I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Who: Nita and YOU. Preferably close CR, but anyone can stop by.
Where: Quiet Car, second floor, a room near the front of the carriage.
When: Middle half of Grasshopper; post-platform, pre-event.
What: A(n ex-) wizard retreats. Some may come to reprimand, some to console, some just to find out WTF happened.
Warnings: ... Discussion of what's basically psychic assault in this log, folks. Mind your headspace!


After the platform, Nita retreated into herself. That was the best way to describe it; she could not be 'booked' in one of these rooms the same way she could have been in the Medical Car, but she spent as much time as she could in just the one room, not speaking unless spoken to, not leaving except to go to the restroom or fetch another journal.

No matter when one arrived to check on her, she would be either resting - staring off into space more than actually sleeping - or writing.

Some of the words were crossed out, as if she had had a tough time finding the right ones, but the writing looked to be formal in nature. A report. And, most notably, it was in English, not the alien curves of the Speech.

If she had to live with her actions, Nita figured, the least she could do was explain them - and explain why they were wrong.

Mostly, though, what encompassed her mind was the emptiness of it all. She couldn't even be angry now.

Fitting.

Comments

[wizard_redfive]

"I'd be less worried about how nonverbal the train is and more worried about how mad it is." The nonverbal part could be more easily worked around. "You really pissed it off. It took both me and Xander to calm it down even a little."

Like, Dairine doesn't want to rub it in. But Nita kinda needs to know how difficult this is gonna be.

An apology sounds like a good place to start, but her wording makes Dairine's eyebrow raise. "'Other things?'"

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Yeah. From what we've learned, anger in the void is really bad."

She winces again. "As I just demonstrated."

At her sister's own confusion, she offers, "A report. Because what if Tom or Carl do show up here?"

She wouldn't have to come up with something on-the-spot, anyway.

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea smiled. Almost normal was a definite improvement. "One thing you're gonna learn about me, I don't generally do things by halves," he said.

He took a seat opposite her in the booth. "So... what exactly are you writing there?" It didn't take much brainpower to figure out that it had something to do with what had happened. But beyond that, he had no idea what it was or why it had seemingly consumed all of Nita's time.

[unfavorableinstigation]

"You're in good company, from what I've seen of people here," Nita pointed out.

Looking back down to her paper, she absently reached to open one of those waters.

"This? A report, on what exactly I did, my reasons for it, and the consequences."

[wizard_redfive]

She grimaces.

"Well, let us know if you notice any other possible signs of voidsickness. Until then, I'll assume this was more run-of-the-mill usual anger issues." Like Dair can talk.

Dairine blinks.

"Oh. Right." That's a thing. A tedious wizarding thing. "Wait, does this mean we should have been doing reports after every mission?"

[unfavorableinstigation]

Have a very, very wry look, Dairine.

"I'll remember you said that one."

As for the other part: "What do you think I've been doing since we got here? It's not just Lightning who's been taking notes. ... Think you get a pass on the last mission, though."

Kind of unfair to drum on that incident, but all the same.

[hotheadwarmheart]

"A report?", Lea repeated. "To who? I don't think the team leaders would really keep track of stuff like that, and if it was to them, you could just tell them straight out."

[unfavorableinstigation]

"To my Seniors," Nita answered.

"I was surprised enough when S'reee showed up, and she's practically my sister anyway. If anyone else from home does... I want to show I can hold myself accountable, that I'm not dropping procedure just because I'm literally outside our usual jurisdiction."

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea nodded. "Guess paperwork is another of those universal constants, huh?", he said. "And yeah, you never know who's gonna show up here."

"S'reee is the floating whale, right?", he asked. It sounded sort of like a whale-ish name, but he couldn't be sure.

Should this one be wrapped soon?

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Yeah."

Nita sounded sad at the idea, because:

"Never know who's going to leave, either. But, yes, that's S'reee," she said, recovering somewhat.

"Have you talked to her, yet?"

More than the usual passing-in-the-hall greeting, anyway.

Sure, we can. One or two more tags should do it. :3

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Yeah," Lea said with a similar sigh.

"No I haven't talked to her yet. Haven't really had reason to. And I'm honestly not sure what I'd talk abut, other than the fact that there was a flying whale back in Diatu too, except he was a familiar- basically a magical pet- belonging to a friend of mine, and that might come off as weird."

\o/

[unfavorableinstigation]

"She ended up stuck in a different world from home as well," Nita offered.

"Not an academy, though, but there likely were schools in whatever-that-place-was-called where she ended up."

She looked a bit sheepish at her own lack of recollection - doubtless the name would come back to her later.

And one more ought to do it. :3

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Huh," Lea said thoughtfully. "I might have to talk to her then. And yeah, there are schools of some kind on most worlds, so that's not a big surprise."

"Anyway, since you've been cooped up in here writing, how about I catch you up on what's been going on the past few days while you eat?"

Wrap it is! \o/

[unfavorableinstigation]

"It's not always formal schooling, but I take your point."

And Nita smiled - a wry one, but a smile all the same.

"That sounds like a plan, Lea."

It'd be a very filling conversation.

Sorry this is so late, feel free to ignore if you want

[wizard_redfive]

Ah, crud. That's probably gonna bite her later.

"I've been taking notes!" Dairine says, offended. Just who do you take her for, sis? "That doesn't mean I've been complying an essay for every big event that goes down! That's too much work!"

...Says the girl stuck on a train with little to do.