[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

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.

[herecomesmama]

Vida took a step back and put her hands on her hips. "El, people don't cry if there's nothing wrong. Now, I'm not just your warden. I'm your friend. You just tell Miss Vida what happened, and we'll see if we can make things right."

[villageson]

"How can we make it right? You read my file. You know what I did. How can that ever be made right?" He sounded very upset, his voice cracking slightly before tears started to fall again.

He wiped them away in frustration.

[herecomesmama]

Vida felt around her dress for a moment, then extracted a handkerchief from a hidden pocket in the fabric. Something about getting dressed up made people tend to cry a lot, so she'd taken to carrying these things around. She held it out to him and said, "Dry your eyes. Now, you listen to me, Eleven-Twelve:

"This place is for people to make things right, whether it takes ten minutes or three lifetimes. If there was no way to make things right, you wouldn't be here."

[villageson]

11-12 took the handkerchief but just clutched it tightly in his hand and continued to look despairing.

He took a deep breath and turned his eyes up to Vida again. "I just don't see how. How are you supposed to help me? Why would you even want to?"

[herecomesmama]

She moved one hand to her stomach, then up to her mouth, obviously deep in thought. Obviously, she hadn't explained this place very well to him on their first meeting.

"El, I know it's not the most ideal situation for you - being put in a prison can be difficult, even if it is a reprieve from some afterlife..." She pursed her lips again. "I want to help you because you're a fine young man. I know that deep down, you have a good, caring heart. Do you think a cold-hearted killer would be sitting here, alone in his room on Christmas Eve, regretting his past?"

[villageson]

"So I regret it? That doesn't change the fact that I did it," 11-12 said sadly. "I wish I'd really just died. I don't want to face this."

[herecomesmama]

"Now, part of your rehabilitation is facing what you did. It's accepting responsibility, and for regretting it. But another part is making amends. Making sure you will never again make the same mistakes. Eventually, El, you have to forgive yourself."

She crouched down in front of him. "It's a lot of work. It's overwhelming. But you have me here to help you, to be your guide and friend and to love you and care for you. That's what wardens do."

[villageson]

"... You remind me of my mother. I don't know if that's a bad thing or a good thing," 11-12 said quietly, looking at Vida uncertainly.

"You know all about me, don't you? You have it all in a file. Can you tell me anything about yourself?"

[herecomesmama]

Vida started to respond to the comment about reminding him of his mother, but decided not to. As much as it flattered her, it probably wasn't a good thing for him.

"I know a lot about you, but not all about you, El," she laughed. "I know everything I need to know to help you, but not enough to be your friend. I'll have to learn about you just like everyone else."

She paused. "Now, as for me...Well, there's a lot to tell. The life of Miss Vida Boheme could fill three books. Why don't you ask me what you want to know?"

[villageson]

Since he'd killed his mother, it was a bit disturbing - though it was also oddly comforting. He did love his mother. Besides wanting to get out of the Village he couldn't stand to have seen her so inert any longer.

He thought for a moment. A change of subject away from himself is what he most wanted right now, though he did genuinely want to know more about Vida.

"Where do you come from? What do you like to do? Are you married?" He began, pausing to let her answer.

[herecomesmama]

"Well, I'm from Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania," she began, "and I've lived most of my adult life in New York. I like to shop, I like dresses, I like to read and travel..."

She paused. "I love to go to restaurants and theaters and watch old movies..."

Telling him all of this was very difficult, especially if she wanted to keep her gender under wraps. "I have my own business back in New York, you know. I suppose I like to do anything a career girl likes."

She glanced over the marriage question. She'd hate to have to explain that her past was a train wreck of failed romances - not to mention the laws in New York hadn't quite made room for women like Vida Boheme.

[villageson]

11-12 waited for a moment then noted, "You didn't answer if you were married or not." He looked at her searchingly. If he noticed anything amiss he didn't comment on it.