Nathan and Jane, Saturday afternoon
Jan. 24th, 2009 11:05 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsOut for a flight, Jane finds Nathan in the woods.
#...liked it you shoulda put a riiiiiiiiiiing on it! If you liked it, you shoulda put a ring on it! Whoah ohh ohhhh...# A quartet of small white clouds flew through the trees, twirling around the branches and scaring squirrels. Jane was insuch a good mood. She'd gotten her Red X schedule for February -- she had Valentine's day off, woohoo! -- and figured out how to beat the next level in Zelda. There really was no bad.
#All the single ladies!Janes 1 and 2 chorused as they started back toward the office, but Janes 3 and 4 didn't call back a response, and instead fell back to investigate an unexpected flash of color on the ground.
The flash of color was the brown of Nathan's coat. He appeared to be sitting in the snow at the foot of a tree, his shoulders hunched and his head buried in his hands. He was trembling slightly, and didn't look up at the approach of two curious clouds.
The identity of the huddled figure became painfully obvious as they neared. Swirling down the tree, the Janes hovered over him. #Nate? NAAAAAAATE. Nate, are you okay?# Her voice rose in alarm as she peppered him with questions. What was he doing out here? He was supposed to be in bed with the stomach flu. Was he delirous? He didn't look good. How did he get out here? Maybe she should get help. #NATE! Don't make me go get Dr. Grey-Summers!#
Apparently, threatening him with Jean was enough to do the trick. Nathan jerked, taking a shaky breath and looking up. He couldn't seem to focus on his surroundings for a moment, his eyes hazy and full of shock and fear so naked it was a nearly palpable thing. "No, it's too late," he said in a broken voice, almost under his breath. "She can't help them, they're gone..."
The sight of Nathan, so obviously afraid, somehow scared Jane more than anything else ever had and without a second thought one of the Janes separated from the group and sped towards the mansion. Whatever was happening here was more than she could handle herself. # Who are 'they', Nathan?# she asked him as a second Jane spun away, beginning to circle the area. # Is there someone else out here?#
He looked at her, and his eyes started to clear. It took a frighteningly long moment, and he let his head sag back against the trunk of the tree as he stared at her, as if trying to figure out who the cloud was and why it was just hanging there. "Jane," he said slowly, his voice hoarse but steadier than it had been. "Sorry. I just... I was somewhere else."
If she could have, she would have shaken him for scaring her so badly. As it was, she was still pretty keyed up. #I guess so. Are you feeling okay, Nate? You look...# Jane struggled to find the right words. How did you tell someone they looked broken? #You look like you're coming down with something,# she finished lamely.
A faint laugh escaped Nathan, and he rubbed his eyes. "Maybe that's it. Return of the stomach flu." Another laugh slipped out, this one louder and oddly desperate-sounding. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. You didn't call Jean, did you? I heard you say something about Jean..." Jean would be bad. And there was nothing wrong with him. He didn't need a doctor.
Oh, that was reassuring. Jane moved restlessly, unsure of what she should do. #Well, I was looking for her, but I can stop if you want,# she offered reluctantly. If nothing else Dr. Grey-Summers would be able to help her get him back to the boathouse. He didn't look at all like he was capable of moving under his own power.
"Please. I'm fine." Nathan took a shaky breath and used the tree as support to get back to his feet. "I haven't been sleeping well," he went on, almost stubbornly. "That's all. I just... I'm a little out of it. It's hard to concentrate."
Lies. Jane would totally believe that he wasn't sleeping well, but he sure as heck wasn't fine. #Well, just. Hold on a second,# she scolded gently as he tried to rise. #Let me get back here and I'll help you to your house, okay?# The two little Janes were heading towards them quickly, and she'd be able to shift once she'd absorbed them.
Nathan leaned back against the trunk of the tree and concentrated on breathing for a few moments as Jane reassembled herself. This was... not good at all. He needed to be keeping it together considerably more convincingly than this. "I really am okay," he said, under his breath. Not to Jane, because he was fairly sure she wasn't believing him at that point.
"I know." More lies, but from her this time. She looked down to make she she had enough cloud cover to not freak him out further, and then slipped an arm around him to help prop him up. "We'll get some soup into you, and maybe some tea, and once you warm up things'll look much better, I'm sure." She smiled brightly up at him, but she didn't feel it. Not really.
#...liked it you shoulda put a riiiiiiiiiiing on it! If you liked it, you shoulda put a ring on it! Whoah ohh ohhhh...# A quartet of small white clouds flew through the trees, twirling around the branches and scaring squirrels. Jane was insuch a good mood. She'd gotten her Red X schedule for February -- she had Valentine's day off, woohoo! -- and figured out how to beat the next level in Zelda. There really was no bad.
#All the single ladies!Janes 1 and 2 chorused as they started back toward the office, but Janes 3 and 4 didn't call back a response, and instead fell back to investigate an unexpected flash of color on the ground.
The flash of color was the brown of Nathan's coat. He appeared to be sitting in the snow at the foot of a tree, his shoulders hunched and his head buried in his hands. He was trembling slightly, and didn't look up at the approach of two curious clouds.
The identity of the huddled figure became painfully obvious as they neared. Swirling down the tree, the Janes hovered over him. #Nate? NAAAAAAATE. Nate, are you okay?# Her voice rose in alarm as she peppered him with questions. What was he doing out here? He was supposed to be in bed with the stomach flu. Was he delirous? He didn't look good. How did he get out here? Maybe she should get help. #NATE! Don't make me go get Dr. Grey-Summers!#
Apparently, threatening him with Jean was enough to do the trick. Nathan jerked, taking a shaky breath and looking up. He couldn't seem to focus on his surroundings for a moment, his eyes hazy and full of shock and fear so naked it was a nearly palpable thing. "No, it's too late," he said in a broken voice, almost under his breath. "She can't help them, they're gone..."
The sight of Nathan, so obviously afraid, somehow scared Jane more than anything else ever had and without a second thought one of the Janes separated from the group and sped towards the mansion. Whatever was happening here was more than she could handle herself. # Who are 'they', Nathan?# she asked him as a second Jane spun away, beginning to circle the area. # Is there someone else out here?#
He looked at her, and his eyes started to clear. It took a frighteningly long moment, and he let his head sag back against the trunk of the tree as he stared at her, as if trying to figure out who the cloud was and why it was just hanging there. "Jane," he said slowly, his voice hoarse but steadier than it had been. "Sorry. I just... I was somewhere else."
If she could have, she would have shaken him for scaring her so badly. As it was, she was still pretty keyed up. #I guess so. Are you feeling okay, Nate? You look...# Jane struggled to find the right words. How did you tell someone they looked broken? #You look like you're coming down with something,# she finished lamely.
A faint laugh escaped Nathan, and he rubbed his eyes. "Maybe that's it. Return of the stomach flu." Another laugh slipped out, this one louder and oddly desperate-sounding. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. You didn't call Jean, did you? I heard you say something about Jean..." Jean would be bad. And there was nothing wrong with him. He didn't need a doctor.
Oh, that was reassuring. Jane moved restlessly, unsure of what she should do. #Well, I was looking for her, but I can stop if you want,# she offered reluctantly. If nothing else Dr. Grey-Summers would be able to help her get him back to the boathouse. He didn't look at all like he was capable of moving under his own power.
"Please. I'm fine." Nathan took a shaky breath and used the tree as support to get back to his feet. "I haven't been sleeping well," he went on, almost stubbornly. "That's all. I just... I'm a little out of it. It's hard to concentrate."
Lies. Jane would totally believe that he wasn't sleeping well, but he sure as heck wasn't fine. #Well, just. Hold on a second,# she scolded gently as he tried to rise. #Let me get back here and I'll help you to your house, okay?# The two little Janes were heading towards them quickly, and she'd be able to shift once she'd absorbed them.
Nathan leaned back against the trunk of the tree and concentrated on breathing for a few moments as Jane reassembled herself. This was... not good at all. He needed to be keeping it together considerably more convincingly than this. "I really am okay," he said, under his breath. Not to Jane, because he was fairly sure she wasn't believing him at that point.
"I know." More lies, but from her this time. She looked down to make she she had enough cloud cover to not freak him out further, and then slipped an arm around him to help prop him up. "We'll get some soup into you, and maybe some tea, and once you warm up things'll look much better, I'm sure." She smiled brightly up at him, but she didn't feel it. Not really.
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