Post by The Madness Menagerie on Oct 23, 2020 22:29:12 GMT -5
The doctor slips from the room as he watches Mia leave. Belle’s eyes stay wide, unsure how to feel but definitely feeling the effects, her entire arm starting to tremble as Mia stumbles out, knowing she was at fault and willing to accept penance. Amber went out to check on her, unsure what to do otherwise and Belle was fine with that. She barely felt Mac’s hand on her shoulder but couldn’t make out the words that he was saying, her own emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
“Don’t touch me… Please…”
The words were barely a whisper from her lips, but she heard that at least. Mac took his hand off her shoulder as she felt her feet move, unsure where exactly they were taking her. With Mia heading deeper into the hospital, the only logical place Belle could think of in that moment was outside. Fresh air sounded like a good idea, managing her way into the cool evening, she sits on the closest chair she can find, putting her head in her hands and doing her best not to give in to the forever rising tide of emotion threatening to engulf her.
Catalina sprang off the exterior wall of the hospital, abandoning her spot near the door, upon seeing Belle walk outside. Her checkerboard backpack slung over both shoulders, she buried her hands in the pockets of her Vaporeon hoodie. She started to approach Belle, but stopped herself. She examined her phone, checking the time and then forgetting it a moment later. Huffing to herself, she bit the bullet and approached Belle, making it a point to approach from the side so that it wasn’t a sneak attack. “Hey,” she squeaked, her voice uncharacteristically quiet.
Belle jumps slightly at the noise and raises her head to see the Vaporeon hoodie first and foremost. Despite herself she smiles, appreciating a call back to a favorite childhood cartoon. “Oh! Hi, Catalina! Getting a breath of fresh air, it’s kinda stuffy at the moment in there…” She pauses, moving over on the bench she’s on, “Want to join me?”
“Yeah, sure,” Catalina said, easing herself onto the bench. “Hospitals suck. I was gonna come up, but y’know, anxiety and interacting with work people outside of work has the potential to get pretty awkward. Didn’t wanna make a scene. Soooo, I’ve been standing out here for like an hour. Sorry, I probably should’ve come in.”
Belle shakes her head, sitting upright and sniffling, “Completely understandable. Probably for the better anyways, things have happened and I think I might have just given Mia a mild concussion.” She closes her eyes and shrugs helplessly, “Never knew caring about someone would be so… Complicated. But, sorry. Probably not helping with the anxiety thing. I appreciate you coming out though, I can certainly understand hospitals not being the place anyone would really like to go. Anyways, just, thanks for coming.” Belle smiles at Cat, thankful for the company.
“No worries,” says Cat, forcing a smile. “Good job on concussing Mia. Even a mild one’s an accomplishment. If I ask how Zephyr is, is it gonna cause a scene or a meltdown or anything, because I can just ramble about My Hero Academia or Danganronpa or something?”
Belle smiles and shakes her head, “Actually that’s one of the reasons I had to get out here, just got an update…” She shakes her head again and her lip starts to tremble. She shakes her head again though and refuses to stop. “She’s uhm. Doctor’s can’t do anything about Zephyr’s injuries until they can figure out where she hurts most. They can’t pin point that until she’s awake, but they now can’t wake her up. So… They’re stuck and I’m not sure what the next move will be.” Her shoulders sag but she still refuses to give into a meltdown. She made a nonverbal promise to Cat she wouldn’t.
Taking a breath, Cat unpockets her hands. “Look,” she says, “I’m very bad at this kind of thing, so if you need a hug or whatever we can do that or I can just sit here and not talk. Just let me know. This shit sucks and when shit sucks I usually prefer to kick something, whether it’s a heavy bag or a trash can or a head. There are a lot of heads I’d like to kick, personally.” She forces a smile, not her most convincing one.
Belle smiles again, "Thank you…" It was all Belle could think to say that would have some semblance of meaning. She accepts Catalina's offer of a short hug, only lasting a few short seconds because no one wanted to be caught by the social distancing police. It was the gesture that meant something to Belle and suddenly she didn't feel quite as alone as she did. "I appreciate it Cat, I can't begin to say, 'thank you' enough. Don't let me bring the mood down though, how are you doing?"
“Oh, y’know,” Cat says. “Personal drama, career drama. Don’t worry about it. I’ll manage. Hope I’m not the last person to stop by.” She unzips her backpack, pulling out a Kit-Kat bar. She holds it out to Belle.
Grateful for something outside of hospital food, Belle accepts the candy, "I hope none of that drama has to do with Zephyr taking a skillet to the head is it?" Belle snaps the candy in half and offers the other side back to Cat.
Cat takes it, talking through crunches as she chews. “Still don’t feel great about that. I should’ve done more then. I was right there. I should’ve done something this time, too. But I was too caught up in prepping for my match and keeping my half of the tag titles and not thinking about how my actions… Or inactions affect other people. So, residual drama triggered by this drama.”
Belle takes a bite out of her half and chews thoughtfully, "Mia, Amelia, whatever she wanted to call herself at the time takes full credit and claims that it was in the best interest of Zephyr. As it turns out, the new cult people are the ones responsible for turning Zephyr into whatever kind of monster she was when her sister and she debuted. Be that as it may, I can't see Zephyr would want you to blame yourself, for either instance. The first one caught everyone by surprise and at 100?" Belle shrugs, "She would have expected you to be prepping for your match. When she pulls through all of this, however she does it… You'll have to ask her yourself. For now though, I hope my word is good enough." Belle smiles at Catalina and takes another healthy bite.
Cat shrugs. “Guess I’ll have to accept that for now. I’ll apologize in person once she’s back. Meantime, I’ll try to be less caught up my own bullshit.” She shuffles through her backpack as she stands, pulling out a handful of Kit-Kats and presenting them to Belle. “I have a ton of these, by the way, help yourself. And let me know if you need anything. I’m gonna split before I cause a scene with any of the other visitors.” She gives a halfhearted wave.
Belle accepts the candy graciously, "I appreciate you stopping by Cat. Don't feel like you should stay away and…" Belle hesitates slightly trying to find the right words, "Please don't feel like any of this is your fault. You're one of the brightest Carnage has to offer. If there's ever any doubt in your head just ask yourself what Zephyr would tell you?" A knowing smile crosses Belle's lips, "Keep that streak in tact and that belt shiny. I'm sure she'll want another shot at you." Belle winks and gestures to her small horde of candy. "Thanks again Catalina."
Cat nods and heads off as Belle finishes her candy, wadding up the wrapper and sticking it in a nearby trash receptacle. Sighing, she looks up at the hospital windows, maybe not really seeing them for what they were, but what they held within. Her emotions finally getting the better of her, Belle begins weeping and unable to face anything or anyone, runs off into the night.
“Don’t touch me… Please…”
The words were barely a whisper from her lips, but she heard that at least. Mac took his hand off her shoulder as she felt her feet move, unsure where exactly they were taking her. With Mia heading deeper into the hospital, the only logical place Belle could think of in that moment was outside. Fresh air sounded like a good idea, managing her way into the cool evening, she sits on the closest chair she can find, putting her head in her hands and doing her best not to give in to the forever rising tide of emotion threatening to engulf her.
Catalina sprang off the exterior wall of the hospital, abandoning her spot near the door, upon seeing Belle walk outside. Her checkerboard backpack slung over both shoulders, she buried her hands in the pockets of her Vaporeon hoodie. She started to approach Belle, but stopped herself. She examined her phone, checking the time and then forgetting it a moment later. Huffing to herself, she bit the bullet and approached Belle, making it a point to approach from the side so that it wasn’t a sneak attack. “Hey,” she squeaked, her voice uncharacteristically quiet.
Belle jumps slightly at the noise and raises her head to see the Vaporeon hoodie first and foremost. Despite herself she smiles, appreciating a call back to a favorite childhood cartoon. “Oh! Hi, Catalina! Getting a breath of fresh air, it’s kinda stuffy at the moment in there…” She pauses, moving over on the bench she’s on, “Want to join me?”
“Yeah, sure,” Catalina said, easing herself onto the bench. “Hospitals suck. I was gonna come up, but y’know, anxiety and interacting with work people outside of work has the potential to get pretty awkward. Didn’t wanna make a scene. Soooo, I’ve been standing out here for like an hour. Sorry, I probably should’ve come in.”
Belle shakes her head, sitting upright and sniffling, “Completely understandable. Probably for the better anyways, things have happened and I think I might have just given Mia a mild concussion.” She closes her eyes and shrugs helplessly, “Never knew caring about someone would be so… Complicated. But, sorry. Probably not helping with the anxiety thing. I appreciate you coming out though, I can certainly understand hospitals not being the place anyone would really like to go. Anyways, just, thanks for coming.” Belle smiles at Cat, thankful for the company.
“No worries,” says Cat, forcing a smile. “Good job on concussing Mia. Even a mild one’s an accomplishment. If I ask how Zephyr is, is it gonna cause a scene or a meltdown or anything, because I can just ramble about My Hero Academia or Danganronpa or something?”
Belle smiles and shakes her head, “Actually that’s one of the reasons I had to get out here, just got an update…” She shakes her head again and her lip starts to tremble. She shakes her head again though and refuses to stop. “She’s uhm. Doctor’s can’t do anything about Zephyr’s injuries until they can figure out where she hurts most. They can’t pin point that until she’s awake, but they now can’t wake her up. So… They’re stuck and I’m not sure what the next move will be.” Her shoulders sag but she still refuses to give into a meltdown. She made a nonverbal promise to Cat she wouldn’t.
Taking a breath, Cat unpockets her hands. “Look,” she says, “I’m very bad at this kind of thing, so if you need a hug or whatever we can do that or I can just sit here and not talk. Just let me know. This shit sucks and when shit sucks I usually prefer to kick something, whether it’s a heavy bag or a trash can or a head. There are a lot of heads I’d like to kick, personally.” She forces a smile, not her most convincing one.
Belle smiles again, "Thank you…" It was all Belle could think to say that would have some semblance of meaning. She accepts Catalina's offer of a short hug, only lasting a few short seconds because no one wanted to be caught by the social distancing police. It was the gesture that meant something to Belle and suddenly she didn't feel quite as alone as she did. "I appreciate it Cat, I can't begin to say, 'thank you' enough. Don't let me bring the mood down though, how are you doing?"
“Oh, y’know,” Cat says. “Personal drama, career drama. Don’t worry about it. I’ll manage. Hope I’m not the last person to stop by.” She unzips her backpack, pulling out a Kit-Kat bar. She holds it out to Belle.
Grateful for something outside of hospital food, Belle accepts the candy, "I hope none of that drama has to do with Zephyr taking a skillet to the head is it?" Belle snaps the candy in half and offers the other side back to Cat.
Cat takes it, talking through crunches as she chews. “Still don’t feel great about that. I should’ve done more then. I was right there. I should’ve done something this time, too. But I was too caught up in prepping for my match and keeping my half of the tag titles and not thinking about how my actions… Or inactions affect other people. So, residual drama triggered by this drama.”
Belle takes a bite out of her half and chews thoughtfully, "Mia, Amelia, whatever she wanted to call herself at the time takes full credit and claims that it was in the best interest of Zephyr. As it turns out, the new cult people are the ones responsible for turning Zephyr into whatever kind of monster she was when her sister and she debuted. Be that as it may, I can't see Zephyr would want you to blame yourself, for either instance. The first one caught everyone by surprise and at 100?" Belle shrugs, "She would have expected you to be prepping for your match. When she pulls through all of this, however she does it… You'll have to ask her yourself. For now though, I hope my word is good enough." Belle smiles at Catalina and takes another healthy bite.
Cat shrugs. “Guess I’ll have to accept that for now. I’ll apologize in person once she’s back. Meantime, I’ll try to be less caught up my own bullshit.” She shuffles through her backpack as she stands, pulling out a handful of Kit-Kats and presenting them to Belle. “I have a ton of these, by the way, help yourself. And let me know if you need anything. I’m gonna split before I cause a scene with any of the other visitors.” She gives a halfhearted wave.
Belle accepts the candy graciously, "I appreciate you stopping by Cat. Don't feel like you should stay away and…" Belle hesitates slightly trying to find the right words, "Please don't feel like any of this is your fault. You're one of the brightest Carnage has to offer. If there's ever any doubt in your head just ask yourself what Zephyr would tell you?" A knowing smile crosses Belle's lips, "Keep that streak in tact and that belt shiny. I'm sure she'll want another shot at you." Belle winks and gestures to her small horde of candy. "Thanks again Catalina."
Cat nods and heads off as Belle finishes her candy, wadding up the wrapper and sticking it in a nearby trash receptacle. Sighing, she looks up at the hospital windows, maybe not really seeing them for what they were, but what they held within. Her emotions finally getting the better of her, Belle begins weeping and unable to face anything or anyone, runs off into the night.