[Anyone welcome to step in...]

[villageson]

WHO: 11-12, Open! (To anyone may have seen him run out crying, or anyone on the fifth level)
WHAT: An upset 11-12 needs some comforting or tormenting. UPDATE: Uhura has calmed him somewhat but anyone else is free to pop in and see him.
WHEN: After the Christmas party
WHERE: Level Five, Room Twenty
WARNING: Angst? Wrinkling a lovely new Macy's suit

Comments

I'll bite!

[lt_n_uhura]

The Christmas party, though quite uneventful, was a welcome distraction from what was going on with her inmate. Though she felt bad for having fun while he was stuck in zero, she knew that was absolutely illogical. Paddy had made his own choices and he could live with them.

But maybe, just maybe...she should go and check on him. She ducked out with a promise to return after checking on him and stepped out into the hallway. But the Barge would not let her do anything so simple. As soon as she was in a quiet area, the faint sound of crying caught her sensitive hearing.

Curious and just a little apprehensive, she followed the sound all the way to the fifth level, where the accompanying sound of a shutting door made her wonder. Hesitantly, she pushed open the door and stepped inside, shocked to find a figure in hysterics on the bed.

She cleared her throat.

"Is...everything alright?" Obviously not, but she had to preface her entrance with the question...

Thanks!

[villageson]

He barely heard her over his own crying, but 11-12 did catch the end of her question and sat up hurriedly, looking a mess. He wiped at his eyes again and looked distressed.

"Who- who are you?" He hicupped.

[lt_n_uhura]

Uhura stepped forward and knelt down, ignoring the state that her dress uniform would be in. "My name is Uhura. I heard you crying and I came to see if...well, I know that you are not alright, but if there was anything I could do to help? Are you hurt?"

[villageson]

11-12 shook his head. "No, I'm not hurt." At least not physically. "I'm just....," his face screwed up, looking as if we were about to cry again before he took a couple of deep breaths and calmed himself down again. "Some bad memories just caught up with me," he said in a pained murmur.

After Uhura leaves maybe?

[herecomesmama]

Vida hadn't seen 11-12 run out, but she had noticed he was gone after a while. Being the meddlesome woman she was, she decided to go and check on him before bed to see if there was anything he needed and to spread a bit more Christmas cheer to the one person most important to her on the Barge.

She knocked on his door with the backs of her knuckles and leaned close to call out, "El?"

She tried to keep quiet. It was quite late.

That would be good timing, yes!

[villageson]

11-12 had been sitting, kind of just staring into space after Uhura had left. His tears had dried but there was still traces of his having been crying on his face. His eyes, in particular, were very red.

He jumped at the knock and looked guilty as he glanced down at the crumpled suit he was still wearing that Vida had given him earlier for Christmas. It was nothing a good wash and iron couldn't cure but he still felt bad about its present condition.

"C-come in...," he said hesitantly, his eyes looking a little fearfully toward the door.

[herecomesmama]

Vida opened the door with a warm smile, but it faded upon sight of her inmate. Her forehead creased with worry and she pursed her lips. He looked like he'd been crying, definitely.

"El, what happened?" she crossed the room to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "You look terrible!"

She hardly noticed the rumpled suit.

[villageson]

His shoulders hunched nervously. "It's nothing." He didn't want to meet her eyes. "I'm all right. I'll be all right." He sniffed and looked suddenly more miserable than ever.