Room 505, Sunday Evening

[thismaskiwear]

So Katchoo wasn't in the mood to go to Fight Club tonight.

Funny, that; apparently she'd gotten a good chunk of her Need To Hit Things out of her system this week. Okay, maybe not, but somehow it just didn't have its usual appeal tonight.

She was sprawled on her bed instead, a sketchbook open in front of her to a page that was blank and had been blank for the past several hours, Ani DiFranco on the tape player stereo and a bottle of Jack Daniels on the nightstand. Pretty comfortable setup for a good, sullen brood.

Good times -- she didn't even notice when Clocky wheeled over to the slightly ajar door and nudged it open a few inches further.

[OOC: Door and post open, should you wish to poke the Happy Fun Chewieball. May be patches of SP because my headache won't go away.]

Comments

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"...would that help if I did?"

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Okay, now the look was slightly predatory.

"I dunno. Do you think it's helping so far?"

Since, you know, he was here and that was already the subject of conversation . . .

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Right." There was a pause before. "It'd be stupid to ask why, right?"

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Probably." God, Chewie. So nice. "Everybody's gotta do something to deal with the crap. This is mine."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"It won't help with her," Merlin said, looking down at his shoes. They were all rather... shoey. "Unless it's meant to push her away."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo flinched. Damn that statement for being so observant. Except what she said was, "She's my best friend. You think I want to push her away?"

Um, Katchoo . . .

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

That got Merlin to look up at her. "I think it seems easier that way."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo snorted a laugh. "You think? How do you know?"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Yes, sweet sweet issues for them all.

"You drink, Arthur engaged in... other activities," He replied evenly.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Mmm, crunchy chocolate-covered issues, now with 300% more iron(y).

The pause said a lot. Thanks to months of squirrel notes (and rum, mmm, tasty rum) Katchoo could guess what he was getting at.

"What did you want me to do?" Katchoo was at least aware on some level that it was pretty frikkin' idiotic behavior on her part. "Take it out on her? You oughta know what she's like by now. Sweet, innocent girl like Francine doesn't need this stuff unloaded on her."

Yes. Obviously drinking and getting arrested like an idiot was so much smarter. Or, you know, not asking your best friend in more detail about the stuff she's seen in Fandom so you know she might actually be able to handle it. You just failed that intelligence check, Chewie.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Talk to her?" Merlin suggested. "I don't think there's anything you could say to her that would make her leave you. It's the not talking that's making it that way."

[Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"She doesn't know half of what I've done. Nobody does." Why was she saying this to him? "I'm scared to death of what happens if she finds out."

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"She loves you. Even if it's all mixed up right now, I know she does," Merlin insisted. "You have to just be honest and hope for the best sometimes."

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Geez, you sound like a Hallmark card," Katchoo grumbled. "Look, Merlin, I know what you're trying to do. It's really sweet of you."

Yeah. She just said that. Scary, huh?

"But . . . it's pretty naive, too."

Katchoo really needed to get to know people better.

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I already did it with Arthur."

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

". . . you what now?"

Oh, modern vernacular. How culture-clashy you can be.

"Right. Uh." Katchoo briefly debated, then discarded, the idea of asking if Arthur had a police record as long as her arm; that might take more explaining than she wanted to give. "I'm not planning on getting into any more bar fights any time soon, if that helps."

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Well. I suppose." Really, it was more Merlin with the secrets here. And Merlin had spent time in the dungeons...

Nevermind that now.

"Just give her a bit more credit on what she can handle?"

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Yes, dungeons and similar concepts might be a touchy subject at the moment.

"You think?" It was an honest-to-god question, not sarcasm.

Well. Not much sarcasm.

"Guess you'd know, considering what she gets into hanging around with you guys." Best BFF ever, Katchoo. Best BFF ever.

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"And just being here," Merlin added. "That other Fandom."

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo never had forgotten, and probably never would forget, Francine's freakout in the mirror that night.

"Yeah." She sighed. "It really matters that much to you?"

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Well, of course it does." For possibly the strangest reasons for a boyfriend ever. "She matters to me and you matter quite a bit to her."

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo stared for a few seconds, then laughed raggedly. "You confuse me, y'know. What the hell am I gonna do with you?"

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"As long as it doesn't involve a blow to the head, I think we're good with about anything," Merlin replied, cracking a smile.

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"That's really specific there, y'know," Katchoo replied, the faintest trace of a smirk on her face.

. . . not that she knew about any codpieces!

"I can't promise anything. But I'll think about it. All right?"

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I know." Merlin stood up, offering her another grin. "Just be careful, alright?"

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. Sure." Katchoo had a certain crankiness quota to reach here, but she relented, and even kind of smiled. For a second. If you didn't blink.

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Great! I'm sure it'll work out for the better."

Because he really was naive about some things.

Re: [Let's just say this is NFB in case mmmkay]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Very. She kind of wanted to pat him on the head for it, but that would be weird. What if her cynicism was communicable?

"Yeeeeeeeeeah. We'll see, huh?"