Ice Cream With Maggie

[dresdenforhire]

Continued from here

I wasn't completely oblivious to Maggie's reaction to talk about the mantel. The problem is that part of me is tempted to use it as a way to keep her interest in me. I mean, out of all the cool dads the one with the Winter Mantle is the coolest, right? Ah temperature jokes, they never get old.

I figured I can use it as a teachable moment or something though. Without explaining the entire messy situation I don't know if I can make her understand that the Mantle is a bad thing that I did for a good reason and maybe that's doesn't make it okay. Or maybe she already understands, she's an incredibly bright kid and if anyone can grasp what I did it would be Maggie. I think part of it is I wasn't even sure if I did the right thing or not.

It would be so much easier if the messes we created in life just stayed contained to our lives. But they don't. Consequences have actions and there are ripples that go out that we can't even begin to understand the effects of in terms of greater consequences. But that doesn't always have to be a bad thing. I like to think that becoming the Winter Knight meant some other sadistic jerkface didn't get it. Instead just a jerkface got it and that's much better.

"See? The flesh of your enemies is delicious," I told her with a nod. "And I try not to use it at all. The Winter Mantle influences you mentally too and not in great ways. In pretty awful ways, actually."

Comments

[lilorphanmaggie]

"It does," Maggie agrees with a glee that actually probably belongs to a child. It is unknown if it is a good thing or a bad thing that Maggie has some real glee at the idea of eating an enemy. Maybe that's just the Dresden-nerd part of her, but one wonders if progeny of a Red Court (albeit not fully turned) vampire should find interest in devouring any flesh, enemy or not.

But from here on out Maggie will probably eat maraschino cherries. (but really why though? Real cherries are so delicious, why not use those? Plus, seriously bloody eyeball vibe there.)

"Like what? Are we talking Ainkurn Sword here or what?" Maggie is already pretty deep into the chocolate ice cream at this point. She makes a point of trying to get everything in a bite: ice cream, syrup, whipped cream etc. Just how she rolls.

[dresdenforhire]

Any normal parent would probably have been worried that their kid took such obvious delight in imagining themselves devouring the bloodied eyes of their enemies. I figured if that's the weirdest thing about her- and I'm pretty sure it's not - then I should consider myself lucky. With all she's been through I don't really think that behavior is all that normal. Heck, if she was like me then she'd do it just to be contrary to what society expected.

When she asked about how the mantle effects me I took an overly large bite of ice cream to give myself time to think. There are time I really hate my life and this is one of them. How do I explain to my little girl that the Mantle makes me violent and pervy?

"Think of all the attributes of the Winter Court," I said, trying not to make it sound like I was tip-toeing around anything. "It... pushes those parts in you. And if you're not careful you can find yourself giving in to them."

[lilorphanmaggie]

To be fair she doesn't realize that he's tip-toeing around the whole power of the winter mantel at first. She is too busy thinking about the Winter Court, not something she does a lot of, if she can help it. Fae are kind of in the same group as vampires, in which she finds an endless well of hatred and fear. They are ridged and cruel, cold and calculating, not to be trusted and they have their hooks in her father. And those hooks don't inspire a fear for Harry, but just yet another responsibility that takes priority over her.

"I'm not a child," and oh the man Jesus does it take a lot for her to keep her voice steady with that one. "I can handle the truth," she has been saying this for years, and sometimes she's right and other times she has nightmares. Except she is eighteen and she can say these things without tears of frustration or a temper tantrum, and still eat their ice cream.

"Do you know if you start becoming more Fae when you give into it? Like, not just in action but physically, genetically." Is that a thing?

[dresdenforhire]

Ouch, that tone and expression hurt, even if know they're not as harsh as they could be. But when it's your kid those sort of wounds cut deep and I was thankful that she probably wasn't sassing me as badly as she could. That shows a lot of maturity but I never want her to think I'm keeping things from her because I think she's too young. There will be lots of other reasons I keep things from her.

"I know you're not. Trust me, I know. But did you ever think that maybe it's because I'm not comfortable discussing parts of it? Do you really want to hear how it kicks my sex drive up to 11?" I asked. Because she did want to hear about it and I think this is a good time to learn the lesson that you don't have a right to know everything about someone, even when it's your dad. Even when it's your daughter.

"And no, it's not like it was with Molly. The Mantle has to belong to a human, so once I get rid of it I'll continue to be human."

[lilorphanmaggie]

She sort of just stares at him because out of all of the things he could have said to her regarding her rebuke this was not one she planned for. At all. Like, the thought of Harry being something other than the Harry presented to her is sort of weird. He has sex? Uh, sure, obviously but, that's one of those human things that parents don't have...?

A few blinks when she catches herself staring and she gives a shake of her head before dropping it to focus on the ice cream. "Well, I mean now I do and something I will conveniently forget about in roughly 30 minutes so I'm not too upset by it." A bite of strawberry but with the banana, whipped cream, et al. "You said Winter Court so I was kind of thinking it involved more of destroying beauty and innocence for the sake of it." A thoughtful bite and another shake of her head: "I suppose uncontrollable sex drive would play a part in that."

The spoon returns to poke at the ice cream to get strawberry and chocolate this time around. "Well that's kind of a relief to hear. How is Molly? Do you see her much with Court stuff?" Probably. Molly, favorite pupil, beloved daughter, all around powerful badass - even without the blessing(curse?) of the White Court.

[dresdenforhire]

I figured she had as good a reaction to it as I could hope, clearly not comfortable with it but not making a huge deal out of it. Lesson learned, probably. Not that Dresdens are always the best at remembering our lessons but hey, I did my best. Maybe I just got enough experience to level up a parental stat or something. I could definitely use it.

"It's more like the selfish urges, but in a violent way. It's hard not to feel possessive about things in a violent way," I said. Combined with a much larger libido and it could make for some very unpleasant thoughts. It's a constant monster I have to battle but not only is it the right thing to do but I don't really have a choice. I won't give in to it.

"And I do. Not as much as I'd like. She has a lot of duties to take care of," I told her. Plus, having our two Winter natures together for long periods of time is... not a good thing.

[lilorphanmaggie]

Margaret shifts in her chair, leaning back against the wrought iron twists and stretching out the upper torso and arms before regarding Harry at that spot between the brows that is always the safest. It doesn't take much to read through those lines. Truth be told it would almost be more pleasant to focus more on the sex drive, but paired with this information, maybe not.

Because it makes it sound like he's a monster, or a monster when he wears the mantel. And maybe he is. Maybe they all are and that get's Margaret's insides twisting as she does some minor introspection. "Sounds trying, difficult. A double edged sword, with great power, blah, blah..." A hand gesture and she sort of collapses back on herself when returning to the ice cream.

"Yeah, I suppose a Lady does."

[dresdenforhire]

I leaned back and crossed his arms while I let Maggie continue to digest all of that. I tried to remember what it was to be that age, to be all confused about parental figures and right and wrong in the world. When everything seemed so black and white but the shades of grey started to seep in. Maggie already knew that the world was complicated, more than most people her age. More than most people twice her age. But things only got more complicated the older you got. Or at least they should. When you started to see the world as blindly as someone like, say, the Merlin then that was a bad thing.

"The Tao of Uncle Ben. Only it's more like 'With great power comes great temptation'. But... I made my bed so now I have to lay in it. My very, very cold bed. And Molly, she... there's a lot about the White Court they don't tell people."

[lilorphanmaggie]

The issue, really, is that it's never a single occupancy bed. Sure, he made his bed and he can lay in it, but it effects everyone else around him. Not that she is going to give him shit for it, the bigger the decisions the wider the ripples and he's one of those people who play on a wider, more magical stage. When you weld astounding power no decision really is little any more, even Margaret has experienced that.

Margaret doesn't really respond to his bed comment, but nods, yeah, she gets it. In a very philosophical, objective way, like the idea of infinity. No one really knows except the person in it, but the concept is easy enough to pick up.

Instead she is still focused on the ice cream, avoiding the vanilla still, but making a serious dent in both the chocolate and strawberry. They have the best ice cream here, and she appreciates the abundance of nuts, salty and cold sweet is a delicious combination.