The Lobby, Sunday Afternoon

[endsthegame]

A rip opened in the middle of the dorms lobby-- but it was unlike any void the island had seen before. It didn't precisely shine, but white light did filter out, almost tentatively, like the rays of the morning sun. It did not pull or pluck at anything, and when it vanished, it would leave the dorms exactly as it had found them.

It was not a rift that would take; it was a rift that would give.

Give back the people it had taken, that is.

[[ for those who were formerly strewn across the multiverse, after they touch their part! come home, folks ]]

Comments

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo buried her face in Francine's hair, shoulders shaking a bit with relief. There might have been the hint of tears, too, shh. "There a twelve-step for that?"

[thatsamilkshake]

"Around here? There's gotta be. It probably meets every week at the town hall." Francine shifted her head to wipe at her eyes, and winced as her hair caught and pulled at the scrape on her scalp. "Oh God, Chewie, that was..." She trailed to silence, not finding a word that worked.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"On a scale of Briarwood?" Katchoo caught the wince and sucked in a breath. "Sweetie, you're bleeding -- what did you do?"

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine reached up to touch her head, smearing mostly-dried blood across her forehead. "Monster hanging from the ceiling. It's just a scratch."

She stiffened when she tried to answer the other question, the guess hitting home with more accuracy that Katchoo had probably intended. "On a scale of Briarwood, it was where everybody who ran that place deserves to live."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

No, Katchoo hadn't meant for the guess to be that accurate; it was just, she thought, a very definite trauma point.

The answer had her gathering Francine into a closer hug as she said, "Baby, we need to get that looked at, okay? You're gonna leave a trail . . ."

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine rested the part of her forehead that didn't hurt against Katchoo's hair. "Of dirt, probably." And cockroach guts, and ash and slime and...eww. "I'd much rather have a shower."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"We could both use one." Katchoo hadn't put bathing high on her priority list either. "Aw, hell, it'll get that scrape cleaned up too. Jeez, Francie, do I want to know what the hell is all over your clothes?"

[thatsamilkshake]

"You really, really don't. I think I'm just gonna..." She was going to say burn them, then realized she might never feel like saying that again. "Throw them away."

Pause. "Not before I get to the shower, though." It was a close call, but she'd been naked quite enough in this town, thank you.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Interesting pause there; interesting choice of words, when 'burn them' was the first one people usually came up with.

Katchoo leaned up to brush a kiss against her forehead. "Should I head up and get your bath stuff ready for you, fresh change of clothes?"

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine reached back to find the wall with one hand. Leverage would be good. "I'll go with you." Because she didn't want to be letting go of Katchoo for the next...ever. That's be all right, right?

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Juuuuuuuuuuust fine, thank you very much.

Katchoo started to ease herself back up to a standing position, which was tricky when she was trying not to let go of Francine, either. "See if I let you out of my sight again."

[thatsamilkshake]

"That could get awkward in the bathroom." Though it would solve Azula's Francine should know how to use a weapon issues.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Hey. Katchoo resembled that remark.

Hang on a second. In the current context, how was that a bad thing?

"Well, y'know, if you got more practice in at Twister . . ."

[thatsamilkshake]

"How about I get more practice at showers first?" Francine managed to get upright somehow, and took a step towards the stairs. "You can even help." Because that wasn't the kind of awkward she'd meant.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"You mean you've been doing 'em wrong all this time, Francie?" And there was Katchoo, right there, for leaning on or just clinging to. Or both.

[thatsamilkshake]

"Could be. You'll have to give your expert opinion after this one." Both sounded good. Both sounded very, very good.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Both were well within Katchoo's capacity and willingness to offer, and so offered they were. "Let's worry about making sure you get through this one first, huh?"