-log- completed // closed [Emma and Ric]

[icecoldwit]

RICTOR:
He's out of med bay, earlier than Dr Hope would have liked but ever since he'd told Martini to go he hasn't come back since. And that was about two days ago. Ric is going out of his mind and this is the first day since his leg was bandaged and deemed alright enough to walk on with crutches. Hobbling across the dishevelled wreck that is camp Ric beelines for what was - and by the looks of it still is - Emma’s room. Hopefully her building and room hasn’t been too badly damaged or else he’s gonna feel god awful about pestering her. Avoiding as many others in camp as he possibly can Ric makes it to her door and knocks, using the wall to keep his balance. “Emma? Emma are you in there?”

He’d use his head but... yeah... it’s all a bit of a mess. Hence the pestering her.


EMMA:
While she'd have wished for a more subtle way to show that Stryker's decisions were flawed and led to disaster, Emma couldn't say that she wouldn't be able to spin everything that occured in her favour. She'd have rahter something more containable, naturally, but some things were highly unavoidable. Not that she ever really believed that. Although the knocking startles her just slightly, Emma drops her pen and moves towards the door at the sound of the voice.

He shouldn't even be out of bed.

Pulling the door open, Emma's glare is hampered greatly with her concern and affection weighing heavily. "What on earth do you think you are doing out of the med bay?"


RICTOR:
“Would you believe me if I said I got bored?” She gets a weak smile as he tries to balance himself on the crutches and still maintain that sunny disposition he’s known for. Yeah... it might be flawed a little right now, especially at the slight glare she gives him. Hang dog expression quickly in place.

“Can we talk? I need your help.” Understatement of the year here but he doesn’t want to freak out too much, it might just be that Martini is avoiding him like he asked but still... it seems that none of the regular soldiers have a clue where the time manipulating mutant might be and Ric is rather loathed to ask anyone else seeing as he’s about as popular as Fred after eating extra spicy burritos.


EMMA:
"Come on, get in." She offers her shoulder for support -something that few would get. Most others would get a withering glare and told to get back to the med bay and not leave until a doctor ordered their removal, others would be told that Emma had other things to deal with and they could kindly take a number and come back when she wasn't eyeballs deep in shit. But it was fairly obvious to most that Rictor got away with just a few more liberties.

Before Emma acosted the room to be her makeshift office, it had been another wing of barracks. As a result there were two cots against the far wall that hadn't been removed. "Get your butt sitting down before you fall face first on the floor."


RICTOR:
Taking the offered shoulder Ric hobbles into the room, trying not to lean too heavily on Emma before doing as he is told and sitting his bruised and very sorry ass on the cot nearest to him. Settling himself Ric watches Emma, he’s still unaccustomed to the idea she’s back here and minus a baby but a part of him is thankful. Not for her loss in any shape or form but for the fact that he has her nearby. Ric knows that compared to most people in camp he is pretty much spoilt rotten with the amount of liberties he is allowed to take with Miss Frost and though people might well question his motives it’s never been for want of power or glory.

Glancing around the room Ric is pleased to see it doesn’t look too bad. “So what do you think of my renovations this time round? I thought I’d go for a wide range quake rather than just a camp impacting one this time. The results were surprisingly pleasing you know.”


EMMA:
With a shake of the head, Emma figures he'd try to go for something a little comical to cover the worry she can easily pick up. "I could've done without the leak in far away corner," she nods her head towards the far back of the room, where a patch of the roofing gave way and crumbled, opening the room up to the elements somewhat. "But I must admit, the cracks in the walls are fetching. Gives it a nice rustic feel."

Having taught young mutants how to gain control, Emma is well aware of the dangers of mutant powers. It's a reason she Xavier's developments for the 'Danger Room' stolen and devised her own training facility for the Academy. Emma knew better than any military idiot the importance of training with specific powers and she knew that the enviroment they were all held in was a very bad idea. "Now, stop stalling." Taking a seat beside Ric, mindful of any injuries, "Your mind is cluttered, things are leaking, what's wrong?"

She wasn't listening in, not at all. Although she doubted he'd be too cross with her. But she tried to give him a little privacy.


RICTOR:
Trust Emma to get to the point and see through his charade, Ric raises his gaze from the floor up to Emma and reaches out for her hands, drawing them up to rest against his temples. “Where do I begin?” It takes Ric a couple of moments to start again, but he speaks softly, voice barely above a whisper. It’s all very disjointed as his thoughts and memories don’t seem to match up to the words he slowly speaks. “It was like being back near the Right, they wanted us dead. I lost it. I couldn’t tell what was now and what belonged to then and I just let it all go. I pushed Mark away, I blamed him because I fucked up and he’s gone. I told him to give me space but it’s been two days and he’s not come to see me once. Then there is the damage I caused to the camp and the city and god knows where else. People hate me.”

His memories dance from his childhood; watching his father die, to the right, to a school play and riding a bike and then leap forward drastically to Russia and then back to first meeting Emma and on to the riots, both old and new. They flicker past the buildings he’s reduced to rubble and the bodies he pulled free from the carnage and then to the fear he felt at almost losing Mark not long to Logan, his anger directed at everyone but himself and finally the deep rooted fear that eats away at him.

“Please.” The though settles onto the time he’d tried to take his own life and lingers there before returning to the present of sending Mark away. “Make it stop.”


EMMA:
"Darling, stop," she runs her hand through his hair softly, fingers just brushing his temples to calm the torrent of memories flying around. "It's not your fault, and nobody hates you." She'd make sure of that, if this was down to anyone it was Stryker and his ego. "Everyone stutters, everyone stumbles, it's natural." The riots got the most of a lot of mutants, and she had to remember that Rictor was still young, had seen a lot in his youth, not to mention the trigger to some of his views in life.

"Things need to settle, we're not sticking around here to worry about the rebuild." Not when she got her way; Emma inevitably got her way more often than not. "And Mark, well," pinning down Martini was often hard, Emma didn't rightly enjoy the whirlwind and quicksand feel of his consciousness, choosing to leave the time manipulator to his own devices and not pressing inwards. "Perhaps a level headed conversation is in order? What exactly did you say to him?"

While she wasn't exactly 'close' to the time-obsessed mutant, she knew that Rictor put a lot of time and effort and adoration into his relationship with the mind-addled male. It was enough to make her sympathetic if not understanding.


RICTOR:
The words are comforting, as is the gentle touch and Ric leans into it; seeking solace and the calm she settles on his mind. Again they’d be moving on a part of something Ric had done, though the thought was comforting it also made him feel just a little bit guilty. Yet here was Emma defending his corner and from the sounds of it she was going to throw her weight around and get them moving again. Hopefully somewhere closer to home, seismological stable and who ate decent food too for that matter!

“We talked, he came to see me and then... he said he knew that something was going to happen, but not quite what, if you get what I mean. Yet I still blamed him. I asked him what the point of his visions were if he couldn’t stop this kind of thing happening?! I mean how fucking selfish could I be Emma? I told him to give me space whilst I sorted things out in my head.” After everything they had been through it was a stupid, foolish and unnecessarily cruel thing to do, an action executed out of spite when Ric was loathing himself.


EMMA:
Matters of the heart, or the rationality of it, were not Emma's strong suit. After all, she punched a hole through her lovers chest when she lost her temper with him. With a sigh, she slid closer on the cot, leaning just slightly against Ric's arm and taking the time to think her own words through. "I can't say that you weren't an idiot, because you were." It seemed to be a common misconception about those with a sort of 'vision' of future events; time was far too fluid for anyone to pin down in a single instant. Nothing could be predicted to that degree of accuracy. But she didn't intend on lecturing Rictor right then.

"But sometimes space is good. Not just for you, but him. You'll say something you don't mean, as you no doubt realise you've already done?" Emma gave a small, tight smile laced with affection. She couldn't help but ponder the near overwhelming fondness she had for the roguish earth shaker. Perhaps too much like Christian could've been. "Darling, we're selfish creatures by nature, it's part of our genetic make up. All humans are made the same in that regard. Get your head on straight, get your body mended and then, well," she shrugged one shoulder, small smirk in place, "I'd advise a good grovel and pleading." If Martini hadn't lost his marbles.

"Let me worry about all the other stuff."


RICTOR:
Ric chuckles and nods, yes he's an idiot and doesn't he just know it. He'll give Martini the space he needs, ask if he's been seen around camp and then... if he hasn't heard from him in a day or two he'll go seek him out and apologise. And grovel. Lots. Maybe even try and steal him some candy from somewhere too for that matter. But for the moment he'll focus on healing and sorting out his issues before over loading Mark with them.

"You surre you want to be worrying about my issues? I mean keeping the camp in order and line has got to be more than enough." He might well be teasing a little, a slight smirk teasing at the corner of his lips as he watches Emma and slides down to rest his head in her lap. It's taking a huge fucking liberty but he needs the comfort of another person touching him.


EMMA:
Her hand almost instantly raises to stroke over his head, allowing him the comfort he seeks and needs and indulging herself in some intimacy that she hadn't had in numerous months. "Well, holding this bunch together is a lot more difficult that running a school of over a hundred children," naturally, adults are so much more strong willed, seem to think they know better than she does, want to fight her every step of the way. Foolish of them really. "But I'm fairly certain I can whip them into shape again."

This place is as good as done for. She doesn't want to put anyone in the danger that letting them out of base would bring upon them, not with the numerous people out there that were now aware of them. Another shining example, in Emma's esteemed opinion, on just how lax Stryker was in his utilising of this team; if they could even be called that now.

"I have more than enough focus to go around; I'll worry enough for us all, hmm?"


RICTOR:
Ric turns his head, pressing a kiss against Emma's stomach and closing his eyes, relaxing under the ease at which she seems to stroke his hair and comfort him. He sometimes wonders if things had been different would Emma have wanted him as something more? Would he always have been the endearing idiot or possibly the lover? It's something he knows winds Martini up, especially with how close Ric is with Emma still.

"You could have Logan at your beck and call no problem, heck the whole of the camp if you wanted to. Just gotta get rid of Stryker or at least assert your control over him to the others." What Ric doesn't realise is that his little stunt has played right into her hands and although it's a little more drastic it still has a purpose.


EMMA:
Her smile is tight, she doesn't look down at him for a moment, staring at the wall while she processes things in her rather brilliantly devious mind. There were few who knew the extent to which she could go, and she would capitalise on Rictor's mistake, she would use it as much as she needed to and feel no guilt or remorse due to it. She still kept her rather tarnished cape and horns out of view, even from Rictor; whom she'd come to think of as so much more than just a colleague, he was no longer just a pawn either. And while they'd never know what he could've been, he was the closest thing to a 'friend' Emma had.

"While your optimism at Logan's falling into step is endearing, I think I'll have a few more hoops to jump through in order to drag him into the bigger picture," not that Emma doubted she could, "everything else is just a matter of time. Which I have." Emma was nothing if not patient, and this would soon be greatly demonstrated.

"Whatever you do, don't start getting comfortable here." She could tip part of her hand to him, there were few Rictor would 'blab' to, Emma had her confidence in that. "I'm fairly certain there will be no point."


RICTOR:
With a nod Ric takes the snippet of information and stores it away. He trusts Emma, whatever she has planned he'll follow pretty much without question because he doesn't see any point in fighting her. Though Victor always thought himself to be alpha in camp in reality Emma was both the brains and the brawn just she played the delicate female so much better. With a yawn Ric slowly sits up and smiles at Emma, stretching as he listens to his back pop and click in response. "As long as I don't have to clear up anything and can avoid Stryker like the plague then I'll do whatever you say to do. Anyway I don't think I have a room to go back to, let alone get comfortable in."

Easing himself slowly up off of the cot, Ric wobbles for a moment till he gets his balance on his crutches and settles. "I better get back before the good Doctor starts to fret and has my balls in payment for stress and trouble caused."


EMMA:
She follows him up, her hand carefully placed at his back for support without pressing. Independence seems to be something that most males cherish, and she knows he doesn't like being coddled -pamperded, yes, but coddled, not so much. "I think I've seen your attempts at cleaning and know better than to deligate that to you." It's in jest, naturally, but Emma hopes that perhaps she's been of some help in calming his whirlwind thoughts.

"I'll check up on you when I can." Which likely enough wouldn't be until the next day, but Emma would make a point on sparing time to see that Rictor was doing better, that he was actually trying to rest and hopefully on the mend. "And if you want, I can see what I can find out about your boy." Emma had the luxury of simply finding what she needed from anyone's mind without the hassle of people lying to cover up a confidence taken in friendship. "But only if you promise to rest?"


RICTOR:
"Don't rush, I'm not going anywhere in a hurry now." He waggles a crutch at Emma, thankful she is offering support but not thrusting it upon him. "Please, just make sure he's alright and let me know. I mean... I dunno. I'm being stupid really I'm sure, just you never know with Mark. He finds trouble like Fred finds food." Not eager to turn down her offer Ric nods, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to her cheek before turning on his crutches and heading back out. "See you later Miss Frost."