milliways_bar | (no subject)

(no subject)

Warren's in the bar.

Well technically he's on the stairs, but he will be in the bar soon.

...

Okay, now he's in the bar.

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She leads him to the door, putting her hand on the knob. "It's so nice out there." Her eyes twinkle. "Perhaps I'll even get you a bit of a tan."

Warren, dressed in his customary three to four layers of shirt (despite living in California) gives her A Look.

And moves to walk through the door.

He doesn't make it.

He doubles over in pain.

"Ow, my nose!"

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha...

"Warren!" Val kneels down beside him. "What the frell happened? Are you alright?" She pulls a napkin out of her apron, handing it ot him.
"Here. Is your nose bleeding?"

Of course it is.

"What...it...what?" He stutters.

Val sighs, ever the practical one. "You have a nosebleed, Warren. This is a napkin. Use it." She holds it over his nose, pulling his hands away.

"What'd I...hit?" He asks, confused.

"No flipping clue." She stares at the door in a bit of consternation. "You were a good foot and a half from the door." She blinks. "That makes no sense. Why can't you go out to the lake?"

He reaches a hand out toward the door and rests it against...nothing.

"Because. I did things. I guess this is what I get."

He presses another hand against the nothing.

"Great. Great! I'm a freaking mime."

Val remains on the floor, hands in her lap, and just blinking at Warren. Her voice is soft, "What is it that you think you did?"

"I don't think I did anything. I did horrible things. Even if I didn't mean to."

"Well, what sort of horrible things did you do?" She pulls her knees up to her chest and leans againt the wall.

"Murderer," he says simply. And there's more, but that's enough.

There's a surprising compassion in Val's eyes, one that twinkles, even through the hint of surprise. "Murder isn't the end of the world, Warren. No, I'm not condoning it, I'm not saying it was right, but I am saying that things move on. I don't see you doing it again. You're sorry, and that's what's important. You can't change the past."

"People keep saying that."

How can everyone be so sure he won't do...something like that again if he's not?

"Well, as someone told me once, if five separate people tell you something, it has to be at least somewhat true." She smiles, but it's a serious smile. "Warren, people change in this bar. There's a lot of people here who want to help you, and we're going to be here to make certain that you don't do things that you would rather not."

"You can't be there all the time."

It sounds a little threatening, but he's just scared.

Val's not easily threatened. She lived with Peter after all. "No I can't. That's true. However, we can be there enough to hopefully keep something from happening." There's a bit of a determination in her eyes. "There are also enough of us, and we're quite stubborn."

He eyes her warily.

"Right."

She raises her eyebrows. "There have only been two times I've been wrong about something not concerning myself." Her eyes sparkle. "You're welcome to test the theory, if you'd like. I'm certain of what I say."

"That's...okay," he assures her.

She grins. "Good boy. You learn fast."

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