the roof - saturday night - 5/30

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

The roof seemed like the appropriate place to be. Her room was... well, there was the chance that Alex (her roommate, of course) might wander in. And it was filled with things, her things, things she didn't want to look at right now.

Instead, she fiddled with her phone, trying to get the text message that had been sitting there for two days open. She'd asked Dinah about it, but it just hadn't seemed right to ask her about it right now. Something was wrong and she didn't know what to do and blended up alligators aside, she was starting to feel stupid. Jokes she didn't get, sayings she didn't know, people letting go then holding tight, friends being awkward: she'd get this done or die trying.

*bing*

The number wasn't one she knew, but for some reason she could tell it was from a member of her family. After all, she hadn't told anyone her number yet and it wasn't as if anyone else would be able to manage something like that. The message itself.

Hope you got the card; you can use it without worrying. But watch what you do. Don't give them a reason to doubt you. They don't trust you. --D

The only member of her family that she could think of with that letter was her aunt Dallas, and considering the fact that her aunt had been one of the only ones fighting for them most of the time during Council deliberations, Fiona trusted her more than some of the others.

The card; it was good to know she could use it without consequences. She assumed that her aunt Dallas had some hand in running the Order of the Celestial Rose. It would make sense, considering some of her other titles.

They don't trust you.

She knew that, but it burned to see it written there in front of her, told to her outright by her aunt. She'd passed their stupid tests, killed one of their enemies, but no, she wasn't good enough. She'd never be good enough to really be one of them because of her mixed heritage.

Ashes. Everything tasted like ashes again and she didn't know what to do, who to talk to. If her aunt Dallas could find her to send her a message, she probably shouldn't call her father on this line, just the room phone. She shouldn't--

Fiona tugged at her hair and leaned against the edge of the roof, eyes closed.

This just wasn't her weekend.

[emo as a ro--I mean, open as a roof]

Comments

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

Silent as a cat, Kenshin stepped out onto the roof, and paused. He had hoped it would be empty, but...

He hesitated a moment before softly clearing his throat.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She swallowed nothing, loudly and rubbed at her face.

"Who's--"

Oh.

"Himura. Hi. How's-- having trouble with the homework I gave you?"

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

He shook his head.

"It's fine so far," he replied. "Were you injured yesterday?" He couldn't see any injury, but...

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She shook her head.

"No injuries. What about you?"

She realized that she hadn't checked in with him and felt a pang of guilt. Why were the painful emotions so much easier?

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"None," he replied.

You had to be a lot better than a demon lizard - alligator - to get past his defences.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Same with her. Though the goldfish had tried.

"So... am I in your way? Did you want the roof?"

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"No, it's fine," he said shaking his head.

She seemed bothered by something, and he wasn't sure what - if anything - he should say.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She was bothered. The little light on the corner of the phone flashed red with another message and she twitched as she saw it. After a moment, she picked up the phone and went to check it.

Eliot. Just Eliot texting her to let her know he had a phone now. And to ask if she'd gotten anything from anyone in the family.

Smart. He's being smart.

"Sorry," she found herself saying. She didn't know why.

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"For what?"

She had some kind of... device in her hand. He wondered if it was another of those bewildering 'modern' things that filled this place.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

It was. Not that it was bewildering her at the moment.

"Everything. Nothing. I don't know."

She leaned back against the edge and closed her eyes again.

"Being confusing at you. How about that?"

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"That's hardly your fault."

Pause.

"What's that?" he asked, nodding at the device.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"It's a phone," she said tiredly, holding it up for him to see.

"You can communicate with people across long distances just by speaking into it."

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"...Like a 'radio?'" he asked, peering at it.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"This way, you can communicate both ways," she explained, one hand going to her temple.

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

Oh, now that could be useful.

"How far away does it work?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"All around the world. To anyone else who has one."

She found the lesson distracting in the best kind of way; it was troublesome, the way she felt, but sometimes it was a blessing. She didn't want to feel right now and any excuse not to was good.

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"Wow. Where-- How did you get something like that?" he asked.

It was frankly amazing, and something like that could change the tide of the Revolution.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She pointed towards town.

"Turtle and Canary has them," she told him, "though they're expensive when they're like mine. And they need a plan, someone who you pay to provide the service of bringing the messages back and forth instantly."

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"...Eh?"

He followed about half of that. At most.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"It's not just the device. Like... a letter doesn't reach the other person by itself. You have to have someone bring the letter.

"So you pay someone to bring your message back and forth."

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"I... think I get it. Is it expensive?" he asked.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She shrugged.

"It's not too bad. For what it can do, it's reasonable."

Though she'd have to text her aunt Dallas to find out how much her family could do in regards to finding out what she was doing.

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"Hm. Thank you," he replied, with a slight nod.

He would have to talk to Katsura. And try to learn more about them before he did.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"I'm still learning myself," she said with a shrug, leaning back again, "but if I learn more, I'll tell you."

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

"Thanks."

Pause.

"Is there anything I can do in return?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

The one thing she wanted, she wasn't sure he could give. There was a moment when she considered it, another, and finally she let out a huff of a breath.

"Can you hold my hand? Just for a few minutes?"

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

He hesitated a moment, and then extended his hand, just a little.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She reached out and took it, her skin a little harder than it would have been earlier today. She didn't clutch at him, nor squeeze his fingers, but there was a certain amount of need in how she slipped her hand around his.

Feeling. Touching someone let her feel so much easier.

"Thanks."

[saikyou-no.livejournal.com]

His skin was dry, and his palm was covered in the calluses of a swordsman. It felt... strange to have a hand in his, and not a sword.

"You're welcome."