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Leslie opened his mouth to sass Taym in a way that had become second nature before the dream, but a moment of remembrance-- of a future shared and the fragile memories of a grim past revealed to The Waxwing Slain-- kept him sulky and silent in equal measure.

"Hi," was what he settled on, and promptly tuned Abbi out after she said disney princess. "Listen," he said, full of protest, "I'm not gonna be nice to some b***h just because you say I should be." He promptly hooked his chin over her shoulder, and yawned again.

Kostya took in the details as best he could, but a series of distressed America direct messages had him distracted about halfway through Peyton's explanation, his face growing dark with concern, and then looking at the door shortly thereafter for the remaining duration of it.

"Interesting," he said, sounding as far off as he felt, and when America appeared, he laid a hand upon Peyton's wrist and offered her a nod. "Thank you very much. I vill be back in moment."

He pushed through the crowd with a laser focus, unable to find her before she moved to sit alone, and that enough was something terrible to see. His concern had started small but significant, and now it was something more.

"America," he said, sliding onto the bench next to her, hand reaching out tentatively-- not as if she were fragile, but as if he were intruding in a moment of weakness-- and decided to lay a hand upon her back, a heavy warmth of presence, a reassurance that he had not gone anywhere at all. "America. Ya pryamo zdes*."





* I am right here.

Chel rounded Milo in a sort of side hug slash "lean on my shoulder if you're tired" kind of motion. He was looking beat up (just as much as she was, really), but she'd be his pillow if he needed it. "Mornin' sleepy head."

Jack's voice startled her, but she only moved to lounge on him completely inappropriately for the situation. "Oh my darling you've come to greet me. This bonnie lass cannot take such decorum." She fluttered her eyelashes and then burst into laughter. "It's kind of a long story. I'll tell you later if Doc doesn't blab for days about it."

Then her cousin joined and an awkward air filled the space. "Uh. Hey Chris."





---

Ami's hand very quietly slipped in Lex's and she took his granola bar, because she was hungry and he probably didn't need it anyways.

Right?

He might have been tired, and he might have just been through a trying and harrowing experience, but when Robert walked into the briefing room, behind Mimsy, he looked remarkably stress free. Tired, but that was usual for him - and smiling, also pretty normal. His arms were on her shoulders, wrapped around, and he was walking with careful, stumbly steps on either side of her while resting as much of his weight on her shoulders and head as he could without actually causing her to fall. It was comical, and ridiculous, and entirely Robert.

A little distracted herself; by the retelling of the dream, watching taym, watching for familiar faces at the door, Peyton didn't really notice Kostya's attention drifting from her to his phone. In fact she was herself drawing her phone from her pocket and turning it in her hands before the touch on her wrist made her go still. She blinked up at him, brows arching curiously, before assured her he'd be back and headed down and towards a different section of the bleachers and a spot of fiery red. "Ah."

She looks...sad, doesn't she?

The question was directed to Warrick, and the demon uncurled lazily in her mind with a soft hum before bothering to answer.

<She does.>

I hope she's alright.

Kostya had known her longer than Peyton had, and he knew her better, and she trusted the Russian to sort everything out. Though she did find herself temporarily on her own. Not a state she was keen on right that moment. Turning her phone again, she hit the button on the top to turn it on before shooting a couple of messages out. Just something to take her mind off the remnants of the dream.

When he wakes he hears an announcement calling for a debriefing. It's been years, but he thinks he'll take the sound of H's voice (and all his 'jokes') to his grave. He grimaces. It's not like him to disobey an order - or to even put it off - but today he's tempted. He promised Joy he'd find her.

Once he's up and dressed, though, he's rethinking things. It's not just that it's an order (he's disobeyed those before), it's that the security of the island may be at stake. He doesn't know how they ended up in Wonderland, but with monsters there as well, he doubts it was a Deus operation. A debrief is necessary.

And the less excuse he gives H to single him out, the better.

~Do you mind keeping your pining down?~ a tart voice demands. ~Some of us would like to keep our breakfast down. Well, assuming all of could eat breakfast.~

"You sound cheerful," Davey says as he walks to the gymnasium.

~Just remember how romance normally turns out for you, Davey. I'm trying to spare you some heartache.~

His mood sours at the mention of Jo. He supposes Joy can survive on her own, if needed. He's sure he knows where she is. Once the debrief is done, then he'll go investigate.

When he enters the gym, he scans the seated Hunters for familiar faces. He makes his way up the back, taking a perch next to Gale. "Did you have the not-at-all-infringing-on-Disney's-copyright dreams?"

One of the girls is sitting very close to Gale. He wonders if this is the girlfriend Gale had previously mentioned to him. "I don't think we've met," he says, offering her his hand to shake. (It's across Gale's body, which is a little rude, but Gale looks like he's mostly asleep.) "I'm Davey."

For a moment, Lex thought Ami was actually going to hold his hand.

As it turned out, she was a little sneak thief. With an incredibly exaggerated sigh, the man pulled another out of his pockets. He was a growing boy, okay?

chimarii