Gym, Wednesday After Lunch

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip leaned against the wall near the body bag and waited. It would be a fair assesment to say that he looked kind of nervous. He went for a pocket he didn't have in search of a cigarette and cursed.

It's the waiting that was killing him.

_{[[Pip is waiting for Angel. Gym's open for all, of course, but give the mercenary and the vampire a little space, ya? And no, it didn't just say Tuesday in the subject line. I know perfectly well what day it is. Really.]]}

Comments

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel showed up. Possibly a little bit late. Possibly on purpose since if there was one thing he knew, it was how much a killer anticipation could be.

Or maybe he'd been making out with his girlfriend. Hard to say.

"Hey."

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip nodded in return, standing up from the wall. "Hey. Wasn't sure you were going to show up."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"I was debating that myself, to be honest."

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

"Oh really? What made you decide to come?"

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel gave a sardonic look. "Guess you could say I'm a big believer in second chances."

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

"Well, that's encouraging to know," Pip said, taking a few slow steps forward. Yes, it was kind of a stupid thing to say, but he couldn't really think of much else right now.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"For the record," Angel said, his tone making it clear he was moving past the awkward greetings stage and onto the actual talking stage, "jokes about me needing to get laid? Don't go over real well at this school."

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip nodded. "I'd like to be able to say that I never actually had any intention of saying that at any point and blame it on whatever it was that made me sing being desperate for a rhyme, but that would be an excuse, and I'm not about to try to excuse my actions any way."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"That's good," Angel said. "Excuses don't mean anything. I like actions."

Angel leaned against the wall. "Out of curiosity, how much of the spell was you not asking about the well being of anybody in the room?"

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip sighed and stared down at the floor before looking back up at Angel. "That particular part would be me, after whatever made me sing left me, deciding that it would be best if I just left immediately. Which basically boils down to anger clouding both my better judgement and what I would like to think are my better impulses."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Why be angry?" Angel asked, geniunely curious.

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip sighed. "That's a difficult question. And I'm not sure that I, myself, really know the answer. I guess... part of it's because I'm used to, ya know, knowing more about combat than literally everyone else in the school. So I guess part of it might have been wounded pride at not being asked. I think most of it, though, was because people got hurt. And... while it's my opinion and my opinion alone, people shouldn't have to go to war without being trained for it. And not just knowing hot to shoot. That's not enough. And... I guess it kind of comes down to the idea that someone could have died. Someone not ready for war. And... I'm not sure I could've taken that. Because somehow, I would have made it out to be my fault." He shook his head. "I already have deaths on my concience that I'm told I shouldn't feel guilty about. I was angry because on some level I feel like I'm supposed to protect everyone, as stupid as that sounds, and it was easier for me to take it out on you than it was to take it out on myself or to even admit that I am, in fact, not responsible for protecting everyone."

He shrugged.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Okay," Angel said. His voice was neutral, which matched his demeanor as he spoke. "You do realize, though, that that means you assumed things about me that are kind of insulting."

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

"Yes," Pip responded. "Yes I do. And I am sorry. And I have no honest excuse other than I am screwed up and kind of an arrogant jackass when it comes down to it."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"You know I seem to run across a lot of those," Angel said, thinking of Spike. "Maybe I need to switch cologne? Don't answer that."

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

"Well, my understanding is that the average European arrogant jackass prefers people who don't wear cologne, but that's neither here nor there," Pip said. He tilted his head to the side slightly and grimaced. "Look, you would all be pretty much completely within your rights to not forgive me and not want to speak to me again. Especially you. I'm hoping that the fact that you're here and not tearing my head off means that there's hope for forgiveness, but other than that..." he shrugged again. "All I've really got left that I can say is that I truly am sorry. Anything else I say is, well, mostly just more excuses. And I think both of us have established that we don't have time for excuses."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"If you wanna show me that you're not what I saw that day, then I wanna see it," Angel said. "How about we skip the war and the sparring and the fighting for a while? You, me, lunch occasionally. Take it from there."

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

"Works for me," Pip said. "Working out better than I expected it to, actually. Start tomorrow?"

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Works," Angel said. "See you in the cafeteria?"

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip nodded. "See you in the cafeteria."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel gave him a nod of goodbye, then left.

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip leaned against the wall and slumped to the ground. "Well Papa," he said in French. "You were right. Apology was the way to go."

He stood up and started hitting the bag, now having some built up energy and tension that needed working out. "Though I think Mama's suggestion helped a lot as well."