interstellar5555 | Locked in a Room

[Terry's answer is the door itself, she opens it slowly, giving not a single fuck towards how messy her room is. Since no one has been by to clean (yet), her clothes are everywhere, the curtains are shut, and the desk in front of her bed is covered in piles of notebook paper and some empty glass bottles.]

.... Hey. [Nariko herself is not the usual shining example of effortless-but-worked-on beauty. There's no makeup, no sharp eyeliner, her incredibly long hair is loose and messy. She's small in her oversized shirt and sweatpants. He's right to think she's out of sorts, everything about her is still off, but at least she isn't crying every other minute.]

Where were you? [Because he had been gone, right? She saw a lot of the other Pride members, a lot of her own band, but she couldn't recall Terry. Or maybe she's been too screwed up. Either way, she opens the door wider to let him in. Even at her worst, he's always welcome.]

Nowhere really. Just... Around.

[He assumes she means lately, and it's not strictly a lie, just one that omits being hauled off to see Lesedi. He doesn't want to talk about it and if he mentions it he's fairly sure there'll be questions, so. He steps in, ignoring the mess, and sits on the edge of her bed.]

How're you doing?

Mm. [She doesn't believe him, because if he'd been 'around' she still would have actually seen him. But Terry was not around, and he was also probably avoiding the question on purpose. And she would usually pursue that kind of thing but right now she didn't have enough energy. He was alive, that'd have to be enough.]

I'm [Alive, too?] out of it. [To say the least.] I still don't feel all too good.

[She ends up next to him, trying to shove her hair into a semblance of order.] At least you weren't here for the gross crying.

[He gives her a bit of an apologetic smile, because he honestly feels awful that he wasn't there, but Terry quickly distracts himself by looking on the bed for some kind of hair-doing implement.]

Here, turn around. Let me do it.

[He holds up a hairbrush in triumph.]

[That look makes her feel a little guilty, she really hadn't meant to make him feel bad! She just finally had enough pride to be embarrassed about that night.

But he actually finds a brush! Why was that even there. When had she - Whatever, man.]

You really want to do this? [Nariko's short but her hair still reaches down to her ankles, and it's a tad thick, too. He'd end up here all night. .... But it is incredibly comforting so she still turns to put her back to him, pushing every strand off of her shoulders.]

[He'll probably give up at some point in favour of falling asleep on top of all her stuff, but for now Terry's happy to do this. He knows how comforting this kind of thing can be, and Nariko really seems like she could use it. He combs his fingers through her hair to get a feel for how tangled it is, and then he starts by lifting the ends to start working through it carefully.]

[(You don't spend years backcombing your hair without learning a thing or two about how to brush out knots.)]

[Feeling the weight of her hair in his hand though... Terry laughs softly. This was a bad choice.]

I might regret this already.

[Terry might have the luck of a god if she doesn't conk out when/if he makes it closer to her scalp. Then they can both sleep on her stuff with all the maturity of exhausted toddlers.

But seriously: He obviously knows what he's doing, and she appreciates it immensely.] Probably! But even if you just do a third of it I can handle the rest.

[This feels like such a normal thing, which only highlights the utter insanity of the past few days. Her eyes close, and that helps her work out a real question.] We'll be fine, right?

[There's a part of her that feels like nothing bad is happening, this is just a weird spell, Santiago getting in a huff, maybe. But then there's a niggling sense - it hasn't lessened as much as she'd like - that it's more. And she doesn't want it to be, everything needs to go back to the same normality that came with Terry's kindness.]

It's just a rough couple of weeks.

[It all feels... Wrong in a way he can't pinpoint. These daydreams don't make any sense, and Lesedi asking about them, keeping everyone holed up like this... Something weird is going on, but Terry doesn't want to think about all that. He just wants to move on, get back to normal.]

[He sighs.] We'll get past it.

[It was almost like going back to the night of the gala, but there's a critical failure in her reasoning, she doesn't - or can't - make the connection between the two feelings, even if she can vaguely remember the former. She could talk about mentioning it all to Koumei or something but ... Yeah, she wants it all back to normal, too.

Besides, she does enough as it is, this isn't the kind of thing she wants to add to.]

Yeah. As long as we're together. [All of them. Terry, Garnet, Richard, Koumei - it's so easy to cling onto the safety of that idea. Of never being without them.]

What we should really be focusing on is celebrating your birthday! You wanted to do something for it, right?

[She's thinking of the tattoo and, yeah, this whole lockdown thing might go on past the day but that's no reason to not celebrate.]

Edited 2015-11-07 23:21 (UTC)

[He laughs softly and ahakes his head.] I'm getting a new tattoo, yeah.

[Assuming he doesn't have to cancel thanks to this whole mess. Terry sighs and pauses in brushing Nariko's hair. He hadn't really planned more than that, but it'd be nice to do something.]

I'm not exactly a 'celebration' kind of guy though, you know that.

Believe me, I know. [Nariko was the complete 'celebration' type and not being able to throw big parties with tons of gifts ... It was just depressing! But it wasn't the sort of thing worth forcing.]

Can you live with a cupcake, and a witness for the new ink?

That would be great.

[She can't see his face, but the smile is in his voice.] I was thinking about co-opting a bar downtown. Do an open call on Twitter to see who wants to hang out.

[Something chill and low key. Perfect for Terry.]]

That's a good idea, I have to know what directions to give the strippers!

[A pause, and then she tilts her head back to look at him.] Kidding! [This time, anyway.]

But you do realize I'm going to sing for you, even if it's just between us.

[He groans and tilts his head forward, pressing his forehead against Nariko's shoulder in faux-despair.]

Nooo. That's too much. I'll die, you'll kill me.

[Mock-pouting, she reaches back a little awkwardly to poke his cheek.]

We mark the passing of time with song, Terry! You can't wiggle out of this literally timeless tradition!

Traditions are stupid.

[He says into her hair, sounding very much like a petulant teenager.]

[She can't help laughing now - he sounds like he's five years old!]

Sorry! [Nariko is not even a little bit sorry.] You want the cool cupcake with your name and a sparkler? You gotta sit through the birthday song!

There are sparklers now?

[This is so unfair!!!]

And glitter! Multi colored glitter that never goes away!

[So much excitement.]

I'm out again.

[He sits up with an exaggerated sigh and gets back to work on Nariko's hair. #2goth4glitter.]

[Annnd all that excitement tumbles down into a long bout of giggling that's far more in line with her usual demeanor. But then it rockets up into hysterical, uncontrollable laughter for no goddamn reason, and she awkwardly falls to one side of the bed, just laughing like a complete dumbass.

Be patient with her, Terry. Or laugh along, that might be fun, too.]

[What.]

[Still with her hair in his hand, Terry looks down at Nariko on the bed and raises his eyebrows. Laughing a little, but more in confusion than anything.]

You alright down there?

[It was funny!

... Okay no it wasn't. It was stupid and illogical but it was one of those things where the timing and normality of it would either make one laugh or cry, and she ends up with the former.]

Sorry! I'm fine, really. [She sits back up.] I just - I think I just needed to laugh.

[No matter how incomprehensible or dumb the reason for it.]

[He smiles and brushes a hand through her hair, pausing to scratch her scalp lightly and affectionately.]

I think we all do.

[While it might be difficult to classify the noise she makes it's a happy one. If she were a cat it might be a purr, but human lungs just don't work like that, so the nearest equivalent has to do.]

So I should start telling horrible jokes, then? [Because Terry hasn't laughed enough, and she's at least got enough energy to try and rectify that.

Especially if he rewards her with more hair-toying.]

Locked in a Room

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