Paige sent her message to him, and is in said back room. She's sitting in a chair, with a hedge falcon perched on the back of it, apparently dozing. And Paige? Though she's got a beer on the table beside her, it looks untouched, and she's busy messing with her phone. Not with the rapid taps of most people, but slow, deliberate presses of her finger. Maybe to make sure her talons don't hit the screen.
The door that leads back to the bar opens and a Fairest comes inside. He calmly glances around curiously. Upon seeing Paige and her Hedge Beast, he grins."Hi. I'm looking for Paige." He says as the sweet and delicate scent of flowers spreads around."I'm Oberon."
Paige glances up when the door opens and her lips curve automatically, until he mentions his name and the smile fades. Still, her voice is polite enough. "Thanks for coming. Have a seat? Heard something and it kinda upset me, so I figured I'd talk to you directly and figure out what was up before doing anything else."
Oberon arches a brow in hesitation, but after a second or two, the Flowering does that a seat. And when he's comfortable, he grins again so the other Lost can start talking.
Paige hesitates, looking like she's trying to figure out where to begin. "Talked to Haruki. He said that he told you he suffered from schizophrenia and you started telling him that the monsters were real and if he didn't pledge people were going to kill him. I'm wondering why you did that."
Oberon arches a brow again. This time is a big arch."Oh. That's interesting. Specially because I didn't say people will kill him. I said people will be very suspicious of him and eventually, people will go after him to question him. And some of them will be very persuasive. And if he keep hiding and pretending, people can mistake him as a Loyalist or a Privateer. In that case, yes. He will get killed. I also told him that without the protection of teh Freehold, he's in great danger as well. Because real Loyalist and Privateer will try to get him captured. If the didn't get killed by Them." He explains very calmly and gently.
"Why did you tell him /anything/ about our world, though?" Paige asks, sounding exasperated. "And how was he pretending, really? If he's been diagnosed with a mental illness, why would he talk about the things it makes him see, Oberon? That's how people get locked up in the looney bin. And to tell him about the freehold and stuff...you put us at risk, and I'm not sure what you were thinking there. You scared the shit out of him and are dragging him /into/ our world when he wasn't part of it before. You do know that some people occasionally glimpse what we truly are, right? It just...happens. Especially crazy people."
Oberon stares at Paige for a moment. Thinking, probably."He is a Fae-touched. He was Taken and had returned. He confessed me that. He trusted me to tell me that. And I trusted him to tell the basic about the Freehold. I'm not sure what else to say to you."
"You can say why you didn't make him pledge not to tell first, and instead just scared the hell out of him," Paige suggests, shrugging. "He was freaked out when he came to me and I was just sort of here for him until he spilled that when he confessed his schizophrenia you freaked out on him and told other people his secret and that people were going to basically kill him if he didn't pledge. I mean, he's your boyfriend and all, but...why didn't you get him to pledge?"
"I was trying to convince him to pledge. I'll never force anyone to do it against their will." The Fairest says still calm."I may had overreacted and probably got a bit scary. But now I realize that if he doesn't get really scary, he'll think he'll be protected hiding and pretending he doesn't see us. And that will get him killed." He pauses to bit his lower lip."And he is not my boyfriend."
Paige stares at him for a moment, an incredulous look on her face. "You don't have to be scary to convince someone. You probably just made it so he won’t /want/ to pledge because he thinks everyone will be scary. And did you seriously break up with him because he can occasionally see what we are?"
Oberon stays quiet for a bit before the other Lost stopped talking."He wasn't my boyfriend before all this shit happen despite of what you heard around. We were dating. And he knows all of us are scary. Especially because he is around seeing us time enough to see that most of us are really far from scary. Actually, only one Lost acted weird around Haruki. All the rest was very kind and friendly around him. So, if he assumes we are all freaks and scary because of my behavior, he's been immature. The wrong of one can't define the others."
"No, it sounds like he thinks we're scary because of you," Paige says, shaking her head slowly. "He never mentioned anyone else freaking him out, Oberon. Just you. But I think I've learned what I need to learn," she says, getting to her feet. "Thanks for coming."
Oberon arches both brows now. This time is surprise and disbelief."That was really awkward and surprising. I thought that being part of the Freehold would mean I had other people's support even when I do a mistake. But instead, in my very first mistake, I'm judged and seen as a criminal. Even despite all the good I'm doing in these two months of servitude to the Freehold being a Waykeeper and a Greenie." He says calmly as he stands up and heads to the door.
"I'm not judging you as a criminal, Oberon," Paige says, shaking her head. "I had questions, you answered them. You don't feel that you did anything wrong, but I think you could've handled it better. But you thinking that this is me branding you as a criminal could explain some of the rest," she tells him, her head tilting. "But being part of the freehold doesn't mean that people will ignore mistakes, Oberon. A freehold is here to protect us from Them and those who work for them. I'm sorry if you feel like I'm judging you as a criminal, but I'm not."
"Haruki is a very gentle creature. The sweetest human I ever encountered before I came back. I said everything I said to him because I know he's not one of Them. And yes. I feel very, very guilty for freaked out." He stops at the threshold and turns back. Suddenly, his bright green eyes are watered and his voice carries a ton of said guilty and regret."I regret everything I said to him. That is why I decided to not talk to him again."
"Except that can make things worse, Oberon," Paige points out gently. "Give him some time, sure, but...I wouldn't make any rash decisions. And I'll talk to Haruki, work on getting him in the freehold. Or pledged, anyway."
"I don't like him the way he likes me. I can't bear it anymore. It's not fair to him. He deserves someone better. Someone that understands him. I do not. I don't understand him at all." He says as his tears starts dropping."It's painful being unable to understand and give love back to someone that loves you. So, sorry if it did something that puts us all in risk. I was trying my best." He leans back against the wall and covers his face with his hand.
Paige cocks her head, studying him for a long moment in silence. "Like I said, I'll talk to Haruki and do what I can to take care of him, okay? The rest...not really something I can help with. I'm entirely not equipped for something like that."
"Neither do I." Oberon says after drying his tears with the back of his hand."I'm sorry for this. You have nothing to do with all this shit. And thanks for helping him." He says and gives Paige a sad and faint smile.
"I'm doing my best. That's all anyone can ever do, really," Paige says with a faint smile. "Take care, Oberon. And don't worry too much about Haruki, okay?"
"I will always do. Even if we never see each other." The Flowering says before turning around and heading away.
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