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It's probably past normal visiting hours at Temple University Hospital, by the time it's dark enough that Kindred can be safely about. But Calamity's been able to finagle with the nurses ("my best friends and my sister work nights, they're basically all I've got..." does a lot when coming from an innocent and scared-looking youth like Calamity...) to allow an exception.
They're currently half reclined in their hospital bed, their phone in their hands, blinking sleepily at the screen. Conscious, but a little out of it.
And one of those best friends shows up fresh from work, which may or may not help, as she's bustling into the hospital room in a full bustle and black veil, black lace gloves on her fingers, it's a look, especially when hit with the harsh fluorescent light of the hospital.
She pauses in the doorway, giving Calamity a long quiet look. Different kind of look. Funny, how words work that way.
"...Look like a ghost who's gonna tell me I gotta avenge your death, or somethin'..." Calamity's voice is rough, but they give Phaedra a weak smile, dropping their phone in their lap to reach for the cup of water on the bedside table.
"How're you?" They ask after they've taken a sip through the straw.
Coincidentally, Rena staggers in soon after Phaedra. She doesn't look scared so much as someone trying to hide all earthly traces of fear and is dressed in her normal clothes.
"Yo," she says to both of them.
It also helps when you can just... Obfuscate your way around unnoticed. Fuck rules. At least when it comes to Calamity's well being, anyway.
Honestly, Finley probably hasn't left much since they found out. They had to go during the day, of course, but at night they were generally lurking nearby, keeping an eye on the nurses that come and go, looking at Calamity's charts--making sure they're getting taken care of properly.
Moments after Phaedra steps into the room, Finley just... appears beside her, wearing their usual long coat, hair tied hanging down over their face.
"You look too fucked up to avenge anything, so it's a good thing I'm not a ghost." Phaedra looks for a nearby surface on which to set a bag, before she glances over her shoulder at Rena, and kinda just...leans into Finley. "I brought comics. And a hairbrush. And some candy bars, because I figure you're not getting any good unhealthy shit here. And also a stuffed animal--don't raise a fuss, just hug on it for a while."
Rena rolls her eyes at the stuffed animal, but does her best to not let Phaedra see.
"Feelin' any better?" she asks, slinking her way to lean on a wall across from the other two, "You good stayin' here till you're patched up?" Hospitals can be tricky places and the way Rena says it implies that if the answer is no, she's ready to lift her sibling out of here.
Finley leans back into Phaedra, zher thin arm lifting to loop around her. There's even a light smooch to her cheeck, for her comfort and zher own. Then zhe looks back to Calamity, staring--seeming to have a hard time looking at the mortal for very long.
Calamity jumps a little in surprise when Finley appears - it never stops being weird when someone suddenly becomes visible. But they laugh softly at Phaedra before wrinkling their nose in mock annoyance at the stuffed animal.
"'M too beat to shit to complain 'bout it...fuck me, I could go for some chocolate though. Thanks. I uh..." they turn their head to Rena. "Feelin'...I mean as long as the painkillers don't wear off 'm fine. Kinda ready to get the fuck out, though. Hopin' they'll let me go tomorrow. 'F not I might...need some help with it."
"Chocolate, I've got." She reaches into the bag, pulling out a Kitkat bar and a stuffed albino bat plush with black fabric with silver stars lining the wings and the inside of the ears and big red eyes. "Also, you should listen to the nice doctors and stay if they want you to stay another day, maybe."
"I'll get you out of here if shit's rough but yeah, Phaedra's right. Stayin' here is better than not. You still wanna go though, I'll piggyback you on out of here," Rena says, stretching her right arm until the elbow makes a satisfying pop.
"And I gotta ask: are the cops on you for this, Bug?"
It's a very brief thing, but most of the room manages to catch it regardless. There's a ridiculously burly dude at the room's inward-facing window. He's wearing a heavy revolver stuffed into the waistband of his pants, and wearing a yellow bandana around his neck. The right half of his body is charred -- so badly that the bone can be seen in places -- and he's wearing a twisted expression of agony on his ruined features.
He opens his mouth as if to speak, and dark - almost impossibly so- smoke billows forth from his lips.
By the time the smoke clears, the man is gone.
"...Okay that's adorable though." Calamity makes grabby hands with their left hand, grinning at the plush bat. "Doctors dunno how fast I heal. I'll be fine." There's a long pause, as they consider Rena's question. "Dunno," They finally mutter. "But I'm not chained to my bed, so that...what thefuck." Their face has gone even paler, their eyes wide as they stare at the window. "D'you..." their voice shakes. "Tell me one'a you saw that."
Phaedra misses the thing completely, busy with chocolate and watching Calamity's reaction to the bat. "Saw what?"
...it's Phaedra.
"HOLYFUCKWHATWASTHAT," spills out of Rena's mouth. Her eyes turn pitch black for a brief second as she scans the room for ghosts and spirits, looking scared like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Finley had jolted in surprise and alarm, eyes wide--but half-stepped in front of Phaedra in the process.
"I... I saw it. What---? Is that... Who was that?" They turn their wide eyes upon Calamity.
"There was some...weird shit that went down, I..." Calamity swallows, calming down a little after the ghostly yellow jacket disappears. "'S prob'ly part of it, I...don't wanna talk about it too much here. But like...ghosts are a thing, right? I think the uh...th' explosion mighta killed one of 'em." Their voice gets quiet. "Yellow Jackets showed up on my turf, tryin' to finish what they fuckin started. Didn't have backup, and...one'a the fuckers pulled a gun. Tried not to use fire, or any'a my shit, but I can't always control it..."
"Ghosts are definitely a thing, Calamity." Phaedra looks at Rena. "You're probably the best to determine if there's one around here. Better than me, with this. Spirits, I can talk to, erm, with some set-up, but I'm pretty useless for ghosts, unless they're manifested."
Calamity grimaces. "I...I mean there shouldn't be a ghost, I...I didn't mean to - I had to defend myself..." They reach out with their good arm, trying to catch Finley's hand to hold.
"I don't think ghosts care about things like that," Finley says softly. Zhe steps over quickly, taking Calamity's hand to lace fingers through theirs. "I'm sorry..."
Phaedra purses her lips, looking around the room. "...not much of your stuff here, it's probably anchored directly to you. You know Nevermore, right? You should probably talk to them, because this seems like it's gonna be a haunting, and that's...not going to be fun for anyone involved."
"...Okay. Yeah, I know 'em." Calamity nods meekly at Phaedra. Their hand in Finley's is trembling. "Was uh...was there a news report on it or anything? What're people saying happened?"
"I don't think they know what happened," Finley says. "It didn't seem like they blamed you. I think they think someone put a bomb in there..."
"You're being painted as a victim. Apparently there's someone else who was injured, might also be in this hospital." Phaedra crosses her arms over her chest, looking around the room slowly.
"Yeah there were...two left. Th'other two fuckin booked it when I burnt the guy in charge. They cornered me in the bodega 'cause I forgot to lock the fuckin' door..." Calamity disentangles their hand from Finley's just long enough to get their water, and after they've taken a drink they return it, clinging to zhem like they're afraid zhe'll disappear if they let go.
"I took their bandannas. Both of 'em...weren't right. They...they said the shit I told you, last time we ran into 'em..." Calamity looks at Finley here, their expression guilty as they remind zhem of the memory. "Just repeated it back to me, but not in normal voices. I - I can still hear it, it's..." They trail off with a shake of their head. "Figured you might be able to figure out what the fuck was up with 'em, Phae..."
"Do you got them here with you?" She pulls off her gloves, stuffing them down the front of her dress in a relatively undignified manner.
"...Fuck, Bug," is all Rena has to say for a while. "If this is ghost shit, I can punch ghosts if they try to come for you so I can probably keep you safe, but I also don't know if I can stay with you 24-7 or if you'd even want me to."
"...Bandannas're wherever the rest of my shit is, I shoved 'em in my pocket...?" Calamity tries to sit up to get a better look around the room. There's a clear plastic bag next to the chair, with Calamity's lighter, a pair of jeans, a pocket knife, boots, and three bandannas. One dark green, and two yellow.
"I dunno what shit it is," they say to Rena, "but...it's fucked up, it...I never killed anyone before." They last part comes out in a shuddering hiss, and they eye the door like they're afraid someone's gonna come walking in and hear it.
Finley sits down on the edge of the bed, keeping hold of Calamity's hand. Zhe stares at them, lips twisted with helpless concern. The mention of them acting strangely has Fin looking faintly nauseous, and zhe looks away to stare at a wall guiltily.
"Can someone please watch my back while I get touchy with the bandanas, in case it's a bad vision or anything?" As she says this, she looks at Rena uncertainly, then steps over to the bag with Calamity's stuff, clearly about to do the thing whether someone's actually got her ass or not.
"Hey, uh, good news bad news!" Rena says, her voice quieter than usual, "Bad news: the ghost is staring at us right now. Good news: I don't think its mad? Just unhappy." She looks around uncertainly. "Should I punch it?"
"NO." Calamity's voice is quiet, but determined. "Just...leave it the fuck alone, I don't wanna deal with it right now if I don't gotta. Help Phae, make sure shit doesn't go bad." They're probably more demanding than either Phaedra of Finley has heard before, but Rena's definitely been on the end of this kind of thing. Siblings just be like that sometimes.
Finley looks very disturbed at the thought of an invisible ghost just.... lurking around watching them, giving quick looks around with a deep frown. But they don't move from Calamity's side.
She lays her hands on the bandana and closes her eyes for a moment, going very still while the images flash before her eyes. Silent for a moment, not bothering to feign breathing.
Rena gives Calamity a sloppy salute amd puts herself between the ghost and Phaedra. "We'll get this solved," she says, giving them a determined look. "Between the four of us, we can solve just 'bout anything, I bet."
Calamity, in turn, scoots closer to Finley, grimacing slightly as they jostle their shoulder. They recover quickly though, and slip their hand from Finley's to curl their arm around zher waist possessively.
"You...good?" They ask zhem quietly.
"You two gotta work together 'f you wanna solve shit - which it looks like you're doin'. So that's good." Calamity nods at Rena. "An' like...you prob'ly don't gotta get this solved now...right?"
"It's...there was deep sorrow, and mourning, even before the explosion. A funeral with an empty casket. A mother crying at the graveside. The ghost, it was definitely possessing the Yellowjackets you saw, Calamity. Might mean we've got two ghosts to deal with, maybe, now. Separate ones. Maybe. The other one was possessing the other Yellowjackets, it might be anchored to them."
A pause, Phaedra opens her eyes, shuddering. "He was afraid of dogs, and he was afraid of dying, the one who wore this bandana."
"You said... the others were acting strangely... and that was before the fire?" Finley asks Calamity softly. "Does that mean there's... maybe... other ghosts, too? That I made...?"
Finley grimaces as Phaedra confirms that.
Rena cracks a someone inappropriate grin. "So he was afraid of things it was smart to be afraid of."
And then Finley says that and she turns towards zhem, smile dropping. "Hey, it ain't your fault! You weren't in control."
Calamity's pale again by the time Phaedra finishes talking. "That...fuck, I...fuck. No, none'a them were acting weird before I burnt'em. Two ran away, an' the other two...got weird. Rena's right. It ain't your fault." Calamity squeezes Finley's waist.
"Hoped the bandannas'd say somethin' to you - 's why I snagged 'em." They give Phaedra a little grin and a nod. "'M...sorry you had to see all that shit, though. It...makes 'em kinda human. Like..." they trail off when they can't find the words.
Phaedra pulls out the lace gloves from her cleavage, puts them back on, and closes her eyes. "Anyway, not a big deal. I'm glad I could help. Definitely consider calling Nevermore or something."
Finley gives Phaedra a strained but grateful look. "Thanks for looking." Zhe looks towards Rena. "Do you think it'd be better to just destroy them, or...?"
"Thanks for...showin' up, too. Not even for that, it's...'s nice to see you. Does um...d'you name this?" They nudge the stuffed bat with their elbow, and frown slightly at Finley and Rena. "I don't...I don't wanna destroy more shit. Unless we really gotta."
"...Phae can I have a hug, 'fore you gotta go? I'm mostly not broken." Their grin is a little strained, but it's there.
"I'm gonna be honest, I don't know shit about ghosts. If Bug says not to fight, I ain't gonna fight." Rena shrugs. "It was good to see you again, Phaedra. We should probably, you know, talk some time like adults."
"...not right now? Please?" Phaedra gives Rena a bit of a sheepish look. "I...need a moment. Maybe more than a moment."
She does move toward Calamity, for a quick hug, gentle and careful--and very pointedly not making direct skin contact at the moment because damn her head's a little messy after that vision.. "I didn't name the bat. You get to name it for yourself."
"Okay," Finley replies with a nod of understanding, then smiles towards Phaedra.
Calamity disengages from Finley to wrap their good arm around Phaedra, giving her a weak squeeze and possibly not so careful not to touch her skin. They are on a hell of a lot of painkillers, after all. "Thank you. Maybe I'll be out, next time I see you." They settle back into the bed after, and drape their arm across Finley again. "I'll think up a really good name for it."
"Batheny? Rebatcca?" Rena suggests for the bat's name. "'nd yeah, not now."
She steps back and mimes taking a picture of Fin and Calamity. "You two are fucking adorable. Er, the three of you if we count your bat kid."
Phaedra...she just about absconds, at this point. Like, for someone who doesn't have Obfuscate, she makes herself gone quickly.
Finley blinks as the picture is snapped, their features distorted due to the beast. But when Phaedra rushes out, Finley frowns with obvious concern, watching her go.
"Shuddup," Calamity mutters at Rena. "I um...whatever Phae saw was probably...not good. Like...fuckin' violent, it...I...I burned him so bad...on purpose."
"He attacked you. It was self defense. She better understand that," Rena huffs. "You two wanna be alone or are you cool with me being the third wheel?"
"I'll check on her later," Finley murmurs. At the question they glance towards Calamity, letting them side and clearly not bothered either way.
"'S not what I mean Rena, 's just prob'ly pretty shitty to have to see it. Soon's I'm outta here I wanna check on her, too. Make sure she's okay after seein' that shit. I mean I don't care, we're not gonna start makin' out or anything..." They offer a small smile at the two of them, and start trying to unwrap the illicit KitKat that Phaedra left them.
A little hard to do when their dominant arm is pretty completely immobilized.
"Need help there, Big Bug?" Rena asks, doing her best to not sound like she's pitying them. "And yeah, please no making out. I don't want to barf all over both of you."
Finley's head dips embarrassedly, looking away. "We're not. I... We wouldn't... Not while Calamity is so hurt." They bite their lip, then exhales a heavy sigh. "You'll be okay, Calamity. We'll... work out all this ghost stuff. Okay?"
Calamity fiddles with the wrapper for a few more seconds before they gesture to Rena with a frustrated grumble.
"Honestly...'m less fucked up by the ghost shit than the shit that already happened....but 's whatever. I'll deal."
"Yeah, alright, Bug. If that's your story, who am I to contradict it?" Rena says, giving a look. The look then switches to Finley. "In what world is kissing something you need a doctor's note for?"
Finley stares for a long moment towards Calamity, but doesn't say anything. For now.
Rena's comment makes them blink and sputter. "Ah--it's--it's not, just... that's not what I meant..."
Calamity barks out a rough laugh at Rena, which turns into a slightly pained gasp as their shoulder protests. "Jesus fuck, Rena, warn a dude 'fore you say that shit...you gonna open my KitKat or what?" Their arm gets a little tighter around Finley though, like they're trying to reassure zhem. But they're very focused on the chocolate, definitely avoiding eye contact.
Rena does as told, coming over and deftly popping the wrapper open. "Fuck, I want candy now," she says, making a noise with her tongue and teeth. "Fin, what was your favorite candy?"
Finley frowns. "Do you need more pain killers? Is the pain getting too bad?" Zher hand rubs gently over Calamity's back, soothingly.
The question makes zhem pause. "Um... I like dark chocolate the best. Especially when it's mixed with tart fruit--um, like raspberry and oranges."
"Mmmph. 'F I take more I'll prolly fall asleep, 's no fun for either'a yinz...an' it's only really bad when I gotta move. But seriously..." Calamity gestures to the IV, "I'm so ready to be done with this shit, just give me some fuckin' Percoset and send me the fuck home..." they fall silent as Finley starts to talk about the candy they used to eat, and take a small bite from the KitKat. Without breaking it in half.
"What the fuck is wrong with you, you fucking animal," Rena says, watching Calamity commit a capital food crime. "When you do get home, be careful with the downers. Shit's real good." She scratches at her arm.
"Fuck, you ever had salted dark chocolate? That shit's the best," she says to Fin, all but drooling.
Finley can't help but giggle a bit at Rena's comment, not teasing Calamity zhemself but definitely giving them a weird, amused look. "Oh... Yeah! That's really good too. Mostly I just don't like things that are too sweet. Some bitterness thrown in to help cut it is good. Now I want chocolate too..."
Calamity scoffs at Rena and raises their eyebrows. "You wanna break it in half for me? An' yeah, I've seen what that shit can do, but I'm not gonna try t'be a hero and deal with the pain without it." They stick their tongue out at Finley when zhe giggles. "'S not fair, both'a you can't tease me when I'm in the fuckn' hospital..."
Rena walks back over and snaps the kitkat in twain. "You get to order me around and I get to tease you mercilessly. It's a fair deal, I think." She sticks out her tongue.
"Do you still eat food, Fin? I haven't eaten real food in for-fucking-ever."
Finley watches the two, smiling fondly as they take in the sibling antics.
"I do, sometimes. Well... I don't really swallow, usually. But sometimes I'll taste things." They nod.
"Man...dunno what I'd do 'f i had to give up eating food..." With the KitKat properly broken, Calamity monch. They hum happily, and lean back into the bed.
"It fuckin' sucks," Rena says, throwing up her hands, "I want hashbrowns so bad." She pauses. "Wait a minute, you don't puke if you just taste it? This is a game changer!"
"You just gotta make sure you don't swallow." Finley bobs zher head. "Chocolate is harder to not swallow though cause it melts, but sometimes it's worth it..."
"Sounds kinda awful - but I guess hurling it all up's a lot worse." Calamity grimaces and continues to eat their chocolate. "Just that part'a bein'..." they gesture to the two Kindred rather than say anything outright, "makes it sound not even worth it. Even if there's a lotta other shit you can do."
Rena clams up. She just leans back on her wall and doesn't say a thing. Her eyes look at Calamity sadly.
Finley also... falls quiet, not seeming to know what to say. But clearly they agree. It's not worth it.
"...Fuck. Um. 'M sorry, that...sorry." They finish their chocolate in silence, and then sit up a little more to give Finley a gentle kiss on zher shoulder. And look to Rean, daring her to comment.
Rena just smiles softly. They're in the hospital, they deserve a kiss. "No biggy, Buggy. I know what you meant"
"It's okay," Finley assures softly, and smiles softly at the kiss. Zhe returns it with a light smooch to Calamity's temple. "Your brain isn't exactly working at full capacity right now."
Calamity grimaces. "Yeah well. Getting fuckin' shot'll do that to ya. 'Case you were wonderin' how it feels....Not Great. Zero outta ten, do not recommend."
"Want me to try to steal you some bonus pain meds?" Rena stops to think for a second. "Wait, Huck, would more pain meds hurt them?"
"They could take an upped dosage before it'd start getting dangerous, but I wouldn't want them to take too much more..." Finley frowns worriedly at Calamity.
"'S long's it's not gonna kill me..." Calamity huffs in amusement. "I got this...thing," they pick up a push button control, "that'll give me shit, but 's on a timer I think. 'S almost enough, usually."
"Should I just wait then? Until you're standin' up on your own, your wish is my command," Rena says, doing a butler-ly bow.
Finley giggles at Rena bows, then looks towards Calamity. "I think you should listen to the doctors, for now. But if it gets too bad, just let us know. We're not gonna let you be in pain."
"...Yeah, you're prob'ly right. I'm uh...'f they don't let me leave tomorrow I'm just gonna fuckin' do it, though. I will. This shit sucks, I wanna go back to your place and just...not be here."
"I think Fin's might be the safest place for you."
Rena looks away, "And not to be a buzzkill, but you probably should stay clear of Yellowjacket territory till you're back to fine. If they retaliate..." she trails off.
"Just... rest, tonight. We'll see how you feel tomorrow, okay?" Finley says softly, squeezing their hand. Zhe grimaces. "Rena is right..."
Calamity glares at Rena. "Been in Yellow Jacket territory once. One time, at a fuckin bus stop with Phae, not even on purpose. 'S not me who's kicking shit up, it's all them. They were the ones who showed up in Hunting Park last night, on our turf. I didn't do shit 'cept defend what's mine."
"Oh. Oh fuck. I didn't know that. Mind if I go teach 'em a lesson later?" Rena asks, cracking her knuckles. "Cause I'm down to hurt every single fucker as much as they hurt you."
Finley frowns, but stays quiet.
"Uh. Guy wanted t'do the same thing, but I told him it wasn't his gig. An' the guys were talkin' about goin' down there, too..." Calamity frowns. "I don't want 'em t'hurt you. An'...so far this's the only shit that's made the news, but 'f more of 'em end up dead...I don't want anyone to point fingers. 'Cause they're gonna be pointed at me. Told Guy the same thing."
In her time away, Phaedra has washed off her makeup. Showered. Changed clothes. Gotten a bite to eat. She's even blushed up properly when she returns, lingering in the doorway rather than coming inside right away again.
Rena flops back to the wall. "Fine. Fucking fine. I won't do anything." It's not too hard to tell that she's less mad at Calamity than her own inability to do things.
Finley's shoulders sink a bit, but they perk when Phaedra appears, offering her a soft smile. "Welcome back. Are you ok...?"
"I mean 's not like I can stop you, 'm just sayin' what I said to Guy..." Calamity is a little defensive in response to Rena's frustration, but they perk up as well when Phaedra appears. "Hey, you."
"Yeah, I'm okay. Not super, but I'm better than Calamity, so I really can't complain." She steps in the room, closer to the hospital bed, and kisses the top of Calamity's head.
"Hey, Phaedra," Rena says, giving a head tilt of acknowledgement.
"And nah, if you don't want me to, I won't. And if Guy thinks it's a bad idea it probably means he won't bail me out. If they ever step to me though, they'll wish they'd never so much as touched you."
"Anything you need?" Finley asks Phaedra softly.
"'S not a fuckin' contest, Phae." Calamity grins tiredly at the kiss. "An' bein' better'n me ain't really saying much...Readin' that shit looks like it sucked hardcore. Yeah?"
"That's what I'm here for, reading shit like that. Hell, Finley's seen me worse off after I did a thing. I just...can I hang out for a bit instead of going home and being alone? Would you all mind?" At the word 'all', she glances at each of them briefly, leaving Rena for last. "This sort of stuff, it's pretty creepy and offputting and ghosts aren't supposed to be a buy-one, get-one-free thing, and I'm worried."
"You're here for bein' a person. Not for doin' shit," Rena says, shrugging. "Stay if you want. Don't want you to be home alone if you ain't comfortable with it, you know?"
"Of course you can stay," Finley replies without hesitation, reaching out to take her hand to hold, if allowed.
"Yeah. C'mere." Calamity's good arm is around Finley still, but they gesture with their head for Phaedra to come sit, snuggling a little closer to Finley to give her room.
She accepts both the seat and Finley's hand, squeezing tight for a moment before loosening to something sustainable. "Thank you."
Rena stands back aloof and not at all sad that she didn't get pulled into a snuggle. She's too cool to want a hug.
Finley scoots to make room as well, then looks up to stare at Rena. Zher lips purse, then zher hand lifts to wave her over. "Come on, you don't gotta pretend you don't want to sit with us..."
"...Get your ass over here." Calamity huffs, and shakes their head with a smile. "Unless you're too cool to hug your sib who just got themself shot, or whatever."
"Please, Rena?" Phaedra's voice is soft, as she moves to make more room. "I know we still need to talk. But...please, just for right now?"
"Only cause Bug is asking," Rena lies, as she goes to cuddle up with the other three. It's a tight fit, but fortunately Rena is a noodle so she doesn't take up much room. She makes sure to give Calamity the best hug she can that doesn't end up hurting them more before sitting back down. "Anyone asks, I'm not a hugger," she says seriously.
"It's okay, we know that's a lie," Finley murmurs with a soft smile towards Rena.
"Uh huh. Sure." Calamity grins at Rena and sighs happily into the hug, and moves again with a slight grimace to give them all room on the bed. "All'a yinz...'re the best. For bein' here, an' dealing with my shit with me."
Phaedra tilts her head to one side. "Why would anyone ask us if you're a hugger to begin with?" For her own part, she's content to melt into the cuddle puddle, careful not to rest too much weight on Calamity, or to impose too much on Rena's personal space.
"You're the best, you Yinzing sack of crap," Rena says, barely stopping herself from slugging them in the arm. "And I dunno, but if anyone ever asks, 'Is Rena cool or is she a big softie' the answer is that she's super cool and not soft."
"I dunno why you can't be super cool and soft..." Finley mutters, but is content to cuddle into the pile.
"Exactly...you can totally be both. An' like...you are both. Even when you call me names." Calamity bleps at Rena and snuggles into the pile. "Might just...get my meds and fall asleep like this..."
"Careful, if the nurses come in while we're all piled in like this, they might have an issue with it or something. But...I don't mind if you fall asleep. It'll give your body time to heal." She nuzzles lightly against Cal, before looking at Rena. "See, I'm afraid to talk about you being both, because I don't want to say the wrong thing and make you upset with me again."
"We shouldn't do this with Bug here," Rena says, trying to readjust her body so the fit is nicer for everyone. It ends with a leg outside of the bed and her body pretty well pretzeled. "I don't want them to have to mediate if shit gets heated."
"Might help t'have someone in the middle..." Calamity mutters, and nuzzles Phaedra back.
"Fine. I'll wait." She ducks her head, not fighting Rena at all, just...dropping it.
"Bug, if you actually want us to go off, we can," Rena says, thankful that not being blushed hides most signs of nervousness. "But only if you don't think it'd be rough on you."
"Yinz gotta talk sometime, might's well be now. Least you won't like...get physical 'f I'm right here." A beat. "Right? 'S not gonna be somethin' where both'a you lose control?"
Phaedra glances at Rena, and then down at her hands. "I don't think we're going to lose control over this. Someone will walk away before it gets to that."
"Yeah, it takes more than words in my experience," Rena says, letting out a deep breath that she doesn't need for any reason but balancing herself. "So, wanna go first? Bitch me out?"
Calamity shifts with a grimace, 'cause there's only so comfortable they can get as bandaged as they are, and just kinda...waits. Their free hand absently plays with Phaedra's hair, but they don't say anything, just lets the two Kindred talk.
So here's the thing. Not having to actually breathe means sometimes you can have a run-on sentence that has no stops for air, that just goes on-and-on-and-on.
"I don't know how to be myself around you without fucking up and so last time I tried saying nothing at all and I still fucked up by doing that and I'm scared that nothing I do or say or am is going to be comfortable or safe for you and I don't know if I really want to apologize for who I am so I don't know where to go from here with you except that where we are isn't an okay place to be and it hurts a little every time I see you because I feel like there's nothing I can do that's right and the worst part of it all is that I kinda still want to kiss you again."
"So. Cards on the table," Rena says, after she takes a few seconds to process all of what was just said to her. "The silent treatment was some shit my dad used to do to me when he didn't even wanna look at me. Shit hurt a lot. And I thought you were doin' the same to me. And that hurt. So I got pissy because then you were lookin' at Bug and Guy and they weren't sayin' anything and I was-" Rena stops and rubs her eyes with her hand. "Fuck. Sorry. Shouldn't have gone on like that."
"...Rena 'f my arm wasn't fucked I'd be hugging you too. Just...yeah." Calamity gives Phaedra a squeeze and Rena a gentle butt with their head.
"I really wasn't trying to do that to you, honest. And I won't do it again, now that I know. I was just scared that I'd make everything worse. I was, um. In Guy's head trying to ask for advice, because he knows how not to upset you, better than I do. Because you and him are close. So that's...kinda what some of those looks were about. The internal running commentary stuff. It was definitely not all about you."
"Yeah, I shoulda figured it was somethin' like that," Rena says, steadfastly looking away, "Shouldn't have brought that up, fuck. Neither of you fucks better pity me. Just. Is it possible for you to talk to me in the future without pokin' at my sore spots? Because if it ain't then I don't know if this is a mendable friendship. I don't need my thoughts pointed out to me, you know?"
Calamity nudges Rena gently. "Yeah you should'a brought that up, 's kinda hard for people to avoid shit they don't know about..."
"I'm trying not to poke right now. I've been trying. Can you try not so hard to hide right in front of me? It feels a little bit like I'm being lied to, sometimes, how hard you work to cover up everything you feel and think. Like...like you're not going to let me get to know who you are. And I want to, because I think you're pretty okay. And I think you're pretty, okay?"
Rena pauses to think that over. "I can try, but not if we're around people who I don't know as well as you guys. I don't want my soft marshmallowy inside to be the first thing people see, you know?" She takes another second before saying, "would it work for you if, when I'm hiding something from you and I don't catch it, you make a bzzt sound like on a game show? That way it wouldn't feel as... needley?"
"And you're pretty too."
If only Calamity was familiar with the concept of a conversational safeword. That sure would be helpful, wouldn't it? But they're not, and they ain't got shit to say. They do smile when the two Kindred exchange compliments though, and Phaedra gets another squeeze while Rena's shoulder is gently headbutted again.
"That feels sort of juvenile to me, making a 'bzzt' sound. I don't want to treat you like some game I'm trying to win."
"Okay, but pretendin' we come up with a noise or word that works, does the idea seem good to you?" Rena says, nudging Calamity's head with her shoulder during the butting. "I just need somethin' that doesn't make me feel as much like people knowing I'm weak, you know?"
"That might work. Though...I don't think you're weak at all. I think...mm." She stops herself, shaking her head with a hint of a soft little smile. "Sorry. I was about to say something too much."
"So, when you say stuff like that it makes me want to hear it," Rena says, smiling at Phaedra for the first time in too long.
"I think there's a difference between being weak and having been hurt. You've been through shit, but you've survived it all and that's amazing. Okay?" Phaedra cautiously reaches our toward Rena's hand. "I know you're really protective of your you, and you don't want to seem weak, but I think part of that might also be not wanting people to know what you've dealt with. The shit you're carrying with you."
"I went through a lot of shit. If people knew about all of it, they'd pity me," Rena confirms. "And I hate the way people treat me when they think I need them."
"'S the fucking worst..." Calamity agrees in a mutter.
"Especially when it's coming from people who don't really know what it's like. Who haven't been there." She nods a bit, and finally does touch Rena's hand. Gently.
Rena doesn't flinch at the hand touch. Just smiles a little. "At least we can all agree on that. I'm glad you get this, Phaedra. It makes this all less awful, you know?"
"She does get it - I sure 's fuck wouldn't be friends with her otherwise..." Calamity gives Phaedra a tired smile, and lets their head fall back on the pillow.
"...time to sleep, Calamity?" She favors them with a fond smile, curling up close to Rena so she's not laying against Clammy so much.
"Uh huh." Their hand drops off from Phaedra's shoulders and a moment later they hold up the push button for their IV triumphantly. "Glad yinz figured your shit out, don't fuckin' make out in my bed or anything. 'F I'm not allowed with Fin, yinz aren't allowed..."
"Don't worry, I don't think we're anywhere near that yet," Rena says. She then gives them what is possibly the gentlest noogie to ever be performed.
"We might get there are some point. Not in your bed, though, that'd be weird." She laughs.
"Yeah please no..." Calamity's heart rate slows a little as the meds hit their system, and they drape their arm over Phaedra again. "Gonna stay here 'til the nurses yell at you?" They blink at the Kindred cuddled in their bed.
"If you're cool with that," Rena shrugs the best she can in a bed this crowded. "I figure you might want to stretch and not bump into all of us at some point in time."
"And eventually it's going to be morning, and we can't stay because corpses found in a hospital tend to be considered a bad thing. Even if there's no windows in here."
"'S better'n wakin' up screamin' from a nightmare 'bout ghosts an' bein' alone." Calamity closes their eyes with a slow breath, and relaxes into the bed. "I know yinz gotta leave b'fore morning, but...not yet?"
"Not yet," Rena says, firmly.
"Definitely not yet. It's comfy here." She curls up a little bit more. Ignore the boots on the bed.
Calamity's phone blips and lights up on their lap, and they crack an eye open to look at it. "Huh. Sturm's gonna come back in the morning. You met her yet, Phae?" Their voice is quiet, tired. They sound half asleep already.
She shakes her head. "Don't think so, no. But if she's a friend of yours, I want to."
"She's pretty cool. Taller than me." Rena nods approvingly.
"She's the one got me into comics...kinda a hardass but..." Calamity trails off, their breathing slow and even.
Phaedra smiles, tucking the blankets in around them gently. "Sleep sweet..."
"They out?" Rena asks, looking them over.
"Yeah. Completely out. Almost makes me miss normal sleep, like naps and stuff?"
"It's weird the things you miss, you know? Like who'd a thought I'd be getting nostalgic for getting tired and passing out like a normal person."
"I miss food a lot. And especially, like...cooking. We used to cook dinner together on the farm, and it was the best time of day, because none of the men ever came into the kitchen. So it was like. Me and my mom, and maybe one or two of my aunts or cousins..."
"What was your favorite thing to cook?" Rena asks, softly petting Calamity's hair.
"Casseroles. They were pretty easy, and didn't need to constantly be stirred or watched. I also--don't laugh--used to enjoy things like making butter and taking care of the animals. That was all before my uncle found out I was psychic. I wasn't allowed to do work with the rest of the family after that."
"Why would I laugh? You're telling me about your shitheel family. 's not exactly an explosion of comedy."
"Mm. There were good moments on the farm sometimes. I just...I never really talk about those." She shrugs. "I met a mage once, who kept chickens. She once let me drain the blood from one of them, so I could help her cook chicken soup with it."
"You ever think about getting chickens for your current place? Or any animal really." Rena pauses. "In the interest of honesty, I should say that I'm so afraid of dogs that if you get one, I won't be able to come over."
"I mean, I've thought about it. Never done anything serious with the thoughts. Are you...can you feed from chickens, still?"
"I could, yeah, I'd just feel bad sucking a bird dry," Rena admits.
"That's fair, I suppose." She nods slightly. "Sometimes, I chase down and feed from deer out in my woods, but I never drain those completely."
"I have...complicated feelings about killing. That, uh, I don't know if I want to get into here and now. But some point we can talk about that, if you want me to keep being honest with you."
"...maybe. I also have complicated feelings, but they're tied up with Circle philosophy and mostly relate to people? It's...a thing." She shrugs. "But we don't have to talk about that soon. For now, just...this is good enough. Yeah, this is very good."
"This is good." Rena agrees.
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