8. Public + messages

[orderfromchaos]

[Public, video]

So, uh. Some of you who frequent the eighth floor common room might have noticed. An extremely geometrical tree where your coffee table used to be.

I can fix that. I mean, I'm going to. Fix that. Unless you guys like it? I mean. Whatever. It's not my floor. Let me know.



[Private to Vin]

[There's a long period of silence. Okay, it's only like ten seconds, but that feels like a lot.]

So. That. Happened.



[Private to Elsa]

...have fun?



[Private to Rogue]

A while back you offered to help people work with their powers. Is that still a thing?



[Private to Helena]

You, uh. Don't have to respond to this at all if you aren't comfortable, or anything. But if there's anything you want to ask me, I'll try my best to answer. And I won't be mad or anything.

Comments

[orderfromchaos]

I don't know. I mean, yes I do, because I'm straight, and he's - probably, and we didn't, um, think of it, and I killed my girlfriend by accident and I haven't seen him in a year, and...

[This is a severe and impressive double-take, followed by a full-face blush (and then some, probably).]

You - shit. Sorry? I'm so sorry. Oh god.

[indispensible]

It's okay.

[It's not okay, it's just that she misses him and she misses being held and now she misses Dillon, too, in an abstract and unreal kind of way. She's all confused and doesn't even remember what it was like when things were simple.]

I didn't mean to tell you that.

[orderfromchaos]

No, um, I should probably know, I just, uh. Marriage is. Important?

[He meant to say a sacrament and then chickened out. It's weird to talk about religion here. The point is: oh no he kissed a married lady, how do life.]

[indispensible]

You didn't know. It's okay.

He's dead, anyway.

You should kiss that boy.

[orderfromchaos]

Deanna - the girl I wanted to spend my life with. She's dead, too. She's one of the only people I can't reach.

[Because clearly this is better than talking about why he hasn't kissed Winston. God. He imagines, uncharitably, implausibly, Winston threatening to shoot him again. It would probably be kind of hot now that Winston is built like an oak tree instead of an eight year old.

Damn it.]

I'm sorry. That you lost him, I mean, not - about the rest of it. Again.

[indispensible]

[She sort of knows he's evading, but lets him. She isn't sure why. Maybe in part because she just wants to keep talking to him. It was nice, feeling connected for a while, even if it wasn't hers to feel.]

It's all right. It's - not all right, but it will be.

I should have kissed him sooner. It felt the same. Not so strong, but the same source. The same kind of power.

[It's called love, dummy.]

[orderfromchaos]

It's hard to know. At the time.

[A little forgiveness for both of them, maybe, young and tangled in the fulcrums of their changing worlds.]

[indispensible]

[She has a hard time forgiving herself, sometimes. It's nice that Dillon is willing to forgive a little now, feels like a fresh breeze on her face.]

It's hard to understand new things. But I don't regret it. Kissing you, I mean. I don't think I'm sorry.