[ His first impulse is I'm nothing like Derek, before he realises she must know that. And he does trust Derek. He nods—he probably won't ask, not really, but knowing he could does help.
He still has a dozen doubts and two dozen questions, though. This one takes priority: ]
[But she watches him, wishes she had the ability to stop it hurting him. Just a bend in the mind somewhere, wouldn't that do it? But she'd never been able to protect her dogs from pain. It wouldn't be different for him.]
Approximately forty feet. Doesn't need to be line of sight.
[If he's worried about any chance of hurting her more directly.]
[ Both statements leave him looking relieved. He stands up, finally, and lets her dog have the underside of its chin back. ]
I'm usually all right. I'm not dangerous to animals. They keep me calm. That's why Sirius is an Animagus. [ He pauses. That isn't a betrayal of confidence, exactly, because he knows Tyke knows, but— ] And because it was illegal and dangerous and so on. [ Coolness preserved. ]
But if I'm around people, I'll go after them. I can't help it. And we're very hard to control at all. [ Or else his dad and/or Dumbledore would have come up with something better than leaving him alone to rip himself up. He shoves both hands into his pockets. ] I've got six days, if you want to try.
[There's some mild surprise at the reason for why Sirius was an Animagus. It wasn't something she'd ever thought about before, maybe considered it was like her in some respect - a natural ability, something he was born with alongside the general wizardness. But it would make sense, as much as Sirius might not like it to. Him learning how to help someone else.]
I can do it. [She wouldn't have asked him here, explained it all if not. She wasn't the decision here.] If you want me to.
[ He nods—not quickly, not without some degree of gravitas, but without any hesitation, either. As long as she's out of the way, and as long as Sirius is out of the way, if they're going to try letting her closer, the worst that can happen is he'll have a temper tantrum and need his arm sewed back together. ]
Someday it'll be during the jump, [ he says. ] Or we'll all be lured into the corridors again, and I can't—I'd rather no one have to kill me, if there are other options.
[Firm, no smile to mirror his, though he might not have expected different from her. It's her responsibility to keep everyone on the ship safe. That included him, and even if circumstances turned that he was a threat, she'd do everything she could to stop him before she took that step.]
You'll need to tell me your cycle. [If it was turning evenly enough that the jump was a likely date, at some point.]
[She'll need to pin it down, find out when he turned and map it out from there. But that should be simple enough, now. She doesn't press.]
No. [She shakes her head.] I'm the only one.
[That they'd known of. Maybe there was some little girl somewhere back on her world, growing up preferring the local strays to the kids at school. Taylor doubts she'll ever meet her.]
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He still has a dozen doubts and two dozen questions, though. This one takes priority: ]
Do you feel what they feel?
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[Not the same, not quite as direct as that, but then she wasn't always sure how much distance it really offered. She frowns slightly.]
It's hard to explain.
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It hurts. A lot. Not the whole time, though, only the transitions.
[ And he isn't a fan of hurting other people, if it might work out that way. ]
How close do you have to be?
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[But she watches him, wishes she had the ability to stop it hurting him. Just a bend in the mind somewhere, wouldn't that do it? But she'd never been able to protect her dogs from pain. It wouldn't be different for him.]
Approximately forty feet. Doesn't need to be line of sight.
[If he's worried about any chance of hurting her more directly.]
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I'm usually all right. I'm not dangerous to animals. They keep me calm. That's why Sirius is an Animagus. [ He pauses. That isn't a betrayal of confidence, exactly, because he knows Tyke knows, but— ] And because it was illegal and dangerous and so on. [ Coolness preserved. ]
But if I'm around people, I'll go after them. I can't help it. And we're very hard to control at all. [ Or else his dad and/or Dumbledore would have come up with something better than leaving him alone to rip himself up. He shoves both hands into his pockets. ] I've got six days, if you want to try.
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I can do it. [She wouldn't have asked him here, explained it all if not. She wasn't the decision here.] If you want me to.
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Someday it'll be during the jump, [ he says. ] Or we'll all be lured into the corridors again, and I can't—I'd rather no one have to kill me, if there are other options.
[ He smiles, ha, but he isn't really joking. ]
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[Firm, no smile to mirror his, though he might not have expected different from her. It's her responsibility to keep everyone on the ship safe. That included him, and even if circumstances turned that he was a threat, she'd do everything she could to stop him before she took that step.]
You'll need to tell me your cycle. [If it was turning evenly enough that the jump was a likely date, at some point.]
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Every twenty-nine, thirty days. [ Wryly: ] Earth time. I can feel it coming on.
[ He turns his attention to the dogs again to prevent any additional spasms. ]
Thank you. Can a lot of people communicate with dogs, where you're from?
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No. [She shakes her head.] I'm the only one.
[That they'd known of. Maybe there was some little girl somewhere back on her world, growing up preferring the local strays to the kids at school. Taylor doubts she'll ever meet her.]
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I suppose it couldn't have been too lonely, [ he says—being the only one. He's smiling at the dogs again. ]
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[First, before anything else the Academy had made her see them as.]