[ Norton can't stand being alone after a trial. He's figured this out now. But after that mess he wasn't sure who to trust. Some lucky bastard got away with murder, and that kid... God, if the vast majority weren't sketchy or adept fighters he might have some chance of survival.
... Still. He could think of one person who didn't seem like that much of a threat.
What was the fan guy's name again? Nisang or something? Norton's gonna seek him out. ]
... [ Sigh. ] I don't know. Guess I was looking for company?
[ He knows full well there are others who have it worse, but... Does he really want to be near those three right now? He'd probably make things worse, the way he's feeling. ]
[ He'll almost smile; it was funny, hearing Norton ask him this. It wasn't like a bad thing, just him feeling a little nostalgic whenever he had asked friends to keep secrets. But it was more important than that now, he thinks.
So he will nod just so, finding no problem in doing as much. ]
Now, I don't know if you realize, but a miner's life is pretty damn hard. All that work for little pay, and you end up rotting in the old folk's home at the end of it all if you're lucky. It always pained me to see those old geezers whenever I came by to visit, help them out a little if I could. No obligations, of course, just looking out for them.
...I've never been mining, but even back in my world, they certainly had people who did those things. And it sounded rather tough just by the sound of it.
[ Finally, though, something he was vaguely familiar with! ]
So, I can believe it, and...those people were lucky to have you.
Trust me, you wouldn't last too long in the mines.
[ Don't take that too personally... There isn't much of a smile at the compliment though. Just a nod. ]
Anyway, that's where I ran into Iorn Chisel Benny. Now, Benny showed me this list of mines he thought had loads of gold and gemstones. I was getting desperate, so I decided to visit those mines myself to see if I could nab something valuable before the robber barons got to it.
[ He looked sheepish. He's not good with rough things; him even swinging a blade would be like hoping for a miracle he didn't hurt himself by accident. He would NOT survive an hour in the mines before breaking out in legitimate tears and falling to his knees in despair. ]
[ That was clear enough just by looking at the guy... You may as well drag a delicate rose through a briar patch. ]
Visits. I had to go in one mine at a time, joining the group already working there for a while before moving on...
Didn't find jack in the first twelve mines. The last one on the list was crossed out for some reason, and I was sure there must be something good hidden in there...
[ .....that was a lot of mines to go searching through, holy shit. ]
Was that true? Were you able to find something good hidden?
[ But, he had a feeling that wasn't to be the case. Call it some form of intuition, honestly. intuition he wished could've pointed him in the direction of the killer, he noted sullenly. But he forced his attention back to the story, which was actually serving as a good distraction. ]
[ He frowns, shaking his head. ] I don't know what got into me there... Into all of us, maybe. The deeper we went, the more desperate we got. We just knew there must be gold or silver in that cave, and we wanted to get our hands on those riches one way or another...
... [ He looks up at Huaisang. ] You know what dynamite is, right?
It's a kind of bomb. An explosive. [ That should explain enough. ]
It was beginning used to blow out chunks of rock in mines... But we got careless with it. We were so impatient that we snuck it in where we shouldn't have just to get to the gold faster...
[ There's darkness in his eyes as he admits this much. A fresh look of fear as he recalls the disaster that's been haunting him. ]
Last thing I fully remember was lighting the fuse... It went off... And I was lying there in pain as the whole damn cave came crashing down on us...
As he's listening, and he mentioned something about the dynamite being used when it shouldn't have been...and he had feeling that it wasn't going to be a situation that ended well.
He was proven right when the other finished being in a bad position. He kind of had new respect for miners who would go through all of that, to be honest. ]
[ He'll look down. He won't tell Norton not to blame himself. An individual's harshest critic was oneself, and in the end, he had in fact made a mistake. It'd be folly to insist he hadn't, and Huaisang wasn't so soft to try to insist as much. ]
I appreciate you telling me this, though. Like I promised, I'll keep this to myself. There's really no reason for me to go around spreading a story like this to anyone.
[ That's a little surprise, but he didn't think it a bad one! ]
Anyway, I'm glad you decided to speak about it with someone. Holding onto things like this can be a heavy burden...I'm sure even having me listen helped soften the blow a little bit.
[ He... Hadn't considered this. Then again, he never figured people really cared enough to listen. Last time anyone actually spoke to him about it was when he was recovering in the hospital, and even then it was just some acquaintances and bosses saying "My condolences" or some hollow shit like that.
And then, nothing. Hardly anyone got this close to him again, and he's pretty sure they had some crazy ideas about him after that. Not that he really felt that bothered by it... So he told himself. ]
... Maybe it did. I don't know.
[ A part of him was sure this might have been a mistake, but screw it. He really needed someone to talk to... ]
[ ... To be honest, Huaisang was actually a little happy the other man had decided to come to him for it. A lot had happened today, and besides the show of trust, it had allowed him to get his thoughts off of the result of the trial.
So really, this whole discussion was beneficial to the both of them. ]
Hm, well, regardless I didn't mind it at all. So if you ever feel the need to, you can seek me out anytime.
Now, maybe you'd like to spend some time reading some fun stories with me?
[ A slight smile lit up his face as he said that. ]
[ Huaisang may have heard Norton mis-shouting his name from down the hall.
The first thing that came to his mind after hearing the announcement was the look Huaisang gave him when he suspected Wei-Wuxian for a moment. Second thing was the man's... Interesting perfomance as Cinderella's stepsister... Then...
He had to check on Huaisang. That man had to be nearby, right? He saw him running around like a madman... Maybe Huaisang might have been in his room? ]
Anyway, since the other was coming to check on him in his room, he may be able to hear soft sounds. Like somebody sobbing...yeah, he was taking it very hard. Not even the sincere crying he'd done during first trial was this bad, even if it had come close. ]
[ There's a quiet shuffling and Huaisang opened the door.
...
His room's a mess. A chair's knocked over, with covers on the floor and papers strewn everywhere.
He looked a mess as well. His eyes were red, brimming with tears, and face flushed due to how much he was crying. ]
I know...I don't look presentable right now, so...I understand if you don't want to do much with me right now.
[ He'll be able to gather himself when trial hit, but right now he's letting himself be as miserable as he felt to get at least a good amount of it out. And if anyone judged him, he might just try to punch them in the face. ]
It's...it's been over a decade now, but I miss them too.
[ His father, mother, and his brother. They were people he cherished greatly. ]
I don't want to be like this for too long.
Our situation can't really afford for me to be too upset when trial hits. But, I really do appreciate you coming here, even if I'm going to be like this.
I was even more of a crybaby back then. I'm sure that if Hamelin had decided to draw me into this place I'd be fainting left and right as soon as everything got too tense, which has happened here a lot.
My mother died when I was rather young, my father a few years after her, but it was harder when my brother passed as we were all that we had. And to me, his passing was the most recent.
[ He doesn't understand how Huaisang's world even works, but he can imagine how hard it must have been... ]
I understand how it feels, but... I don't think I've ever had the luxury of having a brother help me out after my folks passed away. Had to make it on my own, somehow. Guess I was lucky enough to have been raised in a mining town, but... You know how that turned out down the road.
[ Norton's not one to cry about it. He's prone to lashing out, yes, but even if he's no fighter he wouldn't consider himself weak.
Not that he'd say that part out loud at a time like this. ]
[ At 'luxury', his smile turned pained. He wasn't really all that helpful to his brother, so it was really just him at times being a weight. But emotionally, that was different.
Even if...in the end, the last interaction that had been between them was an awful fight he wished had gone far better. ]
I'll be blunt and say that I don't know if I could ever make it like you had if I were on my own from the beginning. But who knows...in times of adversity they say that is when a person's truth colors, or their strengths, may show. Also, you do seem generally like a strong person in general.
Even if...I guess, we haven't known each other for years but for almost a month instead.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Week 2, Post Trial
... Still. He could think of one person who didn't seem like that much of a threat.
What was the fan guy's name again? Nisang or something? Norton's gonna seek him out. ]
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His expression was pretty blank. ]
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... How are you holding up?
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[ He meant SQ, Tenn, and Yor. They had it rougher than he did right now. ]
Why are you here?
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[ He knows full well there are others who have it worse, but... Does he really want to be near those three right now? He'd probably make things worse, the way he's feeling. ]
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[ He'll turn to face him, his expression looking a little sad. ]
Was there anything you wanted to talk about? I don't mind listening again, just like before.
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...Where do I even start?
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Maybe the easiest part, if there is one?
[ There was always an easier part...well, most of the time. Sometimes there just wasn't, but it was good to start somewhere. ]
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Well, I guess I'm a bit worried about some jackass getting away with murder, but that's what anyone would tell you if you asked them.
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...Start with the next easier part, then.
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... Next easiest... The look on C-ta's face when he snapped...
He winces at the thought of telling anyone, but the fan guy's been nothing but kind to him. He can't trust the guy, not fully, but maybe... ]
Promise you won't say anything about what I'll tell you? This is one story I would have liked to take to my grave in any other circumstance.
[ He doesn't know if he can keep mum about that for much longer without losing it himself. ]
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So he will nod just so, finding no problem in doing as much. ]
I promise. I'm pretty good at keeping secrets.
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... It all happened back in my mining days.
Now, I don't know if you realize, but a miner's life is pretty damn hard. All that work for little pay, and you end up rotting in the old folk's home at the end of it all if you're lucky. It always pained me to see those old geezers whenever I came by to visit, help them out a little if I could. No obligations, of course, just looking out for them.
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[ Finally, though, something he was vaguely familiar with! ]
So, I can believe it, and...those people were lucky to have you.
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[ Don't take that too personally... There isn't much of a smile at the compliment though. Just a nod. ]
Anyway, that's where I ran into Iorn Chisel Benny. Now, Benny showed me this list of mines he thought had loads of gold and gemstones. I was getting desperate, so I decided to visit those mines myself to see if I could nab something valuable before the robber barons got to it.
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[ He looked sheepish. He's not good with rough things; him even swinging a blade would be like hoping for a miracle he didn't hurt himself by accident. He would NOT survive an hour in the mines before breaking out in legitimate tears and falling to his knees in despair. ]
...anyway, what happened after your visit?
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Visits. I had to go in one mine at a time, joining the group already working there for a while before moving on...
Didn't find jack in the first twelve mines. The last one on the list was crossed out for some reason, and I was sure there must be something good hidden in there...
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Was that true? Were you able to find something good hidden?
[ But, he had a feeling that wasn't to be the case. Call it some form of intuition, honestly. intuition he wished could've pointed him in the direction of the killer, he noted sullenly. But he forced his attention back to the story, which was actually serving as a good distraction. ]
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I found... Something. But...
[ He frowns, shaking his head. ] I don't know what got into me there... Into all of us, maybe. The deeper we went, the more desperate we got. We just knew there must be gold or silver in that cave, and we wanted to get our hands on those riches one way or another...
... [ He looks up at Huaisang. ] You know what dynamite is, right?
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[ But Huaisang was listening, as he wondered what that 'something' was, honestly. But then he'll pause at the question, tilting his head a bit. ]
...Dynamite?
[ That probably said a lot, yep. ]
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It's a kind of bomb. An explosive. [ That should explain enough. ]
It was beginning used to blow out chunks of rock in mines... But we got careless with it. We were so impatient that we snuck it in where we shouldn't have just to get to the gold faster...
[ There's darkness in his eyes as he admits this much. A fresh look of fear as he recalls the disaster that's been haunting him. ]
Last thing I fully remember was lighting the fuse... It went off... And I was lying there in pain as the whole damn cave came crashing down on us...
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As he's listening, and he mentioned something about the dynamite being used when it shouldn't have been...and he had feeling that it wasn't going to be a situation that ended well.
He was proven right when the other finished being in a bad position. He kind of had new respect for miners who would go through all of that, to be honest. ]
...How did you even get out of that?
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...I'm sorry, that sounds difficult. [ ... ] Do you...are you still blaming yourself for that?
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What do you think?
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[ He'll look down. He won't tell Norton not to blame himself. An individual's harshest critic was oneself, and in the end, he had in fact made a mistake. It'd be folly to insist he hadn't, and Huaisang wasn't so soft to try to insist as much. ]
I appreciate you telling me this, though. Like I promised, I'll keep this to myself. There's really no reason for me to go around spreading a story like this to anyone.
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Thanks.
You know, you're actually the first person I've actually talked to about that mess.
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[ That's a little surprise, but he didn't think it a bad one! ]
Anyway, I'm glad you decided to speak about it with someone. Holding onto things like this can be a heavy burden...I'm sure even having me listen helped soften the blow a little bit.
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And then, nothing. Hardly anyone got this close to him again, and he's pretty sure they had some crazy ideas about him after that. Not that he really felt that bothered by it... So he told himself. ]
... Maybe it did. I don't know.
[ A part of him was sure this might have been a mistake, but screw it. He really needed someone to talk to... ]
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So really, this whole discussion was beneficial to the both of them. ]
Hm, well, regardless I didn't mind it at all. So if you ever feel the need to, you can seek me out anytime.
Now, maybe you'd like to spend some time reading some fun stories with me?
[ A slight smile lit up his face as he said that. ]
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[ Quite a change in demeanour from yesterday... It's amazing what a horrible trial can do to people. ]
What the hell, why not. What have you been reading there?
Week 3, pre-trial
The first thing that came to his mind after hearing the announcement was the look Huaisang gave him when he suspected Wei-Wuxian for a moment. Second thing was the man's... Interesting perfomance as Cinderella's stepsister... Then...
He had to check on Huaisang. That man had to be nearby, right? He saw him running around like a madman... Maybe Huaisang might have been in his room? ]
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Anyway, since the other was coming to check on him in his room, he may be able to hear soft sounds. Like somebody sobbing...yeah, he was taking it very hard. Not even the sincere crying he'd done during first trial was this bad, even if it had come close. ]
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Uh... Huaisang? It's Norton.
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...
His room's a mess. A chair's knocked over, with covers on the floor and papers strewn everywhere.
He looked a mess as well. His eyes were red, brimming with tears, and face flushed due to how much he was crying. ]
I know...I don't look presentable right now, so...I understand if you don't want to do much with me right now.
[ He'll be able to gather himself when trial hit, but right now he's letting himself be as miserable as he felt to get at least a good amount of it out. And if anyone judged him, he might just try to punch them in the face. ]
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It's fine, I'm here to check on you.
[ The man has every right to grieve. Norton can't deny him that...
He can offer some company, though. ]
Mind if I come in?
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[ Huaisang let his defenses come down some more at the question. ]
The door. Lock it behind you for a bit.
[ He'll come further into the room, hands shakily pick up the covers before he sat on the bed, and he rubbed at his eyes. ]
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... You two must have been real close, back where you're from.
[ The similar names and fashion choices hinted as such. ]
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He was the only one I had left, after I was alone for so long.
[ There was a beat. ]
All of my immediate family has been dead for awhile, after all.
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[ Another orphan...? Norton never had siblings, but he did lose both parents when he was a kid... ]
Terribly sorry to hear that.
[ There's a genuine tone of sympathy as he gazes at the floor. ]
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[ His father, mother, and his brother. They were people he cherished greatly. ]
I don't want to be like this for too long.
Our situation can't really afford for me to be too upset when trial hits. But, I really do appreciate you coming here, even if I'm going to be like this.
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We have a few hours. Plenty of time to get it together.
[ Which is why Norton is not investigating today. Whoops. ]
... Over a decade, though... You must have been pretty young.
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Yes, I suppose you're right...
[ But, he'll also nod. ]
I was even more of a crybaby back then. I'm sure that if Hamelin had decided to draw me into this place I'd be fainting left and right as soon as everything got too tense, which has happened here a lot.
My mother died when I was rather young, my father a few years after her, but it was harder when my brother passed as we were all that we had. And to me, his passing was the most recent.
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I understand how it feels, but... I don't think I've ever had the luxury of having a brother help me out after my folks passed away. Had to make it on my own, somehow. Guess I was lucky enough to have been raised in a mining town, but... You know how that turned out down the road.
[ Norton's not one to cry about it. He's prone to lashing out, yes, but even if he's no fighter he wouldn't consider himself weak.
Not that he'd say that part out loud at a time like this. ]
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Even if...in the end, the last interaction that had been between them was an awful fight he wished had gone far better. ]
I'll be blunt and say that I don't know if I could ever make it like you had if I were on my own from the beginning. But who knows...in times of adversity they say that is when a person's truth colors, or their strengths, may show. Also, you do seem generally like a strong person in general.
Even if...I guess, we haven't known each other for years but for almost a month instead.