ic Fragile

[Avenger Assembled]

Torn between doing what Robin said (which was usually the right thing) and doing what his instincts told him (which were usually the right thing too), Riley extemporized, rubbing his fingers against the thin, dark goatee on his chin. "Fred...doesn't like to be bothered," he finally said. "Especially when she's got the condition." He still didn't have a good word for it, not when his nightmares sometimes gave him clear images of shooting her in the back of the head in the middle of a field of carnage - "If we don't see her by t'morrow mornin', Huang and I can do our thing," he suggested. "Nobody ever expects it at like four or five in the mornin'. Talked to Sanderson, Merlin said somethin' about helpin' us hack if we need it. But if she gets back here and finds, I dunno, that tea she likes, that's somethin' she'll like." 

[Fox]

Matt opened his mouth to say something about the tea, but the noise never came out - at some unheard cue, he craned his head around his shoulder to watch a second dog trot up to the group and take a seat at his heel. If his first dog was the essence of guilt, this one was pure nonchalance, an animal with pride to spare and nothing to prove.

 

Matt stared at it for a moment, almost started about two questions, and settled for pinching the bridge of his nose. "She's already back in her room, isn't she. You kept her company, you took her back there, and now you're here to rub my nose in it."

 

The dog didn't speak, but it opened its mouth in canine grin.

 

"....yeah, okay." Matt moved the bridge-pinching up about an inch. "We need to talk later, Fang. For now, uh, no breaking in anywhere for us, I guess? I'm all for the tea idea, though. Maybe she'll like the gesture. Might be at least worth dropping in in ones and twos to make sure she's okay. Or not. I dunno, I'm not your dad, 'parently I can't even keep track of my own dogs."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Hmm." Riley was used to this kind of thing from Matt's dogs, but he gave them a look anyway. It got the usual response, too. "OK, well, she's all right, she..." He turned and glanced down at Robin's door. "She's outta there, anyway." He checked his watch, the leather-strapped device something of a novelty among his peers, and said, "Boys' time runnin' out. If I'm gonna go in there-" he shot a glance at Robin, making sure she didn't mind him taking the lead, then turned and headed for the door. Giving the usual knock, he said in a conversational voice, "Hey, Fred, you gotta minute?" 

[Gizmo]

Riley's sharp hearing picked up a startled thump followed by footsteps before Winifred opened the door, hairbrush in hand. She'd pulled on a pair of the tights Raina had convinced her to buy, turning the flannel shirt she'd neglected to change out of into a respectable facsimile of the outfit of someone who hadn't spent the entire day in her sleep clothes. "Oh, ah, Smith. Of course." She stepped back away from the door, placing the brush down on the nearest surface and ushering him in with a small gesture. "Did you need, ah, use of the room?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"No, no, I'm good," said Riley awkwardly, walking into the room and not quite making eye contact for a moment. He was, now that he thought about it, not terribly good at this kind of thing. He did force himself to look at Fred when they talked, but it wasn't easy. "You...okay?" he asked after a minute, spreading his arms. Blunt though he could be on a lot of things, pressing into other people's body issues wasn't something he really enjoyed doing. "Missed you today." 

[alderwitch]

Robin followed Riley in with a small shake of her head, "Folks noticed you were missing," Robin added a bit more bluntly than her boyfriend, her voice kind and concerned, "We were going to fan out and send out the troops but you got back before we could put my plan into motion. And it was a good plan," she added sidelong to Riley but with a faint half smile that made it clear she was ribbing him rather than complaining. "Probably gonna see more folks filter through so Riley and I will clear out. If you're not feeling up for company, we can spread the word to let folks know to hold up until you are, if you want."

[Gizmo]

Winifred blanched noticeably as it became clear that her absence had been not only noticed but evidently remarked upon. "Well, I-- I had somewhere to be," she explained with an unconvincing stammer, turning halfway from the pair, brow furrowed. "I'm sorry for causing anyone concern but I'm hardly the first one here to miss a day of classes." She wasn't quite sure what qualified as 'the troops' but the thought of any small group discussing her sent a stab of embarrassment lancing through her. "I'm fine, of course." As if on cue tears began to well in the corners of her eyes, held back only through force of will while she desperately tried to think of a way to inconspicuously wipe them away. Giving up after a moment she ran the sleeve of her flannel shirt across her face with a sniff. "No one need put themselves out of their way, really."

[alderwitch]

"Tch, don't cry," Robin soothed, her voice gentle and she offered one muscled arm with the clear intent to give Fred a hug in a rare show of physical affection. " 'Sides, that's what friends are for - we're supposed to check up on each other. You don't seem fine but no one's gonna make you talk about things you don't wanna talk about." 

 

These two, after all, had strong feelings about people being made to bare their emotions when they didn't want to. Scrounging in one pocket, Robin came up with the handkerchief that she usually used to tie back her unruly curls for gymnastics. "And no one's sure going to judge you for skipping a day, its just not something you usually do."

[Avenger Assembled]

"We can lock the door if y'want," said Riley quietly, thinking of times he'd done the same. It wasn't like Fred could shimmy out the window and climb onto the roof, even if it looked like she'd been thinking that a few moments ago. "You got people who care about ya, that's all. Just wanted to make sure you knew that." He smiled, a little too hard. "We were talkin' about goin' down and getting you, so good thing you came in when you did. Now I don't owe Merlin a granola bar," he said, as if bribing Raina's monkey was the biggest hazard of breaking and entering around the school. He automatically kept himself in front of the half-closed door, the better to give Fred some more privacy. 

[Gizmo]

Winifred accepted the handkerchief on reflex then looked down at it for a moment, recalling how much she'd seen Robin sweat into it. The hesitation was brief however and she returned it after drying her eyes. "Ah. You... know about the containment cell, then," the alchemist noted at Riley's assurances, deflating. She'd been hoping for at least a veneer of deniability regarding her whereabouts throughout the day but she supposed there wasn't any keeping secrets from such a resourceful group. Sitting down heavily on the edge of her bed she stared at her own hands. "It's only... Well the short of it is that I had a nightmare and I just knew, any little thing... I couldn't manage it today."

 

It was a difficult thing to admit to two people she could not picture backing down from any of the many hardships they'd each faced. She felt a pang of guilt for some of what she'd said to Fang in private as well; she didn't think she'd earned the concern being shown but could not fail to acknowledge it. Tempting though it was to take Riley up on his offer and lock the door behind them she shook her head with a sigh. "It sounds as though I've caused enough consternation already. If the others feel the need to confirm my wellbeing the gesture would not go unappreciated."

[alderwitch]

Robin accepted her handkerchief back, jamming it into her worn pocket once more as she took a step back to join Riley at the door. She gave one of those loose shrugs, pulling the thin fabric of her shirt tight across the shoulders with the gesture. "Everyone's got days they can't face," Robin said simply, "Yours has more complications than most but no one's gonna judge you for it. I mean, we're all here in some ways because we're potentially dangerous. Its just, for most of us, they can cloak it in training to utilize our abilities. It sucks that you gotta sit in a room alone for yours. If you want some company next time on the other side or people to drop in to break up the day, we'd be more'n happy to do it, you know."

 

She shrugged again, letting her hands slip into the pockets of her jeans afterwards, "But if you'd rather be alone, I get it." She slanted a faint smile towards Riley, "I mean we're duking it out for the year books 'most likely to brood on rooftops' designation."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Just gotta tell us," Riley offered. "Can't be there if we dunno." He smiled thinly as he looked at Robin, admitting, "Wouldn't hurt me t'do that either, I guess." He patted Fred uncertainly on the arm, not wanting to risk spooking her or pushing past his own barriers when he was already tense. "Don't feel bad 'cause you have it bad," he told her seriously. "We all got troubles. We all gotta be there for each other." He shifted awkwardly, then said, "I gotta go. You prolly don't need lotta boys in here right now. Or anybody else." Riley would happily sneak into, or near, Robin's room for who-knew-what at any ungodly hour, but he was always very punctual about not openly being in her room even close to curfew hours. 

[April]

Phaedra slipped past Riley and Robin after they left to give Winifred some space.  Until now she had been Cathy's silent shadow, quietly sharing the burden of her girlfriend's concern for her friend.  Now she stood in the door frame, looking across to someone that she regarded as an ally and friend and frowned slightly.

 

"You had Cathy worried," the half-breed said without preamble.  "I was not," she admitted, giving Fred a small shrug that could have been an apology.  "Believe what you may, but I understand more of your condition than the others do.  I admire your control of it."

[Tiffany Korta]

There was a sudden chill that filled the room that suggested that Cathy was on her way, though it was generally she kept it more under control unless she was upset of worried. She bustled in and as quickly as she could and gently guided her girlfriend out of the room and into the corridor.

 

"Remeber those book I showed you, Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde? I know you trying to help but that what Fred think we see in her when she loses control" she whispered to Phae once she was sure that Fred wouldn't hear. "Wait here and I'll happily explain later." with a smile she gave Phae and kiss, and as she did Cathy pulled back her chilling then she peeked around the door a little more gingerly.

 

"Sorry about Phae she means well, but from what I understand things are very different from where she comes from." she stepped fully into the room again.

 

"I hope you feeling much better now, we were all worried and missed you today." 

[Gizmo]

Winifred opened her mouth to respond to Phaedra but had to settle for tilting her head slightly to one side in bemusement instead. She might have characterized her extra-planar classmate's unique frame of reference as indifference earlier but hearing that someone was confident in her self-control was surprisingly reassuring.

 

The redhead was abruptly removed from the room and replaced by her girlfriend before Winifred could come up with a response and she felt the corners of her mouth tugging upward in spite of everything on her mind. "Quite alright. In fact, pass along my appreciation," she told Cathy, folding her hands in her lap where she sat on the edge of her bed. "It's nice to know someone isn't wringing their hands over the fragile Englishwoman. I may owe you an apology, conversely. I know you worry about everyone even on our better days."

[Tiffany Korta]

"Don't worry about it Fred we all have days when need a little time alone." she paused considering her words before adding "It's just that yours are a little more extreme than others." she kicked her foot a little nervous, more worried about saying something wrong than anything else.

 

"It's just could you let someone know if you need some me time again? Some of us might not act like it, be we all worry about you. Like any good friend would."

 

Figuring that she'd said all that needed to be said she began to slowly back away, after all, there were still others who wanted to check on Fred.

[April]

Phaedra let herself get pushed out of Winifred's room--she was strong, she could have resisted if she wanted to--and smiled after her girlfriend's lips left her own.  She was still smiling when she watched Cathy head back in to check on the Victorian, when inspiration struck.

 

Phaedra glanced down the hall to where the others where waiting then vanished in a flicker of crimson light.  The redhead was gone for a few minutes when a portal yawned open in Fred's room and she reappeared with a pint of mint chip ice cream and a spoon.  This she handed off to Winifred with a grin, reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze and pirouetted around to hook her arm through Cathy's and escorted her from the room.

[Gizmo]

Too surprised by Phaedra's dramatic reappearance to object Winifred accept the pot shaped container and cutlery without comment. She made a vague gesture of thanks and farewell with the spoon as the couple quickly exited rather than risk overstaying their welcome, looking down at the chilled pint once she was alone. Prying off the lid the alchemist gave the bright green colouration a skeptical look but remembering that she hadn't eaten much all day she scraped just a bit from the surface and hesitantly slid it into her mouth.

 

Her eyes lit up and reflexively she raised the container to get a look at the list of ingredients before deciding that could wait. A full spoonful quickly followed the cautious sample and was itself quickly followed by a pang of regret as she scrunched up her nose and placed the heel of one palm against her forehead. Mouth still full she managed a mumbled, "Nuuuuu..."

[angrydurf]

Huang stared down the hall doing his best impression of a Judd Nelson rebellious wall slouch as Cathy and Phae bounced in and out of the room with their assorted comforts verbal and icy treat alike.  "Looks like we're up."  the dhampir confided to Matt as he pushed himself off the wall and began the slow amble down the hall to Freds room, "Fair warning though,"  he offered with a grin, "I'm bringing the 'A' game."  he explained holding up a copy of 'Sweeny Todd' with a cocky grin that faded to a frown at whatever blank looks he got before thrusting it back in his pocket digging up to his elbow as he murmured a string of curses in cantonese, "No with the Hoff you degenerates."  he scolded whatever entity was seeking out the item on his behalf.

 

He rounded the corner with a quick smile, "Heeey Fred!"  he greeted with a toothy smile, "It may surprise you to learn I have not always been the dapper and collected man you see now."  he confided with a sage nod and sighed as he let a portion of the artifice that he maintained fall away.  He shrugged, "Lets just say you're not the only one who has had to take a time out now and again to keep the baser urges at bay."  what Huang considered a baser urge of course was questionable given his usual behavior.

[Gizmo]

Winifred swallowed the ice cream in her mouth as set the pint aside on her nightstand with the spoon sticking out of it and gave Huang a curious look. "I want to make some sort of comment about your general lack of restraint but I honestly hadn't expected you to be among the impromptu parade," she admitted. Hearing her words aloud she frowned and bowed her head briefly in apology. "That sounded unkind. It's just that, well, Robin and Cathy can mother hen on occasion and where they go Smith and Phaedra tend not to be far behind. I didn't think I'd be missed by anyone else." That sounded more self-pitying than she'd intended and her frown deepened but she resisted the urge to fall into a cycle of never-ending clarifications.

 

She let out a short huff instead and looked Huang in the eyes. "Are you talking about your father's influence?" She'd heard a few things about Mr. Faretti after one of his visits to the campus but she hadn't known how much credence to give any of it. Schoolyard gossip hadn't been terribly kind to her either, after all, though she expected - hoped - that the rumours about her involved less speculation about what she looked like without a shirt.

[angrydurf]

"Well I assure you Cathy missed you enough to make up for the rest of the school."  Huang suggested with a laugh and a grin, "And you should note the restraint in me not pointing out any of the myriad innuendos I could draw from you wanting me restrained."  he shrugged slightly as he leaned against the edge of the closet with some care.  

 

He was pensive a moment, "Well I suppose that's one way to put it."  he agreed finally.  Despite his normally gregarious persona he was still a bit delicate on the subject of his parentage.

 

"I mean not so much influence as blood so to speak."  he explained with a wry smirk at the turn of phrase.  "Really I had it easy compared to the full creature of the night crowd."  he admitted cagily, "I mean I didn't spend months locked in a room till I could learn to behave."  he looked sidelong to Fred with a questioning expression, "What I'm saying is there are folks worse off and folks less worse off and that doesn't really matter."  he finally elucidated, "None of that changes how you feel or what you think you need to do."  he looks to the hall for a long moment, "But I think we can say something about you not having to do it alone."  he pointed out, "And before you start taking yourself too seriously."  

 

Huang paused as he fished in a pocket for a long moment before triumphantly pulling out the CD of the Jekyll and Hyde musical with the all star cast of David Hasselhoff among other 'lesser' luminaries.  The dhampir let out a sigh, "They're not good with modern tech but I'll pick it up on iTunes or something."  he shrugs and sets the Cd on Freds bed, "Till then the songs are actually not half bad."

[Gizmo]

"If I can have you gagged as well I'll consider it," Winifred shot back, her prim delivery undercut by a small smirk poorly concealed behind her raised hand. It faded at Huang's unexpectedly candid commiseration. The moment of self-awareness and broader perspective made her wonder if he was simply making an effort as an exception or if some amount of the dhampir's lackadaisical personality was merely an affectation, not so different from the straight laced control she imposed upon herself.

 

She picked up the compact disk as he set it down, reading the front cover with its exaggerated calligraphy with a raised eyebrow. "I assume the joke will explain itself in due time. Until then, thank you. Genuinely."

[Fox]

Matt stood with his back to the wall, arms crossed as he tried to stare down a dog that looked up at him with exactly zero sympathy. "I'm not," he insisted, addressing some unspoken accusation.

 

The dog didn't look like it believed him.

 

"I'm not," he said. "He didn't-- it's dumb. It's not even...."

 

The dog stared.

 

".....fine."

 

---

 

Matt stuck his head in through the door, dog worming its way through his legs and into the room. "Did you give her Sweeny Todd?" he asked, trying to untangle his feet enough to enter unimpeded, with mixed success - none of which his hound seemed to notice or care about, cheerfully sitting within scratches distance of Fred. "I mean, not my first choice, I guess, but you seemed all gung-ho about it."

 

He stuck his hands in his pockets, having not really planned past that. "So, uh, just wanted to make sure you were okay. I worried a little when I didn't hear back from the dogs, but I guess they just needed more explicit instructions." That bit was directed down at the creature in question, who almost managed to look convincingly guilty. "I...figure you probably want some space, but I was wondering if you were gonna be okay for practice tomorrow? It isn't really the same with just me all the time, anymore, and the dogs play a really bad bass."

[angrydurf]

Huang offered a small crooked grin in response.  "See there's the wit we know and love."  he teased harmlessly and looked ot Matt as he made his entrance offering a small nod of acknowledgement.  "Well it's,"  he paused a shrugged, "Yea it'll probably make more sense in context."  He turned to go and shook his head to Matt.

 

"No, Jekyl and Hyde!"  he corrected, "Well the sound track."  he corrected with a shrug and oddly placed glare at his coat pocket like it had done him a personal wrong.  "I'll leave you two to it."  he suggested with a grin and sauntered out the door, "Want I should point the RA's at Robin and Rileys favorite roof buy you some time?" he offered as he left the room.

[Gizmo]

"I'd just as soon avoid to commotion of an RA being shot with an arrow, thank you," Winifred called after Huang before pointing a finger at Matt in mock warning. "You be nice to Fang. She was an absolute dear today, you should know." The alchemist patted the bed beside her, inviting the dog to hop up. Her expression fell slightly and she looked away from her friend, trying to cover the pang of embarrassment by retrieving the pint of ice cream from the nightstand. "I'm the one who ought to have left a note or told one of you before... well. It would seem I underestimated the resulting consternation of my absence. I'm sorry."

 

She ducked her head slightly between her shoulder and salved the flush rising in her cheeks with a spoonful of ice cream. "I, ah, I expect I should be fine shape to 'jam' tomorrow though, yes. Frankly it helps me get out of my own head for a spell, if that makes sense. I'm not sure that I've honestly progressed much past the ability of creatures without opposable thumbs but that is what practice is for." She managed a small smile to go along with the small joke.