[Ezio pauses when she speaks, listening quietly and not interrupting. While he may be difficult to read to her, she is incredibly open at this point, like a book. A hand gestures quietly to a chair in the room, and he grabs his own.]
Tris, sit, per favore. You look as if you are ready to run at any second.
[She watches him as he moves. She may not be as wary of him as she used to be of absolutely everyone, but some habits are hard to break. Even when she sits down, she barely seems to relax at all, perched on the edge of her chair like she's still ready to bolt. It takes effort to remind herself that she chose to come here. Absently, she thinks that bit of Italian may have been please, and puts the notion away for some future point.
She adds nothing, simply sits, watches him, and waits.]
[She tilts her head, mimicing his movement as she momentarily frowns. She isn't sure what kind of purpose this is supposed to serve, or if she trusts him that much. But at the same time, she has no intention of going back on this, and she remembers her training. You stay in the hallucination until you calm down-that is, lower your heartrate and control your breathing.
It's Four's voice, in her mind. That makes it easier. There's nothing to be afraid of here, but she has her eyes closed anyway, remembering fears she's still working to overcome. The tension drains out of her with each breath.]
[Good. She improves with each breath, and Ezio finds himself easing as the seconds pass as well. When he feels she's calm enough for him to continue, he starts.]
What is the first thing we do after we fall?
[Spoken broadly, not personally, as this is going to take several approaches so that Tris won't feel bombarded and just run out the door like a frightened deer.]
[Unless, of course, we die as we hit the ground. Then there's no worrying about getting up again, none at all. A deeper breath, after she says it, trying to let the thought go out of her mind.]
[His method is with patience and gradual pushing, nothing so blunt unless it's absolutely necessary. His hands clasp together and he sits in a relaxed posture now.]
[Simply, easily. Or after you've found yourself again, head spinning, trying to take stock of what hurts and what doesn't. With or without an offered hand.]
[That changes things a little. But, to be fair, he had not asked and she had not explained. Ezio shifts a little, eyes that watch her before his hands undo themselves and he leans forward slightly.]
Then allow me to ask something: did you die from this drop?
[He needs to know, even if she doesn't want to speak of it.]
[She's silent for a moment, and looks down even when she speaks. Her voice is quiet. It doesn't shake much anymore.]
A lot of people did. I heard my best friend scream as she fell. Her... her guardian did too, after that. I made the climb to the top, but we were attacked. I took one step back too far.
[A beat. She blames herself for getting that cornered to begin with.]
[Her words explain so much for him that Ezio has to pause himself, and breathe out through his mouth for just a moment. Death is never easy, to watch or to feel. He has been lucky in all his time to avoid it, but he is no stranger to feeling it himself.
For a moment, he sits in silence, thinking of how to approach this and also how to not make her run. If it were a novice, he would embrace them, but with how skittish she is, he doesn't risk it.
Ezio pauses, opens his mouth once, closes it, blinks, then starts again.]
Did I ever tell you, Tris, what happened the first time I tried to freerun?
[The question comes a little out of the blue, but it has a purpose to it.]
[It all the ways that it's uncomfortable to share with anyone, it still feels like a weight off her shoulders, as well. She doesn't question the seeming abrupt change of topic, glad to be talking about something else, regarding Ezio with a bit of careful curiosity. Her couldn't be more simple.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action.
Tris, sit, per favore. You look as if you are ready to run at any second.
action.
She adds nothing, simply sits, watches him, and waits.]
action.
[She may not expect to hear that from him, but Ezio settles into the chair across from her and gives her a concerned look, tilting his head.]
I cannot help when you are so tense, and it will not help your mind calm down, either.
[Tris is a scared girl, afraid of her own shadow, and Ezio worries for her the longer he sees her perched there, like an animal.]
Breathe. In and out.
action.
It's Four's voice, in her mind. That makes it easier. There's nothing to be afraid of here, but she has her eyes closed anyway, remembering fears she's still working to overcome. The tension drains out of her with each breath.]
action.
What is the first thing we do after we fall?
[Spoken broadly, not personally, as this is going to take several approaches so that Tris won't feel bombarded and just run out the door like a frightened deer.]
action.
[Unless, of course, we die as we hit the ground. Then there's no worrying about getting up again, none at all. A deeper breath, after she says it, trying to let the thought go out of her mind.]
action.
[His method is with patience and gradual pushing, nothing so blunt unless it's absolutely necessary. His hands clasp together and he sits in a relaxed posture now.]
action.
[Simply, easily. Or after you've found yourself again, head spinning, trying to take stock of what hurts and what doesn't. With or without an offered hand.]
I'm not sure what you're asking.
action.
[His voice is gentle, and he does not push. There is a point to this.]
At some point, Tris, you are going to come across the same jump where you fell. What will you do when that happens?
action.
It wasn't a jump. And it wasn't a drop any kind of preparation helps with.
action.
[That changes things a little. But, to be fair, he had not asked and she had not explained. Ezio shifts a little, eyes that watch her before his hands undo themselves and he leans forward slightly.]
Then allow me to ask something: did you die from this drop?
[He needs to know, even if she doesn't want to speak of it.]
action.
A lot of people did. I heard my best friend scream as she fell. Her... her guardian did too, after that. I made the climb to the top, but we were attacked. I took one step back too far.
[A beat. She blames herself for getting that cornered to begin with.]
So... yes, I did.
[Only now does she look up again.]
action.
For a moment, he sits in silence, thinking of how to approach this and also how to not make her run. If it were a novice, he would embrace them, but with how skittish she is, he doesn't risk it.
Ezio pauses, opens his mouth once, closes it, blinks, then starts again.]
Did I ever tell you, Tris, what happened the first time I tried to freerun?
[The question comes a little out of the blue, but it has a purpose to it.]
action.
No.