I'm taking care of him. [He's definitely not discussing the mental state of his best friend with the guy who attacked him.] He'll be as fine as he can be in a day or two.
[Which is baseline 'not really fine.' But both he and Sherlock are decent at compartmentalizing trauma. Sherlock much more-so than John, really.]
You need to worry about yourself and what you're going to do to make up for this. You're a broken watch, is that right? You're a watchmaker. Fix it.
[ And his eyes are back to the fish tank as he heaves a thoughtful sigh. ]
Well, normally I'd take out the unrecoverably damaged parts and replace them with working ones. But that's kinda what I'd been doing before.
[ And clearly that had to change. At least here. ]
Besides, the ability that made me a good watchmaker is something I don't have now. So I'm not really sure where to start. It'd help if I knew whether I chose this path myself or not, but I doubt I'll find a conclusive answer to that while I'm here.
Learn to work with what you have, not what you'd like to have. [The reply is immediate. John had trained more than one new recruit in survival skills for Afghanistan. And the realities of war were that you didn't always have the things that would make your life on the battlefield safer and easier.]
Forget about what abilities you've lost. What can you do? Fine, detailed work. That's a trained skill; it's not a talent. You understand clockwork and, I'm guessing, general mechanical principles as a result of working with clockwork for so long. Again, that's training. You don't need any special abilities to call on that knowledge.
You're observant for details. Maybe not as much as you once were, but you still notice things. You can perform tasks assigned to you efficiently if you're given adequate instruction.
You're large. You might not be very strong, but size is still a general boon if there's any physical labor that needs doing. [Or high shelves that need reaching.]
What else do you have to work with, Sylar? List it out.
[ As John continued on, Sylar looked at him again, the surprise clear on his face. He'd expected John to growl at him to figure it out, since he's so smart, and leave him to his miserableness. Instead, John was...helping? It was so strange. Sylar found himself listening closely, eager to help it along. What else could he do? ]
I can build makeshift solutions to problems that present themselves, as long at they're not electronic. You're right about the mechanical knowledge. That's why I've been collecting everything I can.
I'm not squeamish. I can help with medical procedures, even if it's just passing things around. My hands are steady. I've read every textbook I could get my hands on, so I have base knowledge of a lot of subjects, and specialized knowledge of human anatomy.
I'm willing to do whatever it takes to understand this place, no matter how dangerous. And no one will miss me if I die.
I'm apparently good at eating half-rations. I used to be ravenous all the time, but I'd always had the theory that the calories were helping fuel my abilities. So I can go with less here.
[ The look he gives John is hopeful. That was what he was asking, right? He's not sure what this has to do with 'fixing' himself- a slow watch still wasn't doing its job. But they were clearly on to something else here. ]
So, you've got plenty to work with. Focus on that, Sylar, not the rest of the noise. Because that's what it is, noise you can't do anything about right now. If you start getting angry, count off the good and constructive things you can do. Don't focus on what's being said or refuting it. With him, there's not gonna be a lot to refute.
And don't eat half-rations unless you have to. We might be running short on food before long, and you should keep up the calorie count while you can.
[ ...oh. That sounded practical, and Sylar is nodding along with John's instructions. There's still a part of him that wonders whether John has an angle he hasn't considered, something like Elle did. But he'll analyze the conversation later and decide then.
The talk about half-rations gets a smile out of him. It's a little less smirk-y than usual. ]
You don't have to tell me twice. At least I know I can get by that way.
[ He stiffens up slightly, looking like he's trying to figure out how to word something. ]
...thanks. You didn't have to help me like this. I'll try to keep myself focused on the constructive.
I'm not helping you, Sylar. I'm helping everyone else here. Because we've got enough maniacs running around without you becoming one of them. [One he can't control, even in a small way.] You're a liability. It's my job to mitigate the danger you pose while you're in my charge.
Just so we're clear.
[He told you he didn't want to be friends, and he meant it, bro.]
[John really doesn't like it much when Sylar smiles at him after being told what's what or threatened. It makes it feel as though he's not being taken seriously.]
Good.
[In a moment, Sylar will be receiving his second punch to the face.]
And that is for Dr. Suresh, since no one ever actually did anything about that.
[Thus said, the doctor draws himself up to a military stance, turns on his heel, and marches back over to Sherlock.]
[ If he hadn't just been punched in the face, he probably would've said that was fair enough. But unfortunately, nothing was on his mind right now but the pain. ]
Ow! Goddammit!
[ By the time he straightens up, John is gone. Sylar sighs and goes to find his pack. He'll set up a little place to sleep in this corner and take a little more Vicodin than usual. Maybe everyone will be doing better after a night to cool off and think. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[Which is baseline 'not really fine.' But both he and Sherlock are decent at compartmentalizing trauma. Sherlock much more-so than John, really.]
You need to worry about yourself and what you're going to do to make up for this. You're a broken watch, is that right? You're a watchmaker. Fix it.
no subject
Well, normally I'd take out the unrecoverably damaged parts and replace them with working ones. But that's kinda what I'd been doing before.
[ And clearly that had to change. At least here. ]
Besides, the ability that made me a good watchmaker is something I don't have now. So I'm not really sure where to start. It'd help if I knew whether I chose this path myself or not, but I doubt I'll find a conclusive answer to that while I'm here.
[ Sigh. ]
Do you have any recommendations, Doctor?
no subject
Forget about what abilities you've lost. What can you do? Fine, detailed work. That's a trained skill; it's not a talent. You understand clockwork and, I'm guessing, general mechanical principles as a result of working with clockwork for so long. Again, that's training. You don't need any special abilities to call on that knowledge.
You're observant for details. Maybe not as much as you once were, but you still notice things. You can perform tasks assigned to you efficiently if you're given adequate instruction.
You're large. You might not be very strong, but size is still a general boon if there's any physical labor that needs doing. [Or high shelves that need reaching.]
What else do you have to work with, Sylar? List it out.
no subject
I can build makeshift solutions to problems that present themselves, as long at they're not electronic. You're right about the mechanical knowledge. That's why I've been collecting everything I can.
I'm not squeamish. I can help with medical procedures, even if it's just passing things around. My hands are steady. I've read every textbook I could get my hands on, so I have base knowledge of a lot of subjects, and specialized knowledge of human anatomy.
I'm willing to do whatever it takes to understand this place, no matter how dangerous. And no one will miss me if I die.
I'm apparently good at eating half-rations. I used to be ravenous all the time, but I'd always had the theory that the calories were helping fuel my abilities. So I can go with less here.
[ The look he gives John is hopeful. That was what he was asking, right? He's not sure what this has to do with 'fixing' himself- a slow watch still wasn't doing its job. But they were clearly on to something else here. ]
no subject
So, you've got plenty to work with. Focus on that, Sylar, not the rest of the noise. Because that's what it is, noise you can't do anything about right now. If you start getting angry, count off the good and constructive things you can do. Don't focus on what's being said or refuting it. With him, there's not gonna be a lot to refute.
And don't eat half-rations unless you have to. We might be running short on food before long, and you should keep up the calorie count while you can.
no subject
The talk about half-rations gets a smile out of him. It's a little less smirk-y than usual. ]
You don't have to tell me twice. At least I know I can get by that way.
[ He stiffens up slightly, looking like he's trying to figure out how to word something. ]
...thanks. You didn't have to help me like this. I'll try to keep myself focused on the constructive.
no subject
I'm not helping you, Sylar. I'm helping everyone else here. Because we've got enough maniacs running around without you becoming one of them. [One he can't control, even in a small way.] You're a liability. It's my job to mitigate the danger you pose while you're in my charge.
Just so we're clear.
[He told you he didn't want to be friends, and he meant it, bro.]
no subject
We're clear. I didn't think we were about to hug and sing kumbaya, Doc. You've just given me my very first punch to the face, after all.
[ He touches his cheek, gingerly. ]
I still appreciate you helping me 'mitigate the liability'. I don't want to add to the maniac count, either, you know?
no subject
Good.
[In a moment, Sylar will be receiving his second punch to the face.]
And that is for Dr. Suresh, since no one ever actually did anything about that.
[Thus said, the doctor draws himself up to a military stance, turns on his heel, and marches back over to Sherlock.]
no subject
Ow! Goddammit!
[ By the time he straightens up, John is gone. Sylar sighs and goes to find his pack. He'll set up a little place to sleep in this corner and take a little more Vicodin than usual. Maybe everyone will be doing better after a night to cool off and think. ]