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Description
First Part here.
Previous Part here.

The final part!

I'm really glad that I finally got to show Clemence's softer side. Obviously she's very level-headed in a crisis like this, but she can also be startlingly kind sometimes; and it's not just because she's crushing on Shen. She's got a genuine side that doesn't really get to show through often; and only the people closest to her tend to know about it.

But still, Clemence is not usually this gentle, even after she and Shen have been 'partners-in-crime' for a long time. She's prickly, irritable, and snappy, and she still blackmails/threatens a lot (just a little less than she used to, now that they're more used to each other). To be honest, for a long time- before they became a little more like 'friends'- Shen lived in absolute terror of having one of these panic attacks around her. He was certain she would be just as awful and abrasive and harsh as she 'always was', and that the attack would get worse under those threats. He was very careful not to get injured around her, but of course, after they'd been around each other for a long time, he eventually slipped up and...

Well, Clemence was... startlingly kind. She helped him through the panic attack with calm, quiet reassurances and gentle words, she figured out what had triggered it and cleaned the blood away so he wouldn't have to see it anymore, and when he solidified a bit to try to give her a hug- feeling scared and vulnerable- she hugged him back without hesitation. All in all... she acted very differently from what he'd expected.

She wasn't immediately nicer to him from then on; far from it. After he'd calmed down again, she slowly returned to her usual callous demeanor, and within the next day or so she was entirely back to her usual self. And Shen... didn't know what to make of it.

He had already noticed times where Clemence hadn't been all bad; little things here and there that hinted at some small scrap of a soul-hidden deep down- but after that, he actually tried to look for them a bit more. And, slowly, he realized... well, she wasn't great, but she had her moments. Considering his situation, he'd take kindness where he could get it, here.

After that point, whenever he had an attack like this, Clemence always acted the same way. Neither of them really mention it much, and it's treated as just another fact of life, but Clemence always seems to help Shen through it; and over time, her presence has become strangely comforting in those moments. Shen is usually very nervous and vulnerable for a while after the attacks, so he's usually very polite; to the point where it's obvious he's doing so to keep her from being mad at him, but... well, she never does get mad at him for this. His attacks have even gotten in the way of her 'job' once or twice, and she still just helped him through it, and didn't blame him afterwards. Again, neither of them bring it up, but Shen is silently baffled- and very grateful- for this fact. Because, to be honest... he's never really met anyone who didn't get mad about it at some point... or didn't demand answers.

So yeah, this is pretty normal for them both by this point. It's rarely too big a problem, since Shen doesn't always panic when he sees his own blood; just every now and then. And he's always totally fine with seeing human blood- which is good, seeing how often Clemence is covered in it- since it's a completely different color and doesn't entirely register as 'blood' to him; the same way his silver blood would seem 'odd' or 'unreal' to a human. He's only started to think of 'red' as 'blood' recently, and not in the same context as his own; so it's really only his own blood that causes this problem.

For Clemence's part, she does mean it when she says she'll never ask about this. She's heard some of the things he's said during these attacks- usually stuff along the lines of 'I'm sorry', 'I didn't mean to' and occasionally 'don't go'- but she never asks about what he says, and never asks him to explain what happened to him that caused these attacks, since something clearly did. If she's asked anything at all, it's usually basic things that help get him through it, things like: what his triggers are, what might help keep him calm, does he need her to stay or go, that sort of thing. But never anything about the basic root of the issue.

And she's actually fairly certain that he would tell her, if she asked; which, of course, is why she never has. The way she sees it, it's really not her business to know. Sure, she'll ask Shen about the things that are useful to her- his shapeshifter abilities, the world of monsters, etc.- but this is obviously very personal, and she's got no need to know. If he tells her, he tells her. If he doesn't... fine. She's got enough of his secrets already; she doesn't need this one.

(Obviously she does have her theories, but she actually tries not to spend too much time on them. No point in questioning it.)

Description
First Part here.
Previous Part here.

The final part!

I'm really glad that I finally got to show Clemence's softer side. Obviously she's very level-headed in a crisis like this, but she can also be startlingly kind sometimes; and it's not just because she's crushing on Shen. She's got a genuine side that doesn't really get to show through often; and only the people closest to her tend to know about it.

But still, Clemence is not usually this gentle, even after she and Shen have been 'partners-in-crime' for a long time. She's prickly, irritable, and snappy, and she still blackmails/threatens a lot (just a little less than she used to, now that they're more used to each other). To be honest, for a long time- before they became a little more like 'friends'- Shen lived in absolute terror of having one of these panic attacks around her. He was certain she would be just as awful and abrasive and harsh as she 'always was', and that the attack would get worse under those threats. He was very careful not to get injured around her, but of course, after they'd been around each other for a long time, he eventually slipped up and...

Well, Clemence was... startlingly kind. She helped him through the panic attack with calm, quiet reassurances and gentle words, she figured out what had triggered it and cleaned the blood away so he wouldn't have to see it anymore, and when he solidified a bit to try to give her a hug- feeling scared and vulnerable- she hugged him back without hesitation. All in all... she acted very differently from what he'd expected.

She wasn't immediately nicer to him from then on; far from it. After he'd calmed down again, she slowly returned to her usual callous demeanor, and within the next day or so she was entirely back to her usual self. And Shen... didn't know what to make of it.

He had already noticed times where Clemence hadn't been all bad; little things here and there that hinted at some small scrap of a soul-hidden deep down- but after that, he actually tried to look for them a bit more. And, slowly, he realized... well, she wasn't great, but she had her moments. Considering his situation, he'd take kindness where he could get it, here.

After that point, whenever he had an attack like this, Clemence always acted the same way. Neither of them really mention it much, and it's treated as just another fact of life, but Clemence always seems to help Shen through it; and over time, her presence has become strangely comforting in those moments. Shen is usually very nervous and vulnerable for a while after the attacks, so he's usually very polite; to the point where it's obvious he's doing so to keep her from being mad at him, but... well, she never does get mad at him for this. His attacks have even gotten in the way of her 'job' once or twice, and she still just helped him through it, and didn't blame him afterwards. Again, neither of them bring it up, but Shen is silently baffled- and very grateful- for this fact. Because, to be honest... he's never really met anyone who didn't get mad about it at some point... or didn't demand answers.

So yeah, this is pretty normal for them both by this point. It's rarely too big a problem, since Shen doesn't always panic when he sees his own blood; just every now and then. And he's always totally fine with seeing human blood- which is good, seeing how often Clemence is covered in it- since it's a completely different color and doesn't entirely register as 'blood' to him; the same way his silver blood would seem 'odd' or 'unreal' to a human. He's only started to think of 'red' as 'blood' recently, and not in the same context as his own; so it's really only his own blood that causes this problem.

For Clemence's part, she does mean it when she says she'll never ask about this. She's heard some of the things he's said during these attacks- usually stuff along the lines of 'I'm sorry', 'I didn't mean to' and occasionally 'don't go'- but she never asks about what he says, and never asks him to explain what happened to him that caused these attacks, since something clearly did. If she's asked anything at all, it's usually basic things that help get him through it, things like: what his triggers are, what might help keep him calm, does he need her to stay or go, that sort of thing. But never anything about the basic root of the issue.

And she's actually fairly certain that he would tell her, if she asked; which, of course, is why she never has. The way she sees it, it's really not her business to know. Sure, she'll ask Shen about the things that are useful to her- his shapeshifter abilities, the world of monsters, etc.- but this is obviously very personal, and she's got no need to know. If he tells her, he tells her. If he doesn't... fine. She's got enough of his secrets already; she doesn't need this one.

(Obviously she does have her theories, but she actually tries not to spend too much time on them. No point in questioning it.)