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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:55 pm
Sherry was given a somber nod as she took this in. Stormy didn't really know a lot about Jake's past aside from the snippets she had gathered the one time they had had a heart-to-heart, months ago, but it didn't surprise her that he had come from a hard background. It was just the sort of past that produced people like him, people with tough exteriors and a (hopefully) still soft center.
"I felt really weird around the same time the glass broke," she said, her mouth twisting with guilt. "And I . . . did some stuff I'm not proud of, too." Things she couldn't change now and could only hope wouldn't make too much of a wave. "So I think you can blame whatever happened in the labs on that." And maybe that would be a comfort.
But it was disquieting to know that violence and suspicion lied inside Jake regardless. Disquieting and horribly familiar.
"Other than that though, um, he doesn't . . . hurt you or anything, right?" Stormy had to ask, her thumbs brushing over Sherry's fingers idly.
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 5:43 pm
Sherry was doing some nodding of her own. "Yeah, I... It wasn't a good time." But she did smile a little, relieved it hadn't been just them. "I was hoping it was all connected. The glass and all the... anger or whatever. I am hoping it influenced things." Sherry felt a little sick remembering just how she'd felt then, at the worst of it. Her head shook, a small gesture of negative. "No. Other than that he's a teddy bear. Nothing but gentle, and even when he's upset he doesn't do anything like that." She shook her head again, extra emphasis. "No, I promise. He never threatens or hurts or even belittles me." She wasn't counting breakups and their emotional pain, since the worst of that had been...being forgotten. "Just... when he loses himself, and that's...I'm fairly certain there's more too it than just anger." She hoped, at least. "And it's just been the couple of times." She squeezed Stormy's hands, sighing again. "The most recent incident though, I think he wanted to hurt me. Or well, someone. I was just the one in the room. He's worried about it; hurting me when that happens. I'm... worried about him." Sherry was a master of the sad smile. "Sorry. Again. It's... pretty heavy as far as topics go."
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 7:29 pm
She knew Jake wouldn't have hurt her like that, but Stormy still exhaled softly in relief; if there was one thing Nevada the island had taught her, it was that it wasn't impossible for people to turn on you under the wrong circumstances. "It's not heavy at all, Sherry. Well it is, but it's not too heavy to be shared. Maybe something happened on a mission that can trigger him?" she suggested. "Or just something about his past if it was rough?"
Stormy herself still had certain triggers months after the fact; it wasn't hard for her to imagine some to still linger even years later.
"I'd blame missions more, though. Things just . . . happen," she struggled to explain, her gaze falling self-consciously. "People handle it differently. And sometimes we get just random events on the island too, so . . . it could be a lot of different stuff." This didn't sound very helpful. It was what she got for not hanging out with either of them more.
"What about you, though?" Stormy's eyes rose again to meet hers, the concern not quite abated. "How've you been handling all that?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 9:21 pm
Sherry blinked and at the same time realized all the emotions were doing a good job of making her eyes water. Relief was washing over her as Stormy spoke, and Sherry was nodding along. Confirmation that she wasn't just making up excuses for him was nice. "Thanks. And...yeah. I don't know for sure -past or missions, or both." A sigh (mostly to help her not cry). "But like you said, this life we live in is full of...bad things for all of us. I know it can all be too much and overwhelming." Sherry was having a hard time putting it into words, but she understood what Stormy was saying. Maybe not everything, but the events and trails they all went through, it could mess folks up, leave lingering consequences... Sherry could understand that. She did understand and that's why she wasn't angry about what he'd done. Upset, sure. But not angry. "Me? I..." Sherry shrugged. "As best I can. I cry, I work, I try to stay happy." She really didn't know what else to say. She dealt with most things by internalizing it...but all her Jake problems she took to others. "Just always tell myself it could be worse. ... I do worry I'm a little clingy when it comes to Jake..." Sherry looked away at that, a little embarrassed. Then she looked back at Stormy. "How do you handle.... everything?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 10:05 pm
If there was one thing Stormy knew almost intimately by now, it was the signs of someone trying not to cry. Her heart twisted the more Sherry spoke, because the more she did the more Stormy realized how very little she had done to help during all of it. And maybe her interference wouldn't have changed a thing, but at least she would have been less absent in her friends' lives, and at least it wouldn't make her seem like an ingrate--not talking for weeks and then yanking them to a mission out of the blue, only to go back to no communication at all again for months.
She found her own eyes growing bright remembering it all and tried to swallow it back. Things--I do worry I'm a little clingy, it could be worse, I try to stay happy--sounded too familiar, too close to home. It was deja vu with Sherry's final question, even though they weren't in the dark and it wasn't past 2 am and it wasn't Evan's gaunt face looking at her, and for a moment Stormy froze. She could be honest and say she didn't, that she literally just swept everything under the rug until the dust bunnies became overgrown monsters that gnawed at her insides, that she made sure to keep the attention off of herself whenever possible and focused too much on others, that when people asked her how she did it she just wanted to laugh and sob and say it wasn't hard at all if you pretended it was easy, if you pretended you weren't a person at all but a name and a face and a singular purpose to help. Maybe releasing that burden after so many months would be healthier.
But then the dewey eyes dried and her smile came back, soft, sympathetic, supportive. Her hands slipped from Sherry's and reached out to pull her into a hug as her silent answer.
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:02 pm
Sherry wasn't one to argue with a hug. Especially not from and a friend and not when she needed it. It might not have exactly answered her question, but she supposed she didn't need a solid answer. Stormy would be having a hard time of things, she knew. Between missions and Nevada and moving (though that was probably a good thing; change of scenery and all that), Stormy surely had her own troubles. And yet here she was, listening to Sherry and offering her all the comfort and support she could ask for. And she hadn't even really asked. Stormy just did it. Squeezing Stormy, letting her know that she was grateful and thankful and all those other emotions that were hard to voice sometimes, Sherry smiled. Stormy had come a long way from that little trainee she'd met. Practically all grown up and more than capable of dealing with the crap they went through. Sherry was the one seeking her help, now, not the other way around. "Thank you." And then something clicked in her mind, one of those unbidden flashes of brilliance or memory, and Sherry knew. "Baker Street," she whispered. "It's a Sherlock Holmes reference." She laughed and squeezed Stormy tighter.
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:54 pm
When was the last time she had gotten a hug from anyone who wasn't Gale? She tightened her arms around Sherry. "Mmhmm~" Stormy hummed, pleased. "I was hoping you'd get it. Jake didn't. I was very Cross." Just a little joke to help lighten the mood. For a few moments she just tucked her nose into Sherry's shoulder, closed her eyes, and remembered what contact was like.
And then she remembered why she avoided excessive amounts nowadays: it was easy to feel how much thinner she had gotten.
Still, Stormy clung to her for a second longer before peeling away, her hands sliding from Sherry's back and down her arms. "Chocolate's a good way to cope," she noted with a better smile. "So we're already off to a good start. I've got a dvd player and some movies, if you like Disney stuff." She paused, then added more softly, "You can stay here the night if you want."
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:48 pm
Sherry laughed again. There were too few puns in her life. Too little laughter. "I bet." Though she wasn't surprised Jake hadn't gotten it. Perhaps she should introduce him to it; he'd probably like the books. A few moments were spent letting her worries fade, the simple warmth and happiness of hug from a friend being all that mattered. If Stormy felt smaller than normal, Sherry would not have really noticed. She couldn't recall the last time she'd hugged the girl, if ever. Which was why she smiled back at Stormy. "Yes we are. And I love Disney!" They were going to have to spend WAY more time together. Candy and movies, really. Look at all the girl time they could be having. "A slumber party doesn't sound half bad." See, perfect girl time opportunity. (Especially since Jake wouldn't be expecting her at his place at all.) "But you'll have to give me an update on you and Gale," she said, in a matter of fact tone.
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 10:28 pm
The girls only slumber part idea occured to her too. Stormy's face brightened considerably to hear she was a fan. "Then you're in for a treat, because I have a lot of Disney movies," she stated with pride, clapping her hands together excitedly. "We can get some food from the caf and bring it in? Candy and water isn't a great meal, hah . . ." She knew it was possible to upgrade their rooms, but she hadn't been a tenant long enough to qualify just yet. Soon, though, soon she would be able to have her own kitchen and tv.
It was only now, though, with them close and with her attention not so fixated on making sure Sherry was okay, that Stormy noticed a glimmer on her finger. Her heart skipped for a moment until she realized the ring was on the wrong hand. She seized the opportunity to avoid an awkward and lengthy discussion about Gale.
"We've been alright," she answered distractedly. "He's off on a mission right now, so it gives me time to tidy up before I can show him my place. Where'd that nice thing come from?" Not that Sherry didn't already wear some cute pieces, but a ring, well, that was new. And note worthy. And coincidentally placed.
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:01 pm
"Excellent." Nothing but smiles. "And yes, that's a great idea. Get ourselves all set up with dinner and such." Sherry was nodding in agreement. Stormy was brilliant, really. She raised an eyebrow as Stormy answered her question. Alright was good, but certainly there was more. Oh! And he hadn't seen the new room yet! Well, Sherry could help her get things all settled and-- "Oh?" Sherry looked down, thought train derailed. At least temporarily. "This?" She indicated the ring. Oh, she hadn't told Stormy about the ring. Sherry gasped in shock at that realization, then held her hand out. "Jake got it for me. Like, um, a promise ring, or a couples ring. A matching set, with our names engraved inside."
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:32 pm
Promise ring. Stormy blinked owlishly at the pair of words before it hit her. Oh. "Oh."
Oh.
Growing eerily quiet, she withdrew and stood up, looking stunned and aware at the same time, took one of Sherry's arms to tug her into also getting off the couch, and led her out of the room. Upon checking to make sure the locks still worked (turning the knob one, two, three times), Stormy then gestured for her to follow as they made their way towards the cafeteria. And then the explosion of noise began.
"Wait, when did that happen? Are you going to get engaged? Have I totally missed it all this time?? Ir's so pretty oh my gosh ahhhhhh ahhhhhhhhh did he give it to you on a date do you wear it all the time even in the shower and on missions how long have you guys been dating again also random but when are your birthdays I've totally missed them ahhhhh you guys are adorable--"
GrnGriff expert of deflection sadly
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 6:25 pm
Sherry's smile grew to a look that said she was perplexed, or perhaps even a little worried. "Hm?" She wondered if perhaps she had said something wrong. Or maybe that was all that needed to be said on the subject and Stormy was moving on in her mind. "Oh." Pondering, Sherry let herself be led out of the room, watching a little wide eyed at Stormy locked the door. It wasn't the double checking that had her, it was the silence. "Uh." The silence didn't last too much longer. "Oh, I, uh." Sherry blushed. And then she laughed. "Thanks. He took me to Belgium. No engagement, not now anyway." Sherry thought it might be nice, but... Jake didn't seem like it was something he was wanting...and she didn't want to put any more pressure on their relationship right then. But that was beside the point. Stormy had asked a whole lot of other questions, too. "We've been dating..uh...on and off for like a year, or something." It got kind of confusing if she thought about it too long. "Had I not told you about the date? What else was there?" She knew she'd missed a question or two.
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:40 pm
A year, hah! "Just like Gale and me," she said proudly, all but bouncing now as they walked downstairs. "I don't know anything, so you get to dish, mkay! Like Belgium, oh maaaaaan."
Considering how inept Jake seemed in the romance category, Stormy was pleasantly surprised by all this news. She gave Sherry an expectant, attentive look for a tale to keep them company.
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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 7:27 pm
"You've been together a year? Congrats!" Sherry really meant it. She loved Stormy, and Gale seemed like good people... and they were just plain adorable together. Individually, too, but together was better. Maybe it was because their names matched. Too great people, one she adored (that was you, Stormy), and the cutest couple. Yes. Sherry would want to hear more about them later. Once she was done answering Stormy's questions. "I can do that." She was nodding, and walking. "He'd promised me waffles, cause it's my favorite. But when it came time to follow through... we didn't know where to go. But he remembered Belgian Waffles, so Belgium it was. We found a nice little dessert cafe that catered to tourist tastes. And had menus we could more or less read." Sherry laughed. "You know he hates sweets, right? Because he does. So I basically sat and ate my waffle while he watched me. It was super sweet, but I felt kinda bad. So for lunch I bought sausages. Like hotdogs, but better. And then we wandered around for bit, just kinda sightseeing and shopping." Sherry was now fidgeting with the ring, her face rather pleasant. The whole memory was happy, and it showed whenever she told the story. She loved telling the story. "We spent the whole day there, just being tourists. Walking and shopping and all that. And then in the evening, as we watch the sunset," here Sherry paused, trying to think of the best words. "As we watched the sunset over the city he gave me a present. It's a music box, a pretty little silver heart with my name on it. Silly boy went and bought it and got it engraved while we were out and about." Sherry might have been beaming. "And inside the music box were the rings. Just sitting there, waiting for me to find them." Sherry bit her lip and blushed. "I was really confused for a moment, thought he even might be proposing, which honestly would have terrified me since we'd just gotten back together and all. But Jake was nice enough to clarify before my mind could run away with itself." She laughed. "But that's it. That's the story. It was...the best date of my life."
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 7:43 pm
Jake . . . took her to Belgium because of Belgium waffles. Stormy put a hand to her mouth to stop from laughing because that sounded just like him. There were a variety of soft noises made as Sherry told her story, from cooing to aww's, and by the time they hit the thankfully short line to get food, the Mist was bright faced and thoroughly satisfied.
"That sounds amazing, ahhhhhh~" she fawned over Sherry as she grabbed her tray. "The sunset and musicbox thing was a nice touch! I didn't know Jake was a closet romantic!" Well either that or he hit a stroke of dumb luck . . . He really did seem clueless when it came to personal stuff. She chose to believe in the better options for Jake's sake.
Stormy was sympathetic towards her fear of proposal, though. She didn't want to imagine herself in the same predicament (because sometimes she wondered about it, sometimes it crossed her mind when Gale gave her one of those looks--the unblinking, unabashed adoration--and felt herself crumble with guilt at the fear it evoked of such a chance). Even the idea of promise rings seemed unncessary little things, though incredibly cute for other people. "Excuse me while I make more noises over how adorable you two are," she said to Sherry, and then honored that promise to the point that several hunters in the vicinity gave them strange looks while they filled their trays. "It's my turn to take Gale on a date, but things just keep coming up, you know? I feel awful . . ."
With barely half of her tray filled, Stormy was ready to go and get them started on sleepover time with some more girl talk.
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