2/2 TL;DR max is sitting at the railing too.youdamanApril 8 2010, 00:04:08 UTC
As her sneakers hit the wood of the deck she chewed on her lip and started to wonder what might be going on back in Washington, if things were okay with Cindy and Sketchy and if life was just normal for them. Hopefully they weren’t worrying about her. The hugs she’d received upon seeing them again were a small pittance for her, the memory brought her solace and a small smile turned the corners of her lips as she moved an unsteady hand to push her fringe back from her head.
It was hard not to think about how sick she was, or how bad she was feeling, because up until this point she hadn’t been anything close to ill in two years. She had gotten by just fine on her own and with her genetic altercations keeping her up right she never had to worry about crashing or feeling any less than what she was. She was silently grateful that no one had gotten into any trouble that required her assistance. Usually Sexby called upon her when the harder things needed tackling and apart from what happened in the kitchen things had been well. She’d been planning to go visit Inara in the sick bay to see if she needed anything but she knew she couldn’t go down there without McCoy noticing something wasn’t right with her either, so she’d stayed away.
With an evident sigh Max stepped up to the railing and leaned her elbows across the railing and looked out to the swirling textures of the ship passing between worlds and she tried to steady her breathing, they started out in shuddered breaths and began to slowly coax to a fluid and slow breath through her mouth and out of her nose. It was nice, just the temperature of the deck and the fact that it didn’t hold the looming feeling of solitude that her room did. She knew that there were other people about, and she enjoyed the fact that she was around them, but at the moment she welcomed the lack of chill the scenery that barge was providing.
Gabriel sidled over without a word, the moment he noticed her arrive, until his elbow was just barely brushing against hers. "You know... I actually thought it was a literal boat there for awhile. Y'know, oceans, maybe some dolphins. This is... Interesting. In a bleak, mostly empty vastness of space sort of way."
Typical Gabe, consoling unhappiness with a good sense of humor a feigned decent outlook.
Max slipped the sleeves of her jacket over her hands and gripped the bar in front of her before turning her head on her neck to give Gabe a once over and a kind smile.
"It's not so bad though, the abyss. It's nice it's own sort of... ominously pretty way?" Even she knew that it sounded ridiculous.
Gabriel planted his feet over one side of the railing and leaned over about as far as he dared... Which was far enough to be concerning. "I think the base word of abysmal is abyss, but it's got its charms. I guess. If you like the swirling black void look."
He leaned back a bit. "I think a few pandimensional dolphins would give it a more... I dunno. Homey touch?"
"...Oh right. We're supposed to be doin' that. Damn. I keep forgetting this isn't a luxury cruise." He rolled his eyes and then took a moment to look at her. She looked somehow worse than the last time he saw her and something was wrong. He could tell, even without looking.
Gabriel sidled a little closer so that his chin was almost resting on her shoulder. "Lying to an angel. That's... I dunno. Probably a sin. Although, if we're counting sins, my list is way longer."
Gabriel flopped against the railing, looking briefly agitated before finally slipping back into a neutral expression. When he spoke, his voice was eerily quiet. "That's not how this works, y'know? Not that I have the common sense Dad gave a fig newton about how this works... How any of it works. But I know that much."
Max just gave a visibly shudder and cradled herself closer. She knew what was coming, she could feel her hands shaking against her sides and the twitch in her sternum and neck. "I'll be fi-fine."
Gabriel immediately bridged the small distance between them and turned her to face him as gently as he could manage. He could feel it. Like something vibrating against his vessel's skull.
Gabe dropped with her, struggling to get her collected in his arms like somehow being held tightly enough would stop the twitching. "No. No. No. Don't do this to me, Max. Please."
Gabriel gritted his teeth and blipped them back into her room, because it was the first place he could think of to take her. It didn't occur to him that maybe, just maybe the infirmary might have something for her. ....He was mildly distracted by the fact that this wasn't something he could just fix. He was used to that sense of power. It was the only thing he really had left.
He held her a little bit tighter, practically trying to will her to stop. "C'mon. C'mon. C'mon."
It was hard not to think about how sick she was, or how bad she was feeling, because up until this point she hadn’t been anything close to ill in two years. She had gotten by just fine on her own and with her genetic altercations keeping her up right she never had to worry about crashing or feeling any less than what she was. She was silently grateful that no one had gotten into any trouble that required her assistance. Usually Sexby called upon her when the harder things needed tackling and apart from what happened in the kitchen things had been well. She’d been planning to go visit Inara in the sick bay to see if she needed anything but she knew she couldn’t go down there without McCoy noticing something wasn’t right with her either, so she’d stayed away.
With an evident sigh Max stepped up to the railing and leaned her elbows across the railing and looked out to the swirling textures of the ship passing between worlds and she tried to steady her breathing, they started out in shuddered breaths and began to slowly coax to a fluid and slow breath through her mouth and out of her nose. It was nice, just the temperature of the deck and the fact that it didn’t hold the looming feeling of solitude that her room did. She knew that there were other people about, and she enjoyed the fact that she was around them, but at the moment she welcomed the lack of chill the scenery that barge was providing.
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Typical Gabe, consoling unhappiness with a good sense of humor a feigned decent outlook.
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"It's not so bad though, the abyss. It's nice it's own sort of... ominously pretty way?" Even she knew that it sounded ridiculous.
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He leaned back a bit. "I think a few pandimensional dolphins would give it a more... I dunno. Homey touch?"
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"You okay?"
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"Max. Look at me. Look. At me."
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He held her a little bit tighter, practically trying to will her to stop. "C'mon. C'mon. C'mon."
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