinity so Dokja can go there for these items. ]
no subject
[ it gives her a moment to breathe, standing in the kitchen alone; a moment to double over, lean on the counter with her face buried in her arms, inhale, exhale. get her shit together. he'd delegated an easy task that gave her the space to recoup, and she has to wonder how deliberate a decision it was. Dokja must be good with children—not that she particularly wants to be thought of as a child, but. however he sees her, it only matters that she can take advantage of it.
her character is rebuilt in a hurry, and when she returns with a chair, she's smiling as sunnily as ever, like nothing had ever happened. ]
Here we go! Did you find something to use?
no subject
Yeah, so. What Dokja had wanted was a bit along the lines of a rod to hang across the top of the doorway so that he could drape a blanket over it, but what he has in his hands is a hammer and some nails.
... It'll at least get the job done? ]
This should do it, don't you think so?
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It will definitely work, but... Are you sure? [ what she's actually asking is: ] W-Will the others be angry with us?
[ she cannot even conceive of having the confidence to just casually nail a fucking blanket to a doorframe. ]
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