dix-huit. [ RL with Kamina ]

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[ She was losing control. She could feel herself losing it, that was the worst part, to know what was happening. That tight control she always had over herself-- not in the sense that she held back or hid things any more than a girl hides things, but in the sense that she always had a firm handle on who she was, where she was going, and how she was getting there-- that control had started crumbling in the taxi. She felt like she'd left pieces of it all over the library, overhearing what she had. As long as they didn't tell anyone, it would be fine. It would all be fine.

But she didn't feel fine, and she didn't feel like it would be fine. It was only half the illness; she felt that familiar lightheadedness and chills that came and went but always came again. But it was the desperation and hurt that kept her wandering the streets; desperation for what, she didn't know. (What the hurt was about, she knew all too well; Grace's words kept ringing in her ears.)

She'd never noticed her face on every screen. It had been part of the background, the general wallpaper of the world. But now everything was green and orange, and she didn't resent Ranka her success except she did, and she hated herself for it.

"Please come to my revenge live! This time, it's definitely happening!"

Sheryl didn't even have the self-possession to pull herself up onto the curb; she sank down to her knees on the street, too feverish and out of it now to even know if she was sobbing, or if she was just hallucinating in the rain. ]

Comments

[aburningspirit.livejournal.com]

[kamina had been to the hospital earlier that afternoon, mildly concerned when the nurses had mentioned that she'd looked upset the last time they'd seen sheryl. the concern cranked up to a mild fury when they told him that not only could they not find her, she must have walked right out under their noses. he'd given the doctors and nurses several pieces of his mind that earned a lifetime ban from the hospital or so the security guard had yelled after him, but he hadn't bothered to hear the rest.

she was somewhere on this huge ship, alone and sick and in the pouring rain and alone.

it took an hour or two and incredible luck, but jogging through the shopping district on a hunch paid off. there she was--and it broke his heart. crouching down in front of her, kamina was spooked at how empty her eyes were. no light, no life, no nothing. like someone had left her body but taken her spirit.]

Sheryl?

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[ Confused and out of it as she was, it didn't quite click in her mind that he was who he was. But there was some part of her mind that told her "It's all right. You can stop now."

And so she did, with a vague sort of relieved not-really-smile, tumbling forward as she finally let herself pass out. ]

[aburningspirit.livejournal.com]

[he clumsily caught her since that had been the last thing he'd expected. no fever, thankfully, but that wouldn't be the case for long if they stayed out in this rain. kamina lifted her easy--too easy; had she been losing weight?--and started the trek to the apartment. it wasn't long before he got back to the apartment thanks to shunpo shortening the trip significantly. he placed her on the bed, not sure what to do now. she was soaking wet. if she stayed in those clothes--but he didn't want the daylights punched out of him either.

the community! thank god for it. he scrambled to the computer to ask for help.

and help, eventually, did come.

once they'd left, he took a quick shower and changed himself, resigning himself to the long, hateful task of waiting for her to wake up.]

i don't have the icons for this /GOES ON A HUNT

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[ At some point she segued from a faint to real sleep; her body clearly needed it. It wasn't a few hours, though, before she woke up, disoriented.

The bedroom was dark; let's see, there had been the hospital, the library, and then.... what? She couldn't figure out what had happened or where she was until she swung her legs over the side of the bed and saw she was wearing those ridiculous flame-patterned pajama pants, rolled up at the ankles six times.

She hadn't called him, she knew she hadn't, even though she'd hovered over the name in her phone three or four times before throwing it out the window of the taxi. So how...?

Standing up fully, she went to the door to the main room and pushed it open. ]

GET ON IT OKAY THIS IS SRS BZNS

[aburningspirit.livejournal.com]

[kamina had dozed off on the couch after the initial spring into action, dreaming dreams of washing machines trying to eat the pants right off of him (the mind's warped tactic of burning chibiusa's instructions into his brain). before the killer appliance could rip them off in one brutal shake of his right pants leg, the door's faint whoosh brought back him to this side of reality. he'd become something of a light sleeper since there was always a chance byakuya would wake him up with several raps to the head at the very idea that kamina was not awake before 4:30 AM. better to cut that off at the pass.

he rolled over onto his stomach as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes and smiled at her.]

Hey. You finally woke up.

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...How did I get here?

[ she leans against the doorframe; she doesn't quite trust herself to get any closer. It's not that she doesn't trust him not to turn against her too; it's that at the same time she wants both to close herself off and not to talk to anyone, and to burst into tears in someone's arms. It's too much to handle right now. ]

[aburningspirit.livejournal.com]

I brought you home.

[the answer is accompanied with a tilt of the head. how else was she going to get here; wings? ...okay, cool idea, but point stood.]

You don't have a fever or nothin', do you?

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Of course not! I'm perfectly healthy! If you tell me where you put my clothes, I'll be-- [ be off? Off to where? She can't go back to the hospital, she can't go back to her own hotel room, she doesn't even know where Alto lives... that train of thought puts her on an entirely different one, and after she trails off, she changes the tack of her statement entirely ]

I need to see your lease.

[aburningspirit.livejournal.com]

[he doesn't understand her track of thought at all, but she seems serious enough about it for him to get up, walk into the bedroom, and fish out the stack of papers from a shoebox underneath the bed.]

You mean this, right?

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[ she scans it, flipping the pages until she sees the part she needs. She's no pro at contracts-- Grace always took care of that sort of thing-- but it's easy enough to understand. She nods, then abruptly turns on her heel and heads towards the door ]

I'm going to find the landlord!

[ ...she says, without bothering to check the time or put on proper clothing ]

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...in pajamas? [he calls after her.]

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[ she pauses. looks down. gives no fucks. ]

Yes!

[ She lets the door slam shut behind her.

Twenty minutes later, she's back. She had interrupted the landlord's dinner, dragged him into his office, and through a combination of steamroller like certainty, a credit card with no limits, and promising to sign a poster for his young daughter, transferred the apartment from Grace's name and account to hers.

She was getting dizzy again by the end of it; normally she had certainty and poise to spare, but she had already been running on empty by the time Kamina had found her. She reentered the apartment more quietly than she had left, tossing the new lease down on the end table and trying to steady herself on the wall without looking like she was doing so. ]

There, that's done!

[aburningspirit.livejournal.com]

[webster defines "awesome" as such:

1 : expressive of awe
2 : a. inspiring awe
b. terrific, extraordinary.

kamina thinks that sheryl is awesome in the 1 and 2a sense of the word. hadn't she been asleep five minutes ago? where did she get the energy, the sun? (did that make her superwoman? this thought was awesome [2b. definition].) it amazed him how she could jump at anything with everything she had, even at the expense of herself. it impressed him, as well. now that was a girl.

he stands up from the couch with worry in his eyes, taking a few steps toward her.] Oi, oi, take it easy, alright?

[ March 1 ]

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[ SHERYL used BE DOMESTIC! It's super effective!

That is to say that she's easily bored, no matter her mental state; since she had been taken in by Grace, her days had always been jam-packed, just as she liked them. She'd spent the week learning chess (before losing half the pieces behind the couch), buying a few outfits and necessities to replace the ones she wasn't going back to the hotel for, and ignoring the television and magazines. She'd bought a new phone, but hadn't activated it yet; it still sat in its packaging on the kitchen counter. She still didn't much want to talk to anyone; that post had been an exception, but she hated keeping up what she didn't feel. She was calmer, having settled into a routine here, but she wasn't better.

The domestic part came in after about two days of takeout. It was Kamina-style takeout, which meant that it was greasy, spicy, and horribly unhealthy. So she'd started buying groceries and cooking herself. Contrary to spoiled-idol expectations, she could cook fine (it was laundry, dusting, sweeping, washing dishes, organizing, and vacuuming that she fell down on); she wasn't interested enough in it to try and make anything too involved, so nearly everything turned out well.

Tonight, Kamina's getting a pasta dish; she's used enough to his manner of eating that she's dished his serving into the biggest bowl in the apartment ]

[aburningspirit.livejournal.com]

[greasy, spicy, horribly unhealthy, and loaded with meat. kamina's main food groups all in one convenient take-out box. what was there not to love about it?

regardless, he been at sheryl's elbow the minute she stepped into the kitchen. other than opening his mouth in order to complete his self-given occupation of quality assurance whenever her back was turned, not a sound came out of him. there was an element of intense interest and calm in watching a person do something they were good at. he was almost sad when the meal was done.

almost.

for a second.

then he remembered that it was time to eat (and with the biggest bowl in the apartment too, hell yeah). all was well again.]

This is gonna be awesome. [he claims as he digs cups from the dishwasher.]

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[ it's loaded with cheese and pepper, the vegetables in it don't make it too healthy for you, Kamina. She shakes her head as she dumps the dishes in the sink for him to take care of later ]

Don't you ever get tired at staring at me cooking? Are you looking for the magic instant when ingredients become food?

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[still crouched at washer, he splutters.] No! 's just that I like watchin' stuff I don't get!

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Be careful, or I'll make you help next time. [ she carries the bowls to the table; there's already a plate of garlic bread set out ]

[aburningspirit.livejournal.com]

[sheryl may notice that a piece of garlic bread is gone; it was tested and found worth right after coming out of the oven. yes, he'd almost burned the inside of his mouth, but it was all for the sake of work. kamina was dedicated to his job.

truly, he is to be admired.

and like anyone who loved their occupation, he seemed excited to learn more about it.] I wouldn't mind it if ya did. [cups and a pitcher of water are carefully balanced and placed on the table without spilling a drop. aw yeah, byakuya would be a little less of an asshole if he'd seen this.]

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[ no he wouldn't, Kamina, admit it. She's been noticing him steal food this whole time, but figures that if he burns his tongue off, serves him right. She sits down, unfolding a napkin for her lap and shooting a meaningful look at Kamina to do the same. ]

Either way, as long as you do the dishes!

[aburningspirit.livejournal.com]

[one can dream. and how rude, okay, he could have been in serious pain from his own actions. gawd.

he stares back with an utterly clueless expression for a moment before letting out an audible, "ooohhhhhhhhhhhhh." manners in polite society, how do they work. the napkin is placed in his lap posthaste.]

Got it. 's only fair anyway.

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[ she goes ahead and picks up her fork. Takes a bite of pasta. Chews. Swallows. Puts down her fork. ]

I'm quitting singing.

[aburningspirit.livejournal.com]

[the three shovelfuls of pasta kamina has going down his gullet are promptly choked on.]

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I mean, I've done basically everything I wanted to do. It's time for something else, don't you think?

[aburningspirit.livejournal.com]

[please hold while he dislodges delicious pasta stuck in his windpipe with two cups of water and one bad coughing fit. he sounds liable to cough any minute when he says, strained:] Are you pullin' my leg?