[X] Don't Take The Girl
"My apologies about the rug, Father," you say with a sigh, "but I will not be treated like a madwoman in my own home."
"... oh, darling, I'm so sorry to have doubted you!" Coming to your side, Father embraces you tenderly. "I think sometimes I must be going mad myself," he murmurs. "It's a different England we live in now, than the one I grew up in."
Your blood-soaked head is pressed against his chest. "Father, your suit-!"
"Confound my suit!" he declares. "Jojo, this... protective spirit... you must promise me you won't start believing yourself invincible because of it. Promise me you'll behave as sensibly as you always do. I couldn't bear another night like tonight."
No fear of that! You wouldn't relive tonight for all the tea in China. You squeeze him softly. "I promise."
"That's good. Then you won't be requiring those fighting lessons from Dio."
You frown, concerned. "But..."
"I understand your anxiety, but I really must insist," Father says, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "I've seen this sort of thing in my travels several times; if your irregularity were to become known, even if only to a few people, it wouldn't be long before interested parties started hounding us."
"I have no fear of fortune tellers and charlatans," you protest.
"Those are not the interested parties I was referring to," he replies. He takes your hand, and pats it. "You needn't worry for your safety, my dear. I will not allow any harm to befall you."
"Oh, Father," you exclaim, "if it were a matter of my own safety I would agree with you entirely. But if I fail to learn to control my abilities, how can I keep them from harming people? What if I lose my temper and lash out at you, or someone at school, or-"
"Joanna," he says soothingly, "whatever happens, you mustn't blame yourself. Spirits that take an interest in the living will often go to great lengths to defend a person or place if they feel threatened. It is no reflection on you, no matter what anyone says. Do you understand?"
You hesitate, but finally nod. "I do."
"Good." He smiles gently. "Your bathwater is probably getting cold. Go and refresh yourself before bed, dearheart."
=
It's Sunday morning. After church, Father goes to call on a colleague. You decide to spend the day
[X] on your first boxing lesson. You want to trust Father, but you can't shake the feeling that you've taken your first step into a larger world, one that it is now too late to leave.
[X] reading up on spirits and the like. You've never given your father's studies much thought before, but his talk of 'interested parties' has you on your guard.
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Victorian melodrama: great genre, or THE BEST IN ZA WARUDO?
Hi-ho~! Furiko the Fangirl, reporting for duty.
Y'know, next quest I do is gonna have a healthy father-child relationship, with communication that doesn't break down in the first ten minutes. My daddy-issues are rather repetitive.