mortalcoil | IC INBOX

[ To say that Carl is surprised by the turn of events is an understatement, and he doesn't take the moment for granted. It shows how much Coil trusts him with this. He waits patiently for his friend to do what he needs to. ]

[Though it might not be for the same reasons--Coil doesn't care so much if he alarms other people--he is nearly as self-conscious about the wreckage of one half of his face as Carl is. He makes a good effort at appearing nonchalant about removing the wrap, but he's not making eye-contact and he keeps forgetting to breathe.

The old wound were Coil's eye used to be is an entirely different story compared to Carl's. All peripheral structures that would have normally been around an eye--lashes, tear ducts, all of it--had been surgically removed, leaving only a tangle of scars sunken into the hollow of his eye socket. There are no burns or noticeable loss of underlying bone, only the clear lines where whatever skin hadn't been shredded had been stitched together to close the gap.

Compulsively, Coil rubs a few fingers over where the line of scars cross over his cheekbone, before fidgeting still again. Thinking about it is only making it itch more.

"Inside," he signs again, pointing at the scars. "Can't get to it." Whenever something irritates the closed-up socket, Coil can't do anything about it.]

[ It looks better than he thought it might, but still not great. It's understandable that he'd keep it covered much like Carl. The scarring looks neat, almost precise like someone knew what they were doing. He inches forward, looking indecisive.

'Is it okay to touch'? ]

[And now it's Coil's turn to sort of freeze up inside at the prospect of someone possibly touching his face, and he can't help but watch Carl warily for a few seconds before he can answer.

Eventually, with a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach, he gives a tiny nod.]

[ Even if he said no, Carl would get it. Still, he's been given permission, and he shuffles forward a little closer. Reaching with purpose, he gently traces the scarring. It feels different than his own, but obviously it would.

He can't help but trace around his eye, the skin pulled tautly and stitched over the socket. When he pulls away, he offers a reassuring smile.

'You could tell a cool story.' ]

[Even without the ability to blink anymore, there's an automatic twitch like he tries to anyway. It's so difficult not to flinch more than that, unconsciously balling his hands into fists where they rest in his lap.

He doesn't breathe; his brain kind of shuts off with someone this close. He's pretty sure that not even Zhas had touched his scars. Maybe when he'd first been brought into the clan, rough hands inspecting the damage to make sure that the old wound wasn't something they would have to worry about, but nothing more than that.

The sigh of relief is probably audible when Carl sits back again, and he's still half caught-up in the lingering anxiety when he sees him signing.

He's pretty sure he reads most of what Carl says, but he's still confused. He tilts his head to the side in silent question?]

[ He feels bad when he does pull away, hearing that sigh. Coil hadn't wanted to, and he had anyway because Carl had asked.

He repeats the signs, moving his hands a bit slower.

'You could tell a cool story about it. Like a fight with a w-e-r-e-w-o-l-f.' ]

[It hadn't exactly been easy to do, but Coil could have said no, and he's not exactly the type to do things just because someone asks. It'd seemed important somehow, though he wouldn't have been able to explain why.

Either way, he's recovering quickly. He wads the wrap up into one hand, silently committing to leaving it off for a little while. And at Carl's suggestion, he scoffs a breath through his nose.

"Not w-o-l-f--" he signs, not bothering with the whole word, "--but monster. I lost the fight." He doesn't know what's so cool about that.]

[ Oh.. oh. It goes to show he doesn't know much about Coil's world, either. A monster had done that, but.. He's got an argument for that.

'Didn't lose. Still here'. ]

[He hadn't been intending on saying anything about it, but... well, they were sharing about themselves, right? And it's not like Carl is one of those people who needs to be protected from the unpleasant, hard-to-deal-with things in life.

Trying not to give it more weight than it needs, he neatly signs, "sister isn't."

He's pretty sure he doesn't need to elaborate beyond that.]

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