trans_9 | Cascade [Open party time!]

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Cascade [Open party time!]

Billy had just launched another portal in that maze of mazes, exhaustion setting in. Surely this time he would land on another moving platform of death?

Nope, just the exterior of the finished bathhouses. All polished, systems running, and just about ready to open! Given how sore and exhausted he was, that sounded like an excellent idea at the moment.

With a quick message to the rest of the crew, he set out the 'Open' sign for the first time and took advantage of his owner status---the prime waterfall spot could be his!

((ooc: The bathhouses are now open! Feel free to mingle around, relax, and have a party. Or cause trouble, but that might invite more trouble. Just start a subthread with your character's location and have fun. For reference there are individual showers in front, followed by hot tubs centrally located, saunas further back, and private baths along the side. The showers, tubs, and saunas have smaller sex-segregated units along with a central group unit that's larger.))

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Alex gave a small smile and said, "Thanks, Billy."

He sunk into the water up to his nose for a moment before rising back up. "I-it should b-be easier now, a-at least. F-Father isn't h-here to r-re-enforce it.

That startled him, but he tried not to show it. Alex's father had made him afraid of touch? That probably explained some of the markings.

He was at a loss for words. Billy lifted his hand from the water slowly, to show Alex what he was doing, then stretched his arm ever so lightly across Alex's shoulders.

"He won't have another chance to," Billy swore almost under his breath.

Alex shied from Billy a little, going a bit red. Normally he really wouldn't have minded, but he felt a bit awkward having nothing but a towel around his waist.

Alex sighed, holding his arms, "I-I'm a-afraid of him c-coming out of th-those pods. Wh-who knows wh-what he'd d-do to me. H-he'd p-probably b-blame me f-for dragging him i-into this."

Billy noticed and dropped his hand to his side---oops. He tried to calm himself, knowing that negative emotions wouldn't do Alex any good.

"He wouldn't be allowed to do anything to you. We'd make sure he had different rooming arrangements, and the rules against violence would apply to him too." He tried to sound encouraging. "Besides, if he tried to blame you it could be easily turned against him. You didn't drag him into this. He'd have died if he didn't have a connection to you."

A dark look crossed Billy's face. That was one of the aspects of their rescue that he hated to think about.

Alex sighed and rubbed at his arm, "H-he'd still b-be here." It was his father. Being around would be enough for his father to have an influence over him. The sheer fear would be enough to drive him insane.

"My b-bones are weak, b-both b-because I n-never ate enough, and 'c-'cause of all the b-breaks. I c-can't remember half of them." He closed his eyes, still rubbing at his upper arm as it practically ached in memory.

It was a hard fight for Billy to keep his anger in check. How dare the man treat his son that way.

"It won't happen again. He might have raised you, but that doesn't give him control of your life. You have people who will stand in his way, people who care deeply about you." Billy tried to meet his eyes here, voice gentle.

"I know that doesn't fix anything, but I hope it helps somewhat."

Alex smiled weakly, looking up at Billy. It took a bit of effort for him to control his breathing, but he manages. He raised his hand from the water and let it rest on Billy's shoulder. "Th-thank you. M-maybe, i-if he shows up, b-by the time he does, I might b-be able ta s-stand up ta h-him for myself."

Maybe someday. Not now though. He was still a long way from being able to manage that. The thought of his father was making him choke up on it's own.

When the hand touched him, Billy flashed an encouraging smile. There, that was the way. "You'll get there, Alex. And we'll be there beside you."

He would see to it. Billy wasn't the greatest at standing up for himself, but he'd learned how and seized some experience.

The smile flooded Alex with a warm feeling. He squeezed Billy's shoulder gently and let his arm sink back into the water. "Again, th-thanks. I-it really m-means a lot to me."

He sighed, "I w-wonder i-if mother's in the p-pods."

Billy was feeling the warmth too. Thank goodness for small victories for Alex. "Any time."

At that question, though, he was somewhat less sure. "Stacy told us that she made her very best effort to rescue our families, and that most of them were there, but I've seen very few parents and children. There are enough to prove that there's at least some truth in it, but...I have to confess that I've wondered too. We hardly knew each other before the world ended."

Which, Alex might guess, was a bit of a sore spot for him.

Seeing Billy's reaction he pressed his lips together. "I d0n't m-much remember my mother m-much, either. Sh-she... died." It was a bit of a sore subject for him as well, but he needed his hope. "I d-don't know if sh-she'd even recognise me."

Billy wanted to believe more than anything in the world. "If Stacy was telling the truth, she still lives. We know for a fact that people have been pulled from different time periods of their world, even from points when one of their group was evil or dead. She didn't leave your mom behind, and---I believe your mother would know you. Mothers know their children well. It might take her a few seconds, but the recognition would kick in soon enough."

Billy's worry was different. His parents had known him but not really 'known' him. It was almost as if they were strangers living under one roof. Which...was bad, but now he was hoping with all his heart that Alex could reconcile with his mother some day.

"Stacy hasn't been kind to me, but maybe she'll be kinder to you. I hope so."

"K-Katara and I are s-still here though," he said, smiling reassuringly. "I-it's been so long since I've seen mum," he swallowed hard thinking about her. "I-I've c-considered b-bringing her f-from my memories into t-the sensoriums, b-but, I'm a b-bit scared to."

Billy swallowed and nodded. "I'm more grateful than I can say for that. As far as recreating your mother, I know I was afraid to touch the memories of my friends for the same reason. When I did, it hurt more than I expected."

He recalled the tears in his eyes all too well, but they had come for several other reasons. "Do you think it could help you?"

Alex shook his head, "I d-dunno. I-I'm afraid of my l-last memories t-taking over." His voice cracked a bit, and he raised his hand to his throat, as if he didn't expect it. He took a deep breath, shaking his head. "I-it's always haunted m-my nightmares."

Billy worried, of course, but he tried to rationalize that away as best he could.

"We'll help you," he promised. "We'll do everything we can to call you back if it does happen, but I wonder: would it help to talk about it at all?"

Alex sunk deeper into the pool of water, closing his eyes for a moment. It had been a long time since he talked about it with anyone, if he had ever really talked about it in depth with anyone. He had spent long enough running from it's existence.

"I... M-my mother... She was l-lovely. B-beautiful, k-kind, c-caring. She d-did all sh-she c-could ta p-protect me, wh-whatever it w-was I'd done w-wrong. She... g-got hurt a lot 'c-'cause of me, b-but it w-was r-rare that sh-she didn't s-smile when she l-looked at me." He spoke with his eyes closed, remembering how she looked in his memory. He had a sense that she might not have been as perfect as he thought of her, but that didn't matter. He wanted her to be that perfect mother in his mind. He might have even needed it.

He sighed and looked to Billy. "I d-don't think I've e-ever really, I mean really t-talked t-to anyone a-about her... Her..." He sighed and gave up on completing the sentence. He still had a hard time admitting it happened in the first place.

Billy was quiet and supportive, listening carefully and trying to picture her in his mind.

"I believe it," he whispered. "I knew someone's love and protection had to influence you into becoming such a kind person yourself."

He wondered what was almost said. Alex was struggling with something, and Billy thought it might help him to get it out. "Her...what?"

"Her," he tried one more time and shook his head. He closed his eyes again, but opened them when all he could see was blood.

"I f-found her," he said quietly, gripping the edge of his towel. "I-it was th-the middle of the n-night. I was th-thirsty, s-so... I went into the bathroom f-for some w-water." His breathing grew more rapid as he spoke. The tears that welled in his eyes could be heard even more clearly in his voice.

"I-I slipped. I-it was s-still warm, b-but it w-was d-dark, a-and I sc-creamed f-from f-falling. D-Dad... He... H-he turned on th-the light, a-an'..." For what might have been the first time on the ship, he spoke of his father with a bit of warmth, even if it was just before he broke into tears and buried his face in his hands.

The pieces fell into place. Billy felt a spike of horror---no wonder Alex felt this way, after what he'd seen.

He couldn't think of a single word to say that adequately encompassed the scope of Alex's pain, not even an apology. After looking up for a moment to be sure that the door was closed and they had their privacy, he sat close to him.

Billy wanted more than anything to wrap his arms around Alex and hold him protectively, but he knew that probably wouldn't go over too well. Instead, he shifted his stance to an open one and placed his hand on Alex's shoulder, holding on warmly.

"I'm going nowhere unless you want me to. Whatever you need right now, you've got it---even if it's to kick me out," Billy finally managed to whisper.

"No," he squeaked softly, holding onto Billy's arm, "S-stay". He didn't want to be alone, even if he was just in a towel. He began crying harder, his shoulders heaving. After a minute he managed to calm down a bit and breathe a bit better. Between sobs he said, "I-I d-don't r-really remember a-anything after that. I-I j-just remember, f-for once, Father h-held me, a-and he w-was s-so warm, a-and I j-just wanted it t-to always b-be like that."

Billy stayed close, placing his other hand over Alex's. "I'm staying."

He still wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but it was clear that Alex needed his support. What could he say about Alex's father, though? After everything else he'd heard, he wanted to grind the man into the ground---but even he was human, had some feeling for his son.

"How unforgivably cruel that it wasn't," Billy finally whispered, sharing the emotion in solidarity for a few moments. "If there's anything I can do, name it."

You have no idea how hard it is to resist the hug, Alex.

Alex shook his head, "th-thanks..." He lifted himself out of the hot water and sat on the edge while still holding Billy's hand, hoping the cooler air would make it a bit easier to breathe. Sighing, he bends over so that his head hung just above his knees. "Sh-she g-gave up b-because I c-couldn't protect h-her. Sh-she tried s-so hard t-to save me, b-but I c-couldn't do a th-thing for her. I-if only I had th-the c-courage to s-stand up t-to him, I c-could've s-saved her."

He squeezed Billy's hand and the edge of the tub, fighting to keep himself from crying, and losing. He turned his face from Billy, letting his hair fall in front of his eyes. Still, he couldn't hide the heaving breath and shaking shoulders that came with tears, however silent he tried to be.

Billy couldn't stand it anymore. He climbed out too, snagged a silk robe from the edge of the room, and wrapped it around Alex's shoulders, bringing his arm up to hold him protectively.

"It's not your fault," Billy swore. "I'm certain she wouldn't blame you, not ever."

He felt better with the robe. He put his hands through the sleeves and wrapped it tightly around him. He settled back a bit against Billy, looking at the bubbling water.

"E-even if sh-she doesn't... F-Father, h-he hit h-her s-so many times b-because of the th-things I d-did. A-and th-then the t-times she t-tried p-protecting me t-too. I c-coulda d-done plenty to m-make things easier. I a-always wanted to r-run away, but I was t-too afraid to t-tell her." He ran is fingers into his hair, rocking back and forth slightly.

"I-if I had j-just suggested, maybe w-we c-could've g-gone t-to another place, s-someplace safe, a-and she'd s-still be alive, a-and that b-b-blood..." He sobbed loudly once, but caught himself and went back to crying silently, still hiding his tears with his hand and hair.

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... I never realized how good Billy looks with his shirt off... o///o

He's the ony one who doesn't realize it :P

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