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 Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 12:32 pm
To say that it had been a long night would have been understating things. She'd made a decent amount in tips and even after splitting off a cut with the bartender she wasn't too worried about rent or groceries. Bindhi had helped with the groceries, in part, still trying to spoil her to 'make up' for the night she'd brought the young woman back to her place even as she protested that there was no need to. Her freezer and pantry were both stocked and she was going to have to see about bringing her over for dinner at some point in an attempt to thank her... Without making it seem like that's what she was trying to do, of course. Cordelia sighed softly as she slid her heels off, rocking on her feet for a moment before reaching behind her to loosen the laces of her corset. The soft sigh became a low groan as everything that had been bound settled back into place, leaving her to shimmy out of the corset only to replace it with a comfortable off-the-shoulder sweater. "Much better." She murmured to herself, tucking her corset into her bag before slipping into her flats.
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 12:43 pm
Well, normally he wouldn't be stalking the back room with a gloomy face. Normally, Anguss delighted in hanging out in the locker room and cheerfully play-leering at some of the club's staff. Male or female, he flirted without shame, always angling to charm and hopefully help cheer someone's day.
Now though, he stood with his back against one bank of lockers, carefully not looking at the girl who was changing. How did you break it to someone that a friend had tried to take herself permanently out of the picture? There was hardly a delicate way of dropping that kind of conversation bomb. Still, he knew that this was something Cordelia would want to know about. And he was equally certain that Bindhi would be too afraid to tell her herself.
Which left it up to him.
After a moment, he cleared his throat loudly enough to let Cordelia know he was there and began to speak with a hesitancy that was completely unknown to his co-workers.
"Ah, Cordelia lass," he rumbled. "A word in y're shell-like ear. Y'talked wi' Bindhi of late?"
It was a lame opening and he knew it. But this.. this wasn't something that he could just spit out. Not when he was still having trouble processing the whole thing himself.
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 12:55 pm
Cordelia jumped, startled by the sound of a voice interrupting the silence. She chastised herself for not noticing that someone else was there, trying not to think about how dangerous a slip-up like that could be depending on the circumstances. She might have made a fuss of things had the intruder not been one of the club's bouncers and had he not seemed so... Serious. She was hardly used to him being anywhere near the lock room quietly, or without leering in a way that was likely to get him smacked. "No. I've... Had a few things come up over the past week, but I was..." Her head tilted slightly, brow furrowing. "How do you know Bindhi?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 1:10 pm
Grateful to the locker bank and the fact that he was facing away from her, thus she could not see how hard his eyes rolled, Angus sighed.
"She comes in sometimes on the days y're no' here, y'ken. Ah've had to help the lass home more'n once. An' Ah'll have y'know I was a perfect gennelman each time!"
It was a mark of his own agitation that he didn't bother trying to tone down his accent. And he wasn't about to go into how on some of those nights he'd carried Bindhi home she'd always talked him into staying and simply talking and keeping her company.
Well, there were odder ways to make friends. But that wasn't the point. And he'd been right about Bindhi not telling Cordelia a thing. Damn.
"Lass called t'other day for me. Asked me t'keep her company in the hospital."
He winced, remembering how raw her voice had been. How small and scared. Finally, after another pause, he decided to dive in. He was up to his neck in this anyhow.
"Cordelia, lass," he began in a softer, gentle voice, "oor Bindhi tried tae kill herself. She's safe now, just in the hospital. Some friends o'her's wi' a key to her place visited at a lucky time and found her before she was gone."
And now that the news was out, Angus stood there,hands deep in his pockets, wondering what on earth he was supposed to do now.
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 1:24 pm
Her eyes narrowed at the way he was drawing things out bit by bit as though for some sort of show or theatrics. She was seconds away from snapping at him to 'get on with it already' when he said her name, drawing her back down with the same soothing tones and accent that reminded her so much of her grandmother. When the words came out she closed her eyes, suddenly feeling as though a hand were reaching into her chest. Breathe. The world tilted and one hand came up to steady herself against the locker. She could feel the fingers tightening in her chest; pulling, yanking, coaxing... Breathe. It was that night at the cemetery all over again and there was no way for Angus to know that; there was no way for him to understand what was racing through her mind at the thought of losing another friend. Breathe. The voice in her head was stern this time, forceful and insistent. Cordelia gasped, choking on the breath as it caught in her throat before she was able to push it back out. Breathe, she reminded herself again, this time taking another breath, slower. She couldn't feel the hand in her chest anymore; there were no fingers wrapping around her starseed or trying to crush her heart. Bindhi wasn't gone. Angus said that someone had found her...
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 1:35 pm
The sharp gasp was all it took for Angus to turn and stare at Cordelia for a moment before moving closer and reaching out to carefully gather her into his arms. For a moment, he did nothing more than hold her and gently pet her hair, any thoughts of flirting dead in the water. He'd seen enough panic in his life to be able to recognize an attack.
"Lass, hush, hush," he soothed. "She's alive and all right for now. Just battered in soul and afraid. An' she needs her friends, aye?"
He listened carefully to her breathing and let her go once it sounds slow, even. Reaching down, he gave her a gentle pat on her head.
"Easy now, lass or you'll end up joining oor Bindhi in the hospital. Then I'd have to take y'r shifts and I'd look damn silly in a corset."
He was hoping to coax a smile out of her, to reassure her that things would be okay. And really, as capable as he knew Cordelia to be, despite her tiny stature, seeing her panic had been a shock.
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 1:54 pm
She grounded herself to the sound of his voice and the words it carried. If it weren't for the familiarity the cadence of his accent carried she might have struggled and likely would have made things worse. Instead she let him soothe her, punching his arm only when he'd patted her on the head. It didn't carry much of a wallop, at least, and the commentary regarding the corset did bring a smile to her face. "One of mine, definitely. Your pillowy man-bosoms wouldn't fill it out nearly as well. A cincher? You do know some magazines will pay men like you a lot for a few photos with one of those on, right?" Her defenses were back in place, the smile turning into a wry grin for a moment as if to say 'I'm alright' before she got serious again. "She's alright?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 4:37 am
Allowing himself a slight grin, Angus made a show of rubbing his arm where she'd punched him, happy enough that she seemed to be bouncing back from whatever panic button had been hit. And the grin only deepened as she spoke.
"Ach, tha's what kilts are for, lass. 'Sides, why should I go play dress up when I like m'job here an' at the bike shop jus' fine?"
Left unsaid was the very honest answer that he hadn't realized such a thing and was debating whether or not he really wanted to go find these magazines. But that was neither here nor there and Angus sighed a little sadly at Cordelia's next question.
"Physically? Aye. She's goin' t'have a terrible scar on her arm. I'm more worried about the scars on her soul, if y'take my meaning. She's afraid y're going t'hate her, that we all are."
Now that was something he'd done his best to convince her otherwise on when he'd visited. Still, that had only been one visit.
"What I want t'discuss with ye is making sure that lass never feels alone. I don't mind keepin' her company, but she's goin' t'tire of my face if I'm the only one. Y'ken?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 6:59 am
"I'm not going to hate her for living." Had the other young woman succeeded in her attempt, however, Cordelia wasn't certain that she would ever be able to forgive her. That it was easier to hate than to accept loss still made her stomach ache, but she needn't worry about that now. "It's easy to feel alone in a city like this. I... I tried to let her know that she could call me before going on another bender, but..." She knew from her own bad habits that sometimes destructive tendencies were harder to escape. "Sometimes it's like a time bomb. It just winds up until it explodes and you either do something stupid... Or you run."
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 7:18 am
"Not for livin'," Angus said in a flat tone. "For not wantin' to live anymore. She's already kickin' 'erself for being worthless an' unlovable an' she thinks she poisons everythin' she touches."
Without thinking, Angus' own pent up emotions chose that moment to vent and he heard the echoing clang before he registered that his fist was now embedded in one of the lockers. Pulling his hand back and shaking it, he studied the dent and winced.
"Well, that'll be comin' out o'my pay, won't it," he said far too casually. Then, in as serious a tone as any priest's, Angus muttered, "Do us a favor, lass. An' don't be letting oor Bindhi think that y'think she's stupid. She doesn't need any more fuel for tha' fire, aye? I know that y're not sayin' she is, mind. But she's not in a place to be able to make that distinction."
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 8:36 am
"I don't think she's stupid for wanting to give up." She would be a hypocrite for thinking that, honestly, considering everything she had gone through herself. "I think she's just as stupid as I was for not telling someone before it came to something so drastic. She probably wasn't thinking about that, though. She was just thinking about how much it hurt and how it would be so much easier to just give everything up..." Her lips pressed into a pained expression as she looked away from him, pausing to rummage in her bag for a moment before drawing out an instance ice pack. She broke the internal pouch open, giving it a shake to activate it before holding it out to him. "Here..." She murmured, finally glancing up at him again. "I can't promise that I'm not going to be mad at her, Angus. I was mad at myself for months," still was sometimes when she found her thoughts drifting to that again, "but I'll do whatever I can to help her."
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Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 5:12 am
Nodding, Angus thought that that was about as much as could be reasonably expected. Smiling a little at the offered ice pack, he slapped it over his knuckles and tried to gauge whether or not he'd have to call off at the bike shop tomorrow.
"Handy l'il thing, aren't ye?" he murmured as the cold began to sooth his hand. "Lass, be angry all y'want. I'm still furious. Jus' try to no' let her see it. As I said, she thinks she ruins ev'rything she touches."
Leaning his shoulder against the locker bank, Angus stared off into the distance, trying to figure out ways to help.
"Sooner she's awa' from that hospital the better," he growled finally. "Docs there, they smell money and they've been pickin' away at her withoot rest."
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Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 6:53 am
"It helps to be resourceful in a town like this," she commented idly on the ice pack before shaking her head, letting the slightest smirk touch the corners of her mouth. "Never know when you might trip over debris or punch a locker." Cordelia sighed softly, closing her eyes for a moment. "I... I'll try. I've learned how to keep a lot of things bottled up, but anger? That one's a little harder. Sometimes that's all I have to latch on to and it's better to let that fury burn than it is to let the light fizzle out." She felt like a different person saying those words, letting a bit of Corvus finally come out in Cordelia. How easy would it be to just let someone know again? She opened her eyes, shaking her head as she reached out to lightly brush her fingers against his arm. "I'll check in on her. Stay with her for a bit if she wants me to. We'll get her through this." I'm not going to lose another friend.
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 5:37 am
"Aye, an' it does at that," Angus agreed softly, thinking of how he had started to take various precautions since moving to Destiny City. He listened as Cordelia spoke, a faint smile touching his own lips as he nodded in satisfaction. He hadn't been entirely certain he was doing the right thing in telling her about Bindhi. Now though. Now he knew he'd made the right choice.
He caught up the hand that had brushed against his arm and gave it a gentle, friendly squeeze.
"'s all I'm askin' for. We get her through this an' worry about th' rest later, aye? Though I think the hospital is takin' care o'her wee drinking problem before they let her go home. So one less worry there."
Of course, Bindhi could be released and go right to the liquor store for all he knew. But he didn't think that would happen. And he had every intention of being there when she got out and steering her straight home. And then making sure that every drop of alcohol made it's way down the sink.Skye Starrfyre I think we can wrap this one soon? o uo
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 7:52 am
"Let me know once she's out and I'll bring some food by. I know a little bit more about what she likes now and I think I can throw together a shopping list." Cordelia shifted her bag on her shoulder, lightly twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she thought for a moment. "I... Should probably get going. Thank you for telling me about Bindhi; for giving me a heads up before I found out on my own. It's better coming from someone you know than it is finding out on the news, or through social media." Not that she tended to pay too much attention to either anymore. What on earth had happened to Cordelia Carden and who was the young woman that had replaced her?
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