My silence bred violence as I sit here on the inside

[archangelet]

There is a very tired and rather beat-up angelet stumbling through the gates of the Main Gauche. It would seem, from the distinctly unhappy expression and the fact that she has a few white smears and patches from where she's been cut or scraped, and the fact that her clothes are a bit worse for the wear, that Miss Taylor Barnam tried to tangle

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[elashte]

There is something rotten in the psychic landscape of the Main Gauche.

Elashte feels the spike of thought coming into his radius of sensation and gives it a cursory brush from his office, and then takes pause. Tay has the moods one would expect from a Barnam-raised guardian angel, but they're usually not quite so...

He pushes away from his desk. It's always good form to look after one's guards, and something is clearly wrong. ...not to mention the fact that he rather likes Tay - there are very few people he'd mention that to. But professionalism gives him all the excuse he needs to track her down, homing in on her mental presence, and then... stop, without touching her. He has the feeling that wouldn't evoke a good response.

"Taylor," he says, voice quiet and pitched not to carry. "What happened?"

[archangelet]

Tay jumps, and grimaces, just the tiniest bit, as some cut is pulled, or a strained muscle moves in the wrong way. She hadn't heard him come up - she obviously wasn't paying attention. No excuse to get sloppy.

"Tried to take on a couple too many guys," she says shortly. "I'm fine. I just want to go clean up."

[elashte]

Hypervigilance, the corner of his mind ticks off, and he tilts his head to one side. She's alive, not grievously injured, and one would expect a Barnam to be more cavalier about a few cuts and bruises. Not to jump when someone comes up, which shows both that she's wound tight enough to react to stimuli as threats and preoccupied enough not to catch them until they force themselves on her perception.

Which cannot be the natural state of a Barnam returning from a hunt, even if it didn't go her way.

"I won't pretend that you're incapable of patching yourself up," he says, "but if you'd rather have someone see to that for you..."

Well, he is a doctor. First aid is rudimentary. And if she's not in a mood to be twisting around to get at the scrapes on her back, well, that's as good an opportunity as any to work a bit more of the story out of her.

[archangelet]

"I said I'm fine," she snaps. "I don't need you to baby me." There's no grimace of pain from a lie, though she's gotten adept at suppressing those. She is fine, in that Barnam way: She's still walking, and she's not going to die from her injuries.

Clearly, Barnams don't account for anything but fighting readiness. And she really doesn't want to talk about it, especially not the guy she's supposed to be capable of protecting.

They were just regular guys, CLF members. They shouldn't have been able to give her such trouble.

[wineandvenom]

Speaking of Glaysas...

Eric would have to be blind and deaf, empathically speaking, to miss that entrance. He makes his way into the halls, searching for the source of the emotions, and there she is, white-smeared and so afraid he worries he might start purring.

Still, Elashte is fond of this one, so he schools his expression into one of careful worry, restraining himself from pushing at the fear, helping it grow... "Tay...?"

He looks her over, then shakes his head. "You look like you'd rather avoid people, but... I could bring a Frappuccino by your room. If you'd like." There's just a hint of non-targeted calm around him; a hint, and nothing more. Not yet.

[archangelet]

Tay glances up sharply when he speaks, and sighs a bit. She's not sure whether she should be grateful he saw her and is offering sugary caffeinated goodness, or mortified that he's seen her clearly having gotten a pretty good ass-whooping, or just avoidant.

"I..." she hesitates, and sighs. He's got to be doing that Glaysa thing, she can feel herself calming down a little, but she really can't say she minds. And it's not like he's FORCING it on her or anything. "Sugar and coffee is good," she says finally. "Thanks."

[wineandvenom]

Eric just nods, completely patient and understanding. "I'll go get you some, then." The faint smile on his lips seems like nothing more than gratitude for being allowed to help... After all, as a Glaysa, he can't help but notice emotions. Of course he wants to do his part to ease people's suffering.

...Of course.

"The usual, or is there a particular flavor you'd prefer?"

[archangelet]

Of course.

"Um... extra chocolate. Extra coffee. And the caramel." She smiles, in that vague sort of way that means she doesn't really feel like smiling but feels like she should. Or maybe it's just habit.

"I'm gonna try to clean up a bit. Just... y'know. Knock so I can get decent when you come back."

[savesomelight]

Piper's been particularly tuned into the negative emotions ever since her conversation with Victor. She can help if she tries, she knows it. She just has to wait and... Well, figure out what to do when she finds someone in need.

The sudden onslaught of fear and anger that feels like Tay's usual emotional wavelength, albeit twisted in ways she never expected from Tay, gets her on her feet, out of her room, and running to the front door in her bare feet. She'll remember that it's cold later.

"Tay!" She cries, stopping just short of the other girl when she realizes the state she's in. "...Tay?" She says, a bit softer this time.

This... This isn't good.

[archangelet]

Tay hears her coming, thankfully, so she doesn't jump or anything when Piper calls her name, but she's still wound up pretty tight. She sets her jaw and her shoulders, and keeps walking, even if maybe she's limping a bit 'cause there's a pulled muscle in her thigh. Only a little.

"I'm fine," she says, shortly. "Just got in a little fight."

If there's pain from a lie there, she's not showing it.

[savesomelight]

Piper lets her walk away for a moment, thinking that maybe she should just go and avoid Tay getting even more short with her. Eventually, however, she flinches and then runs after her. "Tay, wait! You're hurt!"

And she doesn't mean physically, even though that's true. She hasn't really felt Tay hurting emotionally since after the battle at the Gauche, but this... This isn't like that. Something bad happened and she knows it and she's too much of a child eager to help to think that maybe Tay doesn't want to discuss it.

"Let me help," she adds, almost hesitantly.

[archangelet]

"I can deal with it myself," she snaps, and then immediately feels bad. It's one thing to scare big old puppy-like Mat and have him make that pitiful face at her. It's another to be just plain mean, to her friend.

"It's been a long night," she amends tiredly, which is about the closest she's getting to an apology right now. "I've had worse."