Dorm roof, around noon

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

So, having been called on being a 'sunshiney' overly-helpful knowitall twice in 48 hours, Dinah felt like she had to actually think about what Ino and Arthur had accused her of. Before a third person told her off for trying to help. After a lot of wrangling, back-and-forthing, mental list-making, and consideration, Dinah decided that:

Ino could weirdly blame Dinah for not being psychic enough to anticipate her finding out about Triela's medical condition, and then getting upset about it. But if she wanted to throw a screaming tantrum, or glare every chance she got? Dinah didn't have to show up for it. Arthur, on the other hand, was kinda right. Half of what Dinah had said to him had been aimed at what she'd thought was his arrogant attitude about what Morgana could do. But Morgana could look out for herself, and hadn't asked for Dinah's back-up. She owed Morgana an apology for trying to speak for her if it ever came up. Maybe she owed Arthur an apology for assuming, and the insults, but she thought the PMS comment that inspired them canceled that out. Anybody else she'd helped or tried to help lately, it was going okay for them, and it wasn't like she was the only one helping them out. Or like they were going to depend on her. The new kids would find their feet in a week or so, and then everyone could progress to jumping off buildings with her. If they wanted to.

Or, try to airwalk like Karla had taught her, like she was right now. Shoes over by the door, eyes shut, humming to try and concentrate.

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

They probably were. Dinah was still concentrating, but with her eyes closed, was still a little paranoid about what happened last time. Walking off the roof here should be prevented by the wall around the sides, but who could be sure?

"Ow!" Or they could do the job perfectly fine, when you walked right into one. Greeeat. Dinah nodded again to the other girl, a little ways down on the same wall she'd just walked into. "Um. Hi. I'm Dinah." Might as well introduce herself while she was looking stupid.

[jommetry.livejournal.com]

"Esmerelda," she said, then looked up. "There's a wall there, you know." Very helpful, Esme.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Pretty," Dinah said, trying to remember where she'd heard someone mention the name lately, but unable to pin it down. "And, uh. Yeah. I had my eyes closed." She scowled down at her feet, then rubbed one stubbed toe with the other foot. "Trying to concentrate."

[jommetry.livejournal.com]

"If you's has to try, you're not going to be able to do it," she advised. "You get so tripped up ontrying you miss the actual concentration. Best to wait for a better time."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah's shoulders slumped, because that actually... made a lot of sense. "You think?" She gave Esmerelda a sideways look of consideration, and leaned against the wall. "You've done this before?"

[jommetry.livejournal.com]

"Concentrate? Yes, plenty," Esme said simply. "Don't need much in the way of do-overs, though."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Do you mind me asking if you have a trick to make it easier?" Dinah asked, half-hopeful. She thought it might just be practice, but if there was anything that could help, she was all for it.

[jommetry.livejournal.com]

Esme thought about it for a second. "No trick. You just do it, or you don't." Well, of course that worked for her, she had the kind of willpower that was usually reserved for people on their third year of a hunger strike. "Tricks are just another way of trying too hard."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Dinah said, discouraged, and blew out a breath of disappointment. Her own will wasn't bad, but focused? Not so much. "I wondered." She squinted off the edge of the wall. "Are those deer?"

[jommetry.livejournal.com]

Esme nodded. "They seem to be teal," she said conversationally. Yes, that passed for conversation.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yup." Dinah paused. "If you talk a lot, they'll follow you around the Preserve. Maybe someone's giving a speech down there."

Or just in paragraphs.

[jommetry.livejournal.com]

"That will never happen with me," Esme said, knowing this for a fact. "I wonder if they're different than regular deer." Someone might have to do some Borrowing.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Smaller? But I don't know much about regular deer," Dinah admitted. "And they seemed pretty fast." She shook her head. "Anyway. Thanks for your opinion on the concentration." Dinah made a face. "Just try it again on a day when I'm calmer, I guess." And when she hadn't had any caffiene for three days.