xp_logs | Moira and Paige

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Paige stops by bearing gifts to help Moira until they get Nathan back. There's a lot of hugging and advice giving from both of them. Very scary how similar these two are.

It was early in the afternoon when Paige decided it was time to make her way to Moira's room. It had given her time to go running and take care of her horse and Moira time to sleep in and get ready for the day. No interesting run ins with Moira in her pajamas for Paige today. There were a number of things under her arm as she climbed up the stairs, as well as a bottle of what appeared to be a bottle of orange juice in her not-so-free-anymore hand. Reaching the door, she knocked on it with the bottle, a hollow sound echoing in the hall. "Moira? It's Paige."

A little surprised, Moira glanced up at the door. She had been in bed a few minutes ago but her stomach had decided that, no matter the grief or time, food had to be had. Or, at the very least, a glass of water. "Come in," she called, rubbing her eyes to get rid of the sleep. Thank God for sleeping potions, she thought, sighing.

The exhausted tone in which Moira replied made Paige wince a little as she peered into the room, trying to smile. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you? I can just leave this here and let you go back to sleep." And she thought she'd been so smart waiting until this late in the day to come up.

"Please, come in." She shook her head and gestured to the water. "Needed a drink an' I've nay been sleepin' verra well, even after several thin's ta 'elp me sleep. Company's better for me anyway."

"As long as you're right back to sleep when I leave," Paige scolded teasingly, closing the door with her hip. "You just want my presents, I see how it is. Actually, you really want this present at the moment. I made orange juice this morning and saved you a bottle. Figured everyone and their second aunt had already brought you tea."

A tired chuckle escaped. "Aye, yer right 'bout tha'. 'omemade orange juice, eh? Better than gold, Paige, thank ye. Come on, let's 'ave a sit down on th' couch. I'm 'bout ta fall over again, I think."

Paige followed her over to the couch, waiting until Moira had settled before setting her bottle of juice beside her on a side table and her two other gifts in her lap. There was a CD with a tartan cover and a slightly battered plush rabbit. "The bunny's name is Aristotle, Ari for short, and he's survived my childhood and crazy robots so I figure he must be good luck. So as long as you're good to him, hug him a lot and all, you can borrow him for a little while," she said in explanation, sitting down beside the older woman. "And the CD is from a little known band from Canada called The Men In Kilts. I tested it out for you and found it to actually be impossible to be sad when this music was on, so." Shifting a little, as if nervous that Moira would laugh at her, Paige smiled and tucked her feet under her, looking away.

Very surprised, and incredibly touched, Moira stared down at the gifts. Especially the plush rabbit. "Ari looks--verra much like somethin' I owned when I was a wee lass," she murmured, petting the ears slightly. "Used ta sleep wit' 'er, especially after me mum died." She looked back up at Paige and smiled. It had been very obvious from the start that she had liked Moira and there was an undercurrent of wanting to please. "Thank ye." Careful not to disturb the gifts on her lap, she leaned foward and wrapped the other woman in a hug, closing her eyes tightly against the pressure of the tears.

Refusing to be set off by a hug, Paige squeezed Moira tightly with the kind of pressure that everyone seems to need when on the brink of tears. Her own tears were blinked back as she forced herself to look up into the light, sniffing slightly. "You're most welcome. I can't give you what you want, but I'm hoping this will at least make it a little better for a while."

"Trust me, this'll 'elp a lot," she whispered, holding on to Paige for dear life. "I'm nay sure when I'll be gettin' Nathan back but I will be, tha' I know." She had to, she thought, wildly. She didn't know what she would do without him. And she was scared to think along those lines.

Paige was quite content to stay just like this, reaching up to stroke Moira's hair comfortingly. If she didn't know better, Paige might think she needed this a little bit herself, but she was trying not to think about that. "Yes you will," she replied boldly, nodding her head into Moira's shoulder. Everyone needed a little optimism, and she very seriously believed that Nathan would be coming back.

It was very odd to be in opposite roles, Moira thought. There had been a few times in the last year that she had needed to lean on other people. But more often than not, she'd been the one in the comforting role. But that iron will of hers seemed to have fled yesterday and it seemed it had no intention of coming back any time soon. "God, I'm such a mess."

"You, above all people right now, have every right in being so," Paige soothed gently. "Don't you dare let anyone, including yourself, tell you different." Her heart ached for Moira, but this was a good kind of ache, the kind she could do something about. "And believe me, I've seen 'such a messes'. You are doing a very elegant job of it."

She chuckled a little. "As much as a cryin' pot can be elegant," Moira muttered. "'avenae been this scared since Kevin--" There was a pause but Moira reminded herself, rather sharply, that she wasn't going to hide her son's memories or her feelings for him. She'd been getting over doing that. "Since me son died."

Paige resisted a blink in surprise; it seemed like everyone here had had someone much too close die on them. Perhaps it was a prerequisite. "Well, if you've broken any pottery you've cleaned it up and so far you haven't curled up into the fetal position on the rug and just sobbed until I left for help, so I figure you're doing okay," she answered cheerfully.

Another chuckle. "I like me thin's a wee bit ta much ta break them." It was good to be able to joke, she realized, a little surprised. Life kept on going, even when it felt like it was standing still. "An' th' rug's really uncomfortable. I do me cryin' on shoulders an' in me bed."

"See? My very professional diagnosis is you're a supremely tough lady with wonderful taste in shoulders but perhaps not so excellent taste in rugs and will, eventually, be just fine," Paige observed, smiling. "And to think, I came to this conclusion without ever feeling your forehead or anything. I think I have a future in this."

"Verra astute," Moira said, still smiling, though it was still incredibly watery. The hug had eased a little, on both ends, but neither seemed inclined to pull away just yet. "I jus' need ta keep meself from thinkin' ta much, I guess."

Paige chuckled a little, quite content where she was, especially since she could pat her fellow hugger's shoulder from here. "I am probably not the best person to be going to on the healthy ways to deal with ones issues, Moira. Although, I hear it's good to keep a healthy balance between keeping yourself busy and letting yourself worry. Worrying is healthy in small doses, I suppose."

"Bet it leads ta lease ulcers," Moira muttered. "Never been verra good at nay worryin' in large doses. I'm a 'orrible patient, I know tha'."

"You and me both," Paige admitted, pulling back just a little to look at the other woman, but not so far as she couldn't be pulled back if need be. "I seem to find it very difficult to follow my own advice."

"Wit' yer amount o' drive, Paige? I'm nay surprised." She studied her for a moment. "Everythin' okay?" If she could focus on someone else for a little bit, maybe, just maybe, it would make her feel better.

Her look focused slightly to one side of Moira, thinking to herself. On one hand, Moira didn't need to be bothered with her problems. On the other hand, if she were anything like herself, then Moira wouldn't mind the distraction. On the other, other hand, she wasn't all that prone to telling anyone anything about herself. Too many hands. Looking back at Moira, Paige tried to smile a little. "Missing Jono, I guess." That was sort of two hands right there, Moira could decide the rest.

Moira nodded and thought for a second. It was obvious that that had come out semi-reluctantly. Holding one's problems in was something she was very familiar with. "Worried 'bout 'im?" she asked, knowing about the cracks and the reason behind the trip. Perk of being medical staff.

"Just a little," Paige replied, laughing quietly. "Lot. Huge amounts that are going to take over the planet. One of those." She wasn't sure how much Moira knew, but she figured it was a great deal, considering where she resided most of the time.

"They'll find out somethin'," she assured her, very grateful to have something to focus on besides Nathan. That pain was still there but she wouldn't break down if she was working on something else. Being reassuring to someone else helped a lot.

Paige shook her head slightly, looking down at her hands, which were wringing. "I hope so. You'll have to excuse my lack of faith, it's just... If there was something they could do, why hadn't they done it before?" Her thought process halted and she looked back up at Moira, trying to smile. "But I have to be optimistic about this. It's what I do."

"God, ye remind me o' meself," Moira said, staring at her. "I'll tell ye wha' I've been told by a good number o' people. Ye're allowed ta worry, yer allowed ta lean on other people. Doesnae make ye less stron'." As she was finding out the hard way this entire day, it seemed.

"So I've been told," she replied, letting it be her answer to everything. "I'll try. Maybe taking someone else's advice will make it easier." She sure hoped so. This was going to be a rough couple of nights otherwise. Not sleeping because your brain wouldn't turn off was one thing, but not sleeping because your brain wouldn't turn off all the possible reasons how things wouldn't work out was something all together.

"'Tis 'ard lettin' go," Moira admitted, closing her eyes. "'Tis also 'ard rememberin' there are people ye can lean on when ye do. Nay matter th' circumstances." It was unclear if she was talking about Paige or herself, but in the end, it probably didn't matter much. They both needed to learn it and learn how to do it.

Letting herself smile a little more broadly now, Paige observed, "Perhaps we should have taped this conversation. Not only would it be good for future reference, we're just spouting off incredibly good advice. Could have made a fortune in this school alone."

She laughed a little. "Nay tha' many actually 'eed good advice, ourselves included."

"This is a good point," Paige said sadly, shaking her head. "Curses! Foiled again."

"Arenae we always foiled?"

"Oh, now you're just being too deep for your own good, ma'am." Paige giggled a little, pleased with how good it felt. "I am going to have to leave you to your wonderful gifts and weep at my inadequacy. Oh, and don't worry. I'll notify the room bellow you that all thumping noises from above are not you in danger and more your expressing the love of your heritage through traditional dance."

A giggle escaped at that and Moira shook her head, the smile getting larger. "I can actually dance, thank ye verra much. But I will be listenin' ta th' CD ye gave me. Anythin' new is a good thin', aye?" She paused. "Seriously, though, thank ye."

Paige nodded, understanding. "Any time. Thank you as well."

"For wha'?"

"For listening. For understanding myself better than I do, possibly because we're so much alike it hurts sometimes. Really, for just being you in general," she answered sincerely.

The tears very nearly started up again but Moira fought them back down. "Then I guess I owe ye th' same thanks," she murmured, smiling.