ways_infirmary | (no subject)

(no subject)

They are lovely dreams, and once they start, when she feels herself settle back down into her body, they are continuous. This latest involves swimming in the Caribbean Sea, her hair drifting out behind her. She doesn't have to hold her breath or wear special equipment -- it's like being a mermaid without the tail. (Not having to worry about burning makes the experience all the better -- she's always been so pale, it was always a chore to be out in the sun for any reason.)

When she's done, she rises up through the water. She breaks through the surface; the air tastes divine.

In the Milliways infirmary, Satine sighs and shifts in her bed. For the first time in three days, she opens her eyes. Christian isn't there (which doesn't upset her), but someone else is. She rolls her head over the pillow to see who it is.

[[Again, slowtime necessary right now, but tags will be picked up around 6 Central.]]

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Oooh, using his own words on him, whut. That may be the most effective way to get through to Jack.

His eyes grow dark again.

"I do."

(And maybe I decided I hate you.)

Satine glares back at him. "I don't imagine you have any intention of listening to a word I say, then."

"Do I have a reason to?"

Satine has a stare that she uses only when someone has said the dumbest possible combination of words in response to her own.

Jack's looking at it right now.

"Of course you have a reason!" She huffs. "You've got decide whether you love me or hate me, don't you."

Jack's right eye twitches. "What does it matter to you how I feel?"

He knows he's losing this fight but damned if he won't go out swinging.

"I loved you, Jack. Nobody stops mattering when they've affected you like that."

"You loved me. You don't anymore."

"Not like I did. How could I? I thought I had lost you."

And then there was Christian. She holds it back, though: he doesn't need any more provocation than he's already seizing.

"And then you fell for Christian."

Jack is in Satine's miiiiiiiiiiind.

Her eyes flash. "You don't know a thing about Christian."

His eyes narrow. "Well forgive me for insulting your precious star-crossed lover."

"No. The only person you're insulting is yourself, with this ridiculous behavior. I never expected to see someone I thought so well of acting like this."

She's gone perfectly still, eyes locked on him. "I want you to leave now. I'm going to pretend this conversation never happened. Maybe when we meet again, something more than this can come out of it."

"It'd be my pleasure." He slides the chair back, stands up, not taking her eyes off of her.

"As for what you said about me 'insulting' myself with 'ridiculous behavior,' let me tell you something: when you hurt a man bad enough to make him want to hurt himself on glass and destroy his whole fucking room, you better expect that man's not going to be bowled over when you say, 'oh, I'm sorry, but too much time passed between us and there was this guy I found so interesting that I couldn't just but help fall in love with him even when I supposedly loved someone else.' Even when you knew--you knew you were going to fall in love with him anyway. Don't give me that horseshit about how you thought he wasn't talking about you. He was. So, really, Satine, what the hell did you expect? For me to take this news sitting down? To just...smile and nod while you trampled over my heart like it was not hing? I'm sorry if I don't live up to your expectations but I've been hurting for the past two weeks. More than you can imagine. So fine. Go to Christian. Stay with him. I don't give a fuck anymore."

And with that, he turns on his heel and walks out the Infirmary doors.

After he leaves, Satine lies back on her pillow and stares straight ahead, dry-eyed. To the casual observer, her face might be impassive. Her private thoughts are anything but.

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