[M] Plagued Encounters (Sparkz and NoviDome)

[Sparkz]

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. Take your time." He rubbed his face. "This is hard on all of us." He looked at her. "Thank you for calming me down."

[NoviDome]

She nodded mutely and then she was off, letting the wind blow through her hair as she headed into the forest. Her arms were still wrapped around herself, and she willed the tears to come. Willed herself to feel her feelings. She knew Roger was heartbroken, and he needed her, but she could have done without him listing off one painful observation after the other. As if she didn't know... know that this was all messed up. And then the cigarettes... Gods, she knew how badly he wanted them. She could feel it. But that didn't make it less painful to see him like that. To hear him talk that way, even if he claimed he didn't mean it. In that regard, walking off may not have been the best choice. She wouldn't be surprised to smell smoke on his breath when she came back.

[Sparkz]

Roger watched her walk away. He sighed softly to himself. He knew that he had a little bit before David woke up. He looked out at the lake and how peaceful it all looked. He hated the view in this moment. Their world shattered and the rest of the world just kept right on going. He shifted and pulled another cigarette out of the pack. Just today. He just needed them today. He told himself that but he wasn't sure if it would just be today. He stared at it. "oh fuck it." He muttered and lit it before sticking it in his mouth. He inhaled deeply and coughed a bit. He inhaled again before exhaling slowly as he felt his nerves start to relax. "Oh fuck me..." He muttered. He hated all of this.

[NoviDome]

Maeva stopped walking the second he took his first drag, and looked over her shoulder. Now, at last, she started to cry. She hadn't even been trying to keep her mind's eye on him. She didn't want to spy on him. Maybe she'd just tried so hard all morning to see the whole world and its future... that she was having trouble shutting it out again. Maybe that's why she could still see the school by the time they got home, and why she could sense Roger's smoking now. And why she hadn't felt space to process her own emotions. Because her mind was too clouded with others'. David's, Roger's... Milly's, and her parents', and the teacher. Maybe even Harry. Maybe that was the numbness she felt.
A shiver ran down her spine and she walked over to a fallen tree overseeing the lake. She wiped her tears and slowly sat down, trying to take deeper breaths. She hoped meditation would help, even though she doubted she'd be able to focus enough.

[Sparkz]

Roger smoked on their front porch. He kept an ear out for David. He wanted to be there when he woke up. He felt himself calming down as he worked his way through the cigarette. He sighed to himself. He wanted to be by Maeva to help comfort her but he knew that he couldn't. She hated when he smoked and he knew that she would be disappointed when she returned. He looked out into the distance. This entire situation sucked and he needed to pull himself together. He had to be the strong one.

[NoviDome]

Maeva ended up being able to clear her head a little, and focus on the sounds of the lake. She was going to have to accept that this wouldn't be something she'd ever truly get over. She had driven the kids to school. She had delivered Harry to the place of his death. Never ever would she try to test fate again. This was a clear lesson. She just hated that David had to suffer through it. If only they could make him forget... She wondered if that would help him, even though it would leave Milly all alone in her memory of her brother's death. No kid should have to witness that, especially not if it's your twin brother. The staggering amount of blood that had spread across the classroom floor, the way she had felt when Harry was crushed, what it had done to his little body... Maeva laid a hand on her stomach, but she was too late. She fell to her knees on the forest floor and threw up her breakfast before whimpering softly and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

[Sparkz]

Roger finished his cigarette and he looked at the cigarette butt in his fingers. He muttered a spell and burnt it to ashes. He considered getting another one out to smoke but resisted. He stood up and started to pace. He needed to calm down a little more before heading inside. He took some deep breaths in and out before looking out where Maeva walked. He hoped that she was okay.

[NoviDome]

Maeva sat back against the tree once the nausea had passed, and ran her trembling hands through her hair. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to focus on her breathing, which she managed for a couple of seconds. Then she started to cry again, and hugged her knees to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

[Sparkz]

Roger looked at the front door. He listened for David but it sounded like he was fast asleep. He bit his lip. Have much space was too much space? He wanted to be there for Maeva but would she want to see him? He smelled like smoke, the one thing she didn't like. He should shower but he knew the bloody clothes were still in there. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see them again. Would they even be able to get the blood out? He rubbed his face. It was even one of David's favorite shirts. "Dammit..." He swore before lighting another cigarette. He worked himself up again and couldn't calm down again. He inhaled the smoke and exhaled before slamming his fist into the railing. He was a failure but at least David and Maeva couldn't see it.

[NoviDome]

When Maeva had no more tears left, she slowly sat back against the fallen tree and looked at the sky. Oh, how she wished for guidance right now. The healer might have turned out to be possessed by one of the ugliest of demons, but while they weren't aware of that... she had been a mentor to them. Or at least to her. Someone to show her the way, someone to answer her questions... She missed that. Desperately.