ximilialog | (no subject)

[Their reunions at the end of missions are always short and sweet. Quick check ins to ensure the other is safe and well, before hurrying off to check in on others. This last mission they were together more often than not, and with things ending relatively well on their end of things, there isn't a pressing need to have an actual reunion. They're still all smiles and filled with spinning hugs all the same, and it's with a bounce to her step that they part ways and she goes to ensure that others are alright.

They seem to fall into their usual routine from there, the Doctor making his way around the station and Clara slipping into her chores to keep her busy. They've been back a few days when he finds her practicing first aid in the infirmary. She instantly knows it's him when she spots the shadow of his lanky frame approaching from behind. But she still plays along as he taps at her right shoulder, laughing as she knows he's being a huge nerd and has gone over to her left side to try and "hide". ]

Careful, or you'll be my next test subject.

[She teases, holding up a roll of gauze bandages. But all thought of work is set aside as she turns to her left side, dimpled grin intact as she looks up at him. It's easy to tell that he's here with a purpose in mind. He wouldn't interrupt her studying otherwise, not with how keen he is to help her find her place here. one that doesn't involve violence.]

Oh, come on. You can at least pretend to be surprised.

[ The Doctor huffs a little petulantly, but there's no bite in his voice, and his silly little smile betrays the rest of the ruse, leaving him to smile even wider in her direction.

He eyes the items surrounding her, all of the tools and materials that he's seen some of the others use frequently enough. (Particularly on missions.) Bandages and needles and splints and all that. Marta carries a kit around with her, he remembers that much.

And Rory —

Well. We won't think of Rory right now.

The Doctor clears his throat and straightens his back, holding a hand out to her. ]

When was the last time you had a crepe so full of fruit and jam and chocolate and that sort of snowy sugar, and something a little bit alien?

[She doesn't hesitate, turning to reach up and take hold of his hand. She's easily pulled up and her fingers thread through his as she steps in close to him.]

Don't think I've ever had alien crepes before.

[Which means that she's excited to give them a try. There's an eager glint in her eye as she looks up to him, lips momentarily pursing together.]

Did you make me crepes, Doctor?

[He's never made her crepes before. She has to say that she approves.]

[Clara finds him as she always does when they return from a mission, quickly and with a big hug. It still feels impossible to get to have these little adventures with him, and she values the time they have together. And yet she seems to sense there's something on his mind with the way he looks at her in those moments after they return to the station, when she's still wearing his jacket with the sleeves rolled up.

She thinks maybe it's because she's wearing it and he wants it back, so she takes great care to clean the jacket before going to find him in the labs later that day. His jacket is quietly set down on his workspace, and she watches him work for a moment before clearing her throat.]

I wasn't intending on stealing it. Not completely.

[She does, however, have to reach into the pocket on the jacket to pull out the sonic he's made her. That's promptly put into the pocket of her dress for safe keeping.]

[There's enough chores and tasks to do around the station that she doesn't need to take the time to straighten the room she shares with the Doctor. But his hat collection has grown since she last tried cleaning things up, and she feels a pressing need to try tidying things. She had been in the middle of searching the supply drop for anything they could use in their space when she ran into Andy.

Always glad to see her friend, Clara's quick to invite her to head back to assist her in cleaning up the Doctor's little collection. It doesn't take long for their cleaning to turn into trying on each and every hat, laughing with amusement as they go.

For once she's not completely poking fun of the hats. In fact, there's an element of fondness as she picks up each one and tries it on. that's exactly how she ends up with one of his uglier hats on her head, and her nose wrinkles up in disapproval. She's sure she looks ridiculous.]

The things we do for the people we love.

[Not that the Doctor's going to see her in this hat, but he'll appreciate her organizing them for him. She's sure of it.]

[ she's seen the room a few times by now, usually with the doctor, and the mess doesn't really faze her but she has noticed that the one tidy spot tends to be clara's. when she's invited back yet again, she agrees easy enough, enjoying clara's company and always curious to see how the mess evolves. ]

[ andy has seen so many hats over the multiple millennia she's been alive, and while she's not a fucking nerd about them like the doctor, she has to admit she does enjoy a good hat. she pulls on the wizard hat, but honestly it's comfortable and the height makes her think of the steppe. ]

Do you mean the physical wearing of the hat? I didn't realize it was so painful. [ she's half teasing. ]

[It's when Clara's in the kitchen making tea that she spots one of the newer arrivals she hasn't had the chance to get to know just yet. The woman seems to be lost in the area, though Clara doesn't want to make assumptions. But she also doesn't want to watch someone be lost on the station, either. She knows things can be overwhelming here.]

Sorry if this is overstepping, but -

[She pauses to put the kettle on the stove top.]

You look a bit lost.

[They've been back a few days by the time Clara stops by Gwen's room. She's got a small care package in tow, complete with some sweets she made and a sweater she grabbed from the most recent supply drop. Said sweater is held up and out for Gwen to take as soon as the door is opened.]

I saw this and thought of you. I grabbed the matching one for myself.

[All pals need matching cozy sweaters.

Especially since talking about those sweaters keeps them from leaping straight to discussing the Venom shaped elephant in the room.]

I'm not keeping you from dinner with Jim, am I?

[She teases as he helps her finish plating their food. They've just taken the time to make a nice cooked meal, one that's just for them and not for everyone else. They spend so much time taking care of all the others here, that it's nice to just indulge in themselves every so often.

She's set up a small table in the corner of the kitchen, so they don't have to deal with the chaos of the communal eating area. It's late enough that the kitchen will likely remain empty for a while, perfect for quiet conversation.

Which is good, because she has something on her mind she'd like to bring up and ask. It's not often Clara seeks out advice, but she trusts his thoughts and opinions enough to hear what he has to say. Not that she's planning on leaping right into asking him for his help, not when they're meant to be taking a break from playing the part of station parents.]

[Clara appreciates the fact that she has plenty of chores and tasks to tend to while they're back on the station. It keeps her mind occupied and gives her something useful to focus on. Her hydroponic garden is her pet project of sorts, her baby that she spends entirely too much time working on. Not that she works alone, mind you. She always seems to be able to rope friends into helping here and there.

Today she's charmed Yzak into assisting her with picking vegetables and pruning starts that died off before they could grow into anything edible. It's tedious work, and she's grateful for his company.]

I know this isn't the sort of thing you generally like to do.

[She glances up his way, smiling.]

But I promise you'll get first dibs on whatever meal this winds up becoming later.

[ said elephant is at the moment wrapped around gwen in the shape of a soft gray t-shirt and denim shorts. not expecting to go out, or indeed any visit outside the usual ones, she's barefoot. she reaches for the sweater with a little smile and a murmur of thanks.

gwen steps back to let clara in. ]

Shoes go in the rack there. Don't mind the mess.

[ the mess clara should not mind is a chaos of pages, ink, and completed and half-scribbled talismans. somehow, gwen always picks the mad geniuses to befriend. the two beds the room came with were shoved together to make one big bed, the sheets haphazardly made. the closet door is ajar: men's clothing and only a small handful of pieces belonging to gwen herself. no need for a wardrobe when venom provides her with whatever outfit change she can imagine. less odd than it might be elsewhere, a drum kit, courtesy of viveca (as is the sound-proofing in the walls lest her neighbors attempt murder), is webbed to the ceiling.

sliding the sweater over her head, gwen flips up to the ceiling, as comfortable upside-down as she is on the floor. she takes a seat behind the drums. a web-line attaches to the sticks lying on the bedside table and brings them to her. she plays a quiet drumroll. ]

Does this mean we're also partners for the ugly sweater contest this year?

Edited (forgot an important roommate thing) 2022-04-24 21:44 (UTC)

Well, I'm not going to ruin the surprise. Spoilers.

[ He says this but he's already given himself away with his earlier question. And yes, he knows that, and yes, his expression doesn't look like he's unaware of it, his smile echoing the glint in her eyes. ]

But yes. I did. [ And he's so proud, too. ] Didn't think I could, but I found everything I needed in the pantry. And that's not all.

[For a moment, she looks proud of him for making the effort and managing to make something for her. But the pride passes into something close to curiosity when he mentions there's something more.]

Not all, huh? Now you've got me dying to know what else there is.

[She's not about to insist on just standing around. Not when he has her excited to see what he's come up with. She takes hold of both of his hands in her own, turning so their palms are pressed together. It's with a grin that she pushes against him so he'll start walking backward toward the door.]

Go on, then. Show me.

[ she came back at it with a fevor he's not sure he understood, even if he grasped it instinctively. they found themselves in the training room. some of erik's scars have slowly gone, but there's plenty of crocodile marks over his skin so he still dresses with his arms covered. he holds his arms up, ready for her attack. ]

Again.

[ And Yzak is the sort of person who simply does not like to be idle - or rather, idle and not doing something that he considers of substance or importance. He, too, likes to keep his mind occupied so it doesn't drift off to places he'd rather it didn't.

It wasn't hard to charm him. He likes Clara already, and when Yzak likes anybody, all one has to do is ask him to join them. He'll put up a fuss if it's for something he considers silly, like, you know, anything fun, but this he doesn't consider as such. ]

It's not. Though I do know how pruning works. My mother has some flower gardens at our residence.

[She sends him a message a few days after being back, telling him to meet her in the simulation room. Clara wants to see for herself that he's doing better, but she also wants to share something with him. She's sitting on a grassy hill inside the sunlight room, the sky dark and stars shining overhead. There's shooting stars that fly across the sky, Clara a lone figure standing out beneath her very own cosmic show.

Every so often, one of the stars will crash and fall down around the simulated hall, lighting up the area with a bright light. They're not dangerous, thankfully, just a part of the simulated show she wants him to see with her.

When she spots him standing there she smiles, beckoning him in with a wave.]

I was worried you wouldn't come.

[But here he is, not letting her down.]

( lately, there have been so many things in his life to mourn that rhys never properly let himself be upset about missing the most holy of holidays in the night court — starfall. it's a double edged sword, loving the holiday and his beautiful home, and also having the memory of that day stained by unkind hands on him. last starfall, he didn't think guilt would allow him to enjoy it, like he hasn't earned a day long break or a scant bit of happiness, or the joy of celebrating with the people he loves. at the time, feyre managed to drag him out of it, and insisted he dance with her.

this time, it's clara.

it's decidedly not starfall, but he sees the essence of it in every fallen star, leaving light trails to show where they've been and where they're going. imaginary souls on their way across a night-filled sky. it makes the need to cry weigh heavily on his chest, to just — let all the grief out. to let himself breathe out some of his suffering, like he hasn't earned every ounce of it.

he waves back at clara, and is just on the side of too silent as he takes a seat beside her. his eyes are still a little too dark, his fingertips still smudged an ugly shade of black, and he takes a breath while he stares at her for a long minute ... before launching himself at her, grappling her into a bear hug that crushes her to his chest. )

I'm so, so sorry, Clara.

[She takes a moment to look around Gwen's space, eyes eventually falling back on the drums. Of course Gwen goes straight there to play, which puts a smile on Clara's face. The smile stays intact even through the teasing.]

Obviously. Though the thought of spending another Christmas here is a bit...

[She trails off there, nose wrinkling up as she shrugs. Thinking of being here for the long haul becomes more appealing by the day, but she feels the need to pretend otherwise for her friends. Her boots are removed and put over in the designated area, and she finally walks further into the room.

Of course, her eyes go straight to those papers with talismans.]

Have you been learning from Xichen?

[ the thought of spending another christmas here is the same as spending another birthday (in that there are only four days between the two dates). neither is pleasant even if gwen too has things she would dearly miss. clara, for one. for another— ]

My roommate invents them. [ she taps a quiet rhythm against the ride. ] I think Xichen learned from Wei Wuxian.

[ not because wei wuxian has intimated as much, but because she has seen day after day, working long hours into night, how much wei wuxian puts into them. into selecting the correct paper, the ink, the strokes. one mistake and the talisman will not work. some blow up in his face, literally. he's the inventor here, no doubt exists in her mind. ]

[That remark makes Clara laugh softly, nose wrinkling up as she shakes her head. The guard helmet that's on her head clinks and clangs as she does, eventually becoming dislodged and sliding off. There's a gasp as she catches it, before returning it to its spot at the front of the line of hats.]

I meant the constant cleaning up of the hats, actually.

[Which is nothing more than a joke, because she never minds getting to clean and organize something. Especially not something that he loves so much.]

It feels like he's getting a new hat on every mission.

[Which is because that's exactly what he's doing.]

[Clara doesn't tell anyone she's still training. Not because she's looking to keep secrets, but because this is something she doesn't feel many other people here would understand. She's not looking to fight on missions any longer, but she still enjoys keeping up this sort of training with Erik. It helps keep her busy and in shape, and it's helping her gain confidence as well.]

You sure about that?

[She teases him, like she's actually providing him with a challenge. She's tiny and he's built like a house, and she's not ever going to be able to properly spar with him. But she still lunges into another attack, simply attempting to keep him from knocking her back on her ass.]

Do you help her tend to them?

[Without waiting for him to answer, she glances his way with a smile. Of course he helps his mother. Silly of her to even bother asking.]

Good boy. [Any young man that helps his mother with something she loves is good in her book. And Yzak has always proven himself to be good, even with his little outbursts he can have sometimes.]

You must miss her, being here.

[ It starts with a couple of steps made backwards with a grin, still watching Clara, still facing the infirmary with all of its sterile tools and beds and all that.

And then he spins on his heel and sets off, knowing Clara will be keeping pace without a problem. (Even with those very short legs of hers. ]

Come along then, Clara.

[ It's just a quick detour back to the kitchens where a cooler bucket waits patiently on the otherwise empty counter; it's a sort of picnic basket of sorts, filled with those aforementioned crepes, different samplings of spreads, and beverages as well.

He pulls this along with him and then sweeps back out into the corridor, only turning to speak to Clara over his shoulder. ]

Still with me?

[She softly gasps as she's pulled into that hug, startled by the intensity of it at first. But all too soon she's leaning up against him and wrapping her arms around him tightly in return.]

There's nothing to apologize for.

[In her mind, the way he had been acting on the mission was because of something the orbs had done to him. She's already forgotten the offense and uncertainty she had felt, her fondness for him serving to deflect any long term consequences for his behavior. He still seems to be suffering from some of the physical manifestations of what had caused him to snap, but also appears to be more level headed and in a better place.

She wants to cry, she's so relieved.]

You, Rhys, are one of my dearest friends. That will never change.

[She hugs him a bit tighter, trying to keep her emotions from spilling out of her. Tears are well and good, but he doesn't need her crying on him. Not when she's asked him to come here to share something beautiful with him.]

[The two of them hurry along, weaving and zipping around the station together. They seem to be in sync with their movements, despite the fact Clara's far shorter legs have to work double time to keep up with his longer strides.]

You've really put thought into this. Real, actual thought.

[She muses, impressed with his efforts. It dawns on her then what this is, and she feels her cheeks burning as they tinge pink. He cares enough about her to go out of his way to do things like this just to make her smile.]

A crepe picnic. Beat that for a date.

[And she can say that without the actual date having started yet. She darts over toward his side that doesn't have hold of the picnic basket, and quietly reaches over toward his hand. Her fingertips brush against his, and for a few moments that's all she allows. Just the slow ghost of a touch every couple of seconds. But eventually her hand slips into his properly.]

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