[Deleted]

WORDS: #

TAGS: Alice Morrow , Mason Warner

She felt much safer and more comfortable now in the loose-fitted black t-shirt and pair of women’s jeans she was given, though bagginess of the shirt made her look that much thinner. While others went searching for answers; particularly Persephone and Dominic, Claire spent her time at Alice’s side with Mason - both seeming to feel a little protective and responsible for her. Hell.. if it was hitting her hard, who knew what it felt like at Alice’s age.

Claire had caught onto the tiny clue that Alice might not have a super stable place to stay when the ideas of calling people were tossed around the room. The poor girl had closed-in on herself almost immediately without knowing how to chime in or answer appropriately - clearly uncomfortable with sharing information to the strangers in the room. So.. one ‘Hey.. you can bunk up with me, okay? I’ve got a couch.’ later and now she had two guests coming to stay.

Mason had asked to come along and she just assumed it was to help look after Alice (seeing as how it was pretty obvious that Claire wasn’t the most extroverted or socially comfortable person), but she was secretly and internally relieved that he was joining. She’d never show it.. But she was still shaking inside.There was more than enough room and sleeping on the floor never bothered her. There was still a lot about the incident to think about.. But worrying over it right now wasn’t going to do anyone any good. They needed a few days to decompress.

“You uh… said we could… like stay with you for a bit?” Claire realized she’d been staring down the street, zoning-out, and blinked over to her new ‘charge’. “Yeah. I don’t live too far. We can take the bus to a stop nearby,” she mentioned and looked to Mason for quick confirmation that he was still coming. He was still coming, right? The silent ride in the bus was a little awkward. Claire stared into nothing again straight ahead and fantasized about a shower. She did all her thinking under the hot water.. It was just her way to relax and recharge.

“This one’s mine,” she leaned forward to look to the side at both of them when the bus chimed the next stop’s name. Claire stood, waited for the vehicle to stop, and lead them both out. “That one there,” a hand lifted and pointed softly down the block a ways to a dark, brick apartment building. Thank God her keys hadn’t melted in the fire.. They only had to walk up to the second floor before she unlocked the door to her average, one bedroom apartment. “So.. yeah, make yourselves at home,” she stepped in a bit awkwardly and scratched at the side of her arm.. “There’s food and stuff in the fridge. Netflix on the TV. Do you guys care if I shower real quick?”

NOTES:
WEARING: --

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[Mason Warner]

Slumber Party

Getting discharged had actually turned out to be an entirely painless experience, thanks to Dom. Mason was in awe of the man’s generosity. He’d stuck to Alice and Claire for the most part, trying to ignore the bittersweet paternal feelings that came with looking after the two girls, but Dom and Will had been great company as well. Mason was feeling quite melancholic that their time together in the hospital had drawn to an end. He fervently hoped that this wouldn’t be the last time they were all together.

The other girl, Persephone… she was distant, but not dislikeable. There was a certain fragile confidence to her which suggested to Mason that she could take care of herself perfectly well, thank you very much – but needed more support than she’d care to admit. He figured it wasn’t his business to pry into, however, and left her to it.

The suggestion of staying over at Claire’s with Alice had come naturally to him. He’d sensed that maybe Claire wasn’t keen on being alone right now, Alice clearly had a shaky sense of home and, honestly, Mason just wanted to feel useful. It was a welcome distraction from the persistent heaviness in his chest.

He was pleasantly surprised by Claire’s apartment. Although modest overall, the kitchen was sizeable and the space didn’t feel overcrowded by a temporary tripling in occupancy. Claire extended an awkward welcome before excusing herself. Mason smiled, amused. He could imagine that Claire didn’t play hostess all too often.

“Sure, we’ll make ourselves comfy. Don’t blame me if this one completely raids your fridge while you’re gone, though,” he teased, casting a quick glance at Alice to make sure she wasn’t offended.

He wasn’t entirely comfortable himself going through a random person’s home, but wanted Claire to feel at ease. If he seemed relaxed, he was sure the other girls would follow.

“I uh… don’t know how to get Netflix on this thing,” he said apologetically. He offered the remote to Alice. “Hope I’m not showing my age.”

Mason probably could have figured it out – he was a practical guy, after all – but young girls with brightly coloured hair tended to have a much better command of technology, in his experience, and Alice was probably eager to have something to do other than hover awkwardly in a strange apartment.

“You… doing okay?”

He was sounding very much like a broken record at this point but he just couldn’t help himself. Not until the answer was an honest, enthusiastic affirmative, accompanied by the biggest of smiles. Then he’d be satisfied.

Then again, if he could track down a nice cold beer in Claire’s fridge, he supposed that’d satisfy him pretty well too.

ψ

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Claire Elliot + Mason Warner

Claire’s apartment was significantly nicer than her own, it was larger for a start. Alice’s was currently a tiny basement studio that the home had set her up with when she left. It was cheap, and as a result it was nasty, the home had simply let her go and forgotten about her. This looked like a proper home though. There were DVDs crowded on a shelf under the TV, and a pile of magazines on the counter top. The table had a faint stain in the corner, but otherwise was kept clean. It was a far cry from her old room in the orphanage, or indeed the room she had now. She took the remote she was offered, and sat down in a corner of the couch to flick through the offerings of Netflix. She smiled at Mason, she’d been shaken in the hospital, quiet. It had been so clinical, even with the others, they’d had to wear gowns and stay in rooms away from everything else. It was like they’d been quarantined. It was difficult to stay upbeat in such a situation, but Mason’s concern and the relentless charisma that had flowed off Dominic in waves had eventually gotten to her. The final brick in the foundation had been escaping the hospital, she didn’t want to think how close to death she might have been. “Do you want to watch anything in particular?” She paused awkwardly at his question. How was she doing? All she’d realised is that she didn’t really have anyone that would miss her that much. She supposed Stephen would, she had at least one friend who would mourn her passing, pathetic though it might be. “I… I dunno…” She shrugged, “it’s a lot to… take in…”

© seadra of gs

[Deleted]

WORDS: #

TAGS: Alice Morrow , Mason Warner

The shower had lasted way longer than any average person would take. It wasn’t just a way to get clean for her, it was her time to unpack and unload everything from the day (or days). That included coming to terms with being in a fatal car crash and somehow being totally and completely fine. Even the strep throat she’d had that day was gone like it had never existed. The washing came first, her body and her hair which she combed lazily forward with her fingers so that it hung a few inches from her forehead. After that, she just let the hot water beat on the back of her neck and shoulders.

Forty-five minutes passed before she shut the water off and stepped out to put on her own baggy t-shirt and own thin jeans. Her hair was now shown properly buzzed on the sides - already dried - with her longer strands all pulled forward on the top of her head and nearly hanging towards her nose. After drying herself with a long towel, she tossed it in the hamper by the sink and pulled the mirror open to grab her testing kit that she’d been using since high school. She readied a new prick, set in the slide, and turned on the little, digital reader before setting the metal end to her finger and pressing the button. But it didn’t read…

With a raised brow, she pulled it back and didn’t see that it’d broken her skin. Claire tossed that one away, pulled out another with a sigh, and replaced it. Duds weren’t uncommon.. Just manufacturing error. But this one didn’t draw blood either. Rather annoyed, that one joined its brother in the trash and she pulled a pre-packaged drawing syringe from the mirror with a shake of her head while setting it in-line with the vein at the indent of her elbow. Her thumb pushed forward.. but it was stuck in the tube it seemed. So she pushed harder, harder, eventually grunting and growing irritated, and then-- the needle snapped.

A needle. A needle snapped.

Minutes later she emerged from the bathroom, having broken two now, and stood in the hallway with a somewhat paler face than she usually had. “Uhm-.. Hey, Mason?” she swallowed and looked down at her hand to the third pre-packaged syringe, “Are you scared of needles at all? I just need help,” her other hand lifted to show him the digital reader. “Diabetes. I test twice a day. Need to get it so I know what to eat tonight and I’m just.. having some trouble.” A few steps lead her into the room, offering Alice a forced smirk that showed her discomfort but tried her best to be at ease in the younger girl’s presence. “You don’t have to watch him, it’s kind of gross. I have some soda in the fridge if you want. I’ll probably grab one after,” her shoulders shrugged meekly as an offer.

NOTES:
WEARING: Here

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[Mason Warner]

Slumber Party

Alice navigated the TV with a far more intuitive, almost lazy, proficiency than Mason could ever have dreamed of. Plus the way she curled up on the couch was, quite frankly, adorable. As he watched her, he felt a cruelly paternal sense of fondness hit him like a brick to the gut. He shook his head with a bemused smile when she asked him if he had any preferences – he stuck strictly to sports and news as rule. Or whatever the bar he was in happened to be playing at the time.

“Just put something funny on,” he decided. “We could use the laughs.”

He hovered by Claire’s kitchen, trying to work out whether Claire’s offer of hospitality really did extend to helping himself to a drink. It felt wrong to just help himself and he eventually tore himself away, joining Alice on the couch. She certainly didn’t seem to be doing okay yet.

“Well, yeah, it is a lot, but you’re doing real well,” Mason said with a smile propping his feet up on the coffee table. “And I’ll stick around as long as you need.”

They ended up watching a couple of full episodes of the show Alice had chosen before Claire managed to finish her marathon shower. Even still, quite a few minutes passed before she emerged. Steam billowed dramatically into the room and Mason was about to make a joke about the makeshift sauna until he saw her face.

“I can have a try,” Mason said genially. “My steady hand’s pretty famous in the local darts scene, after all.” That was only half a jest – Mason was genuinely quite well practiced at darts, even if not remotely of a professional standard.

He took the proffered digital reader and looked it over with mild interest. His understanding of diabetes was limited to the knowledge that there was more than one type, but that was all. Blood glucose levels and the like meant pretty much nothing to him.

“Hey Al, if you fancy a soda could you pick me one up too?” He then flashed a hopeful look at Claire. “Or maybe a beer?”

He did not have a problem. He did not have a problem.

Claire looked seriously freaked. He’d have thought that she’d be used to needles by now; it was odd that she looked so concerned. Maybe the shock of the accident was still getting to her and messing with her head. It was understandable, really.

“Okay, so I put it here?” He guided the needle into place, looked up to check that Claire wasn’t about to pass out on him (what little colour she had in her face had drained considerably) and gently pushed down with his thumb.

Then a bit harder… then harder still, until it became painful for him to do so. Then, with an audible snap, the needle broke.

“Sorry, sorry!” Mason exclaimed, flustered. “It wasn’t working. I shouldn’t have pressed so hard… I’ll get another…”

ψ

[Deleted]

WORDS: #

TAGS: Alice Morrow , Mason Warner

“Yeah, I should have a couple of Blue Moons left in the fridge,” she offered a bit in case the beer sounded any good to Mason. Everyone had different tastes. She sat beside him, extended her arm, and pulled her skin tight with her free hand to show him where. “Mhm,” her face was still pale as a ghost, but she tried to smirk to him and nod. The sound of the tiny, almost inaudible but sharp pierce of the needle breaking - the fifth one - her stomach dropped and she swore the couch and floor had been removed from underneath her. “Stop-,” her arm stretched out and she grabbed at Mason’s wrist, expression shocked but just as quiet as her voice had kept. Her eyes darted towards the kitchen where Alice was, then back to him, and she shook her head. Worrying Alice anymore than she was right now just wasn’t fair.

Something was wrong. Really wrong. She hoped that he’d gotten the memo to keep quiet. Quickly, she picked up the broken needle, its package, and her reader to take back to the bathroom and hide away. She hurried back while rubbing her palms against the tops of her thighs habitually. “I can make some food if you guys are hungry? Like bake a pizza or something? The shower’s free if either of you feel like it. Think I have some clothes that’d fit you if you wanna look,” she looked towards Alice and shrugged a boney shoulder.

NOTES:
WEARING: Here

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Claire Elliot + Mason Warner + music

Alice paused the current episode of ‘Bob’s Burgers’ that was playing on the large TV, jumping up, eager to be helpful. “Sure!” She padded softly into the kitchen, looking quickly around at what was a small, but pleasant little room with fitted units and a large refrigerator. She pulled open the heavy door, feeling the cold wash over her, it was refreshing, and she basked in the icy air for a moment before she grabbed a couple of soda’s from the interior. She added a bottle of beer to her haul before closing the heavy white door and rummaging in the drawers for a bottle opener. It only took her a moment, and she returned with two cans and the bottle, now open. She paused in the doorway. “You guys ok?” The cans and bottle clinked gently against each other as she set them down on the table, beads of condensation rolling down the frosted sides to pool on the tabletop. She opened one for herself, draining half in one, before wiping her mouth and looking sheepishly at the other two. “I brought one for you Claire, in case you wanted one, and there’s a beer…” She gestured awkwardly at the two remaining drinks on the table, pathetically eager to please. “I feel bad just sort of staying here, I could cook for you guys? Instead of just a pizza...”

© seadra of gs

[Mason Warner]

Slumber Party

The frighteningly tight grip on his wrist was enough to stun Mason into silence. He was beginning to suspect that something was wrong with Claire, rather than the needle. It was an absurd intuition which he pushed to the back of his mind, but it was there. The look on her face combined with the insistent shake of her head told him all that he needed to know – whatever was wrong, there was no need to concern Alice with it right now.

“Al, you lifesaver,” he said, beaming at the sight of the bottle on the table. She was looking almost apologetic. It was, quite frankly, a ridiculous face to be wearing when you had just brought somebody a drink. Especially when that somebody was Mason.

He’d perked up considerably at the first mention of food, and now that the little chef-in-training was offering to cook something up? The beam spread into a full-blown grin as he took a celebratory sip of the cool beer.

“While pizza is always nice,” he began diplomatically, flashing a grateful look in Claire’s direction, “I’d love to see you show off your skills.”

His second swig of the beer spilled a little down his chin. “Look,” he exclaimed, trying to recover his cool, “I’m already drooling.”

It was actually taking quite a lot of effort to maintain positivity, despite the promise of food and the presence of beer. Mason was well-practiced enough not to let it show, but he couldn’t help but feel an ever-increasing tightness in his chest. That weird, fatherly way he’d been feeling looking after the two girls was taking its toll emotionally, and now something was wrong with Claire. He hoped she’d confess what was up soon. After all they’d been through together in such a short number of days, he couldn’t help but care surprisingly deeply for his newfound friend.

ψ

[Deleted]

WORDS: #

TAGS: Alice Morrow , Mason Warner

Her heart was beating so fast in her chest that she could hardly think straight. Where did a train of thought even begin with a situation like this? What could possibly cause a needle to snap against skin? Thankfully, Alice’s beaming expression had distracted her enough to tie her to the here-and-now for the time being. “Yeah, just nearly fell asleep in the shower,” she had to think of something honest to say on the spot.. Claire was a terrible liar. “Thanks,” she gave Alice a nod and stepped forward to reach for the soda while Mason took the beer. Cook? Claire puffed her lips a little in-thought and looked to Mason. Seemed like she wasn’t the only one surprised.

“Uhhh- I mean, yeah, sure. Go for it,” she motioned to the small kitchen with the hand that held the soda. The other one raised towards the top and pulled the tab open. “You can use whatever I’ve got in there. I hardly do. Don’t normally have time to eat at home,” a shoulder pulled up before falling back down again. After she was done speaking she took a drink of soda that lasted far too long as if she’d been parched for days just to cool herself down from the sweat that was starting to form in a light layer across the sides of her forehead. Thankful that Mason had understood her first que of keeping Alice in the dark (or at least just internally coming to that decision), Claire moved around her couch to sit on the opposite side a foot or so away from him.

“We can keep this on too,” she reached for the remote with her free hand and hit the Resume/Play button so that the episode continued on the TV. With Alice beginning to cook soon and the two of them in semi-privacy in the small living space, maybe they could have some form of silent conversation when the girl turned her back to make dinner. The first chance she got, Claire moved her eyes from the TV screen to him and stared at him in confused horror, reached into her pocket, and slowly revealed a handful of used, snapped needles that she’d just grabbed from the bathroom - now in sealed, plastic slips - before hiding them again.

NOTES:
WEARING: Here

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Claire Elliot + Mason Warner + music

The kitchen wasn’t well stocked with food, though it seemed to have plenty of pots, pans and other implements. Alice eyed the contents of the fridge, then went through the cupboards, discovering little that thrilled her. She’d have to get extra creative to make anything that was more complicated than bacon sandwiches. She poked her head back into the other room, seeing Claire’s hand vanishing back into her pocket. “Hey… you guys like pancakes? I know it’s supposed to be breakfast, but you’ve not got much in.” It worried her that Claire looked almost guilty, but she pushed it to the back of her mind, she didn’t have to tell her everything after all. Even so, she felt a little hurt that Mason and Claire were keeping something from her. She pulled out a pan, and began to clatter about in the kitchen. She found the experience therapeutic, calming. It was like she was finally getting back to something approaching normality. At least partly. This was a much nicer kitchen to work in than the tiny set of cabinets and counters in the corner of her studio. She’d have to call the kitchen and explain where she had been for the last week, hopefully somebody would have put two and two together, she hadn’t even thought about it. She’d have to call… Steven! “Hey Claire, do you have a phone I could use? I have to call a friend…” Phone in hand, Alice dialled a number she knew by heart, Steven had been her best friend in school. They’d even briefly dated, although it really hadn’t worked out, as childhood romances often didn’t. They were still friends though, and she couldn’t really think of anyone else she was really close to. He picked up on the second ring. “Hey! Long time no speak, how’s it going Pally?” Alice almost didn’t know what to say, apparently Steven hadn’t realised that she’d been in the accident, after all, they were both busy. Alice trying to pay rent, and Steven trying to convince his parents that fashion was an appropriate major for him in College. She was having more success. “Alice… yoohoo… you ok?” Concern crept into his voice as she failed to answer. Then she realised that she hadn’t said anything. “Hi.. sorry… I’ve just been…” Should she tell him that she’d been in the pileup, that she’d been brought back from the dead? How could she explain all of that while in perfect physical condition? “Just been suuper busy, thought it might be nice to have a quick chat though. I haven’t seen you in a while…” She continued to work in the kitchen while on the phone, leaving the other two to their conversation.

© seadra of gs

[Mason Warner]

Slumber Party

Bob’s Burgers started up again, the colourful gentle humour seeming ill-fitting to the room compared to the fear in Claire’s eyes. It had been a good idea to send Alice off into the kitchen – there wasn’t much she could do to help in this situation and he hoped she wasn’t worrying too much. Her offer of pancakes was delivered happily enough, if a little poorly timed. He made a point of looking away from the hidden needles tucked into Claire’s pocket.

“Pancakes are great!” Mason called cheerfully. “Got any blueberries in there? Syrup? Bacon?”

Wow, he hadn’t realised just how hungry he was. Mason took another long swig of his beer and turned back to Claire, smile fading from his face.

There wasn’t something wrong with the needles. Claire would have reacted far more coolly if there was. He leant forward to rest his hand on her knee reassuringly, then drew back a little to check that was okay. He didn’t want to go freaking her out even further.

So if the needles weren’t the problem, Claire was. Not that he’d say that aloud, of course. What could it be? Had she turned into some kinda iron woman?

He checked that Alice was still occupied - on the phone, in fact - and then reached for the keys on the table, offering them to Claire and mimicking a prodding motion. He hoped she didn’t think he was nuts. He didn’t want to go wild and grab a knife or something, but he wanted to solve this problem for the poor girl and a key would at least leave a tiny, painless scratch on a person who wasn’t made of steel.

Man, this was starting to feel like a wild, week-long dream.

ψ

[Deleted]

WORDS: 475

TAGS: Alice Morrow , Mason Warner

“Hey… you guys like pancakes? I know it’s supposed to be breakfast, but you’ve not got much in," Claire's hand was safely in her pocket by the time Alice had asked the question from the kitchen. "Yeah, sounds good. Sorry, like I said.. don't eat much at home. Really should start to try I guess," she tried to offer her a little shrug and a smirk but looked to Mason when he covered her awkwardness with his own question. "I think I have strawberries. Definitely syrup in the cupboard."

She sat stiffly on the couch until Mason's hand draped along the top of her knee. Though it hadn't had the same immediate and miraculous calming effect as it had in the hospital, she did feel a slight weight release off of her shoulders with the knowledge that he understood the situation. Something was very wrong.. with her. "Shoot, umm... mine got melted. Oh, check the drawer on the very far right by the microwave? With the random stuff in it? Might be an old paid phone." She'd had to get one a couple of months back when hers had to get sent back for some kind of fix.

Thankfully the girl had found what she needed and then turned back around with quiet words barely heard under the show still playing on the TV. Mason's hand began to drift away and she was quick to reach out and take a tight hold of it - knuckles white - and her eyes kept straight towards the screen. It was just instinctive. If there was anything she needed right now, it was someone who understood in calmness.

Even in her quiet panic she caught on to the tone of Alice's low voice in the kitchen and briefly furrowed her eyebrows with concern. Claire understood more than anyone keeping to one's self when it came to struggling with things. Which was exactly why, at some point, she'd get a good hug with no words, no explanations.. Just a hug. Her dad said that hugs often spoke volumes when the giver didn't speak at all and instead just held on for a little while.

The moment he nudged her she looked down, loosening her grip slightly and seeing the keys in his hand. It was a good idea and actually one that had already popped up into her head - albeit not as safe as his suggestion. Definitely a better choice. Claire nodded without hesitation and kept a hold of his hand but scooted her forearm a little closer to him. She didn't look nervous about the pain because.. well, she wasn't. She was nervous that the keys would do nothing. "..Hard," she encouraged him with a whisper. "..one that's not used a lot." Just in case it fell to the same fate as the needles.

NOTES: Putting it to the test.
WEARING: Here

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[Mason Warner]

Slumber Party

It took a lot of self-control not to wince as Claire caught his hand in a vice-like grip. At least he knew now that she was okay with physical acts of comfort. Mason was wary of assuming other people’s boundaries of personal space and was particularly aware that he was little more than a stranger to this girl but, if anything, she seemed to need him right now. And that was okay, he decided. He was happy to help.

For the first time in a long while, he found himself remembering Jane. It didn’t hurt to think of her now – not after all these years – but it was funny how the little reminders endured. Jane had hated being touched in comfort; she was all about talking through her problems logically which Mason had never quite gotten the hang of. Sure, Mason was eager to find solutions to problems, but he was never so detached from his emotions in the process. To him, a small gesture of comfort went a long way towards easing an anxious mind and helping to reach the next step.

Thankfully, Claire was on the same page as he was with the key. He selected one which looked the least worn and rested the edge of it against her forearm.

“You gotta tell me if it hurts,” he insisted in a low voice. He gave her hand a quick, reassuring squeeze. Mason wasn’t entirely sure whether the reassurance was for Claire’s or his own benefit. Sensing her nerves as well as his, it was likely a bit of both.

He pressed the key against her skin firmly and slowly dragged it a couple of inches down her forearm. It was meeting a lot of resistance, not even making a mark, but at her encouragement Mason knew he could try harder.

“Sorry, Claire.”

Mason drew his hand back a little, adjusted his grip on the key, and drove it down hard. Instinctively, he felt his eyelids snap shut. The second’s pause before he convinced himself to re-open them felt like an eternity, his heart pounding in his heavy chest, waiting for Claire to shout, scream... anything.

His eyes opened.

The key had bent completely, turning back almost entirely on itself. In all likelihood, the metal had probably been very close to snapping. A quick look suggested that it was a high-quality, nickel silver key, and yet it had just bent against Claire’s skin like it was nothing more than a thin sheet of foil. With a tense bite of the lip, Mason worked up the courage to check that he hadn’t caused Claire any damage, and then sighed with relief.

Of course, Claire was probably not quite so relieved. It was now definitely not a case of faulty needles.

“That’s amazing,” he breathed, examining the key in awe. “I gave that everything I had and you just toughed it all out.” His eyes flickered to her face, searching for any indication that she could see the positive side of this strange, strange situation.

“I think… if you want… Alice would wanna see this.”

ψ

[Deleted]

WORDS: 430

TAGS: Alice Morrow , Mason Warner

"You gotta tell me if it hurts." In agreement, she nodded, but made a silent admission in her head that a little bit of pain didn't matter. She needed to see with her own eyes and feel with her own skin how little or how great of an effect this would have. Still, she knew that if she let it go one too long that it'd betray the small amount of situational trust they'd built up together. That wouldn't be fair to him.. So if it went too far she'd no doubt be a woman of her word nod.

She forced herself to watch even though it went against every natural instinct as soon as she saw the muscles in his arm flex and the veins by his wrist and over the top of his hand strain. The way he was scraping it so harshly down her arm should've been drawing blood and ripping roughly at her skin with its jagged, uneven teeth. But nothing.. not even a white scratch.. Her head shook and she nudged her arm closer to try and encourage him. She needed it to hurt. She needed it to bleed. She needed to be normal. 

"Sorry, Claire." "Don't. Just do it," she swallowed stiffly and held onto the edge of the couch with her other hand. Unable to watch this time as the key lifted to the air, her eyes winced shut and her head tucked down - chin against her chest. She felt it hit.. felt it. But it didn't hurt. Slowly, she allowed her eyes to open and look down at the sight of the awkwardly bent key in Mason's hand and the small red mark it'd left on her skin below like she'd just itched at it recently in the tiny area.

While he stared in astonishment, she stared in horror. The key had left her sight as he admired it but she remained focused on the little red patch of skin. “That’s amazing. I gave that everything I had and you just toughed it all out. I think… if you want… Alice would wanna see this.”

It took her a few seconds to realize that he'd been speaking and to recognize his words; head lifting up and the same terrified eyes looking back at him. "I don't want to scare her," the air barely came from her parted lips, head giving a single, slow shake. For a little longer she just kept her eyes on Mason's until finding it impossible to hold in the dire question. "Mason.. What's wrong with me?.." she whispered, voice unsteady.

NOTES: Not a great reaction.
WEARING: Here

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Claire Elliot + Mason Warner

Alice emerged from the kitchen with a plate full of steaming pancakes. She’d made liberal use of the few ingredients she’d found in the kitchen, and had managed to concoct what she thought wasn’t a half bad meal. She froze in the doorway; clearly she was walking in on something. Although what it was she couldn’t say, after all, it wasn’t like she’d walked in on two people making out. No, this was just weird. The two could not have looked more different in that moment. Mason’s face was one that could almost be called awe, while Claire had gone white, or whiter anyway. She looked terrified, even as she was staring at Mason. “What’s going on?” Her eye was caught by something reflecting the light, a strange circle of metal held up in Mason’s fingers. She peered closer, putting the plate down on the table as she stepped into the room. It was strange, it didn’t look like it was supposed to be that shape, and from the look on Mason and Claire’s faces, whatever had happened to make it that shape was something way beyond normality. That said, normality was somewhat loosely defined for them since the crash. It was a key, or it had been a key. Except now it was bent into a complete circle. Alice’s eyes widened in both amazement and delight. “Oh my god!” She moved over to them, taking the key from Mason’s hand, “how did you do that?” She turned it over in her hands, examining it closely, it looked imperfect, as though it had been bent out of shape with one ferocious blow of a hammer. It certainly couldn’t have been done by hand, who was strong enough to just bend a key without leverage or tools? She turned to the two of them. “So is this like a party trick or something?” Her light mood faltered however when faced with the horrified look on Claire’s face. “What? What’s wrong?”

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