Title: Get Out of Meltdown Free Card
Emitter: -
Characters: Mari, Wil
NPCS: -
Place: Jones Hall - Steranko Institute
Time: Sept 17, 2010 - Afternoon
Summary: After a very traumatic Postcognition, Mariscka breaks down on Wilberforce. Also, Monopoly: The Steranko Edition is born
_( Common Area - Jones Hall - Steranko Institute )
This is the common area of Jones Hall. The floor is a neutral beige carpet with a very short pile, and the walls are painted off-white. There are a pair of beige couches with yellow throw pillows clustered around a large screen TV with DVD player. There is a kitchenette off to the east, opposite the entrance, the floor there tiled in sunflower yellow. A white board attached to the fridge lets people post notes to each other, usually warnings to keep their hands off other students food. A wooden table with mis-matched kitchen chairs is used for meals and studying. The men's bathroom is to the North, while the women's bathroom is to the south.
It's a regular school afternoon, Wilberforce is camped out in one of the big chairs in the common room reading over a history text book. An actual book, not an e-reader like half the student population seems to be using this year. He has a notepad and pen, as well as a can of soda, all within easy reach on a side table.
The big TV is on right now, tuned to ESPN with the sound off, so the endless cycle of sports center isn't quite as annoying as it could be to anyone passing through.
Well, Summer, ever the responsible one, made certain that Mariscka actually went to classes today. Though, after just a few, teachers talked, and the young woman ended up in the school psychologists office instead of her later classes. Afterwards, calls were made and Mariscka was excused from classes for the rest of the day. A nap was taken, and now, still puffy-eyed from crying, the Gypsy girl makes her way out of her room, bare feet padding against the carpeted halls as she wanders to the kitchenette.
Oblivious to everything, Mariscka opens the fridge and stares inside. She closes it then opens the freezer and stares at it. One by one, cabinets are opened until she finds the cups and pours herself a glass of water. A glass of water which Mariscka just stares at in front of the sink.
Wil was deep enough into his book to have missed the first trip to the fridge, but as cabinets opened and closed it got his attention, till he was watching as the glass of water was poured and then stared at. His lips press together a bit in a concerned look for a moment first, then he closes his book and gets up, heading into the kitchen.
"Hey Mari, are you doing alright? You look a little… out of it?" He says as he enters the kitchenette area, then his face gets more concerned as he sees just how puffy her eyes are, and he steps closer, "What's wrong? Something happen? Is your Gran okay?" he asks in a softer tone as he just takes a wild stab at something he thinks would turn Mari into a crying wreck.
Mariscka looks up, staring at Wilberforce with far-way eyes for a moment. Then a couple of blinks later she is focused on the young man. Sudden color blooms to her face, and the glass is dropped from the young woman's hand as she whimpers and tries to cover her eyes, almost breaking into tears again. All she can do is shake her head back and forth wildly.
Wil does a quick grab to keep the glass from turning into shards of glass all over the floor, then just sets it on the counter as he steps closer. He parts his lips to ask something else, then gets a hunch that shutting up and just hugging her might be the best thing to do at this very moment. So he does just that.
Mariscka is shuddering, shaking, shivering … something. As Wilberforce wraps his arms around her, she completely breaks down, bursting into tears as she nearly collapses into him. "So much violence … people … doing things to … people … " she whimpers. "I can't get the images out of my head. I didn't want to see them… why won't they go away?"
Wilberforce just holds onto Mari, one hand rubbing along her back trying to comfort her. "Time will make the images fade. Something horrible sticks with you and only time does any real good. Time and maybe talking about it." For his own experience he's stuck mostly with just time, that seems to be doing a lot more good than anything else he's tried.
Mariscka stiffens, seeming unhappy with that answer as she pounds weakly on the young man's chest. "I don't want time. I want them gone -NOW-. The shrink said time, they made me go to the school shrink. I don't want -TIME-. I want them GONE!"
Wil lets his chest get pounded upon without complaint of flinching, "I don't know if they can every be gone, Mari…" perhaps on another day he might have pulled out a lie to try to ease her panic, but today just wasn't a day when he felt anything that wasn't the truth would help. "Just have to have other things to remember that're better…"
Mariscka growls in frustration. "It is not fair! I didn't want these images! I just did a postcognition … I wanted to know where the magma came from. I didn't want all of the other stuff! I want it to go away," she whimpers in a very small voice, her legs collapsing now as she sobs and the energy seems to leave her again.
Wilberforce tightens his arms around her, supporting her completely if he has to. "We don't get much fair, I don't think…" He takes a long moment of just holding her sobbing to his shoulder, then adds, "I'm sorry you saw all that Mari, if I could move it into my head instead of yours, I would in a second."
Wilberforce will, indeed, have to hold Marischka's full weight. She simply does not have the strength to support herself any longer as she sobs. After several long moments, she finally nods, understanding the young man's kindness, even if she is still crying.
His arms shift her just a bit, so that his arms can move around her back and behind her knees, as he just turns and carries her out of the kitchenette and over to the big couch, where he can set her down with her head propped up on a throw pillow with him sitting on the edge of the couch looking down at her. There is a moment of hesitation then, but then he leans in over her and puts a kiss on her forehead.
Small and light as she is, Mariscka is easily lifted and placed on the couch. She whimpers a bit, her eyes closed tight against the onlaught of tears. The only recognition Mariska seems to give of the kiss is a sniffle and some murmured words that sound grateful.
Wilberforce just keeps himself bent over and close, leaning in to rest his forehead against Mari's, then another kiss on her forehead. "Let the tears on out Mari, they purge the soul…" And also release all sorts of hormones from the body that help relieve pain and depression, at least that's what he was reading about in biology, but that's not what he thinks Mari needs to hear about right now.
Another nod comes from Mariscka, as she sniffles a bit more. She is still sobbing, but tries to offer a shy smile. "I'm such a wreck, I'm sorry, Wil. I've never done this before…"
Wil straightens up a little bit and reaches out a hand to push some of Mari's hair off her forehead as he looks down at her with a soft smile. "Sounds like you've been through a whole bunch of nasty stuff. You get a get out of meltdown free card."
All right, that calls forth a small, amused giggle from Mariscka's throat. "Monopoly: The Steranko Edition, huh?" she asks, shifting to look up at Wilberforce and wipe at her eyes. "The Thunderdome is TOTALLY Boardwalk. And the Dining Hall is Park Place," she says with a wide grin, followed by a sniffle and another swipe at her teary eyes.
Blinking at the tissue, Mariscka takes it and wipes at her face, then nose. "I'm sure there's gotta be some sort of padded detention room," giggles Mari. "And the Infirmary … oh, no, that's Park Place. The Dining Hall … um … well, some would call Mediterranean, I bet," she giggles.
Wilberforce chuckles just a bit as he takes away the used tissue and offers another. "So the swimming pool is Water Works. Maybe that facilities shed is the Electric Company." He thinks for a moment, "The bookstore has to be the income tax space. It always costs a lot to go in there. Maybe the snack counter is the luxury tax?"
Another bit of laughter from Mariscka as she looks up at Wilberforce. Then the young gypsy is shifting over, tossing aside the pillow, and grabbing Wil to pull him down next to her. "Okay, okay. So … the Social Science Building is States Avenue," she continues, much more energetic and less traumatized as she starts naming off Monopoly squares.