Room 324, Sunday Evening

[vanillajello]

Kate felt weird. As if she... was supposed to feel kind of dizzy, but everything was completely clear instead. With a vague buzzing, somewhere in the background. It was probably shock.

She was just going to run with it, for as long as it lasted. Then collapse. Maybe cry. She wasn't thinking about any of that right now. Someone else was her priority.

And that someone was Bod, who'd been using her as a walking aid on their way up from the lobby.

"So, what do you need?" she asked when they'd made it to her room.

[ooc: For the poor, poor boyfriend.]

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[vanillajello]

Kate would probably be tempted to burn all of them, actually. A violent end to some violent mementos.

But right now she set the bag all opened up on the desk, and pulled off her own shirt. There was a bruise on the back of one of her shoulders, and some minor, almost healed cuts along her arms, but nothing big.

"Need help?" she asked after she'd stuffed the shirt in the bag, but she was already moving closer.

[therewaslife]

"Yes," he said, not even bothering to deny it. He really didn't have the energy to hide things right now. "Please."

[vanillajello]

She took a hold of the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head as gently and carefully as she could.

While trying not too look too upset about how battered he looked. She was mostly successful at that.

[therewaslife]

"Thank you," he said, rubbing at some errant ash on his stomach and arms. It fell harmlessly to the floor in front of him. "I don't even know if dressing better would have helped me."

Still, wearing pajamas hadn't done him any favors. His poor feet were just a mess so he wasn't even looking down there.

[vanillajello]

"Well, it's not like you could've known," she said quietly, looking down and busying herself first with stuffing his shirt in the bag and then getting started on getting her jeans open and off her.

Her slightly bloody jeans that had been her second favorite pair before Friday happened. Ugh.

[therewaslife]

"I know," he said, shrugging a shoulder and reaching for the waist of his own pants. They were easy to push down, though he had to slow down around the bandages around his knee.

"I suppose I should be grateful I didn't fall asleep in less," he added, still trying to slide his pants off around his knee.

[vanillajello]

"Yeah. You could've been naked. I bet that would've been awkward."

It was a tired attempt at a joke. At least she thought it was an attempt at a joke. She didn't even know how to sound like herself right now.

Though really, she was concentrating more on wriggling her way out of her jeans, anyway. Stupid fucking skinny jeans.

[therewaslife]

"And unfortunate," he said, finally stepping out of his pants and using the tattered remains of the material to blot at the blood that had dried on his feet.

[vanillajello]

"Yeah, that too," she replied, glancing at him and his feet before shaking her head and concentrating on herself again. She shucked her jeans the rest of the way off and rolled them up.

Then those, too, joined the other pieces of clothing in the bag.

[therewaslife]

Bod stood up slowly, rolling his pants up and offering them to her so they could join the other garments. They'd managed to get their clothes off, at least. It hadn't taken that long even.

[vanillajello]

Well, she still had her underwear on, but that wouldn't take long to get off.

They would have to wait, though, because after disposing of his pants, she went to her dresser to dig up some towels for them to use.

She felt like she should've kept talking, but she was tired. And somehow it was enough to know he was there.

[therewaslife]

Bod didn't mind the lack of talking though he found himself rubbing his eyes. That turned into keeping his hand over his eyes while his mind whirred, providing him with a rewind of what he'd seen. He breathed a little harshly.

He knew he was back on the island, back in Kate's room but it was going to take time to get things out of his mind.

[vanillajello]

Kate had started the day unsure about... everything, really. So she could understand the need to adjust and take time. It had been a nightmarish few days for everyone, and sadly, she knew how the aftermath of something like that worked.

And the shock hadn't even really hit her yet.

She set the towels down on her bed while she took off the last of her clothes, then picked them up again once she was done.

[therewaslife]

Bod kept still, eventually moving his hand from his eyes. His shoulders sagged again and he glanced over at her, trying to get her image in his head instead of little girls on fire. It wasn't exactly going well and he, almost angrily, swiped at his eyes again.

[vanillajello]

Holding the towels against her chest, she dropped her balled up underwear in the plastic bag on the desk, then pulled her hair loose from the ponytail they'd been in since... She wasn't even sure when.

And then she tried a faint smile on for size. "Right. Shower?"

There were other things to say, probably ( since it wasn't as if she hadn't seen him do that) but she couldn't come up with them right now.

[therewaslife]

"Yes," he said, nodding and limping closer to her. Water was going to hurt the open cuts on his feet but it would be beneficial in the end. He hoped. "Yes, we should shower. Yes."

[vanillajello]

When she got closer, she reached for his hand and leaned in to kiss his cheek. If that meant she'd get ash on her lips or whatever, she didn't care.

Having done that, she tugged him gently along with her to the bathroom.

[therewaslife]

Bod was going to be moving slower than usual for awhile because of his feet and his leg and everything else but he followed behind her dutifully, keeping a tight hold on her hand as he did.

He really did not want to disappear.

[vanillajello]

She didn't want that either, and was completely prepared to do horrible things to the island if it pulled a stunt like that again.

But right now it just meant she wasn't going to let go of his hand before she abolsutley had to.

The towels got dumped in the sink for now, since it was as good a place as any for them. Kate was more interested in getting the shower started, making sure the water was just the right kind of warm, not too hot or cold.

[therewaslife]

"You've a bruise," he said, frowning at that spot on her shoulder now. He hadn't seen it before but now, while standing behind her and waiting for the shower to be warmed, he did. "What happened?"

[vanillajello]

"I ran to the manor with Ariel," she replied, fiddling with the shower. "We got company on the way."

A few times, even. And it wasn't the nice kind of company.

[therewaslife]

"Does it hurt much?" he asked, reaching out slowly to cover that bruise with his hand. "I'm really sorry I wasn't here. I'm sorry."

[vanillajello]

"It doesn't hurt much." Well, it didn't anymore. "You look worse than I do."

Which was a lame way of saying he shouldn't be sorry for stupid things like that. She still wasn't looking at him. Still holding her hand under the shower, still waiting for it to be perfect.

[therewaslife]

"All right," he said, slowly pulling his hand away and letting it drop to his side. He knew he looked bad, he'd seen himself but he was trying not to think about it.

[vanillajello]

Kate sighed, and rubbed at her eyes.

"I think the water's good now," she said then, giving him a quick glance over her shoulder. "Think your skin can take soap and shampoo?"