Gym, Monday morning

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

After having possibly permanently clogged up his major arteries at the teal deer awarness brunch, Pip woke up early to get some actual exercise in.

Currently, he's pounding the bag and thinking that the bacon was worth it.

_{[[Who wouldn't want to start the week off sweating? Gym's open.]]}

Comments

[suzotchka.livejournal.com]

She faltered a bit in her exercises. Why did he have to be so nice? "I . . . will, Blair. And thank you." She lifted the staff again, but instead of resuming her patterns, she whirled on him, almost accusingly. "She wrote me poem. No one has ever written me a poem before. No one." She sounded like she wasn't sure if she was happy or angry at this fact.

[lovechildblair.livejournal.com]

Blair bounced a little nervously and took a deep breath. "She did? She must care for you a lot."

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip stood off to the side, holding the bag, not sure whether he should step in and say something or not. He trusted Ivanova, especially considering that he had more or less broke down in front of her last week, but he wasn't sure that this was a conversation he should step into.

[suzotchka.livejournal.com]

"She did." Ivanova waved a hand - not the one holding the staff. "She does. And I don't . . . it's never happened to me before, I've never been in love so, so stupidly and absolutely, not even with Talia and now she's leaving and I'm terrified that we're never going to see each other again." The mask was starting to crack as her voice did.

[lovechildblair.livejournal.com]

Blair stepped forward. "Don't go borrowing bad luck. Fate brought you together once, there's nothing saying that it won't happen again." He placed a hand on her shoulder, not quite sure if she wanted a hug.

[suzotchka.livejournal.com]

Ivanova wrapped an arm around her ribs, the staff clattering to the ground as she buried her face in her other hand. She drew a shaking breath, trying to keep herself from breaking down entirely.

[lovechildblair.livejournal.com]

Whether she wanted a hug or not, Blair didn't care. He moved forward and hugged her tightly. "Hey, hey, hey there. It's okay to cry, you know."

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

"In our line of work," Pip said, stepping from the bag and putting an arm on Ivanova's other shoulder, "you could spend a lifetime wondering if everyone you care about is going to be taken away from you forever. Someone once told me that if you let that fear paralyze you, you're insulting the memories of everyone who came before you who was lost to someone. That the last thing they'd want you to do is to ruin your life because of them." He smiled. "'sides, in my experience, it's impossible to disappear completely. The universe just doesn't work like that."

[suzotchka.livejournal.com]

Her arm was shaking as she wrapped it around Blair, burying her face in his shoulder as she sobbed silently for long moment. Finally her shoulders stopped shaking and she looked up, her eyes red and her cheeks damp, but she was smiling. It was small and uncertain, but it was a smile.

"I heard the same thing," she said hoarsely. "But it never makes it easier."

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

"No," Pip said. "It really doesn't. But it does need to be said every time, I think."

[suzotchka.livejournal.com]

She tried to laugh, but it came out as a sniffle. She drew back from Blair, her back stiffening slightly.

[lovechildblair.livejournal.com]

Blair looked up at her curiously.

[suzotchka.livejournal.com]

She smiled at him. "I'm . . ." she swallowed to get rid of the hoarse, post-cry croak, and tried again, her voice coming out at something more closely resembling normal. "I'm fine. Well, I'm going to be fine."

[lovechildblair.livejournal.com]

Blair nodded and smiled. "You're going to be fine."

[suzotchka.livejournal.com]

Ivanova sniffled again and scrubbed at her eyes with the palm of her hand. Now that she had gone and broken down in front of them, all she wanted to do was run away and hide. "I should go and make myself look human again before class," she said, trying to make her tone light but not quite succeeding.

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

"Probably a good idea," Pip said. "Though considering this place, "looking human" is hardly the norm."

[lovechildblair.livejournal.com]

"You look beautiful as always." Blair smiled and waved his hand towards her. "But I understand. I'll be at Molly's party later tonight, if you want to talk more."

[suzotchka.livejournal.com]

Ivanova actually managed a little laugh at Pip and a watery smile for Blair. She nodded. "I'll keep it in mind."

Abruptly she fled, leaving the Ranger staff lying on the floor of the gym.

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip kicked the Ranger staff up to his hands. After fiddling with it for a moment, he got it to retract into its small cylinder form. "I'll hold onto this for now," he said. "Methinks she wants to be alone for the moment."