Room 324, Tuesday Late Morning

[vanillajello]

This was the first time Kate actually stopped to look through the cards on her Valentine's Day flowers. Sure, she'd glanced at them yesterday, her attention grabbed mostly by the one that made her mutter "No, Hannibal, you are" to herself, but now she actually took the time to see who they were from, and what they meant.

A few flowers from friends.

Carnations from someone who was a bad – if totally hot– decision just waiting to happen.

And a rose from someone who'd probably ordered it before she'd... Done that thing. Whatever it should've been called. Being a mess? Showing off her damage? Panicking?

She poked at the flowers, lost in thought.

[ooc: Open door/post! I'm sick, entertain me.]

Comments

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

Hannibal didn't have a class today so he didn't really need to be awake but he was and since he was heading out, stopping by Kate's room wasn't too out of his way.

And since that door was open, it made it even less so of an out of the way thing. He stopped in the door and said, "Hey, daydream believer. Thinking about anything good?"

[vanillajello]

Kate turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. "One of my cards has a false accusation on it."

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Does it?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Someone falsely accused you of something? Why haven't you kicked their ass?"

[vanillajello]

She snorted and shook her head. "Probably because I haven't seen you since I got back before now?"

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Now, now, Kate, is that anyway to greet a friend who sent you flowers?" he asked, tsking lightly. "Such violence. If I weren't so masculine, I'd be running away with tears in my eyes."

[vanillajello]

"What about my feminine frailty, huh?" she returned, mock-hurt. "Is 'dork' any way to call a friend? There's no way for you to know I didn't just cry when I read that."

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Dork is an endearment!" Hannibal insisted. "Besides, I still see the flowers. If you'd been too upset, those things would have been trashed or thrown out the window. And you know I'm right."

[vanillajello]

"You are not right," Kate told him firmly. "And I might've been too distraught to do anything about them." She turned to poke at the flowers some more.

Not touching that one red rose, though.

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Were you too distraught to do anything about them?" he asked, glancing at her flowers. "Nice haul."

[vanillajello]

"Nah. Haven't been distraught in days," she said. "I was kinda surprised to get this many flowers."

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Why?" Hannibal wondered, inviting himself in because he could. "There are still thoughtful people in the world."

[vanillajello]

Kate shrugged. "I guess I just forgot that it was still a possibility even though I didn't get any for anyone."

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Kate, don't worry, I know you love me and flowers aren't needed," he joked, hand over his heart. "But seriously, most people don't need to get to give. Give people some credit, here."

[future_sandworm]

Kate's door was open. Leto had previously decided to wait until she visited him, but now it seemed stupid not to stop and say hello.

"I see you survived the weekend." He leaned against the doorframe.

[vanillajello]

... Kate felt instantly slightly nervous and very, very awkward.

Still, she managed a tone with the faintest hint of cheer to it, even if she didn't quite look at him. "Yeah, well... I'm not nearly as fragile as people seem to think."

[future_sandworm]

"Oh? People think that?" He waited. She hadn't invited him in, after all,

[vanillajello]

One-sided shrug. "Mitchell does."

She fiddled with her hoodie's sleeve, then glanced up, chin still down. "Um, you can come in. If you want."

[future_sandworm]

"Does he?" Leto didn't sound entirely convinced.

He entered, and stopped in the middle of the room.

[vanillajello]

She stood by her desk, leaning against the back of her chair. After her fingers let go of the sleeve, they found her necklace, and the skull-and-bones pendant hanging on it.

"At least he went all 'responsible adult' on me." For all of two seconds.

[future_sandworm]

"And that was unexpected and means he thinks you're fragile?" Leto gave her a look that told her he wasn't in the least surprised.

[vanillajello]

Her eyes flicked to his, then back down to somewhere near his feet.

"It wasn't really unexpected." She wasn't touching that other bit, thanks.

[future_sandworm]

After a pause, he said: "IT's good to have you back." Then he turned to leave.

[vanillajello]

Kate was quiet, biting her lip, until it was almost too late.

And then, with a hint of helplessness that almost made her cringe when she heard it, she said, "Leto."

[future_sandworm]

He stopped in the doorway and turned his head to look at her.

[vanillajello]

"Don't--" she started, and then after a very brief moment of being lost for words, said, "Close the door."

Yes, she expected him to parse that as her wanting him to close to door while still remaining in the room.