The Fear principle (Accepting)

Jeremiah waited for her response, then stood as she did and shifted a bit to the side, ready to leave and let her rest. "Given the circumstances, I highly doubt that." He said, clasping his hands behind his back and beginning to walk towards the door. "But for the time being I will accept it."


Jaguar had been through much, and her trauma as a child was being brought back to the fore with Mason Cooper's arrival. Despite her strengths and her claims otherwise, Jeremiah did not think she was 'all right', but acting as if she wasn't would help nothing.


"Get some rest," he advised quietly when he got to the door, a hand resting on the knob, and glanced back at her once. "I will watch over your duties while you are away." Things would run smoothly, as usual, and she could simply pick up where she'd left off when she was ready. "Sleep well, Jaguar." He gave a slight incline of the head, and closed the door behind him on his way out. It was the last time he would allow himself the use of her first name. It was best to remain as impartial as he could. He was already showing too much favoritism towards her.
 
It was the first time Jeremiah had called her by her first name, and Jaguar looked up at him, wondering what was behind the switch. But his voice had not changed, and he had not shown as strongly as she had dreaded the pity she had anticipated. Maybe he did respect her for trying so hard not to be a person worth pity. Maybe her confession to him would not be as devastating as she had feared.


She let herself rest back against the headboard of the bed, resting her eyes, though not sleeping, as she let her mind slowly empty, practicing the calming exercises on herself that she teaches others. By the time she has mostly emptied her mind, then sat up again, considerably more rested, her thoughts drift back to Mason.


She will have to see him, first thing tomorrow. There is no more delaying this, and with Jeremiah present, everything will have to change.
 
Jeremiah walked slowly from her quarters back to his office's floor, and settled into his usual position. He had to struggle, now, to open himself again,push past instinct and lingering fear and let his facility become his again, with all its twists and turns and dark corners. He watched over Mason Cooper, for a while, to see if he had noticed Jaguar's relapse at his door, but nothing was amiss. Firm in the thought that everything was settled, he only went about his usual work.


When Jaguar had had her rest, they could revisit this tender subject and get it done with. Once Jaguar had settled into the routine of him being present, she would hopefully be back to her normal self.


((Aaaand, now we're sorta stuck without Mason, huh?))
 
(I will. Also will post for the Stewarts rebooted. But this week is seriously crazy so it may be a day or two or possibly the weekend for Stewarts, may be a day or so for this)
 
One thing Jaguar had decided, before going to see Mason at last. She was going to do whatever it took to get through without losing control in any way whatsoever.


She wasn't going to yell or show emotion. She wasn't going to let Mason get in his licks in any way, or make references that would shake her or upset her. She wasn't going to remember anything or let him get inside her, in any way. She wouldn't let him touch her and she wouldn't let him make her angry or scared or anything. She was going to do her job. No more, no less, and she would show nothing of herself. She would be a mirror to him, forcing him to see himself only, and that was all.


That was all.


She had taken time to rest herself, physically and mentally, and as she left at last to meet Jeremiah outside his cell, waiting for him to unlock it for her to join him inside, she was no longer angry with Jeremiah for the restraints put on herself, but resigned. He would be there, so be it. Mason would no doubt have something to say about it, but she would do her job, deflect, and turn it all back to him. She would not, could not let him affect her. It was her job not to.
 
Jeremiah was . . . tired, more than anything. It had taken much more energy than he had liked to push past his own fears and try to bury them inside himself so that he could more properly do his job, and it had taken much longer as well. He caught up, slowly but surely, with what had happened while he slept, while keeping a low level monitor on the facility, and had only just finished by the time Jaguar finally decided to go and see Mason Cooper. He had expected her to do so sooner, to be honest.


Jeremiah met Jaguar outside the man's cell, gave only brief eye contact and a short nod before beginning the door-opening procedures and allowing her through. He let her precede him, knowing just that could be important, and followed just after her. When the doors had sealed behind them, he didn't so much as glance at the man in the cell, only took a seat to the side of the door where he could watch if he felt like it, settling cross-legged with his hands resting lightly over his knees as if he were meditating. For now, he closed his eyes. He wanted to feel out the situation without his eyes for the moment. Eyes could deceive, and this man was all about deception.
 
Mason was not an empath, but it did not take any sort of supernatural or mental powers for him to sense the shift in the environment even before Jaguar and Jeremiah had secured the doors behind him. The presence of the man alone spoke volumes, and as he turned slowly towards them, his lips quirked into a smile. He folded his arms, eyes fixed unblinkingly on Jaguar for a long minute before he shifted his gaze between them, allowing his eyes to linger on each before returning to Jaguar.


"I see you felt the need to bring reinforcement," he commented, his tone mild, but his expression smug. "Do you not feel secure to speak with me alone? That's rather interesting, Jaguar."


"There's nothing you could do to frighten me. I've seen the worst you're capable of, and I'm not flinching," Jaguar retorted calmly, looking straight back at him. "You're common, Mason. The reason he is here, is to protect you. I would advice you remember that before we start."
 
((So sorry! work's been long and hectic and I forgot it was my turn))


Jeremiah stayed absolutely still through the conversation, as if he could disappear into the background just by lack of motion. He listened, though, and felt, even as he kept the lightest of surveillance on the rest of the facility. He was used to doing many things at once, after all, and this was important. Jaguar's development was always important.


When the reason for his being present came to fore, Jeremiah planted the tiniest of suggestions deep in Mason Cooper's mind, that perhaps this smaller, quiet figure was something to be nervous about, a notion that could turn into fear but would mainly only plant doubt and light anxiety in his mind, keep him off balance. Jeremiah was good at being unnoticed and, knowing Mason Cooper had no way of knowing what he'd done, gave it a few seconds and opened his eyes enough to give the man a calm, icy glance out of the corner of his eye. That was all.


It was all it would take to cement his authority, without ever intruding on Jaguar's teachings.
 
"To protect me?" Mason arched an eyebrow, barely turning his head to regard Jeremiah. He eyed him for several seconds, looking him up and down, before dismissing him with a faint headshake, turning his attention back to Jaguar. "To protect me from who or what, Jaguar? You?"


He laughed, shaking his head again, and took a step closer to her, squaring his shoulders and taking his time with the stride, so although his advancement was slow, it appeared menacing. He made no gesture as though to grab her, but the way he held himself, the proximity he kept to her, seemed nearly a threat, at the least a method of intimidation.


"You are no threat to me, physically or mentally," he declared, his words soft, but intent. "Let's not forget, Jaguar, I know who you are and who you were, too. I know what can be done to you...the both of us do. And you can't say the same for me...can you?"


Jaguar refused to step back, to avert her eyes, or show any other signs of discomfort, even as her heartbeat began to quicken slightly. Looking back at him, she said only, "Actually, Mason, I know as much about you as I'll ever need. I didn't need to read your file to know you inside out...I had only to judge your actions. And if you think you're intimidating me now, standing like you are...you're very wrong. Wrong, predictable, and boring. Now...let's talk about you. You do seem to enjoy attention."
 
((Sorry, Faith. I've been really, really stressed out at work, and my friend is getting packed up to move as well, and I just haven't been in the right mind frame for the longer, higher quality posts this RP deserves. I'll try to get one to you soon. Sorry again))
 
It was strange, feeling mostly irrationally and most definitely unproportionally angry at the man standing not far away. It was perhaps less strange, but even more disconcerting that he should feel so based on a feeling of violation on Jaguar's part. As if he could wrap her up in a safe little bubble and keep all others out. As if it was his right or his place to do so. It was neither, and he knew it, so he maintained his shields diligently to keep anyone else from noticing and made a short but concentrated effort to push away such feelings for later inspection.


Even with his eyes closed, Jeremiah could picture the looks on their faces, respectively, based on either's thoughts and feelings of themselves and the other. He didn't need to see their faces, though, to know just how each was reacting. Jaguar was maintaining her outward calm, something Jeremiah was - also a bit disconcertingly - vaguely proud of. Although, he supposed he might have a bit of a reason to feel proud. He had molded her, after all, discreetly and indirectly, and more recently a bit less indirectly. He supposed that now that he'd told her almost as much she might resent him for being here, like he was trying to control her, but so far she had at least been accepting his help. Resigned to it.


It was probably the best he could hope for.


He could only sit, and wait, and observe as he always did.
 
"I enjoy attention...I suppose that's true," Mason murmured, his eyes never leaving Jaguar's. He twitched one shoulder as though in a shrug, and Jaguar watched him closely, ever wary that he might move towards her.


She did not think he would physically harm her or try to, at least not with Jeremiah in the room. That wasn't his style, not according to the dynamics of their relationship now. He knew very well he could hurt her so much more and more deeply with words than with his fists or hands, and it would wound her pride and stick it to her that much more in this manner. Still, if he were to touch her even with a fingertip, she would recoil, knowing, remember, exactly where those hands had been.


He caught her eyes drop to his hands and smiled, seeming to know without her saying anything the train of her thoughts. And he took another step forward.


"Who wouldn't enjoy the attention of a beautiful woman such as yourself...how quickly you did grow up. It remains to be seen if some of your...other parts...have aged just as nicely as your face."


He let his eyes scan up and down her body again, and Jaguar's jaw tensed even as she ignored the bait, voice rising only slightly.


"Let's cut to the point here, Mason. You're letting me inside, and if you will not, I'll force my way in. We aren't playing show me yours and I show you mine, and we sure as hell are not playing you see mine and then snatch yours away. This is not a bargain of any sort. You are here for my purposes and my purposes only."
 
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