Dori & Nico (Backdated to Oct. 26th)

[x-squirrel.livejournal.com]

Monday afternoon, Nico and Dori reconcile in the rec room.

Nico reached the rec room unsure of how to feel about the place; the memories of the place, although brief, were pretty meaningful. The girl also had the crazy idea that an angry blond would be waiting to bubble her as soon as she stepped inside of it. There was no Amanda though, but the person she had been trying to find for a while now. "Doreen," called the goth as she came closer, trying to look the less scary she could, which was probably her everyday relaxed face. Still, she was a bit nervous.

Doreen jumped a bit. She had smelled the other girl coming but hadn't fled or anything yet, "Um..." she said, looking over her shoulder, "...Hi." This was a bit awkward, as far as she was concerned.

Nico started to fell apart, almost literally; the guilt was too strong. Back hitting the wall, she didn't dare to look up. "I... I wanted to apologize, to explain myself, to give you the most awesome excuse ever; evil parents, my life going straight to hell, it would be so convincing I would have the guts to face you again sometime..." Nico started to slide down the wall, hand covering half her face.

"It doesn't change the fact I left when you needed me the most; what a fine body guard I am."

"It's okay... I'm sure you had a good reason," Doreen said, staring at the TV, "I mean, yeah. Who wants to leave Beverly Hills?"

"My parents tried to kill me."

Nico found herself unable to continue, not without breaking down, not when the one who mattered wasn't her.

"All I could think about for the next two months was to stay awake and run, run, run." Sitting against the wall, she still had her head down, but at least thanked nobody else had to see the whole thing.

"Your parents... tired to kill you...?" Doreen asked, not able to believe it.

Nico stood, the other girl's last reaction giving her enough willpower to pull herself up.

"Not before killing another girl, in my basement." Nico drew herself closer to the other girl, now decided to get through this. She was now behind the girl. "What, did you think I grew tired of watching over you? That making myself as much of a target as you were made me change my mind? That I abandoned you just like that?" Nico put a hand over the girl's oposite shoulder; she wasn't facing her yet. "Would you please look at me!?"

Nico knew now what was the problem; she had been informed of the number of people leaving, and the effect on the rest of the Mansion population; it was obviously worst for Dori, who had been left too many times already. But she hasn't said much, done much; knowing Dori, Nico was sure the girl had way too much kept for herself, waiting for a chance to come out, to explode.

If Nico had failed as a friend, she would be the best punching bag she could.

Dori did look up, her warm brown eyes unusually watery. It was a second later that Nico was wrapped in what Julian had once dubbed the Flying Squirrel Death Hug, "I'm so sorry! That had to be totally awful and I thought... and I feel bad because that wasn't really true now and...!"

Nico closed her eyes, expecting something more...lethal. Actually, it didn't hurt -well, besides the force of the hug, maybe a little-, and it actually felt kind of good. Only when Dori started to talk, Nico realized she was still a friend rather than a punch bag, and that was good. Hugging back, the girl had to make an effort to keep her own tears at bay, reminding herself she hadn't got any waterproof makeup, and that having long black lines falling from her eyes wasn't particularly good looking. The hug tightened a little more.

"Silly girl...I'm the one apologizing here. Not only because of what I did, but also for all the people that can't do it at the moment; I'm not going anywhere anymore, alright? And it's a promise."

"No, it's okay. It's really, really okay," Doreen said, nodding twice, firmly, "Um... if you want someone to show you around, let me know? This place is really big at first."

A grin appeared on Nico's face. No, it wasn't okay, not yet, but it was closer than before; that was okay by itself right? For her, for Dori, for everyone. A so needed okay.

"Oh, I made Keller give me the tour already, but I doubt he included the whole place. And anyway, I would like it very much if I get it a second time, this one with a reliable guide," said with a wink as her smile grew.

"I can do that," Doreen said, "I know the woods really well, if nothing else."

Nico nodded in approbation. "The woods; I was wondering if I could walk around without getting lost there, actually."