[gathering] official opening of the operating room

[daretodo]

It's taken months to pull this all together, but a part of me can't help but think it shouldn't have taken years to so much as start. I've spent most of my spare time working on the operating room this past while, ducking in to tinker with bits of machinery and conduct tests in between classes and my work with the Council, hoping all the while that

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[daretodo]

Heart stuck in my throat, I contemplate the mangled bit of boar sandwich as I lean against one of the walls of the O.R.'s exterior. A nearby tree puts me in the shade, not invisible to the others by any means, but out of the way, at least, not as easily accessible. I'll have to make the rounds later, I know, but for now I need the semblance of privacy, just long enough to collect myself so I can mingle with an easy smile instead of something forced. The metallic glint of the commemorative plaque carrying Major Shaw's name catches my eye, and I stare at it for a moment before returning my attention to the food, knowing for sure, now, I won't eat it. Setting it back on the plate, I sigh.

So much for lunch.

[getemtiger]

"There you are," Mary Jane said, as if she'd let herself lose sight of him from the time he spoke. There were a lot of reasons for which this was a good, happy occasion, but she'd have been lying to say that the dedication didn't get to her, too, Kendra's name alone bringing with it a rush of unpleasant memories and feelings she typically fought to keep buried. She didn't let it show on her face for a second, stepping in close to drape her arms around his neck and press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, grinning brightly when she eased back. "You were wonderful, Tiger."

[daretodo]

"Really? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I rushed the ending, and I may have said goodbye to my breakfast behind those bushes over there," I reply, managing a crooked smile for her benefit, as I nod with my chin towards some point in the distance. The last part's categorically untrue -- I wouldn't've let her get so close if that had really been the case -- but there had been a sketchy couple of seconds, just before, that it could've easily been made fact.

The corners of my mouth pulling into something more natural, which in this case means something a lot more subdued, my gaze softens as I add a murmured, "Thank you."

[getemtiger]

"You've got nothing to thank me for," Mary Jane insisted with a shake of her head, voice lowering in turn, and briefly pressed one finger to his lips, as if to cut off any further gratitude he might insist upon. It was the least she could have done, really, helping to prepare food, keeping close and telling him only what was the truth. Maybe it required a bit more effort to save face and not start dwelling on that night back in January, but that wasn't anything she needed to tell, at least not here. "Come on, you're the one who did all the hard work."

[with_diamonds]

Though Lucy supposed that this was the sort of thing she would have attended regardless, of far more interest to her than some unnecessary dance, it was the dedication of the building that had wound up being the biggest draw to her. She hadn't known Kendra, not really, but she had liked her all the same, and even months after the fact, it was a loss that still hurt more than she could have said. A death was vastly different to a disappearance, after all.

The operating room itself was meant to be a happy thing, and she did truly believe that it was a great idea, especially in the face of Chase's injuries, which could have so easily been worse. Even so, it was too difficult for her to seem anything more than somber as she stood by the building, glass of juice in hand. What she really needed was an actual drink, something strong, but that was going to have to wait.

[blissimmunity]

Joshua arrived too late to help out. Not to mention that he knew little about construction and had no acquaintances on the island when he'd arrived. Still he's not going to miss an event such as this. Being a doctor has always been the best part of his work, or at least his favorite. The least he can do is show his support of this building.

The mention of scientific research and a science exhibition has his stomach turning. Images and flashes of the experiments he performed on the live aboards quickly come to mind. And he can swear he hears the baby crying from the empathy test that he administered to everyone on the Mother Ship. He shakes it off, however, as the speech comes to end. He applauds the speaker, a man he only knows by name, and then follows the crowd for refreshments, looking out for anyone he might know or anyone who wants to talk.

[waltsnothereman]

"Afternoon, stud," Wanda said breezily, more concerned with the plate in her hand than anything else as she sidled on over to Joshua. Sure, they hadn't met under the most ideal of circumstances, but who wasn't that true of there?

Heck, who had that ever been true for in her life?

"Not too shabby for a few months of work, huh?"

[blissimmunity]

Joshua's initial reaction is to glance around to see if the person she is addressing is behind him. "Afternoon, Wanda," he replies with a real smile. He's not buying the stud comment as anything other than her being friendly.

"Did you help build it?" he asks with interest.

[waltsnothereman]

"I did," Wanda said with exaggerated enunciation, looking pleased with herself. Maybe it wasn't much, but it was something. "Well, less with the actual hammer and nails building than the stuff inside, obviously, but yeah. A girl's got to keep herself busy somehow, right?"

[getemtiger]

If there was anything Mary Jane did well, had always done for as long as she could remember, it was acting like everything was fine when it wasn't, putting on a smile when she would otherwise have been at her most upset. The opening of the operating room was absolutely, without a doubt something positive, to be grateful for, and yet Peter's speech had all but outright listed every reason she could have to be less than cheerful over it. This was a building dedicated to the memory of a woman who had died so that Mary Jane might live, and who, she still found herself thinking on occasion, ought to have been the one to be here to see it instead. Months it had been since the island had been attacked by the man who called himself Alton Hartford, and yet this was just proof of how much she was still reeling from it

[waltsnothereman]

So it wasn't the sort of shindig Wanda would have traditionally called her cup of tea. So little was these days, what it mostly came down to was a matter of needing to update her definition of what constituted traditional. She'd paid her dues as much as anyone else and they had a shiny (if slightly primitive) new operating room to show for it, that seemed as worthy an excuse as anything when it came to finger sandwiches and mingling. Her only real complaint was that it could use better drinks, but she supposed with the history of how this place got off the ground, something a little more formal was probably called for. And besides, any way to pleasantly kill an afternoon was a good one, in her books.

Hanging around the food table until she caught someone more worthy of her attentions, she licked her fingers as she polished off another sandwich and gave a satisfied sigh. Feelings of accomplishment were to be treasured around these parts.

[robin_sparkles]

Robin had made sure the dogs were set away before she put on a decent pair of jeans and a good top and came over to see what all the fuss was about. Seeing Wanda was pretty much the highlight of the trip, if only because it meant she was still around. "I am so glad to see you," Robin announced, catching hold of her arm as she used Wanda to reel herself in. "I mean, I always am, but I think I'm getting clingy lately. It's kind of pathetic."

[waltsnothereman]

How pathetic Robin found herself these days probably wasn't something to grin at, but that's what Wanda wound up doing anyway, maybe because it wasn't exactly an altogether unfamiliar sentiment. "I thought that's what the dogs were for," she teased, spinning around to face Robin properly.

[robin_sparkles]

"Well, I mean, the dogs are great and all, but when you start expecting conversation back from them, things are preeeetty scary," Robin had to admit with a rueful smirk. "I mean, I love them, but conversation pieces they are not."