Room 323 [Wednesday, Afternoon]

[comeoutwrong]

Yeah, even if class hadn't been canceled the last couple days, there was no fucking way that Effy was going out there. The last time things had gone this haywire and it'd hit her was still far too fresh in her mind, and even looking out the window at the changing island was making her feel beyond twitchy.

No. Staying in, curled up on her bed with her arms around her knees, smoking, and listening. Not to anything anyone else could hear (well unless they were the sort who could eavesdrop on internal chatter), but-- Listening.

Maybe she should be trying to block all that out, go out and help with... Whatever was going on. But at moments like this, when things were going wrong around her, it became that little bit too much effort to do anything and, well, this use of time did give her a masochistic sort of entertainment.

[[Door's closed, but the post can be open. Effy, as usual, is all messed up.]]

Comments

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex was supposed to have a shift at Caritas tonight but he had no idea if he was going to go. And since he hadn't seen her in awhile, he checked in on Effy before making that decision since he did care.

It hadn't been broadcast that she'd been kidnapped but he still wanted to check. So, he was knocking at the door and waiting.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

But she made the effort to slide off the bed and to the door to open it and lean against it with what she hoped was her normal aura of calm when she saw him there. Not as together as she could be, but not completely losing it, and determined to prove it.

"... Hey." It had been a while, hadn't it?

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Hey," he returned, arms crossed. "Good to see you haven't disappeared. I wasn't sure for awhile. You've been a hermit."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Considering what she could see from her window, not leaving the dorms felt like a pretty fucking wise move. "Not... quite feeling the bog thing." Or the random disappearance thing.

A moment later, she took a slight step back, in case he decided he actually wanted to come in.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Is anyone?" Alex asked, giving her a look before he stepped inside. "Been having your own fun in your room?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"More than I'd be having out there, I bet." Not that she thought that took much. Thought of trying to get anywhere far made her feel twitchier than she already was.

"Haven't had a visit from you for a while," she noted, leaning back on the door as she closed it. That was a little unusual for them.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I've been around," he said, shrugging a shoulder and making himself at home on the edge of her bed. "You just haven't seen me and there's been stuff. Stupid shit I've had to take care of back home and all."

He shrugged.

"You haven't come to see me either."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Wasn't accusing or anything." Effy hesitated a moment longer against the door before she moved his way. "Just..." she shrugged back at him. Just saying. Something like that.

"What shit?" Not that she couldn't imagine, but-- Shouldn't assume, right?

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Just shit," he said and shook his head, not really wanting to get into it. "You know how it goes. It's just shit. That's my life for the most part. Shit."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Ever the optimist." Effy could hardly talk, but that wouldn't stop her from dryly teasing as she stopped in front of him, and idly reached to stroke the back of her finger down his neck. Anyone else might've given a slightly more overt show of comfort.

"Think the good parts are in hiding." Like she was this week, actually.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," he sighed, shutting his eyes and leaning back some. "Why've you been keeping yourself in hiding? Shit?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy shifted her shoulders in half of another shrug, and said nothing. Which was as close to saying 'yes' as she felt like going.

"Rather not lose myself out there." That explained away the last few days, everything before that was just... her. "Been there, done that." Still got the mental scars.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Smart," Alex said because it was. "What about before all this shit? You've been a hermit for longer than this shit's been going on."

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

Peter showed up after a brief stint elsewhere. He was doing his best to maintain the appearance of calm, even if he was worried.

So unceremoniously, not even knocking first, he opened the door to the room.

"Don't be naked," he declared, hoping a joke would alleviate any possible interruption.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy's own calm was pretty thinly veiled, but she at least managed to suppress her jumpiness to a twitch, and uncurled her legs to try and shift herself back in the right sort of state of mind.

"You say that. Bet you wouldn't actually mind the view."

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"I'm only concerned about your modesty, here," Peter said, going over to his desk to rifle through the drawers. "After all, you've got a right to privacy, and all that."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Wouldn't be a first." Poor Griff was probably still traumatised. "Last one nearly walked into a wall." She might've minded more these days than she had back then, but that wasn't really the point.

"Going out there?" Kind of hoped not. They might not be close or anything, but that didn't stop her liking her roommate... you know, here.

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"Not yet," Peter said. "I'm only adventuring out after I find my plus-three ogre-slaying knife. That, and someone gives me an idea of how we can stop things rather than just punching goblins in the face. Not so interested in violence for violence's sake."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Not your idae of stress release?" It wasn't hers either. Clearly.

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"Not really," Peter said. "Especially when things have a tendency to fight back. I like my face the way it is."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy huffed a dry sort of laugh. "Besides. Why should we play along when this place tried to fuck us over?" It was far less traumatic to stay well out the way.

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

Other than saving their friends' lives, you mean?

Luckily, Peter didn't say it.

"Yeah. Especially when it throws stuff like that swamp at us," he said. "I can't believe that smell, can you?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Yeah... There was that. Effy was kind of a shitty friend, in all honesty. Not out of any particular malice, but when things went to hell she tended to freak out in a very insular fashion and be so busy dealing with whatever was going on in her head that other people fell by the wayside.

Answer to that question, though she forgot to vocalise it, was no. It really was horrible, but instead of answering she slid off the bed and idly wandered to the window to look out at it all.

"It's all so close," she noted, glancing the way of the mainland. "If only we could get there." Trouble was, giant fucking swamp in the way. Bloody island.

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Peter said. "Really damn close. Thinking about hitting the library tomorrow, see what people are cooking up. You want me to grab you anything, while I'm out? Food, books, golden fleece?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy didn't answer for a moment. Normally she'd have cracked a smirk at that, but for now she was still staring out the window like she hadn't really heard him.

"Round and round," she murmured, mentally seeing if she could trace a path through the bog, fingers twitching like she was drawing it in the air. It was probably a little weird to watch.

"... Update?" she suggested a little louder, checking back into the conversation after a few moments. At least she wasn't asking for anything too much.