xp_logs | Cecilia and Domino

After Domino stops in to visit with Nate, she goes stalking through the school, and gets caught by a gym-bound Cecilia. She drags the grumpy mercenary along with her, nearly gets squished by a very dead punching bag, and bonding ensues. Domino likes her.

She had survived another fairly-major crisis at the school in one piece - as had everybody else, more or less. She could see why Moira had an ulcer. Rather than bottle her own frustrations, however, Cecilia was the sort to take some time to work them out, and thus, had changed into a snug sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts, nabbed a bottle of water and a towel, and started the trek from her room to the gym. A nice, quiet, solo workout was definitely in order.

Domino really, really needed to hit something. Several somethings. Actually, screw the hitting - she needed someone, preferably a Mistra someone handy so that she could tear them limb from limb and listen to them beg for mercy. Stalking down the halls, she paid no attention to the half-curious, half-fearful looks she got from those she went past. All she could think of was Nate, that fucking broken look in his eyes as he'd responded to her questions...

she'd just had to go back up and hang around until he had one of his apparently brief conscious periods, hadn't she? Might have been an idea to actually get a little sleep beforehand. It wasn't as if she'd had any in the last few days.

Cecilia rounded the corner to start for the stairs, and paused as she saw someone she didn't recognize - there were still a lot of those here, she thought wryly - stalking in her general direction. Huh.

Domino didn't particularly register the new face, being rather too occupied with the whole 'towering rage' thing. She stalked right down the hall, perfectly prepared to breeze past.

As tempting (and intelligent) as it would likely be to just let the very pissed off young woman stalk past, Cecilia didn't want to risk any homicides on her floor.. so, she waited for Domino to get a bit closer, and then simply reached out to try and nab her by the crook of the arm. "The powers that be kind of frown upon violence upon the residents, just so's you know," she observed wryly, arching an eyebrow. "You looking to maim anybody in particular, or am I way off the mark?"

Domino stopped, glaring at the person who had interrupted a perfectly good stalk. "I am not going to maim anyone," she hissed, her violet eyes blazing angrily. "Can't a person walk around the halls to let off some steam?"

Cecilia met the angry gaze steadily, though both her eyebrows leapt up her forehead, a small amount of amusement creeping into her voice. "Sure, but I think your walking is frightening the children," she observed simply. "I'm on my way to the gym. Why don't you tag along, and you can walk around the indoor track to your heart's content?"

Domino gave her a harassed look, but let herself be led. "I suppose," she muttered. "Since hitting Pete would very bad and horribly unfair, and I would want to kill myself for it in the morning."

"Pete - that's the slightly smarmy-looking chainsmoker, right?" Cecilia asked lightly, briefly making a face as she began to lead the way towards the gym, keeping a light hold on the crook of Domino's arm.

"Smarmy-looking chainsmoker, yes." Domino's jaw tightened a little. "I could wring their necks, both of them. Him and Nate. I know it was one of those stupid situations and neither of them had much choice, but... damn it!"

Cecilia made a noise of understanding, feeling her smile soften. Well. That explained why this girl was so righteously pissed off. "They're going to be okay," she promised, releasing the girl's arm so she could offer a hand for a shake, instead. "I'll help the mooks in medlab see to it. That's my job. Cecilia Reyes."

Domino hesitated for a moment, almost mutinously, but then shook her hand. "Domino," she said. Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "No, really."

Well, this house was home to somebody who called themself Cannonball, for God's sake - calling yourself Domino was perfectly normal in comparison. "Nice to meet you, shitty circumstances aside," Cecilia smiled, shaking the hand warmly.

"Yeah. Um, likewise. Really," Domino amended, struggling a bit with the whole 'being social' thing. "Sorry about snapping," she muttered as they started back in the direction of the gym. "I picked a real bad week to be in the middle of the fucking Yukon."

"There's a good week to be in the middle of the Yukon?" Cecilia asked dubiously, blinking twice as she continued the hike gym-wards. "Oh, don't worry about snapping. You didn't try to bitchslap me, so I consider this to be a very successful meeting so far."

"Oh, I don't mind the wilderness life," Domino said, trying not to grind her teeth as she remembered sitting down in that little internet cafe in Whitehorse only to find Pete's message. "I would just, you know, rather be here when the most important person in my life gets himself kidnapped and brainwashed."

Cecilia nodded, grimacing as she finally came upon the door to the gym. "Valid point.. if I could have traded places with you, I would have. I am most vehemently not used to this shit yet." She made a face, and waved inside. "After you?"

"Ah. My old friend, the punching bag." She could pretend it was MacInnis. Or that bitch of a telempath. Or hell, a Mistra director. Every Mistra director, and she was going to pound them each into unconsciousness herself. Yes, that was the ticket. Without hesitation, she strode across the mats and launched herself at the bag. Full-speed punches and kicks, not pulling anything.

"You might want to warm up first," Cecilia mused as she stepped into the gym, not expecting to be listened to in the slightest.. but hey. She could try. "Don't pull anything. Then you can't throw people into the lake without help."

"Who said anything about throwing people into the lake? Drowning them, maybe..." The bag didn't bleed. Damn it. A sound of pure animal frustration escaped her, and she picked up the pace.

"You are a very angry young woman," Cecilia observed solemnly, locating a convenient but out of the way spot to deposit her towel and bottle of water. "No drowning them," she chided, turning to look towards Domino again, and did a.. fairly bad job at not staring. It was definitely a good thing that the punching bag was not anything other than a punching bag. "Hold on, hold on," she said quickly, shaking herself and starting forward. "You're going to break your damn fingers, at this rate."

Fuck her fingers. Domino shifted her weight and lauched a roundhouse kick at the bag. The chain snapped like a piece of string and the bag went flying a good several feet through the air. "Fuck!" Domino raved.

With a yelped curse of her own, Cecilia promptly threw herself flat on the ground as the roundhouse sent the punching bag in her general direction - and while it cleared her just fine, it was a close enough shave that it bounced off a brief flash of golden light about half a foot above her leg, eliciting another yelp out of the woman. Well. That was dignified.

"Oh, crap," Domino said, her anger ebbing. "Are you all right?" She took a hesitant step towards the other woman, grimacing. "I'm sorry," she said, meaning it, as she offered a hand.

"Getting used to having things thrown at me," Cecilia replied shakily, mustering up a grin as she reached up to accept the offered hand. "I'm okay. Hell of a kick - didn't break anything other than the bag, did you?"

"Fuck, no. Takes a lot more than that to break me," Domino said as she pulled Cecilia to her feet. "I really am sorry. I was just... well, killing the punching bag." She grimaced, running a hand through her cropped hair. "Funny, but it didn't really help."

"It rarely does," Cecilia mused as she helped haul herself back to her feet, with a slightly nerve-ridden chuckle. "And I really am okay. Quit apologizing. You're allowed to be pissed off, and it's better that you beat up on inanimate objects than the alternatives." She paused, and added, "And send the inanimate objects flying at me, rather than most of the kids here. Don't think there's any worry of breaking me." It hurts, sure, but it never touches her. So maybe it's only a slightly useless force field.

"But it would be more fun to beat up on something animate," Domino said, actually managing a passable pout, which faded immediately in a thoughtful look. "You've got some sort of shield? You're not a telekinetic, are you?"

"No beating on the animate," Cecilia stated firmly, shaking her head once. "I'd have to fix them, and put up with them whining about getting their various bones broken by a girl while I did it, and that's never as amusing as it sounds in one's head." She paused at the question, blinking once and reaching up to rub at the nape of her neck sheepishly. "Yes, and.. I don't think so.. but I will be the first to admit I have no idea what this thing is. Moira's going to be helping me with it, once I'm satisfied her ulcer hasn't grown to the size of New Hampshire."

"Oh, fuck," Domino groaned, going over to retrieve the punching bag. "I swear to God, I want to mother the woman almost as much as I want to mother Nate. Which is scary, because she stole him and I'm not supposed to like her."

"Poor thing. Fell prey to the likable Scot despite your best efforts in being bitter?" With a slight grin, Cecilia fell into step behind Domino, trying to sneak a quick look towards the woman's knuckles. If they weren't bleeding profusely, she'd be a happy camper. Well.. mostly. She grimaced. "Look at me, nosing in a stranger's personal life. This place has infected me and ripped all my Rules away, I swear. Ignore me."

"The personal becomes public around here," Domino said, picking up the punching bag and leaning it against the wall. "I don't even live here and I know that." She took a quick look at her hands herself, wrinkling her nose. Going to be sore. Good. The pain would keep her distracted. "I still want to smack Pete for inappropriate displays of nobility," she grumbled. "Or drag him off to a corner and fuck him silly. One or the other." Whoops, had she said that aloud?

"You have very bizarre taste in men," Cecilia replied slowly, blinking once and shaking her head. First the Big Hulking Ex-Mercenary of Brainwashedonia, now this? Kids today. No taste. "Obviously, you need to meet Haroun. That is a damned pretty piece of man."

Domino shot a look at Cecilia. "Pretty men are a dime a dozen," she said, flexing her hands. "I like them weatherbeaten, scruffy, and bad-tempered."

"If I wanted somebody with a temper, I'd date myself," Cecilia snorted, casting a look around the gym. What was she planning on doing in here, again? Silly distractions. "Even I'm not that crazy."

Domino sighed, casting around the gym herself for something do. "I don't suppose you like knives?" she said a bit longingly, her eyes moving over the rack of practice weaponry.

"I'm afraid I'm not too big on the practicing violence thing in general," Cecilia replied with a mostly-feigned apologetic smile. Because.. well.. she isn't too big on it. "Going to be a doctor. We have that whole 'do no harm' thing going on."

"Well, shoot." Domino sighed again and rather impulsively stood on her head. Maybe the world would look less rage-inducing upside down. "You and I probably aren't going to get along, then," she said to the upside-down Cecilia.

"You get along with Moira," Cecilia observed, awkwardly trying to twist around so she could peer at the upside down woman in a slightly less disorienting manner. It didn't work. "And we seem to be getting along just fine, so far. I didn't even get angry when you nearly squashed me."

"Moira feels obligated. And given that she's in love with the ex-government killer, ex-mercenary, she can't really turn up her nose at me just because I'm still selling my services."

Cecilia might have found this information more disconcerting a few weeks ago, but as it was, she simply made a vague, quiet noise of surprise. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Twenty-two." Domino turned the handstand into a handspring, bouncing back to her feet. She gave Cecilia a hard smile. "I used to be on the underground pit-fighting circuit in Hong Kong. Not by choice, mind you - I think I was about eight the first time they shoved me in a ring. Just as a gimmick. But my mutation is probability manipulation, so I didn't die. So I went from a gimmick to a real crowd-pleaser." She shrugged, attempting diffidence. "Until someone decided he was going to buy out my contract and try and pawn me off on a bunch of nuns."

"I'm twenty-three." Cecilia blinked slowly, silent for a moment as she let this information have a chance to sink in. She got the feeling that no, Cece, this was not some very belated second-attempt at a hazing.. as much as she might prefer it that way. "Huh. Nuns."

"I didn't like them. They preached love and tolerance and all that bullshit, and I was a very angry little girl when I was fourteen." Domino stared fixedly at her hands, ignoring the way her eyes were stinging. "So I ran b-back to Nate..." Oh, no. None of this stammering crap.

Oh, damn. Whups. "You can stop if you need to, Domino," Cecilia offered awkwardly, casting a quick look around to make sure the gym was still mostly-vacant. She seriously doubted the apparent-mercenary needed the people here seeing her like this.. and she certainly didn't need them to see just how awkward she was suddenly feeling. Crying people in a hospital, she can deal with. Not so much when injuries are not involved.

Domino swore and rubbed at her eyes. "Fuck. I am not doing this," she muttered, barely registered Cecilia's words. "This doesn't help..." But she wanted Nate back the way he should be, and if she couldn't have that, she wanted GW here, instead of on a plane somewhere. And she was betting Cecilia wished she'd walked right past the crazy woman and left well enough alone.

Not crazy. Just well on the road to an ulcer of her own. "It does help," Cecilia observed quietly, automatically reaching for her pocket to retrieve a tissue before remembering, duh, these pants don't have pockets. Double-damn. "Just helps you, rather than them. Equally as important."

Domino gave a shaky laugh. "Yeah, yeah. This I've heard before..." She paused, pursing her lips in annoyance at herself, and then shook her head. "Sorry," she said heavily. "Rather mood-swingy today. Had you noticed?"

"I'm beginning to," Cecilia smiled, casting another quick look around before she reached over to lightly nudge the other woman in the arm. "How's about we sit down on that nice, innocent bench over there while you regain your bearings, hm? I've got hours to kill yet, plenty of time to worry about exercising once you're okay."

Domino nodded, then went over and flopped down on the bench, smiling a bit thinly at Cecilia as she came and joined her. "Bearings," she muttered. "I don't think I've had any for... well, for months. You know, change sucks? It well and truly does."

Cecilia couldn't help but laugh as she plunked down next to Domino, nodding her head seriously. "Oh, lord, do I ever. And it does. It's okay in some ways, but the whole transition part..? Blows."

"It both sucks and blows!" Domino proclaimed, then laughed, half-ruefully, half-angrily. "I would really like the mutant power to reverse time... oh, about fifteen months or so. How about you?"

"Only if I could remember all the shit I wanted to rewind to avoid," Cecilia agreed, leaning her head back against the wall with a tired sigh. "Would be kind of useless to hit the reset button if you would just wind up getting screwed over the same way all over again, wouldn't it?"

"Right." Domino grimaced bitterly at her hands. Which really were beginning to ache. "Of course, then you run into the problem of the things you couldn't change even if you got the chance to do it over..."

"This is the part where somebody makes a comment about acceptance, and I ask you to punch them in the face because I can't do it myself," Cecilia observed wryly, glancing over in time to catch the grimace. "Hands okay?"

"Acceptance? Pah," Domino said vehemently, and then shrugged. "They'll live to punch someone another day."

Cecilia accepted the answer as it was given, though she did pause, and pointing in the vague direction of the locker rooms. "If you need some Aspirin, I could go get you some."

"They're fine. Used to worse than this from training," Domino said. "You don't go for the painkillers unless you can't function." She shrugged at the look Cecilia gave her. "Old habits."

"You don't live here, do you? Because I think we'd drive each other insane in very, very short order." Cecilia smiled lopsidedly, shrugging her shoulders and dropping her hand back into her lap. "Fun drive, though."

Domino, almost despite herself, waggled her eyebrows at the other woman. "Oh, you have no idea," she said brightly.

Cecilia paused, and her eyes slowly moved so she could peer at Domino sidelong, one of her own eyebrows creeping up her forehead. "Well, no, I don't," she replied after a moment, blinking once. "Barely know you."

"That rarely stops people from finding out what a fun drive I can be," Domino said, and then laughed.

Cecilied eyed her a moment longer before giving herself a shake, rolling her eyes and folding her hands in her lap. Nothing to be uncomfortable about, Cece - no driving is going to be taking place here. "I'm sure you'll get over the terrible disappointment of my lack of a driver's liscence eventually," she replied carefully.

Be good, Domino told herself. "Pity," she said lightly, then winked at Cecilia. "Ignore me," she suggested. "I'm a terrible flirt. Just ask..." She stopped, grimacing a little. 'Just ask Nathan' had almost slipped out there.

"I can tell from firsthand experience," Cecilia observed, smiling a bit at the grimace and reaching over to lightly bump the woman in the shoulder with her own. "No need to outsource."

"I like you," Domino said, leaning back against the wall behind them. "You're not free with the platitudes. I appreciate that, because I've had annoying people patting me on the head since I got here."

"They're just worried about you, I imagine," Cecilia chuckled, returning her own head to its spot comfortably resting against the wall. "Promise I won't pat you on the head if you need the island of sanity, though. Seems to be my schtick around here."

Domino shot a sideways look at her. "Oh, lucky you. They did warn you that the islands of sanity around here turn into the isles of depression and frustration real fast, didn't they?"

Cecilia snickered, waving a hand dismissively as she peered up towards the ceiling. "Was already there long before I got to this place, honey."

"Then you should fit right in." Domino sighed, rubbing at the back of her neck. "'But I don't wish to go among mad people'," she quoted.

"At least the causes of my madness are.. comparatively tame and easier to live with," Cecilia said thoughtfully, trying for a light tone and winding up with something between 'amused' and 'really really bitter' instead. Oh well. At least she tried. "Time travel would be so damned nice."

"Backwards or forwards," Domino said. Cecilia gave her a quizzical look. "Well, you know the 'this too shall pass' crap? Would be nice to find out whether that's true without actually going through all the crap, wouldn't it?"

Cecilia made a noise of agreement, nodding and lazily kicking her feet. "It would. But then we'd miss out on all those learning experiences, and wouldn't get a chance to be better people." She snorted. "I was a much better person before shit happened to me, thank you very much."

"Like I said," Domino said dryly. "Gotta love a woman who avoids the usual platitudes."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or vaguely frightened that you seem to like the way I think," Cecilia mused, grinning at Domino with a slight tilt of her head. "Should I be afraid?"

"A little from column A, a little from column B," Domino confessed, bumping Cecilia's shoulder in return. "Thanks," she said, a little more quietly.

"I'll skip the fear, stick to the flattery.. more fun that way." After flashing a smile, Cecilia blinked at the bump, and as childish as it was, couldn't quite keep herself from doing it right back. "For what?" she asked, equally quietly.

"Helping a total stranger take a step back and calm down a little?" Domino offered. "Not to mention, doing it in a way that didn't make me want to hit you..." She offered her best charming grin.

Cecilia paused, then cracked another smile. "Oh. That." She shrugged a shoulder, keeping her smile and reaching down to give Domino a light pat on the knee. "You're welcome. I'm just glad I'm not screwing it up."

"Scarily good at it, actually. And I needed to pull it together." Her grin faded, turning a little forlorn despite her best efforts. "He needs me. I can be self-indulgent later."

"Just make sure you do indulge yourself later," Cecilia nodded, returning her hand to her own lap. "Preferably in a way that doesn't involve breaking anything. I'll be around, if you don't want to tackle it alone." She paused. "...but no driving will be involved." Probably, anyway. The brief flicker of indecision was likely on her face, but she shook it off in short order.

Domino raised an eyebrow. "No driving," she agreed cheerfully, intrigued by the hesitation. Ah, well. As she'd said, Nathan needed her. There would be time for exploring intriguing options later.