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[slayer_fray]

Post breakfast shifts are decidedly more fun than the graveyard pre-breakfast shift. For a start, there's a little less tiredness, but as there's more people around, it's also a lot less boring.

Not that Mel tolarates boring for long. Take now, for instance. Your Security officer for the morning is in a section of open floor by the observaton window, attempting to build a house of cards. It's a training exercise, see? Steady hands, all that toy.

She's not as good as it as she'd like.

Comments

[futures_of_ash]

And an exercise in patience. Rachel should know after all, the card house bit is one of her quirks.

Mel shouldn't be suprised when Rachel sits down across from her and starts picking up cards as well.

[slayer_fray]

Course she isn't. Mel even reaches across the house and touches the back of Rachel's hand lightly.

She was worried, of course, and wants to know that her sister's OK. And the best way for that is by contact.

"Morning, Flame."

[futures_of_ash]

There's seething warmth in the touch, and the strong, deep well of strength that is Rachel as she turns her hand to grip Mel's lightly. "Morning you"

She's alright.

As alright as she gets anyway.

[slayer_fray]

That's enough. That's all Mel wanted to know. That she's alright, even though that warmth isn't Rachel's, really, is it?

They can build card houses with one hand right? Course they can. It's just a layer to the challenge.

"Heard you had quite the night," she says, grinning lightly.

[futures_of_ash]

No, part of it isn't in truth. Like a pilot light, that worry had given her, to relight a cataclysm...

She'd give it back washed in starfire if Zuko would take it, stubborn warrior type that he is.

"I forgot to ask Bar to soundproof my room" she sighed, wincing a little guiltily as se carefully slid another card onto the second tier.

[slayer_fray]

Well, they're just swimming in stubborn warrior types around here, aren't they? But still, he's got most of even them beat.

Mel picks up another card and holds it up on the edge. Unless she lets go of Rachel's hand, which she doesn't want to do, she's going to need someone else to provide its twin.

"Forgot to come find one of your family when you needed them," she points out, hinting at chastisement.

[futures_of_ash]

Practically drowning in them, truth told.

Rachel may not have a twin, in fact, it's a red seven as opposed to her black king...but the card gods will forgive them no doubt.

Ah, but Mel's words? Make her wince and look away "All of you..." what is she to do? Steal time away from people they need and love so she can crawl into bed with someone she trusts to hold nightmares away? She knows where that leads. The niggling, half-thought resentments...

Jealousy...

"Too many nightmares Mel."

[slayer_fray]

They surely will. Of course, if there are any card gods wandering around in Milliways, they're welcome to come and join the girls and shoe them how it's down.

"I have them too, Rach," Mel says blandly. Or she did. She hasn't dreamt at all recently.

"Mikey showed me some techniques for keeping them back."

Which she used at first to stop her waking him, just so she could stay a night with him. Which she used with every ounce of herself to stop him knowing about the nightmares she brought back from Hell with her. Which she shared with Steph and with Arithon and she would have with Rachel if she'd only let her know.

Stupid girl.

[futures_of_ash]

Card gods probably have three arms, just so they can hold one and still build card houses. Jerks.

Yes, she knows others have them...and they manage don't they? They don't have to crawl into other people's bed's like a toddler seeking parents. They don't wake other people screaming every night. Or the nights she manages to sleep...

Yes, Rachel's stupid.

Always has been.

"I'm afraid to use the flower Archie gave me"

[twiststheblade]

There's a Miho watching her, head cocked sideways. After a moment, she disappears, and returns, drink in each hand. Having asked Bar for whatever Mal's been drinking most recently. She proceeds to ste one drink on the table, by Mel's elbow, and herself on a seat a bit further away.

"Hey."

(OOC: at work so will be slow, but it's a quiet day, so not super-slow. that okay?)

[slayer_fray]

[OOC: No. Not OK. That's asking far too much of me. Or, y'know, not.]

"Hey," Mel says, glancing up and grinning. The drink, thanks to Bar's knowledge of Mel's habits, is cocoa. But not alcoholic this time. She also knows about the altered metabolism.

"Long time."

[twiststheblade]

(OOC: Alas. Good thing I'm stubborn, then.)

"Too long," she agrees. She likes Mel.

"However, long enough that we both probably have gossip. What's up?"

Miho has cream soda. And ice-cream. An ice-cream-cream soda, in fact. It's good, even if it has to be drunk with a spoon.

[slayer_fray]

What's not to like, really, about a kick ass thief with multicoloured hair, who until recently had superpowers and right now has a whipped cream moustache?

Nothing, I tell you.

"Uh," Mel pauses for thought. "Went to Disneyland, came back. Found out my roommate's a pimp. Rescued my brother from Nazis. Was depossessed by an all-powerful force of destruction. Lost my crazy superpowers. Painted a dinosaur's toenails.

"Oh! And I just defeated Final Fantasy Six. You?"

[twiststheblade]

Likewise, what's not to like about an until-recently mute little samurai with ice-cream froth on her nose?

...

"Sounds like fun. Nothing so exiting. Aside from working in the brothel, I guess."

[slayer_fray]

"Oh," Mel says, her face falling a little. "I traded all my gossip for that? I feel short changed."

[twiststheblade]

Miho pouts at her.

"It's not my fault I'm boring! I've been training, I could tell you about that. Or my sex life. And there I run out of gossip. . ."

[slayer_fray]

Mel shrugs, and grins sheepishly. "Actually, as Lilly's my roommate..." she knows some of that.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly stumbles downstairs, gets a rather massive cup of coffee from the bar, relaxes noticeably when coffee is the only thing that shows up, heads over to Mel and collapses on the floor next her.

"Morning."

[slayer_fray]

"Morning," Mel says, leaning her head slightly in Lilly's direction. The card house (brothel, thanks to Rachel) stays the pinnacle of attention.

"How're you doing?"

[awesome_lilly]

"Tired. Grumpy. Morning."

Lilly clearly feels that the correlation here is so obvious it defies grammar.

"S'you?"

[slayer_fray]

"Tired, not too grumpy, been up for hours," Mel replies, focusing on the cards. "Indy ruined Mike's best cookie sheet."

Biggest drama of the morning. Absolutely.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly sighs, shakes her head, and takes a long sip of coffee.

"The man handles fragile ancient artifacts with care every day or whatever at the museum, and they don't get destroyed or he'd be fired. Why can't he just use those skills in the kitchen?"

[slayer_fray]

"I have no idea," Mel admits. "Maybe because no one asks him to cook ancient artefacts."

Fear if they did, really.

[awesome_lilly]

"Oh. Point."

Lilly has more coffee.

"They should. He could make artifact cookies. And like, sell them at the museum bake sales. Oatmeal raisin Arks of the Covenant!"

Lilly may not have had enough coffee.

[slayer_fray]

Mel would grin. But inatead she eyes Lilyl as if she's gone mad.

"Baked by Indy?"