Room 324, Tuesday Afternoon

[vanillajello]

For once, Kate appeared studeous. She was sitting at her desk with her laptop open, some independent, half finished coursework on the screen. On one side of the computer, she had a big mug of coffee; on the other, her thermos, which was a cheap piece of junk she'd ended up having to buy to replace the nice one with the flowers on account of not having it anymore.

She wasn't really doing anything, though. Mostly, she was waiting, passing her time drinking coffee, staring at the screen, and occasionally glancing at her open door.

[ooc: Just for that guuuy who knows who he is, please and thank you!]

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[therewaslife]

Bod had gone upstairs to drop his things off and then made his way back down two floors. The route to her room was still automatic even if he'd only been there twice since everything had fallen apart.

"Hullo?" he called through the open door, trying not to appear hesitant or nervous. "Kate?"

[vanillajello]

"In here," Kate replied, like that wouldn't be obvious from the voice alone. She turned around in her chair, practically cradling her coffee mug in both hands. "Come in."

She didn't think she had anything to be nervous about, yet somehow she still was.

[therewaslife]

He did as asked, stepping inside her room. His arms automatically crossed across his chest, a protective gesture that he didn't try to fight.

"Hullo," he repeated, nodding. "How are you doing?"

[vanillajello]

"I... have been worse," Kate replied, obviously a little caught off guard by the question. Apparently she'd been intending to just get straight to the point, or something. "And you?"

[therewaslife]

"I'm not bad," he shared, shrugging a shoulder. "I had a nice time in Hawaii but it's good to be back somewhere familiar. So, I'm all right, I suppose."

Another shrug and he fell silent, eyes going back to her.

[vanillajello]

"Hawaii sucked."

... So, those words just kind of fell out of her mouth. Kate looked a little flustered having said them, giving off the impression she thought she'd said too much. She glanced down at her coffee and was quick to continue. "Uh, so, you remember all that stuff about my friend Hannibal, right?"

Kate knew it was kind of a stupid question, akin to 'remember how that guy wanted to kill me and possibly you as well?' but it was just one of those conversational portals or something.

[therewaslife]

Bod wasn't going to let those first two words completely go. He was fine with listening to what she apparently wanted to say but her reaction to those two words was something that made him curious.

"I do," he said after a moment. "I haven't forgotten."

[vanillajello]

Kate was going to keep talking to her coffee for the moment. "Well, I kinda talked to him yesterday," she said, a little unsure how to say it. She knew there was a simple way, but it was all just so weird to even be talking about. "And by kinda I mean I... talked to him. Him."

[therewaslife]

"He's...changed his ways?" Bod asked, not quite getting it. "I'm sorry, I don't know if I understand exactly what you're saying and I really am trying."

[vanillajello]

Kate wasn't going to blame him for not getting it. She knew she was being fantastically vague. "He's... been cured," she said, and did look up at him again. "Or something. At least he says he has, and his friend Abigail says he has. I don't know if I can believe it before I see it, but... I don't know, it seems real."

[therewaslife]

"Cured of being a vampire?" Bod asked, raising an eyebrow at that seemingly impossible statement. "That's...I didn't know that was even possible. If it's true, that's amazing for you."

His opinions on vampires were not going to change but he knew she had difficulties.

"Kate, that's really excellent news for you."

[vanillajello]

"I know," Kate said, and just briefly, a faint smile crossed her face. She hid it by taking a sip of coffee. She had to blink a few times, so she wouldn't end up doing the same thing she'd spent most of yesterday doing.

"It is. Abigail explained how it worked, but I didn't really get it, something about a retrovirus or something, but it sounded convincing."

[therewaslife]

"I sincerely hope it all works out for the best," Bod said, nodding. "I won't pretend to understand how a cure is even possible but I don't doubt anything. I'm glad for you. I am."

[vanillajello]

Kate sighed, but it wasn't sad. "So, um, that's what I wanted to tell you," she said, lightly. "No one wants me dead, anymore. No one likely to go through it, anyway. I though you should know."

Even if briefly she'd considered not telling him, out of selfishness. She'd liked it when he'd still worried for her enough to cehck up on her.

[therewaslife]

"I appreciate that," he replied, nodding. "Thank you. I'm glad you've had that burden lifted from your shoulders. I'm sure it feels better that way."

Even if he knew she had others on her shoulders, a big one disappearing probably helped somewhat.

[vanillajello]

Kate nodded down at her coffee. "It does." And she had no problem with being honest about that, not even with him. Or especially with him. She didn't know. "You have no idea."

[therewaslife]

"I think I do," he said since he'd been hunted as a child too. "I hope you get to see your friend soon. You deserve it, I'm sure. I'm only sorry that it didn't happen sooner."

[vanillajello]

"Yeah well, I'm not actually sure that's an experience I'm... entirely looking forward to, but." She shrugged. "Probably just something I need to get through to get to the good stuff."

[therewaslife]

"I'll make sure I send extra thoughts your way for the difficulty of that meeting," he said, not even realizing he'd given away a little something there. Just a little if she was paying attention. "You'll get through it, Kate. I'm sure you will."

[vanillajello]

And Kate was always paying attention. Always. Even if she didn't show it in anything flashier than a few extra flutters of her eyelids. Stupid waterworks, stupid tangled feelings that needed to be locked up.

"Thanks," she said, then failed to say anything else.

[therewaslife]

"Mmm." Gradually, Bod let his hands drop to his sides and tucked them into his pockets. "I'm sorry your vacation was so bad. I thought you'd enjoy the sun and warmth."

[vanillajello]

Kate seemed to straighten up in her chair some. "I didn't mind the sun and the warmth." And there came the distant tone. Too bad, they'd been doing rather well so far. "It just didn't work for me."

[therewaslife]

Yes, there was the reason he hadn't wanted to let himself drop his guard. Something like that happened, it hurt and he had to bring it back up again.

He shook his head. "Just forget I asked," he said, waving a hand and laughing a little humorlessly. "Just forget I even broached the subject."

His arms came back up, crossed tight and he looked uncomfortable and hesitant again.

[vanillajello]

"You didn't ask," Kate replied, choosing to be prickly with her precision even if her tone was mild.

Even she knew that was unfair, though. She shook her head and sighed, quietly. "I felt like shit so I came back here a couple of days early, and then I felt better. That's all."

[therewaslife]

"I noticed that I didn't see you in the usual places later on in the week," he confessed, shrugging a shoulder and not looking at her. "I thought you'd taken ill."

[vanillajello]

... Now why did he have to go and say something like that? Something she wanted to and yet didn't want to hear.

Kate turned towards her desk to pour some more coffee into her mug from the thermos, though mostly it was just to hide her face.

"Well, in a way I did, I guess."

She'd felt plenty sick, anyway.

[therewaslife]

"Are you feeling better, at least?" Bod asked, trying his best to let some of his concern show through the brick walls he'd been mentally constructing for awhile.

It wasn't helping that she kept doing things that made it seem like he was being dismissed in subtle ways.

[vanillajello]

Kate turned around again to face him, though she wasn't really looking at him.

"Maybe." Not really, though she had her moments. "Kinda preoccupied with this Hannibal thing."

[therewaslife]

"Of course." That felt like another dismissal and he shook his head. "I'll take my leave, then. I appreciate the information and hope everything goes well for you."

[vanillajello]

"Yeah, you too," Kate said, then winced because that was just... so fucking lame. It was weird how nowadays, talking to him, she could feel herself turning into an ice queen and an idiot all at the same time.

An ice queen idiot who wished him away and desperately wanted to him to stay forever. It was a tough gig.

"Thanks for-- for coming by." She held back the 'I guess', then turned that hesitation into something else. "And, y'know, for checking up on me when I didn't show up to class. I... guess you won't have to do that anymore, I mean, I guess there's no need to worry about me."

See? Idiot.

[therewaslife]

Bod wasn't sure if she meant that to hurt as much as it did and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. It did hurt and his shoulders hunched up but he stopped moving for the moment.

"Is that what you want?" he asked quietly, still turned away from her. "You want to cut all ties right now?"

[vanillajello]

Idiot, idiot, idiot. Of course she couldn't even try and offer up something sincere without making it seem hurtful. Of course.

Her brows went up, then dipped down into a frown. "No, that's not what I --" How could she put it so she didn't give too much of herself away? "I just thought you wouldn't... want to."

[therewaslife]

"Why wouldn't I want to?" Bod asked, still keeping his back to her. It made it easier to hide the emotions on his face even while his voice remained level.

[vanillajello]

"I don't know," Kate said, knowing well that that wasn't the most surprising response she could've come up with. "You just might not."

On account of their inability to talk to each other for longer than five minutes at a time without someone's feelings getting stung.

[therewaslife]

"Yes, well, you're wrong about that," Bod said, shaking his head. "I appreciate the offer but no."

[vanillajello]

"Well." What exactly was she supposed to say now? She didn't know. She felt a little dizzy again. "Okay then?"

[therewaslife]

That wasn't really what Bod wanted to hear and maybe it showed in the slump of his shoulders.

"I'll speak with you later, Kate," he said and headed for the door again, having not looked back once.

[vanillajello]

A fact which had not escaped Kate's notice either. She hadn't been looking up much but she knew he hadn't turned, not even once. She wanted to say something about that, start a fight, get some emotions out.

All she said was a weak, "Mm, later." She expected it to be a really late later.