An Unexploded Shell Inside a Cell [Open]

[vissernone.livejournal.com]

She thought her life would be different by now, but she's a prisoner again. Voluntary, she guesses, which makes it a little bit different than the first time. At least she can blink on her own this time. Not that she's using her body to do much good.

Ironically, she almost always looked better when she was a more total prisoner. Without her makeup and hair clips and changes of clothes to arrange herself into some approximation of health, without even a mirror to confirm her suspicions, she looks a wreck. Dark circles line her reddened eyes; her hair is unbrushed and falls in tangled clumps over her face; chapped, bloodied lips and fingernails bitten down to the flesh speak to her uneasy transition back into captivity.

Eva's given up all attempts to look 'okay'. She ripped a man's face open with her bare fingers. She's been a long road away from 'okay' for a while now, but she spent too long mistaking her anger and stubbornness for strength and resilience to recognize it. She's wised up now.

She really wants a drink right now. Instead she has some books - selected poems by Pablo Neruda and an anthology of poetry by women poets in the Andes - and a pillow and blanket. She's curled up on the cot with the former book in her hand, but drifting in and out of sleep. Her breath comes lazy and heavy as she alternately reads, dreams, and watches the door to the brig with heavy-lidded eyes, looking for nothing.

Comments

[caringcassie.livejournal.com]

The argument seemed sound, but something about it still struck her as... a bit off. But Cassie wasn't sure exactly what it was that was worrying her. Was it her friend's tone? Was it how quickly she offered the explanation, making sound sort of like an excuse? Was it something in the explanation itself that was bothering her? She didn't know and, for now, she decided not to press into the situation anymore. Perhaps she was overreacting? Worrying too much? Or perhaps not, but this wasn't the right time to try to find out. Eva was in a tough enough situation and Cassie didn't want to risk upsetting her.

Eva's request though was an easy one to respond to and it brought a real, if small, smile to Cassie's face. "Talking to you is never an imposition, Eva. I'll stay for as long as I'm welcome. Is there something in particular that you'd like to discuss?"

[vissernone.livejournal.com]

"Possibly you doing whatever is in your capabilities to make sure Marco doesn't wind up in here for trying to kill whomever started the rumor about Kang and me," she says with a wink. "Not that you're his mother, obviously. That's my job. But you're the closest thing that house has to an adult with me out of the picture."

[caringcassie.livejournal.com]

"I'll see to it," Cassie agreed, her smile looking more and more strained. "Or I'll do my best." She wished that she felt more like an adult at that moment then she did. It's an odd feeling. Much of the time she felt more like an adult then any sixteen year old should, but right now she felt like a child. A child who couldn't even help the people that she cared about. But she couldn't feel that way, so she blocked the thought and sealed it away as best she could. She'd deal with those thoughts when the time was her own.

She nodded and smiled a sad smile. "Marco will be fine. You know that we'll take care of him." Not that she wasn't worried about him herself. Finding out that his mother was currently sitting in a cell was going to hurt. And, given that she could only guess at the reason for Eva's being here, she worried that the reason behind it would hurt all the more. The rumors that had begun to circulate were only going to make the situation worse then it already was.

(OOC: Okay, I promise to stop editing now. I'm sorry. I just kept changing my mind on what Cassie should say.)

[vissernone.livejournal.com]

"Good. And don't burn the house down while I'm gone." Or drain her booze, Cassie.

Perhaps it's best if Cassie goes now. Eva's not oblivious to sadness, at least not other people's, and if Cassie goes and takes care of the house she could put Eva out of sight and out of mind. Unfortunately, Eva thinks that's the best place for herself at the moment. "Send my regards to the other denizens of the house, will you?"

[caringcassie.livejournal.com]

"No burning down the house and we'll keep the partying to a minimum," Cassie teased gently, trying to lighten the mood some before she left.

It's not as simple as out of sight, out of mind with Cassie, but she offered no argument at Eva's goodbye. Given how hard it was for her to hide her own emotions at the moment, she feared that she was only adding to a bad situation and she didn't wish to burden Eva with anything more. She offered a smile that she hoped was convincing. "Of course. And you don't need to worry about a thing. Everything is under control. I'll be sure to fetch the wine that you asked me to get." What she does with the rest of it is up for debate though, Eva. Your secret is out.

"Take care of yourself, Eva," she said softly. With that she took her leave sadly, heading towards the house to grab the wine that Eva had asked her to fetch.