[ he's seen her get angry before but it's usually directed at him or at something he's done. it's never been this desperate, anchorless anger that she can't do anything with. she kicks the wall and then collapses onto the floor. at first, he doesn't really know what to do.
he stands there, bewildered, letting her be before he realizes that that's going to just make him look more robotic and untouchable than he already knows he appears.
so, he moves closer, crouching down at her side, one hand hovering over her back. he doesn't know whether to touch her or not so it just hangs there before he finally convinces himself to get over it and lets his hand rest gently against her back. ]
I'm sorry this happened. [ it's not her fault, it's not his fault but it is a terrible situation all around. ] If there was any other way, I would take it.
[ she starts at the touch — not a flinch, not moving away from it, but just startled by the unexpected comfort. there's a moment where daisy simply stills in place, uncertain, but eventually her shoulders sag and she leans back into it, his palm a firm pressure just below her shoulder blade.]
It's not your fault. [ it needs to be said. she blames him for so many things, usually small irritations, but not this. this isn't his fault — unless, of course, he was the one to leak her location, to send her into a trap. but she doesn't think he's the cause. she doesn't know why she's so certain of that, but she is. ] It's — I don't know whose fault it is, but it's not yours.
[ her head tips back, crown resting against the wall for a beat before her eyes fall shut. ]
I don't know what to do. [ about the situation, yes, but also in the immediate sense. ] We can't leave, can we?
[ hopefully their time here would be short. he doesn't like staying in one place because it makes them too easy a target and she won't want to stay cooped up inside for too long. the longer they were here, the more likely it would be that he'd wake up or step out of the bathroom to her having sneaked out.
and that is the last thing he wants to discover. ]
If you need something, I can see about going out to get it but you'd have to stay here. [ and he's only offering this because she looks so despondent. it wouldn't be wise to leave her alone at all but she is powerful and she is capable and he'd really like it if she wasn't so sad.
No, [ quick to — dismiss? reassure? she's not certain. but to correct, in any case. ] I don't need anything.
[ even if she did (and she probably does: food, a change of clothes, something to entertain herself with) she doesn't want him to go out on her behalf. it's too dangerous, an unnecessary risk when tomorrow will bring plenty of those on its own. eventually, she'll have to go back — face her mother, face the music. gather what's left of her things, begin again.
try to prove herself worth the expense, too. a problem that bore its own weight on her shoulders, but not one she could think about right now. ]
[ he nods, giving her shoulder a squeeze before standing up and sighing. it would have been nice to be able to open the curtains and allow some fresh air but he's a little too paranoid of giving anyone a line of sight. he'll check that later.
for now, he takes a seat on the edge of the bed and sighs. ]
If you would like to take a shower, I can order something from room service for you to beat. The bathtubs are quite nice. [ so yes, he has definitely been here before. it's been quite awhile but this isn't an unfamiliar place to him. ]
It might help you relax. [ he hopes so, at least. she's been through a lot today and it doesn't look to be stopping anytime soon. she deserves a few moments of peace and quiet and time to herself to process it all. ]
Maybe. [ not right now. she doesn't want to lay in a bath and let her mind spiral on repeat over all the things that have happened, trying to piece out what she'd done wrong somewhere in her past to allow this to come to be. if she lays in the water in the quiet of the room, her mind will never turn off. it won't be relaxing. it'll be a punishment. ] Maybe later.
[ he gets up and settles on the bed, and for a moment, daisy just watches him. he's in the center, and though the clerk had been kind enough to give them what looks like a king bed (probably for his height, she thinks, if nothing else), it's not like he's left her that much space.
too bad, though. because she doesn't want to sit on the floor alone anymore, and since there's no comfortable couch to claim or a plush computer chair to flop into, she's just going to take up a side of the bed too. even if it means her shoulder bumps against his own. ]
Can we watch something while we wait?
[ for room service, she means. because she'll eat literally any time. ]
[ his shoulder warms instantly where she leans into it and that is...he should not be thinking of that. but he doesn't yank himself away either because she already thinks people don't want to be around here and he...does. even when she's berating and yelling at him, he doesn't mind being around her at all.
in answer to her question, he nods, reaching over to grab the remote and passing it to her. ]
Find something. I'll get the food.
[ there's a phone and a menu on the nightstand that he picks up, paging through once before ordering a few different things. once he's done, he hangs up and looks back over at her. ]
It will be a few minutes. What have you found to watch? [ what piece of american media was he going to be confused by today? ]
[ this hotel may not spring for every channel known to man, but there's still the basic cable lineup, and within that there's a few options. it's still mid-day, so there's the old standbys: bad soap operas and children's television to consider, the allure of melodramatic infomercials, the drone of religious sermons or calls for donations to megachurches that definitely didn't need the money. daisy doesn't opt for any of them.
instead, she lands on a classic movie channel, one she hasn't watched in years. there's a black and white movie coming on in the next few minutes, a cold war-era film she's seen only once before. somehow, she thinks he might like it. or hate it. there's never any telling with him. ]
You must be crushed it's not MTV.
[ she probably shouldn't lean into him, either, but. well. she's exhausted. today has been a lot, and his shoulder is just the right spot for her to rest her head without having to lay down completely, so she uses it. she figures he'll tell her if he wants her to move... or he'll just move her himself. he's done it before. ]
I don't even know what MTV is. [ he doesn't watch a lot of television, could you tell? he got his entertainment from other places like...standing at attention for long periods of time, exercising or reading. quite the exciting life he led but it allowed him to keep her safe so he wasn't complaining.
when her head comes to a rest against his shoulder, he stills. he probably should not be allowing this to happen because he is an employee and she is technically his employer. this is a little closer than they should be but she just looks so weary and he knows that today could not have been easy.
so, he doesn't make her move. he lets her stay as she is and focuses on not jostling her. ] You can close your eyes, if you would like. I'll be awake.
[ he would make the bellboy leave the food just outside the door and get it later, if it came to that. ]
[ famous last words uttered by a girl who probably would fall asleep before the first thirty minutes of the movie were up, but she's making it her story and sticking to it for now. stubborn as ever. ]
Is it uncomfortable?
[ because she can adjust. she can lay on her stomach, if he'd prefer she not touch him. he probably would prefer that, she thinks, but it's not reason enough to move. or maybe she doesn't want to. she's trying not to think about it too much. ]
I didn't say that. [ he lowers his voice and shakes his head. ] You're fine.
[ if this is what helps her relax and calm down after today, he's going to let her have it. maybe it is not completely appropriate and maybe he should ask her to create some distance but he doesn't. because this soothes his nerves as well. it shouldn't, it really should not, but he can't help how he feels.
what he can do is keep it to himself. so, he sighs and glances over at her. ]
Relax. [ if she's not going to sleep, so be it. but he does want her to calm down after everything that's happened today. ]
[ that much is true, at least. her breathing is steady, her limbs feel loose, and she can feel his chest rising and falling as she leans in against him. she's indisputably relaxed for the first time all day. ]
You're very warm.
[ maybe that's because he's a giant man with a jacket on indoors. ]
[ but, he doesn't really notice temperatures especially in relation to himself. he's trained himself to work in high heat and extreme cold so sitting in a warm room in a jacket doesn't phase him. if it helps her though, then all the better. he sighs and peers down at her once more. ]
Go to sleep.
[ because he knows that is going to happen whether she likes it or not. he's been around her long enough to know that she can and will fall asleep in a manner of seconds if she's comfortable and/or exhausted enough. ]
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no subject
he stands there, bewildered, letting her be before he realizes that that's going to just make him look more robotic and untouchable than he already knows he appears.
so, he moves closer, crouching down at her side, one hand hovering over her back. he doesn't know whether to touch her or not so it just hangs there before he finally convinces himself to get over it and lets his hand rest gently against her back. ]
I'm sorry this happened. [ it's not her fault, it's not his fault but it is a terrible situation all around. ] If there was any other way, I would take it.
[ but her safety will always be the priority. ]
Can I do anything to help you?
no subject
It's not your fault. [ it needs to be said. she blames him for so many things, usually small irritations, but not this. this isn't his fault — unless, of course, he was the one to leak her location, to send her into a trap. but she doesn't think he's the cause. she doesn't know why she's so certain of that, but she is. ] It's — I don't know whose fault it is, but it's not yours.
[ her head tips back, crown resting against the wall for a beat before her eyes fall shut. ]
I don't know what to do. [ about the situation, yes, but also in the immediate sense. ] We can't leave, can we?
no subject
[ hopefully their time here would be short. he doesn't like staying in one place because it makes them too easy a target and she won't want to stay cooped up inside for too long. the longer they were here, the more likely it would be that he'd wake up or step out of the bathroom to her having sneaked out.
and that is the last thing he wants to discover. ]
If you need something, I can see about going out to get it but you'd have to stay here. [ and he's only offering this because she looks so despondent. it wouldn't be wise to leave her alone at all but she is powerful and she is capable and he'd really like it if she wasn't so sad.
it hurt to see. ]
no subject
[ even if she did (and she probably does: food, a change of clothes, something to entertain herself with) she doesn't want him to go out on her behalf. it's too dangerous, an unnecessary risk when tomorrow will bring plenty of those on its own. eventually, she'll have to go back — face her mother, face the music. gather what's left of her things, begin again.
try to prove herself worth the expense, too. a problem that bore its own weight on her shoulders, but not one she could think about right now. ]
You don't need to go anywhere.
[ i don't want to be alone, unsaid. ]
no subject
for now, he takes a seat on the edge of the bed and sighs. ]
If you would like to take a shower, I can order something from room service for you to beat. The bathtubs are quite nice. [ so yes, he has definitely been here before. it's been quite awhile but this isn't an unfamiliar place to him. ]
It might help you relax. [ he hopes so, at least. she's been through a lot today and it doesn't look to be stopping anytime soon. she deserves a few moments of peace and quiet and time to herself to process it all. ]
no subject
[ he gets up and settles on the bed, and for a moment, daisy just watches him. he's in the center, and though the clerk had been kind enough to give them what looks like a king bed (probably for his height, she thinks, if nothing else), it's not like he's left her that much space.
too bad, though. because she doesn't want to sit on the floor alone anymore, and since there's no comfortable couch to claim or a plush computer chair to flop into, she's just going to take up a side of the bed too. even if it means her shoulder bumps against his own. ]
Can we watch something while we wait?
[ for room service, she means. because she'll eat literally any time. ]
no subject
in answer to her question, he nods, reaching over to grab the remote and passing it to her. ]
Find something. I'll get the food.
[ there's a phone and a menu on the nightstand that he picks up, paging through once before ordering a few different things. once he's done, he hangs up and looks back over at her. ]
It will be a few minutes. What have you found to watch? [ what piece of american media was he going to be confused by today? ]
no subject
instead, she lands on a classic movie channel, one she hasn't watched in years. there's a black and white movie coming on in the next few minutes, a cold war-era film she's seen only once before. somehow, she thinks he might like it. or hate it. there's never any telling with him. ]
You must be crushed it's not MTV.
[ she probably shouldn't lean into him, either, but. well. she's exhausted. today has been a lot, and his shoulder is just the right spot for her to rest her head without having to lay down completely, so she uses it. she figures he'll tell her if he wants her to move... or he'll just move her himself. he's done it before. ]
no subject
when her head comes to a rest against his shoulder, he stills. he probably should not be allowing this to happen because he is an employee and she is technically his employer. this is a little closer than they should be but she just looks so weary and he knows that today could not have been easy.
so, he doesn't make her move. he lets her stay as she is and focuses on not jostling her. ] You can close your eyes, if you would like. I'll be awake.
[ he would make the bellboy leave the food just outside the door and get it later, if it came to that. ]
no subject
[ famous last words uttered by a girl who probably would fall asleep before the first thirty minutes of the movie were up, but she's making it her story and sticking to it for now. stubborn as ever. ]
Is it uncomfortable?
[ because she can adjust. she can lay on her stomach, if he'd prefer she not touch him. he probably would prefer that, she thinks, but it's not reason enough to move. or maybe she doesn't want to. she's trying not to think about it too much. ]
no subject
[ if this is what helps her relax and calm down after today, he's going to let her have it. maybe it is not completely appropriate and maybe he should ask her to create some distance but he doesn't. because this soothes his nerves as well. it shouldn't, it really should not, but he can't help how he feels.
what he can do is keep it to himself. so, he sighs and glances over at her. ]
Relax. [ if she's not going to sleep, so be it. but he does want her to calm down after everything that's happened today. ]
no subject
[ that much is true, at least. her breathing is steady, her limbs feel loose, and she can feel his chest rising and falling as she leans in against him. she's indisputably relaxed for the first time all day. ]
You're very warm.
[ maybe that's because he's a giant man with a jacket on indoors. ]
no subject
[ but, he doesn't really notice temperatures especially in relation to himself. he's trained himself to work in high heat and extreme cold so sitting in a warm room in a jacket doesn't phase him. if it helps her though, then all the better. he sighs and peers down at her once more. ]
Go to sleep.
[ because he knows that is going to happen whether she likes it or not. he's been around her long enough to know that she can and will fall asleep in a manner of seconds if she's comfortable and/or exhausted enough. ]