inthebiblicalsense | TLV IC Inbox

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[In a very serious, business tone, Abel's answering machine sounds after any attempted calls that aren't responded to right away.]

You've reached Abel. I am not available at the moment, but I'll get back to you as soon as I can. If this is urgent, leave the line open.

And if this is Fitz I hope you're having a good day.

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[It's a closed community; he didn't seek her out. They were both just using the same facility at the same time. A weird late night time to specifically avoid all other people and it didn't quite work out that way.]

That isn't the only thing I called her. But when I talked to her, I tried to hear her out, just.... to know. I wanted to know. I always want to understand why things with people are the way they are, in the end. Not understanding why someone... anyway. It's like an unscratchable itch in my brain. If Cain said "you were wearing a blue shirt when we met and that made me think of my CO so I can't look at you or hear you ever, leave me alone," I'd be like... very well. Have a nice life. Trauma response. I get it. But it's just nothing. "I can't stand you because of stuff you did after I already decided I couldn't stand you". Okay; that doesn't actually make logical sense. So. Justine. I don't want her to come within ten feet of Will still, but she knows why and I understand what she was doing, even if I don't agree with it. So it's kind of... over. I can file it away. I don't know if that makes sense to you, but that's what my problem is.

[Abel sighs, frowning at the comm before he decides in that context, maybe it would be better to share something.]

Well for one, emotions aren't logical, and I know that Alexei doesn't think like that, solely logically. But my understanding is, you approached him when he had already decided he was unsafe, followed him after he asked you to leave him alone, and among other things that happened, solidified the fact in his head that you don't listen and are too familiar to quickly, so he just wrote you off as a loss.

My take might not be a hundred percent accurate, but he holds grudges, he doesn't change his mind easily, and he doesn't waste any time on people he isn't fond of. You're experiencing all of the negative parts of his personality because you managed to do things that triggered each one. And then, following that you kept doing it, every time you interacted with him, it was like pressing the buttons you pushed with the first encounter all over again, each time with less effort until that's what you're associated with. Pressing a button without doing much at all.

Does that make more sense? He doesn't dislike you for no reason.

Does it seem reasonable or fair that being socially awkward and bad at social cues is a write off offense that there's no way back from and warrants extreme vitriol? It's a closed community. I was avoiding Justine and we randomly ended up at neighboring tables. We're going to cross paths whether I want to or not. It'll happen.

Some people are like that, and not everyone will like you. I can't fix it, you can't fix it. We were previously on a ship with no way off with the same people, his behavior between here and there in this respect hasn't changed. He'll ignore you if you let him though, Malcolm.

I'm not saying that it's entirely right, but I'm not saying he's entirely in the wrong either for wanting to not interact with you.

But the sharpness comes from prodding, and if you don't prod he's not going to come looking for you to yell at. He set a boundary, you continually stepped over it by trying to interact when him when he didn't want you to. Being bad at social cues is one thing, but when someone tells you in plain english to leave them alone multiple times, you can't blame it on that any more. You messaged him, that isn't randomly showing up in the same place, that's you consciously reaching out to him when he asked you not to.

Lots of people say that at first, is the thing. And I always get told they just got here, they're jumpy or grumpy, they're just lashing out, just be patient. Give it another chance. So that's what I did in this case. I didn't text his device directly and personally; I responded to public posts he directed at literally everyone and not even all of them like you two have both alleged. Just the ones that seemed interesting. Because if he was presenting something interesting, we could break the ice by talking about a shared interest. But I get it, okay? He's not grumpy/skittish/lashing out. He just means it. So I'll leave him alone.

Everyone is different. And maybe he will come around at some point, but the messaging probably feels more intentional than seeing him in the hall and saying hello.

And I didn't say it was every time, I pay attention to the network, though I usually don't interact with it much. I think your efforts are better put towards someone else, though I do appreciate you trying to connect with him, it isn't what he wants, and I can't do anything to change his mind.

That's fine. It is what it is.

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