Room 505, Really Freaking Early Friday Morning

[thatsamilkshake]

It wasn't that Francine had stayed up all night wondering just where the hell Katchoo was aside from 'out.'

She'd actually managed to get some sleep between three a.m. and the time she heard the door opening.

[OOC: For one, possibly two, first, but open later in the morning!]

Comments

[thatsamilkshake]

Maybe it was contagious? Usually it was Francine who ended up asking that question.

She rubbed at her forehead then looked up, ire momentarily pushed aside to let the worry and confusion shine through. "Why?"

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"He was at the store the other day, pestering me like he likes to do." Oh, hell, now she was feeling bad for worrying Francine. "He's always offering to take me out hunting. Thought I'd turn the tables on him."

[thatsamilkshake]

"And so you had to go to Baltimore? At least here you can't get in a fight. And you could've got arrested there just for the underage drinking."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Funny how trying to smash someone's head into the bar makes 'em overlook that part," Katchoo said, trying for a joke.

Foooooooooooooot fault on the serve there.

"I wanted to get away for a bit, okay?"

And hadn't that turned out well.

[thatsamilkshake]

And like yesterday, that hurt in a way she didn't quite understand, though at least she could pinpoint a direction, this time. Enough that it cut through the wave of WHAT at bar-head-smash.

"From me?" Because she sure as hell hadn't come to her best friend with whatever made her want to go smash up bars.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

. . . yes, actually, in a way she had, and that would hurt like hell just to say.

"From everything." She hadn't succeeded on that front. "You ever feel like you need to do that?"

[thatsamilkshake]

"Not--" From you, she'd started to say, but then had to stop. Because yes, sometimes she needed time. To figure things out, when some new -- some old -- thing about Katchoo that she'd been too stupid to understand before finally threw itself up in her face, or to deal with...well. Things. That happened.

Or, you know, blush a lot and hide from them.

"Not by getting drunk and hurting myself."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"You're smarter than me, then," Katchoo allowed. That lecture from Arthur was still ringing in her ears. You could tell.

[thatsamilkshake]

"Don't make fun of me. You know damn well I'm not. But you sure can act stupid."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

She was too goddamned tired to fight right now. Too tired to even go over to her bed, actually (and she was gross anyway), so Katchoo slid down to sit on the floor. "You're not wrong about that, Francie."

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine crouched next to her. "You need to get up and take a shower, Chewie. Or maybe just go to the clinic."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"I'm not hurt that bad," Katchoo objected. "Just a shower and some sleep, I'll be fine."

Relatively . . .

[thatsamilkshake]

"Are you sure?" Francine studied her face, pushing away hair gunked with -- oh, nasty -- looking for bruises, cuts, or any sign of the ten million things Katchoo would never tell her.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

There were bruises on her ribs, yes, and still some blood that wasn't hers dried on her arms. Also, very, very bloodshot eyes.

"I'm sure, Francie." Which was the most straightforward and honest she'd been with her best friend in a while. That sucked on several levels, huh?

[thatsamilkshake]

What did it say that Francine believed her, with all the things she knew got kept from her, let alone the ones she had no idea of?

"Then let's get you to a shower." Oh right, she was mad. It was hard to remember when she was touching Katchoo's face. "You stink."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's outhouses that probably smell better." It was hard not to smile when Francine's hand was right there and she wanted to lean into it. "Let me just grab some clothes."

[thatsamilkshake]

That hand was withdrawn, though only to offer it as a way to get up. "Less like an outhouse, more like my Uncle Maury."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo took her hand and started to pull herself to her feet.

"I am nothing like your Uncle Maury." Oh, blind spots. Giant elephant-sized blind spots.

[thatsamilkshake]

Right. "Well, you are taller."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"And I'm not a guy, and I don't have a toupee, and . . ." Katchoo frowned. "Hey."

[thatsamilkshake]

"You don't smell like you showered in Old Spice to hide the fact that you smell like booze, but aside from that..."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo was too tired to follow up on the implication there, because don't think she didn't catch it.

"Sure, say these things before I'm about to get in the shower. On this island, it just might have a plumbing malfunction on me and end up dousing me in Old Spice."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo was too tired to follow up on the implication there, because don't think she didn't catch it.

"Sure, say these things before I'm about to get in the shower. On this island, it just might have a plumbing malfunction on me and end up dousing me in Old Spice."

[thatsamilkshake]

"Could be worse," Francine said, reaching for a towel and her own shower-basket. Katchoo would just have to live with smelling like a girl. "Could douse you in common sense or something, and then where would you be?"

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

She'd have to live with smelling like Francine. Because that would be such torture -- er.

"No fun?" Katchoo suggested, shuffling out into the hallway.