Amelia Solo (babysolo) wrote in parabolical, @ 2008-08-27 01:06:00 |
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Entry tags: | amelia solo, complete, jacen solo, log, willow rosenberg |
WHO: Amelia Solo, Jacen Solo, and Willow Rosenberg (briefly)
WHAT: Amelia and Jacen are stuck in a room until they can get along. Everyone can thank Willow for this one.
WHEN: 11AM
WHERE: Willow's room at the Hyperion
RATING: PGish
STATUS: COMPLETE (logged)
After Willow's conversation with Tenel Ka, the redhead had busied herself with the task of Jedi-proofing a room. It wasn't as easy of a concept as it might seem at first glance. Most anything that wasn't bolted down (and even a few things that were) could be used as a weapon. Finally, she'd had to find a rather obscure spell that she thought might work - they could still use the Force. They just couldn't do anything that would cause harm to each other.
As satisfied as she was going to get, Willow went in search of her prey.
Amelia was staying just down the hall. She opted to get her last. So she headed toward Jacen. Her plan was a simple one: grab them, get them to the room, leave them there. The minute she teleported in beside the Jedi, she was already in action.
"Hi! You're with me, Mister," she stated, grabbing his hand and teleporting away. This time they appeared directly beside Amelia and Willow, also, grabbed her hand.
"You're with me too, Missy," she explained and disappeared out of the girl's room and directly in her own. Releasing them, she smiled merrily at the duo.
"Okay. So... you two aren't getting along, but you should be. So I want you to start... getting along, I mean. A-And you're going to stay here until you do!" With a sharp nod of her head, Willow disappeared.
Then reappeared a split second later. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. You can't get out and you can't attack each other. I've got this place pretty well covered, in fact. But if you would both just be nice, you could get right out. Since you can't, though, I'll be back to check on you in a bit. Any questions?"
"Um, yes," Amelia replied instantly. She was pointedly ignoring Jacen, her attention on Willow. "Who in the kriff are you?" She glanced in the direction of the other Jedi. "Please tell me you know this nutjob, at least."
Jacen scowled and glared at his hothead daughter. "Why, yes, I do happen to know this person. She happens to be the very nice and considerate girl who taught me a bunch about this annoying mudball. She also happened to save your life when you first arrived here, so I while I normally would suggest that you watch your tongue and show some gratitude, it's obvious you don't even have that much courtesy in you."
His glare became sharper as he added, "Not that saving your life means much to you, does it?"
Turning his back on his daughter, he glared at Willow next. "But the brat has a point. Just what in the world are you thinking of?"
Amelia opened her mouth to respond to the 'brat' comment, but Willow beat her to the punch. "See? That, that right there! With the calling her a brat a-and the arguing and the mean looks! You two don't have to be best friends or anything, but a little niceness can go a really long way!" Shaking her head, the redhead stepped away from them.
"Okay. I'll check back in a while. Bye!" Then she was gone.
Amelia stared at the spot where Willow had been, then glanced toward Jacen. With a heavy sigh, she looked away and turned, heading to the furthest corner of the room. The windows were blacked out, of course, but the seat near them was comfortable. She sat down... and prepared to wait.
"Willlow!" Jacen growled before the perky redhead unperked herself and vanished. She really was a good friend... when she didn't get strange ideas into her head and then decided she should act on them. Although, knowing Willow, she could still hear him, so he decided to go for the low blow.
"I stand corrected," he said loudly. "My daughter isn't as much of a brat as you are, Willow!"
Jacen didn't pause to wonder how that would go over with the second half of his audience.
Amelia sighed when he yelled. She glanced toward the television set and flicked her wrist, the remote flying in her hand. Her brow furrowed as she made silent note of the fact that she could, apparently, use the Force. Just not against Jacen.
Pressing the power button on the remote, she was amazed when the television surged to life. Her lips quirked upward into a hint of a smile and she cast a glance toward Jacen before looking back to the set. Already she was flipping through the channels, trying to find something to watch.
This, she decided, might not be so bad. Just sit here and watch TV until Willow came back, then try to convince her to let them go. Amelia could handle this.
Jacen shook his head, well aware it was pointless trying to get through to Willow when she had decided she was being a helper. It was just more constructive waiting patiently for Willow to decide her idea was a flop.
Moving casually, Jacen lay down on the bed, then tried to focus on what was on television. Emphasis on tried. Who would have expected his daughter to be hooked on teenage dramas? He was watching one called "Everwood", which was about as entertaining as watching paint dry on an X-wing. He started nodding off within the first five minutes, a very unpleasant feeling.
This is not going to go on.
With an impatient Force tug, Jacen pulled the remote from his daughter's inattentive fingers, and changed the channel. By sheer serendipity, he switched it to a channel called "the history channel" that seemed to be doing a special on how some person named "George Lucas" had created his universe.
"Interesting..."
Amelia jerked upwards when the remote flew from her fingers to Jacen's. Narrowing her eyes, she half-stood, then froze as she caught a tidbit from the TV. Sitting back down, she slowly glanced toward the set and watched it for a few moments.
It was strange, hearing someone speak about things that were commonplace to her, as though they were the end all be all of creations. Science fiction. Fantasy.
"You don't find this even a little bit creepy?" she asked after a moment.
Jacen was watching the show too intently to remember to be hostile. He hadn't even realized that Amelia had been almost polite in asking. "After a while on this planet, you get used to strange things. It's almost like watching a documentary on the holonet. Except for the parts about us."
He tilted his head as he watched them describe things that were commonplace to him as impossibility, and propose interesting alternatives to concepts he took for granted. "They're creative, aren't they?"
She just blinked, faintly surprised at the tone in his voice. It wasn't angry. It wasn't disapproving. He was just... speaking to her. Amelia blinked again. Then she glanced back toward the television.
"It's still creepy, to me," she stated matter-of-factly. Her brow furrowed as the program began discussing the suit that Vader had worn. She glanced toward Jacen once more, her expression and tone both hesitant.
"So... how long do you think Willow is going to keep us stuck in here?" she questioned.
Jacen watched, both fascinated and horrified, as the Earthers dissected the components and functions of his grandfather's terrifying armor. It was disturbing to realize that the Emperor had deliberately imprisoned his grandfather inside a walking black metal tomb when better technologies could have allowed Anakin to lead something resembling a normal life.
But if he had, would he truly have been as horrifying a figure?
Jacen didn't reply for a long moment as he pondered his daughter's question. Finally, with some resignation, he said, "I just hope she remembers to feed us."
"... oh," was all Amelia replied. It was all she could think to say. Clearly this woman who had imprisoned them was powerful, so asking if there was any way to stop her and get out of here seemed moot. If Jacen could have done it, he likely would have by now.
Unless he wants to be stuck here. It does seem like something he'd plan, doesn't it? As some voice inside her mind began whispering such things to her, the girl turned her attention from the television back, yet again, to the other Jedi present.
"What about someone else?" she asked. Drawing one leg up, so it was pressed against her chest and her chin was resting on her bent knee, Amelia elaborated. "Could someone else maybe get us out of here? Open the door or something?"
Jacen rolled over onto his side and looked at his daughter with dry amusement. "I'm not exactly in the lightweight category, and even I can't out of a Willow-sealed room. Don't you think if I could have, I would have by now?"
Rolling back onto his back, he stretched before concentrating on the television again. "As to there being someone else, no, I don't think so. Sure, there's the one musclehead who can bend things like titanium alloy without much effort, and I doubt even he could get us out."
Just to emphasize, Jacen launched Force lightning at the door, not even particularly startled when it fizzled out before reaching the blessed way out. He didn't precisely glare at the door, but he came close.
"I really do hope she remembers to feed us."
"I doubt she's gone to all this trouble just to let us starve to death," Amelia pointed out as sensibly as she could, considering she didn't actually know Willow Rosenberg. She seemed to have thought this through, though, so she was willing to bet the redhead had likely accounted for meals as well.
Her attention fell back to the television program and she remained silent until the next commercial break. Then she sighed and rose to her feet. Glancing around, she spotted a small pile of cups and a small tub with a lid. Opening it, she found cans of various drinks inside, icy cold. She glanced at Jacen. "Do you want something to drink?" she questioned as she reached for one for herself.
It never even crossed her mind that they were no longer fighting. In fact, they were almost getting along. It was slow-going, but it was progress.
"Don't I wish it..." Jacen muttered before he looked at his daughter again. He shrugged a bit. "Willow has a habit of being easily distracted, forgetful, and otherwise sputtering her sentences out in a way that could most accurately be described as "babbling". Whether she has planned for enough meals for however long this experiment of hers lasts is a matter of the unknown."
Jacen was about to say no, well aware that those things cost money, but then decided against it. If Willow wanted to be stubborn, she could pay the tab! "Yes, please. The Sprite, if there is one."
Jacen sat back and watched a commercial go on. Unsurprisingly, it was about them. He sighed inaudibly. It was the most uncomfortable sort of feeling, never mind that it happened all the time back home.
"She's a... witch, right? That's the term I think someone used?" She'd heard of the redhead through the Hyperion. Staying here had its advantages with that being one of them. She was exposed to a lot of different people and was starting to know some of them, bit by bit. "Anyway. She could always... poof in some food, magically, couldn't she? It isn't like it'd take a lot of effort on her part, and she has to be watching us."
Grabbing two cans of Sprite, Amelia crossed back to Jacen and handed him one before opening the other one and taking a sip. Her gaze went back to the television screen as a promo for the show flickered across the screen before it faded to another commercial. She was really starting to despise the advertisements. They were either creepier than the shows, or downright boring. As though she had the need for an attorney.
Amelia looked around once more as she moved back to her seat. Nothing really caught her interest, so she sat back down and looked back to the screen.
Just in time for it to turn black and Willow's voice to fill the room. "That's enough of that, guys and gals. This isn't a test to see how long you can watch TV. This is about communication! So... have fun and I'll see you soon!"
The young Jedi blinked, staring in horror at the television set before looking to Jacen. "I'm really beginning to dislike your friend," she commented idly, taking another sip of her drink.
"She is indeed a witch....and also an itch that never goes away," Jacen added darkly. "And while she could poof in food, she is just as likely to get distracted by a shiny object and forget all about this experiment of hers until too late."
Jacen accepted the soda can, popped it open, and sipped his drink as he fantasized exactly how he was going to get even with Willow for this stunt. He had been watching that show, thank you very much! And while he would never be petty enough to indulge in such petulant vengeance, it was still a nice thought.
"I agree with you. I am really beginning to dislike her too. Especially when the show was getting interesting."
Amelia snorted a bit indelicately at his comment, taking another sip of her drink before once more looking around the room. Her gray-eyed gaze scanned a few pictures in frames, lining the dresser. Rising soundlessly to her feet, the teenager crossed to them.
"Is Willow from this planet?" she asked curiously a moment later, glancing over her shoulder at Jacen. "She has a lot of sentimental items with her to have just shown up here as we did." Granted, Amelia had shown up with a small satchel containing a few precious items (including her beloved stuffed tauntaun), but she'd been about to go somewhere when she'd arrived here. She somehow didn't see Willow carrying framed photographs of obvious friends around on the off chance she ended up stranded on a strange planet.
Not that it was really any of her business, or that it really interested her all that much, but Amelia was determined to talk about anything besides what they should probably be talking about. She didn't want to have any conversation with Jacen that involved him, her, or the fact that he was her father. It wasn't anything personal against him (at least, not as much as it had been before they were brought here) but she just wasn't comfortable having that sort of talk.
So she asked about Willow. And after that, if Jacen didn't offer something to go on, she'd think of something else to bring up. Either that, or meditate.
"Oh, yes, she most certainly is a native." Jacen smiled slightly. "Can you honestly imagine anyone else being quite so insane as to lock up a pair of Jedi in a room?"
Jacen paused as he considered his own statement, especially in lieu of his experiences with such people as Hethrir, Thrackan Sal-Solo, and all the other undesirables that the galaxy seemed to spew out at him on a nearly weekly basis. "Don't answer that."
Taking a moment to gather the train of his thoughts, he once again repeated, "Yes, she's from Earth. And for whatever reason, she locked us in her...room..."
Jacen paused, looking at Willow's various keepsakes. Maybe there was a way to get a little bit of payback after all.
The way he said the last word made Amelia turn back to him with a slightly furrowed brow. He was thinking about something. He had the same expression she could remember him having when she'd been a small child and he'd spent time with her. Back before he'd turned to the Dark Side, back when she'd still been Allana.
"What are you planning?" she asked, directly, although without any judgment in her tone. She wasn't going to dispute or agree to anything until she knew what was going through his mind. All she knew at this point was that something was there. And whatever it was, there was a good chance Willow wasn't going to like it very much.
Jacen's smile grew a little. "I just think that since this does happen to be the place where she lives, she will leave behind certain items that I doubt she wants us to see."
Getting up from the bed, Jacen paused to think. If he were Willow, he would hide his most embarrassing things....not in a drawer or under a bed, too obvious, but...
With decision, he moved to the where the fridge was, and using the Force, levitated it a few feet back. Satisfied when he found it, he picked it up, moved the fridge back, and opened it up. Then he sat down.
"Willow really shouldn't leave things like this lying around," Jacen commented casually as he showed his daughter a picture of a little redhead playing in a kitchen sink. Or bathing, it was hard to tell which. "One would think she wanted it to be found."
Amelia watched with wide eyes as Jacen went in search of - and found - something he clearly found interesting. Inching closer to him, curious, she couldn't help but giggle at the picture. Instantly her hand went to her mouth as though to hold the rest of her laughter in, and her eyes widened once more as they slid toward the man holding the photo album.
"Baby pictures?" she spoke as she slowly withdrew her hand. "She hid baby pictures underneath her refrigerator?" She shook her head and looked back to the book. She knew, morally, she should object to going through the woman's clearly private album. But she had locked them in here, and taken away the television, and she did want them getting along...
With a mental shrug, Amelia sat down beside Jacen and cast him a small smile. "Okay. There has to be more than just the one photo. Let's see what she's trying to hide from us, hmm?" she suggested.
Jacen had to smile as he nodded amiably. "Yes, she hid baby pictures under the refrigerator. But then again, if I had been forced to wear this little outfit-" he said, pointing to a baby Wilow in a polka dot dress, "I wouldn't want the pictures to see the light of day either.
Jacen flipped the page, this time revealing a little Willow with a bottle in her hand and a confused look in her eyes as the camera flashed at her. "One would think she was a nice little thing from her baby pictures. What happened?"
The following pages revealed more embarrassing baby pictures, including a memorable one of Willow dressed up as a little clown, amongst other juicy items. When Jacen got to the end, he had to stop. For some unknown reason, there was a picture of himself, Willow, and his beautiful baby girl on the last page, all by itself. He had no idea when Willow had managed to get the picture, or even why she had stuck it into her embarrassing album of baby pictures. The picture depicted Allana on his shoulders, the happiest grin on her face that a child could have, covered in ice cream as she wrapped her sticky little hands around his head to keep from falling off, with Willow smirking right alongside, as he wore a smile that he could only call paternal.
"I wouldn't want to see a picture of you in a polka dot dress," Amelia replied dryly, her eyes shining with faint amusement as she watched the photographs pass by. They were adorable pictures - completely humiliating and Amelia could understand all too well why Willow would have hidden them away - but definitely adorable.
Then came the final page, and picture. An image of her as a small child, with Jacen and Willow. Amelia's stomach promptly dropped clear to her toes as she stared at it and for a moment she could scarcely draw a breath.
Slowly her gaze cut to Jacen, studying his profile for a moment, before she snapped herself out of her surprise. "I need to find my drink," she muttered and turned away from the album, back to the dresser where her can of Sprite sat.
Jacen did not respond as his daughter streaked away as quickly as she could. The fact he was her father didn't sit nearly as well with her now as it did when she had been four. As the Terrans said, a picture was worth a thousand words. She had been slightly more comfortable with him until this had appeared.
Speaking of which, he was keeping it. Willow certainly wasn't entitled to it! He removed the picture, and found there were two copies.
Alright, fine, you can keep one, Willow.
He lay back down, wondering what he should say to this daughter of his, all grown up and who wanted nothing to do with him.
Maybe I should stick her in a polka dot dress...
Well now, wasn't this just marvelous? For a moment there, they'd actually been getting along. In fact, as much as Amelia was surprised to admit it, she had been enjoying his company there for a few minutes.
That picture, though, had changed that. Not that she found herself loathing being anywhere near him. She was just uncomfortable, now. Again. And she wasn't sure how to get past the clear issue they were having regarding his involvement (or lack thereof) in her life.
For a few long moments, she didn't speak. She didn't want to add to the troubles between them, so she simply went back to looking at their captor's various knick-knacks. When that was over, and without much else to really do besides rummaging through the woman's drawers, Amelia grudgingly moved back to her seat.
Her gaze flickered to Jacen, her mouth opened, then she closed it with a snap and looked away again. A few seconds of staring at the rather boring blank wall beside her and she was once more glancing his way.
"I guess we should talk," she finally stated, resignation lacing her tone. "About, you know... things."
Well, there wasn't much help for it now, was there? Throwing out a single venomous barb at Willow, which he was certain she would pick up since she was so tightly attuned to everything going on in her room, he killed a sigh before it could escape his lips. Jacen stood up, taking advantage of his superior height to assume the high ground. Just in case. Besides, it was damned uncomfortable having this sort of conversation while sitting. Then he relaxed his facial expression into what Ben called the "Jedi Master face".
With a casual nod, Jacen said, "So...talk."
Sometimes, it was best to start from the defensive, and form a response around a known variable than the unknown.
He was putting it off on her. If it wasn't the exact same thing she'd do if given the chance, she would have been shocked. Instead she was mildly irritated that he'd beaten her to the proverbial punch.
A mild frown upon her face, she studied her shoes for a minute before her gaze slid up to meet his. "I..." Not sure what to add beyond that simple word, she sighed heavily and looked to her feet again.
Think of something! Her mind scrambled to do just that, and finally Amelia looked to Jacen with something to discuss.
"Did you know your brother was here?" Realizing how that sounded, she amended, "I mean, I'm sure you knew he was in this city, but did you know he's staying in the Hyperion? He's only a few doors down, in fact."
Why yes, she was stalling. Was he going to call her out on it? Unless he had something more personal he'd like to discuss in lieu of this, Amelia doubted it.
That...was pathetic.
Jacen thought for a moment whether or not to call her out on how pathetic that was, but decided to take the slightly higher ground of, "I knew he was around. You're stalling."
It wasn't quite the light knuckle rap he had been aiming for, but it was certainly a lot more gentle than she deserved. Not that he was one to talk about taking the soft route, but still. Maintaining his Jedi Master stance, he gestured for her to speak. It was her move.
Amelia scowled at him for a second, hunching down a bit and sighing heavily. "It's not like you're offering any suggestions, you know," she muttered before finally deciding enough was enough. They were never going to get out of the room, at this rate.
"Fine," she grumbled, and straightened up enough to look at him. "Let's talk. We can start with why you hate me, and feel the need to remind me of that obvious fact every single second we're stuck together in some situation or another."
She was impressed. She'd said what she'd had to say without sounding bitter or petulant. Just honest. Very, bluntly honest. And, surprisingly enough, she did feel better.
Even if part of her expected him to toss Force Lightning at her as his response.
Jacen would have blinked if he had not been doing the Jedi Master pose at that particular moment. As it was, it took a little extra effort to keep his face nonchalant and concealing.
But it surprised him. She was stealing his line. From the get-go, she had been the one rejecting him, and now all of a sudden he was the one who was hating her? It made about as much sense as any other turn of female logic he had ever seen. Which reminded him that his daughter was a teenaged girl. Female logic happened to be one of her strong points.
Swallowing the nascent retort, he decided to go for serenity. "I don't hate you. I love you. You're my daughter."
Amelia simply stared at him as though he'd sprouted an extra head and begun dancing around the room. Blinking, she stared for a few seconds longer and tried to process what he'd just said. Once it seemed to have finally registered in her shell-shocked mind, her response was fast-coming.
"No you don't!" she stated in an incredulous tone. "You barely said three words to me that night that I showed up, you were horrible to me when we happened to cross paths again when fighting those vampires. If you love me, you have one of the worst ways of showing it ever!"
Now it was Jacen's turn for a little bit of incredulity. "How would you respond to having your four year old daughter suddenly grow up overnight into a seventeen year old teenager? How would you take from being demoted to the best thing in your daughter's world to the evil old uncle no one talks about very much because he worked for the Black Sun and did a lot of unsavory things?"
And he added, just so she got the idea, "Besides which, how would you take to your little girl diving into a building loaded with vampires with just a lightsaber between her and being a deluxe delight!"
Out of everything he'd just said, one part stood out the most in Amelia's mind. One part that felt almost like a physical blow, with the casual way he stated it. She felt her temper rise even more as she latched onto that bit, and struggled to keep her tone as even as possible as she replied to him.
"Unsavory things?" Her voice started out as a near whisper, but there was a harshness present as she repeated, "unsavory things? Do you have any idea what my life has been like, in part, because of the 'things' you did?" Shaking her head, she had to force herself to simply breathe for a moment. The urge to leave, to get away so she could release her frustration without an audience, was a strong one. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to happen any time soon. She was stuck, and she had to deal.
So deal, Amelia did.
"I may not be the most powerful Jedi in existence, but I'm good at what I do. I've been trained well, and I paid close attention during those lessons. Those vampires weren't going to get anywhere near me. I've had fake duels with fellow classmates that posed more of a danger," she stated flatly. "And I'd like to think, if I were to suddenly find myself in your position, that I wouldn't react by acting as though my own child was completely inept. I would take a moment to actually notice what she was capable of and trust that she has enough of a brain in her head to ask for help should she suddenly need it."
A shake of her head, and Amelia had to give a harsh laugh. "And honestly, I don't know why I'm bothering to have this conversation with you in the first place. You're not going to listen. You never listen. People are trying to warn you left and right what's going to happen to you if you don't change, and yet you keep right on doing the things you're doing." Another shake of her head and she fell silent, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. It was a position that offered her a little comfort - a way of reminding herself that she was still on control of her own facilities and didn't have to respond to anything if she didn't want to respond.
It helped. A little. Although part of her still wanted to do nothing more than scream at him until he was willing to listen to reason.
Thanks, Willow, you make things work really well. A helper, you arenot.
Jacen sat back down, not particularly enthused with the direction this conversation was going. He felt like a broken holo stuck in loop, repeating to all and sundry that he had not committed any wrong deeds of the scale they were accusing him of. He hated having to repeat himself, but it was the first place to start.
"For the umpteenth time," he said wearily, "I haven't done anything wrong. I haven't done a single thing any of you has accused me off, and as much as you would like to believe otherwise, I had nothing to do with it. Blaming me isn't going to get either of us anywhere."
"Besides which, my stubborn teenager, not even Han Solo took lightly to his children being in combat, so you have no right to judge me for paternal overreaction to my only daughter throwing herself into danger!"
Already, she was sighing softly. "You still don't get it," she replied, an almost sorrowful look on her face as she peered at him. "It isn't about what you have done. We all know you're not Sith yet. But you will be." Her gray eyes were large and filled with emotion as she stated, "You're eventually going to hurt a lot of people. That's not something that can just be forgotten about, just because you happen to be from a point in time where you haven't done it yet."
Part of Amelia knew that wasn't really fair. To judge someone who was still an 'innocent' by that regard seemed wrong. Yet she couldn't help how she felt. "It's not easy for me either, you know," she pointed out after a moment, the fight having vanished from her tone. In its place was the quiet, eerily mature voice she tended to use when she was actually as calm and centered as she'd learned from Master Skywalker to be. "I haven't seen you since I was four, and we didn't part on very good terms. So while it might be weird for you having to deal with me being older, I'm having to deal with you simply being here."
There wasn't pity in her voice, despite the words. She didn't want him to feel sorry for her. She simply wanted him to understand that he wasn't the only one finding this difficult. He wasn't the only one expected to know how to handle someone he wasn't prepared to handle. She figured maybe, if he could admit that much, they could find some sort of agreement. It wouldn't be ideal - they weren't close and likely never would be as much as it pained a part of her to admit that - but Amelia would settle for 'civil' for the time being. Especially if it meant getting them out of this room.
"You're no piece of cake to handle, either," Jacen muttered.
He wondered at how to deal with his daughter. He really would prefer to get to know her, at least, as much as teenaged girls let their fathers know them, but he didn't know how to reach her. She had gone instantly from four, where he could do no wrong, to seventeen, where he could only do wrong. Not to mention the years of trauma and shame of being his daughter. Not easy to swallow in one bite.
How did you deal with teenagers? Well, you used the carrot and the stick, with a bit of sugar too. "Alright, what about this. You try to treat me as you would if you did not already think of me as some terrible creature born of the darkness, and I try not to treat you as a four year old?"
Alright, maybe he had had better ideas, but this was hardly a situation for inspired thinking.
Amelia opened her mouth to object that she wasn't treating him as if he was a terrible creature born of darkness but more reacting to how he was treating her, but snapped her mouth shut when she realized something. If he would stop treating her like she was a child, she would be able to be more of herself around him (theoretically, at least). Which meant simply agreeing to his proposal - while not something she felt she did to begin with - would ultimately get them both on speaking terms that were hopefully less hostile than before.
"Okay," she stated before she could change her mind. She even offered a hint of a smile. Maybe it wasn't as sincere as most of her smiles tended to be, but it was a start.