Room 324, Sunday Afternoon

[vanillajello]

For the first time since moving to the island a little over a year ago, Kate actually felt a little hesitant about coming back to Fandom. Just the faintest desire to stay home in Kansas. There was stuff there that made it seem like it'd be worth it. Her mother was better, her aunt's engagement glee was vaguely amusing, and her brother's thing with the random chick was intriguing to stay the least.

Whereas in Fandom... Well, there was a lot to be wary about. People to worry for. Not really her scene; didn't used to think so, at least. Still adjusting to how things were now.

She'd come back, though. And right now, unpacking made for a great distraction.

[ooc: Open door, open post!]

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[therewaslife]

Sometime approaching the evening hours, Bod brought himself back to Fandom. Sleeping in a crypt meant his clothes were wrinkled and dirty and his hair was standing on end in places but at least he didn't feel like walls were closing in on him anymore.

He did feel embarrassed though. And ridiculous for acting melodramatic and stupidly self pitying on the phone. So, on his way to his room, he stopped in Kate's open door and tried not to look like a hangdog.

"Hullo," he greeted, coughing a little so his voice wouldn't sound so rusty.

[vanillajello]

Though it had been slow and kind of distracted, Kate had finished unpacking some time ago, and was now on her back on her bed with an issue of Persons, which she lowered some when she heard his voice.

She peered at him over the edge of the magazine. "Hi."

It was a slightly cautious, careful hi. Just because of how he'd sounded yesterday, and how he looked now.

[therewaslife]

"I've just come to apologize," he said, looking down and carefully crossing his arms. "I'm sorry. And I didn't mean to interrupt your reading."

[vanillajello]

"Yeah, my important reading on who's been adopting kids from which poor country lately." That was to say it wasn't at all important. She set the magazine down on her stomach and shook her head. "You don't have to apologize."

[therewaslife]

"I already did." And he wasn't going to take it back. "I had a bit of a bad day and I shouldn't have involved you when you were at home, celebrating good news."

[vanillajello]

"I didn't mind." That was a lie. She shrugged a shoulder, and continued with a truth. "Something always comes up, sooner or later. Good news don't last, anyway."

She said that like she was used to it.

[therewaslife]

"Well. All right," he said, feeling a little...he didn't know. His first urge was to excuse himself and let her have her laziness.

"Are you angry with me?" Bod asked because that statement just sounded off to him.

[vanillajello]

Kate shook her head again. "No," she said, as she reached to put the magazine on her bedside table and pushed herself up a little, so she was leaning back on her elbows. "You had a bad day. I've seen those happen in much worse ways than that."

Just last week, even.

[therewaslife]

"You don't seem -- " There was still something here that he wasn't picking up on. He could tell. Bod rubbed his eyes and stayed in the door, hesitant about coming in.

"Are you all right?" he finally asked, eyes narrowing in concern.

[vanillajello]

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she asked easily, raising her eyebrows some. "I'm not the one who looks like a random hobo."

[therewaslife]

Bod huffed a laugh and looked down. "I slept in Silas's crypt. I missed him. And I just arrived back via portal. Would you like me to leave?"

[vanillajello]

"No," Kate said, with yet another shake of her head. Now she actually pushed herself off the bed and to her feet so she could wander closer. "I missed you."

[therewaslife]

"I'm sorry," he apologize again, still looking down at his shoes, her floor. "I missed you too. I don't mean to look so bad."

[vanillajello]

"No, I'm sure you meant to look like a fairytale prince," Kate replied wryly as she stopped in front of him. She reached for his hand. "I don't care how you look."

[therewaslife]

"You just said I looked like a hobo," Bod pointed out, letting her take his hand even if he could see some of the streaks of dirt and grass on his palm and fingers.

[vanillajello]

Kate didn't care. She had a bathroom right there, and she hadn't even bothered to change out of her traveling clothes. She didn't care how dirty he was.

She laced her fingers with his. "So? I didn't say it was bad thing."

He'd definitely looked better.

[therewaslife]

"No, I know but isn't by nature associated with some negative things?" asked Bod, shrugging. "Not everyone really strives to look like a hobo."

[vanillajello]

"Well, you look better than most people no matter how much you look like you should be asking people for spare change," Kate decided, giving his hand a light squeeze. "I'm just glad you're here."

She hadn't been sure she'd see him today.

[therewaslife]

"The quiet overwhelmed me after all," he mumbled, rubbing the side of his head without a care of transferring dirt from one place to another. "I don't know why I went there."

[vanillajello]

"'Cause you wanted to go home," Kate suggested quietly. Maybe she'd been thinking about that after the call yesterday. "Just didn't work out."

[therewaslife]

"I don't know if it was that," Bod said, shaking his head. "It's not my home anymore. Silas told me that when I left. It's just a place. It's no home."

[vanillajello]

"Probably doesn't matter," Kate replied, shrugging a shoulder. "I mean, what place do you think of when you think of home?"

[therewaslife]

"That gets really..." Bod motioned to the side of his head and shrugged. "...jumbled in my head. I don't know. I think of people, not places."

[vanillajello]

"Hmm." Well, Kate was really the same. It was probably the major reason for why she sometimes referred to Fandom as home, and sometimes couldn't even think of doing that.

She shrugged again. "Guess that works."

[therewaslife]

Bod took a breath and let his shoulders sag a little when he came up empty for words. He looked down again and felt embarrassed again for no good reason.