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

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nita looked up more easily than she had upon first arrival - there was still that look to her eyes, but she seemed more present now.

"You didn't have to," she responded, getting up anyway.

"But thanks, Lea. ... Wanted to see me?"

"I know," Lea said, setting the tray down on the table. "I hadn't seen you at meals, though, and I was getting kinda worried. So I made you some soup; the kind my mom used to make for me and Isa. It always helped me feel better when I was bummed about something. And it was also one of the only ways she could get me to eat my vegetables."

Upon inspection, Nita would notice that the soup was indeed a vegetable soup with egg noodles. It smells pretty darn good too, and when she tastes it, she'll realize that it's a bit spicy. Not especially so, but enough to wake up a person's taste buds and catch their interest.

"Besides, you look like you could use a little break from whatever it is that you're writing there." He indicated the journal with its many scratch outs.

"I'm not trying to starve myself," Nita said wryly. "Just... trying to be alone."

The explanation earned Lea a thoughtful look. "Your mom, huh?"

That sounded like the sort of trick her own mom would have played, if it'd been needed. Moving the soup and water to the desk, she eyed it before turning back to the redhead.

"If you say so. I'd hate to let any of this go to waste, anyway."

"I didn't figure you were trying," Lea said, "but you seemed kinda out of it last time I saw you, among other things. Just wanted to make sure little things like needing to eat and drink didn't end up getting lost in the shuffle, you know?"

He just smiled slightly and nodded when she mentioned his mom. But his smile became a bit more amused at her comment about the food. "Good. That was the plan. And there's more in the fridge and freezer if you want something to heat up for a quick meal. Or of anybody else wants some too, I guess; kinda hard to make just one serving of soup from scratch, so I made a whole pot of it."

Nita nodded at the reminder.

"I'm not that bad at self-care... usually."

Even without using the Speech, she's not willing to lie.

"Thanks," she said again, before sitting back down.

"... Did you want to talk over lunch or something? If you really wanted to be sure I took a break, anyway."

"Good to hear," Lea said. "Just... don't be surprised if I check up on you like this again if something else happens that has you ending up in rough shape. Mentally or physically." Because Lea does worry about his friends and bringing food lets him show that without appearing too worried. Nothing uncool about bringing a friend something to eat right?

"And lunch was actually a couple hours ago, so I already ate, but that's basically why I brought two bottles of water. This way it won't be super awkward for me to sit here and talk with you." Though it might still be sort of awkward.

"I'll remember that," Nita replied softly, and nodded.

"And try to return the favor, for that matter."

It was the sort of person she was - to look after other people - and it always made her feel some sort of way when that got turned around...

It sure was justified now, though.

"You didn't have to go that far, though it's good to stay hydrated," she pointed out, almost joking.

Almost sounding normal again.

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.

"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."

"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."

"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."

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.

"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.

"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."

"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.

"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?"

"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.

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Should this one be wrapped soon?

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

\o/

And one more ought to do it. :3

Wrap it is! \o/