Re: Sharpen the Knife

[Sandkitten]

It's flattering to have him solicit her help. She smiles, unconsciously shrugging. "Well, I can try. I think it would help if I knew what you were trying to tell people, though. And maybe how you've been telling them. But... maybe. I mean, yes, I'll try. Anything I can do to help." She crosses her ankles, scratching Riggs between the ears. Riggs seems to enjoy that.

"If I could listen to you do a show, or maybe a few segments, it'll help me pick out what the important things are. I won't say anything while you're working, I'll just take notes. I mean, I could write you some material if you gave me a subject... but if you're not passionate about what you're talking about, people can tell." She waves her hand. "I could go into it now, but I don't want to influence you, or how you deliver your message."

[SharpestLife19]

He smiles and opens one of the desk drawers. He pulls out a composition book and hands her a pen that was on top of the desk, lost in the mess of cords. “I would appreciate the help. It's important to me that I reach people. And I have had no way of making sure I am. You are going to be very helpful. In fact, you've already improved my mood significantly. Humans are not meant to be solitary creatures, no matter what anyone tells you.” He shakes his head, “Anyway, take your notes and let's get this started. When I count down, you have to be very quiet because the mics will be on. Ok?”

[Sandkitten]

She nods, taking the pen and composition book. "Oh, one moment." She picks Riggs up and takes him to the door, putting him out in the hall. "No hard feelings, friend. We'll be out in... well, whenever he's finished." She gives the cat one last pet, and then closes the door. Coming back to her seat, she picks up the pen and flips to a clean page, ignoring anything else that might already be in there. "Alright... whenever you're ready." She puts a heading on the page, and embellishes it. Tucking her feet up into the chair with her, she gets comfortable, and gives him an affirmative nod.

[SharpestLife19]

He smiles, he usually puts Riggs out too. Can't have a sudden 'rowr' invading the airwaves. As she sits again, he counts down, “5...4...3..” then he signals 2 and 1 with his fingers before flicking on the sound. “Good morning, you've got the Phoenix and it's time to talk. I hope you all thought hard about what was said last and I urge you to listen up and keep thinking. It's like this folks, if we keep doing what we're doing it is not going to get any better. We can't expect to keep doing the same thing, following all the rules, jumping through all the goddamn hoops and expect things to just get better on their own. It's not our fault we're in this situation. This world is our goddamn birthright. This piece of shit world was given to us by our ancestors. Most of the people we have to blame are dead. We can't expect them to fix it now, it's up to us. The government has no intentions to make things better. Things will keep getting worse every minute of every day until someone steps up and takes action. We have to join together and rise up. We have no hope alone. But together we can do whatever we want to do. Be brave, start breaking the rules. Here's a thought – if the law doesn't make sense, if it seems like an injustice, then it shouldn't be a law! Go against the system and look in the underground for the Phoenix Den.”

He glances over at Adie as he speaks. Recently he started dropping clues about the Phoenix Den so if anyone was in need, they could find him. His expression changes from one of the leader of a riot to a pained look as he goes on, “Listen up! This government doesn't give a shit about you. It doesn't care at all. And if you speak out? You get killed, put away or they kill all your friends and family. Everyone has lost someone. There has never been so much government-sponsored death in a country as there is now! We're making history! But if we keep up on this path, there won't be a future. You people with kids. You wanna be the one to tell them their future's been cancelled? That they will mostly likely die or see their friends and family killed by the time they reach twenty-five? Think about it,” he sighs heavily, hoping to any remaining shred of a god that someone is listening and thinking, “We can all rise up from the ashes. The Phoenix is out.”

[Sandkitten]

Adelaide sits quietly, listening closely but doodling in the margins when he wasn't saying anything that jumped out at her. And after a minute or so, she frowns a little, realizing that she's been doing more doodling than note-taking. She begins to write down her impressions, rather than picking out particulars about his words. Closing her eyes, she imagines herself as one of the listeners on the other end of this broadcast. She opens her eyes just in time to look up and see Liam's expression change. His voice changes, too - his tone, his message... but he probably doesn't even notice. But overall, she's doing her best not to cringe.

When the mic switches off, she continues scribbling down a thought, and then hugs the notebook to her chest. "Liam... can I ask you - why did you start broadcasting? What's the message you really want to get across to the people?" Some of the notes she's taken down are fairly disheartening, so she wants to be clear on where he's trying to come from before she tells him where it seems he's really going.

[SharpestLife19]

He switches his station off. He can tell from her expression she has bad news to bear. He shrugs, trying not to come off as desperate as he feels. “I didn't know what else I could do. Something terrible happened to my family. When I tried to say anything about it, the government eliminated my father. So I couldn't say anything else. I had to disappear. But I couldn't just let this go..” his face is very emotional, it looks as if he could cry. “I couldn't just let everyone die for nothing.” He wishes Riggs was here now, he could use something to hold onto.

[Sandkitten]

The notebook in Adelaide's arms suddenly ceased to be of much importance at all. She supposed that she must have known in some part of her that when he said they were gone, they really were gone... but she hadn't wanted to think about it. So, they were dead. The government's doing, no doubt. But that wasn't important now. She felt her own brow knit in sympathetic mirror of his own distress, and set the notebook down on the desk. She hesitates, a moment of pause taken to wonder if he might just want to be left alone - but he had comforted her. It was the only thing she could think of to do. He didn't need to have his performance picked apart right now - her notes would keep. Leaning forward in her chair, she puts her arms around his shoulders. It's a rather awkward angle, but she means well, and she hopes he realizes that. "I'm sorry, Liam."

[SharpestLife19]

He appreciates her hug, even at the awkward angle. “Thank you...” He sighs and rises, going over to the door where Riggs has begun pawing. A cat always wants to be wherever it can't be. Riggs hurries in and meows at them. “Adie, go ahead and tell me what you're thinking. I could see on your face that it's not a good thing. Don't worry about sparing my feelings.”

[Sandkitten]

She's nearly unbalanced when he stands, but catches and rights herself. Returning herself to a more normal sitting position, Adelaide sighs, picking up the notebook again. She didn't like to see that kind of pain on his face. They may have only just met, but... she still feels that the circumstance under which they met has bonded them somehow. It's just another stupid thought, and she pushes it away, eyeing the cat as he saunters in like he owns the place. Well, he was here first. Her lips purse slightly in a different way than her thinking expression - this one is annoyance. So much for what might have been... something. A moment. She shakes her head, tapping the pen against the notebook and looking down at her scribbles. "Alright."

"Don't take offence at my saying so, but... I'm questioning your motives. Let me explain," she interjected, afraid he might object. "I'm not saying I don't believe that you have a good reason to try and get these messages out. But... they're just words. They're truth - but you don't seem to care about that. There's frustration fueling the message, but when I was listening - if I were on the other end - that's all I would hear. Someone frustrated, complaining. Everyone WANTS to complain. But those who want to, and can't... don't want to hear someone else complaining, and getting away with it." She sits up a little straighter in her chair, her mind going back to the four safe walls of classroom life. "It's like this. It's a hot summer, and someone's at your door trying to sell you a ceiling fan. But their pitch is: it's too damn hot outside, so you really ought to get this fan. This fan will make everything better. Tired of being hot? Get this fan. Maybe that's true - but you're not listening, because you're just upset that it's so damn hot, and this guy is at your door telling you about how hot it is. Now picture this: another salesman shows up at your door with the exact same fan. But he doesn't tell you what you already know - instead, he tells you how nice it is to have a cool breeze on your face, air flowing around you, sweet relief like a miniature vacation, right inside your home. He didn't even mention the fan. But now you've got to have that fan, because you're imagining all the wonderful things he's promised, and the fan is what will give you those things."

She leans forward slightly, passion for sharing this information evident on her features. "You see, people respond to things that they perceive to be in their best interests - whether that's imagined or real. Right now, everyone out there is afraid. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what the government will do to us if they find us here... I'm afraid to be up on the streets without a job, of what someone might do to me. But I'm less afraid than I am hopeful. Here... I feel safe. Maybe it's only a perception, but it seems real to me. Here, I feel appreciated, and welcome. But the difference between me sitting here, and people sitting out there is: I've already made a decision. I can't see that I have so much more to lose that it isn't worth giving up those things to try and find something better. People with families... with jobs... with lives - they have something to lose. They're more afraid of losing what they have, than they are eager to find something better. If you want people to respond to what you're saying, you have to tell them something they don't already know... you have to give them hope. You have to make them understand that what they have is fragile, and no amount of bubble-wrapping will save it if someone decides to come along and try and smash it. But you also have to sell them something better than what they have - you can't just tell them that there's something better... you have to tell them what it is. Or what it could be. You have to make hope a real, percieveable thing. Something they think about on their way to work, something they imagine in place of the fear they feel when they walk down the street. If anyone out there is going to take a risk, it's not going to be because they heard someone complaining, and they decided to do something about it. It's going to be because they can imagine that doing something will really make things better. For them, for their families, for their friends. They have to believe that they're not the only ones listening to this message of hope, who want things to change."

Her posture changes subtly, taking on a more submissive expression - curious, but worried. "Right now, you're a voice, maybe the only one that's speaking out. If anyone's listening, they already know how frustrated you are. They're frustrated too. But... when I was listening to you, you didn't stress any of the points you were making. It was almost like you were reciting a list from memory of all the grievances you've thought of to point out the government's wrongdoings. The only time you showed any passion at all was when you talked about family." She sets the notebook aside on the desk, and the pen on top of it. "I believe... that you do care about all the things you said. I believe that you want to help people, and you want things to be better for everyone. Maybe I'm completely off-base, but what I'm sensing is that all this-" She gestures to the microphone and all of the electronics around them. "-has become more of a... fallback. You want to do something, and this is doing something... but this isn't your primary objective. I don't want to have to ask... but I want to help you. I can't do that if I don't know what it is you really want to achieve." She doesn't ask the question - it's understood. She's in knots inside, hoping that he'll level with her, but afraid either way - afraid of knowing what he really wants, but more afraid that he might keep her in the dark.

[SharpestLife19]

Liam takes note of what Adie is telling him. The way she says it makes sense, it's just a matter of figuring out how to do that. How do you give hope to the hopeless? It didn't seem possible. So he did all he knew how to do. It was probably good luck that she came along. She would be able to help. He was glad to hear that she felt safe and comfortable here, especially since she hadn't even been there a full day yet. But he felt like when you save someone, there is probably some kind of connection there that wouldn't normally be there.

And there it was. She asked the only question he didn't want to answer. How could he respond? Being honest might scare her off, make her afraid of him or hate him for his plans. Lying wouldn't be any better. She would probably find out eventually anyway and then he would just look like an asshole. He squared his jaw as he thought it over. What he wouldn't give for a distraction. But from the look on her face, he won't get away with changing the subject or trying any tricks. He had better come clean. His eyes fall to the floor, examining the shitty concrete he tried to cover with a slightly less shitty rug. He can't look her in the eyes and tell her he's not the good guy.

“Adie, I know you understand loss to a degree, but let me tell you what happened to me. My sisters? The pretty girls in the picture? They were unemployed. They were used. Evie couldn't take it and the stress killed her. Sophie got a disease from one of the sick bastards who used her. I lost them both. And when I tried to get justice for them, the government killed my father to shut me up,” His features grow dark as he tells her, the crease in his forehead returns and his eyes well up with tears. He hastily wipes them away. Crying hasn't done any good for his family. It won't bring them back. “I know I can't get them back...” the phrase comes out a bit choked so he clears his throat and goes on, “But I have to get justice. And I can't do it alone. I need help. And I know I'm not the only one. These people who have died shouldn't have died for nothing, Adie. There has to be justice.”

[Sandkitten]

She stays where she is, unmoving, silent. He hadn't wanted to tell her - that's clear. But he had told her. It's just a lot to take in, suddenly. So what he'd done was a good thing. Attached to a terrible, heart-crushing story. She's momentarily uncertain how to respond. When the words return to her, she shakes her head, leaning back in her chair. "Liam... I know you know what justice is. But what you want is... more personal." She can't push the word out of her throat. This perfectly kind man... she can completely believe that his story is true. But for him to have revenge in his hand of cards? She can hardly wrap her mind around it.

"I... well... um." She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "So, then - what... is your plan? Do you even have one? Liam, I want to help you with this-" her hand sweeps around at the radio setup again. "-I want to help make a difference... and I feel like I owe you so much. But... I don't know if I can help you get the kind of justice you think you need. I can't imagine having my family taken from me that violently. I wonder, every day, where my mother is and how she's doing, and how my father is holding up since they put her somewhere. I hate the government, for everything they do and everything they don't do... but to me, it's a nameless, faceless entity, and I can't touch it. You... you have faces, and names, don't you?"

[SharpestLife19]

Damn girl making him tell her things she doesn't need to know! Of course she doesn't understand! She hasn't been through anything! He saved her from losing herself. All she has is her mother locked away somewhere, she doesn't understand people dying at the hands of the government. She thinks this is personal, well maybe it is. Alright, it's personal. But how could it not be? And it's not as if he is the only one who wants revenge. There has to be others. This innocent little girl can't even bring herself to say the word. His irritation shows in his voice, it comes out in somewhat of a growl, “REVENGE! The word is REVENGE! And what I want isn't wrong, Adelaide. And I know I am not the only one. When this many people have been wronged justice is revenge.”

He paces, trying to walk off his anger. “Of course I have names. I've got a list,” He kicks the desk drawer, “In here. The government may be just a word or a notion to you, but it's not to me. There are real people there, just like all the real people they KILLED!” Riggs had hidden under the desk but when it is kicked, he runs out the open door. He doesn't care for all the yelling going on. Liam sighs violently and turns away. “You won't understand until someone dies. That's why I'm still alone here. No one is going to understand until everyone they love is dead!”

[Sandkitten]

Adelaide jolts upright in her chair when he shouts, the look on her face the same as if she had been physically struck. She listens, chin beginning to quiver, and chews on her bottom lip. She doesn't even notice Riggs run out of the room, flinching when he kicks the desk. When he turns away, she stands and moves around him, giving him a wide berth. "You're right - I don't understand." Her voice wavers, dangerously close to the brink of tears, but she keeps them in check momentarily. "I can't - how could I? But I didn't say you were wrong, Liam. All I said was that I wasn't sure if I could help. I'm sorry." She moves out into the hall, fumbling with the door to the bedroom. "I'm going to get my coat, and go back up to the surface for a while. I'll be careful - and I won't talk to anyone. I just... need some time to think. I'll be back." She doesn't wait for an answer, slipping into the dark room and snatching her coat off the bed, shrugging it on as she moves quickly back out the way they'd come in last night. She lets Riggs out the Employee door since he's there, and then makes her way as quickly as she can back out to the stairs, bolting up them and finally letting out a single sob.

So she'd been right - the kind, sweet, gentlemanly, domestic man did have a flaw after all. Maybe not a flaw in and of itself, this obsession, but a scar on the surface of an otherwise polished diamond, worn in over time by the acid of an inhospitable world. He'd gone right out of his way to help her - and why not? It was the very thing he'd been fighting in a memory since his sisters were taken. But to round about on her, to yell at her for failing to feel the same anger, the same hurt? She shook her head, sniffling as she made her way up to the surface, looking around to see that nobody was around. Finding her surroundings safely empty, she moved between buildings, going nowhere. She just needed to walk. Air to clear her head, time to think. What an idiot, for thinking for a minute that he might whisk her away somewhere, smile at her all the time and use nice words, and then that everything would be better. Such an idiot.

[SharpestLife19]

Now he'd really fucked it up. With a heavy sigh, he followed the girl. She shouldn't be out there alone. It's too dangerous. Maybe he couldn't protect her from his own harsh words, but he could protect her from the people on the surface. He snatched up his coat and gun before leaving to go up to the surface. He had Adie in his sights and intended to stay that way. She didn't need to know he was there, he just wanted to keep an eye on her. He was wrong to yell at her like that. She didn't deserve it. He wanted to apologize, but he also knew now was not the time for that. She needed her space and he wasn't going to invade it and prove to be even more of an asshole. He would just watch her and keep her safe.

[Sandkitten]

She wanders, letting her head fill up with cotton, trying to forget how angry he'd seemed. Why did it matter so much? She'd only just met the man - he'd offered her a place to stay, but she didn't have to take him up on it. Surely there were other places, somewhere she could hide out. Maybe she could move back to live with her father. He'd surely be lonely, this long without his wife. The thought only made her wonder how lonely Liam had been, and for how long, and she shook her head in frustration. She was lonely too - nobody was jumping up to save her from that. It didn't matter.

Once or twice she glanced behind her, feeling watched, but she never saw anyone, or anything. Did this entire neighborhood even have a single camera? It seemed impossible that the government could have simply missed such a large area, but perhaps Liam had taken them down. She rolls her eyes - there's his name again. Putting it forcefully from her mind, she took stock of which direction she was heading, and started to wind back to where there might be people. At this time of day, it was somewhat safer to be out on the street. And if she was lucky, maybe she could catch a clip of the morning news blasting out of a cafe window.

Hands stuffed into her pockets, she sniffed again - this time from the chill in the air, once again turning her nose red. The sound of pedestrian traffic ahead slows her, but she presses on, thinking about how she might be able to spend the last of her credits. On a bus ticket? Or some catfood? Or maybe another pair of leggings - when winter really set in, she'd need something warmer. She let her thoughts be swept away as she entered the trickle of people meandering down the street - those who hadn't yet gone to work, or who were coming home from a night-shift. As she'd hoped, there's a corner-cafe, a small crowd gathered around the public television to soak up some headline on the news. She approaches, avoiding eye contact with anyone, and tries to catch a piece of what the announcer is saying.

[SharpestLife19]

Liam still felt very bad that he yelled at the girl, and continues tailing her. He keeps out of sight at all times, tailing her but staying out of the way. He's worried about her and feels stupid that she's out here. She wouldn't be out here at all if he hadn't freaked out at her. He sighs again and looks around at the people in the area. He wants to make sure that no one is watching Adie or planning to harm her. It looks like no one is interested. Which is good.

[Sandkitten]

"-a terrorist attack against the country's chief-producing steel factory. Twelve people are confirmed dead, among them the terrorist who masterminded the attack. Thomas King, age fifty-three, rigged and detonated a total of three explosives - one attached to his own body - and attacked the factory, which had been his place of employment for three years. The attack seems to have been prompted in response to the deportation of the man's wife, Meredith King, for crimes against the government. Meredith King was transported from the country seven days ago, and although there is no note or message from the terrorist Thomas King, officials claim to have evidence to support the theory that the attack was a direct result, as a kind of protest."

The voice on the television seemed to be coming through a tunnel, and Adelaide watched, unblinking, as somehow a picture of her father materialized on the screen beside the reporter. It was like watching a slideshow through a fishbowl. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. Thomas King, her father, wasn't a terrorist. "It's not true." Her face clouds, dark confusion settling in her features, her stomach twisting up. "It's not. It's not true." She only murmurs the words under her breath, but finds that she can hardly breathe at all. "It's not. It's not."

Pictures from the aftermath of the explosion pop up on the screen, replacing both the reporter and the image of Thomas King. The image is gruesome, no filtering at all, and Adelaide heaves once - she's not the only one, several other people coughing and biting back retching noises. The newscaster continues, although not on screen. "Officials are now interested in locating the terrorist's immediate family, which consists of a single daughter - Adelaide King, age twenty-three. The official statement given was that family members may be detained for questioning, but at this time there is no indication that Thomas King was conspiring with any other parties for this particular attack."

Adelaide retches again, but this time it's not dry, and she covers her mouth, scooting backwards out of the crowd, and moving shakily towards the buildings where she'd emerged from. She could smell bile, and the burn was in her nose - she must have choked on it briefly. Once in the alley, away from the street-goers, she doubles over and lets loose everything in her stomach - retching is mixed with sobs, and her loose hair is in the way, making it difficult for her to see anything but the disgusting puddle at her feet inbetween heaves.

[SharpestLife19]

The words from the television across the street are muddled and the picture is too far to see anything but blurs, but Liam most definitely has seen Adie's reaction. Something was horribly wrong. There's been a tragedy. He hurries to her side, feeling even worse now than he did before. “Adie...I'm very sorry, but I can tell now is not the the time for my penance. Please, will you tell me what happened?” His face reads complete sincerity. He's worried about what would cause this type of reaction from her. He has a nagging feeling that she now understands loss as he does.

[Sandkitten]

Adelaide would have jumped if she'd been able, but she's too busy heaving the contents of her stomach out into the dirt when he approaches, and she recognizes his voice more than the words he's trying to say. She can't see his face at all, her own surrounded by her hair, but his tone has worry in it. She can't even process anything besides that, halting only to cough voilently before throwing up again. She feels like her insides have been twisted up and they're all trying to exit through her throat. Every muscle in her body feels like it's been soaked in bile - tense and sickly, shaking. When there's nothing left in her stomach, she continues to dry heave, her body unwilling to let her stop until this ferocious pain has been drained from her body. There are no more tears, either, but her heaves are punctuated with sobs nonetheless.

She manages to stagger backwards a step or two before her knees give out, so that she's not in her own bile when she collapses to the ground. She sits, shaking, shoulders heaving with silent sobs as the telecaster's words echo in her mind. "Twelve people are confirmed dead... Thomas King, age fifty-three, rigged and detonated a total of three explosives - one attached to his own body... Meredith King was transported from the country seven days ago... crimes against the government..." Water returned to the edges of her eyes, but not enough to pour down her stained cheeks. "Oh god..." No, there couldn't be a god. It was just an expression, for want of something else to say to fill the gnawing emptiness filling her now. Without anything else to latch onto, she simply gasped for breath, trying to suck down air that didn't taste like the foul film in her mouth. The image of the explosion's aftermath plasters the back of her eyes, and she dry-heaves again, trying to make it disappear.

When she can't heave anymore, she sits, shaking, hands clawing at the dirt. So she was alone now. No more eventuallies, no more maybes... she would never see her parents again. They were dead. The closed borders meant nobody came, or left - there was no deportation. Her father must have known. And he handled the loss in his own way. It didn't make sense... but it didn't not make sense, either. He'd done all he felt he could do. And now, she was alone.

Her thoughts spun around in her head, now pulsing from her voilent reaction earlier, and she wavered where she sat from lightheadedness. There was nothing to do now. Nothing but to disappear. Vaguely she remembered Liam's presence as she caught sight of his feet from the corner of her eye. She tried to look up at him, but he seemed so tall. She just kept raising her head, forever. The last thing she saw was his outline against the bright grey of the morning sky - and then everything went brown.

[SharpestLife19]

Whatever happened just now had just changed Adie's world. Liam was sure of that, even not knowing exactly what had occurred. But he recognized pain when he saw and this girl was in pain. He could see she was looking pale, like she might faint. He tries to crouch down to catch her before she does but he's not fast enough. He picks her up anyway and carries her back to the underground. If something happened involving her family, they would be looking for her. He had to keep her safe.

Once Liam got her back to his place, he took her back to the bed to lay her down. He would wait with her until she came around. He sat on the floor beside her, keeping an eye on her as she lay there. He didn't know how he would console her when she came around. He didn't think anything he said would make it easier. Losing someone you love leaves a hole in your heart that seems impossible to repair. Liam had been on his own when he lost everyone so he honestly doesn't know if having someone around would make it even slightly easier. All he can do is try to be here for her. So he waits.

[Sandkitten]

He's kept waiting most of the day. Adelaide fades in and out of darkness, never quite dreaming but never quite conscious either. Every time she nears the surface of the black pool that keeps her locked under like a prisoner, images of her parents and the newscast stir up pain and she sinks back down under again, into the murky depths of nothing.

It's hours before she finally comes around, at first not even opening her eyes. Her body is sore from over-rest, and the empty cavity of her stomach aches - both from being violently emptied, and from the new hunger created after losing her breakfast. Her mind has finally emptied, leaving her free to avoid thinking altogether, but the pain hasn't yet subsided, so tears well and run down the sides of her face before her eyes open, taking in the blurry sight of the ceiling.

[SharpestLife19]

Liam is too worried about her to leave her side, he has sat there watching after her all day, sometimes dozing. He sees tears in her eyes and wonders if she has finally woke up or if she is crying in her sleep. Her eyes are still shut. He leans forward, a hopeful look on his face. “Adie? Are you awake?”

[Sandkitten]

The gray of the ceiling is suddenly punctuated by something else - she blinks twice, trying to bring it into focus. It's a face. Her mind fights to stay empty, but recognition comes to her. "...Liam." Her voice cracks, her throat too dry to say anything else for the moment. So this was home. This was her bed, her room... and this man, her family. Here, was the only place she was safe. The understanding sunk into her skin like lotion being absorbed, taking in those thoughts without tying them to the pain still welled up in her body, or the memories of this morning. But she's vaguely aware that this wasn't the last place she remembered being. "...what happened?"

[SharpestLife19]

He's so happy to hear her speak. It sounds as if she could use a glass of water, but he hadn't thought to bring any in here. At the moment, he wants to make sure she's alright. “I was hoping you could tell me. I angered you and you left, but I followed you to make sure you wouldn't be hurt. Then something...” he frowns, not sure how to continue, “You saw something on the television. I couldn't hear it from there, but from your reaction alone I was terribly worried. When I went to see if you were alright, you fainted and I carried you home. You've been here since.”

He stretches and rises to his feet. “You sound very dry. Let me get you a drink. Then do you think you could tell me what happened?” He looks unsure, but if she doesn't tell him now it won't get any easier to do later.

[Sandkitten]

She listens, letting the memories come back to her in only the vaguest sense as he recounts the morning, nodding without really thinking. Her stomach won't make sound, but she can tell it's upset from being empty. "Water... and toast?" It's the only thing she can think of to calm it without upsetting it further.

When he leaves, she fights her body's desire to sink back under, instead sitting up and holding her head - it spins for a moment, but then settles in the present. The newscast passes behind her eyes again in a blur, and she lets the realization of her parents' deaths sink in again. It's easier now, without people around, and without the photographs. Pulling herself up, she steadies herself against the wall, and slowly makes her way to the door, crossing the hall into the kitchen.

There's only one chair now, since the other is still in the radio room, but she doesn't much feel like sitting anyway. She's sore from being down for too long. The smell of breakfast is still in the air in here, and it helps. Without looking at Liam, she finds a piece of the wall to lean on, helping her blood get to flowing again. "...my parents are... dead."

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