xp_logs | Cecilia and Clarice (Reply)

Set after this post and its subsequent comment threads, but before Cecilia saw this e-mail. Clarice comes by Cecilia's half-a-suite to offer apologies, and Cecilia's too tired to do much but accept them. The pair talk for a while. No fighting ensues. Crazy!

Oh, but food and tea had been good. Sleep would be better, but Cecilia didn't think it was in the cards for a while - she was exhausted, true, but her brain refused to shut up, and she dimly hoped she wasn't thinking too loudly. They weren't things she particularly wanted to share. With anybody.

After Madelyn returned to medlab, Cecilia'd migrated back out to the living area of their suite and planted herself on the sofa, tucked back into one corner as she pretended to read a book. Vision was too unfocused from fatigue, even with her glasses, but she didn't feel like watching TV. With her luck, it'd be the news. So, she lounged on the sofa in her flannel pajamas, and pretended to read. At least, until there was a knock at the door. Quirking an eyebrow, she tried to blink the tiredness out of her eyes and cast a look towards her out-of-reach laptop before sighing and raising her voice. "It's open!"

"Hi..." Clarice came in quietly, looking nearly as bad as Cecilia felt, her eyes puffy and red, "I ah...wanted to apologize. In person."

The blur was pink, and sounded kind of squeaky. Only one person that could be, that she knew of. "Ah," Cecilia replied, nodding and pushing herself up to sit a bit straighter than her present slouch. "For what?" She knew what she'd be apologizing for, in Clarice's place, but it was best not to assume.

"For being a brat," she replied, looking at her feet. Cecilia wasn't making this easy, but that wasn't surprising given how she acted and their last...conversation. "And generally proving I'm not ready for the medlab."

"Few people your age are," Cecilia shrugged, drawing her glasses off and setting them, and her book, aside. "I'm honestly amazed as many of you are let down there to assist as it is. Still.." She shrugged, and waved a hand dismissively. "Work on the maturity thing, cut down on the indiscriminate swearing, and then you can consider your apology accepted."

This made Clarice smile a little, "You should've been here back in December when I arrived. I would've made a sailor blush. I hate sitting around feeling useless, though. It brings out the worst in me."

Cecilia grinned wryly, thinking for a moment before she shrugged and waved at a free portion of the couch in silent invitation. "I don't know anyone who likes sitting around feeling useless, Clarice."

She sat gingerly on the couch indian style, "Yeah, but it seems like it's all I do. And pretend badly to not worry."

"If you aren't good at hiding it, why bother?" Cecilia asked curiously, tilting her head to one side. "Acceptance tends to make the corrections process a bit more smooth." She paused, and added, "Are you seeing the really massive mountain of a man I'm told is a shrink at all? He might have some suggestions for you, as far as patience and the like are concerned."

"If I look like I'm worrying, I get told not to, when I know it's a lie. So if I try to look like I'm not worrying then they think I believe them and are happy. So they worry less," ah, Clarice-logic was not something to be followed by the linear thinker, "And I saw him once. He said I should get a drivers license. I have patience, I can practice one part of fencing all day without stopping, but I can't just sit."

"Then don't just sit," Cecilia says reasonably. "Go do your fencing practice, or go talk to the shrink or one of the other kids. Just because you have to be on the sidelines once in a while doesn't mean you have to be stationary about it."

Clarice tried not to give Cecilia a 'what are you stupid?' look, "Didn't your mother tell you to not play with sharp objects when your friends have radiation sickness?""

"The topic never came up." Cecilia arched an eyebrow pointedly. "And why shouldn't you? You enjoy fencing, and it teaches a degree of self-control. I don't think you're about to run yourself or anybody else through because you're not getting put through decontamination with the rest of us."

This made Clarice giggle a little, "No...I'm not going to run anyone through! Well...I did run a Skippy through once, but that was very much on purpose. But when I'm upset I have less control, so more likely to hurt myself. On accident. I spent last night sewing instead."

Cecilia's expression threatened to darken at mention of Skippy - or, more specifically, that Clarice had run one through - but she chased it off quickly. "Then sew," she said instead. "Sew, draw, write.." She paused, and added, "Maybe use that old Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing program or peruse some grammar books, while you're at it," under her breath. But, she continued in a more normally-volumed voice rather quickly. "Are you familiar with the doctor's oath, Clarice?"

"First do no harm?" Clarice replied, somewhat wary of where this was going, "I read that online, but I didn't read it all. I'm not sure I want to be a doctor yet."

No suggesting the girl doesn't pursue it, given her record of running people through with swords and defending murderers, Cecilia. At least, not right now. "Got other work in mind for yourself?"

"Field medic," she replied quickly, "I don't know if I need to be a doctor or nurse or what, but that's what I think I'd be good at. And my powers only help me."

"You'll need more eduation than you currently have," Cecilia replied thoughtfully, folding one arm across the back of the couch and resting her head against it. "Spoken to Madelyn about it at all?"

Clarice nods, "A little. I mean, I'm worried about getting into college, but she said if you can go through med school, so can I, we'd find a way," she paused, not sure how to phrase her next sentence, finally she just blurted it out, "I didn't like killing the Skippy, but he was trying to kill me and they had Miles and Artie. I had to help Angelo to save them."

"You have a few years to worry about college yet," Cecilia observed, shrugging her shoulders and rubbing her eyes with one hand. "And I didn't say a word about Jamie's wayward manifestation." She eyed the girl for a moment. "You've been seeing the shrink about this, I hope."

"I have a year before the applications are due. My mom made me start looking," Clarice told her, slightly puzzled, "I had to go home the day after Skippy. My mom thought I was making it all up."

"It isn't exactly something most people are inclined to accept as a reality, myself included. But I don't have much choice in the matter." Cecilia smiled wryly. "And you didn't say if you've been seeing the shrink or not. If you haven't, you should."

Clarice shrugged, uncomfortable with where this is going, "I'm not losing sleep over it. I am over Paul. He lies to make me feel better."

"He lies to make himself feel better." Cecilia eyed her a moment longer before shifting to get to her feet, her eyes moving towards her laptop.

Clarice nods, not really sure what to do. "You didn't say how bad he is though."

"Not my place to," Cecilia replied simply, snatching her laptop up and reclaiming her seat. She paused to pull her glasses back on before beginning to type. "When the man wants you to know how he's doing, he'll tell you how he's doing. One's health is a bit of a personal matter, good or bad or anywhere in between."

"Ugh!" Clarice groaned, knowing she'd never get the truth. "Fine, have fun. I'll see you in the dungeon.

"Mmmhm," Cecilia replied distractedly, squinting down at the screen as she typed. Damn drowsiness. Made her e-mail client all fuzzy. "Not today, for me, but I'll be back there soon."

"Bye!" Clarice headed to the door, wondering what mischief Delphine had been up to.