[Private] What Happens in Vegas

Fire arrives to the Honey Salt wearing her standard 'going out', long sleeved, black romper. She's got on a multi-colored purple wig and she's done her eyebrows in a similar color scheme, her lips a pitch black. She feels like a complete punk in the best, fancy way.

She gets herself pointed to Archie's table and approaches slowly, perhaps even awkwardly. It's been a while since she's had a real interaction with him.

"Hey, Archie. Nice suit. How are you?" Start with something easy. She tries to be as pleasant as possible even though inside she's always ready to scream. Her voice is noticeably quieter than it is normally.

She sits down at one of the chairs at the table and she notes that it's weird seeing him with stubble like this. He seems more tame, which is weird given the stage light sensation of his mantle. 

Riley stood outside the restaurant for several minutes. They had figured what this was about. They weren't sure if they had it in them to do this.

A long slow breath.

It was hot to be wearing black; even in a dress, it felt unbearable. Riley had half the mind to text the two, say sorry missed the bus. Cant make. Ooops.

But they knew they couldn't do that. So the Moth ran a hand through their shock of white hair and fidgeted with their antenna for a moment.

"you can do it"

Riley pushed open the door and stepped inside. Quickly spying the two other lost and made their way over raising a hand in greeting.

"Hey, sorry i am late"

He listened attentively, his body language open and giving her the space she needed to find her words without rushing. As she began to find them he took the moment to gauge what was the sentiment sitting behind them.

Queue Riley.

The same welcoming grin was made, and as they found their seat Archie offered a one armed half hug for the Darkling. Normally unheard of from the Chatelaine, but more common in these last couple of weeks. Having one another was sometimes all they had.

“Good timing, Danica just got here as well. I was just asking her how she had been holding up. Before we get too off track did you want to finish your thoughts? I know how frustrating it can be to lose them as things keep trucking.”

He gave the Elemental the floor so that they could have their piece without feeling forced to abandon the topic. As he did so he also made sure a menu found its way to Riley, before offering a sip of his own drink, to see if it was her palate if they chose to taste.

Dani can't help but smile, a little warmth spreading through her from Riley's kiss to her cheek. Lately, that sense of touch and has been reminding her that she isn't completely numb. And she knows Riley is just as deep into this as she is, if not more affected given...

Then she feels backed into a corner. How are you? How am I? It gives her a heap of anxiety. How to explain? Can she explain? Her heart pounds in her chest and for a moment it feels like a small flash is about to come on, but she lets out a breath. No. No flashes today. Please. No flashes today.

It's gotten worse and worse lately. Feeling like she's just back there. Back there in so many places. She's lost Linden in her mind so many times over, in so many different places. Losing them in the desert, in the Hedge, in places that never happened. So many times she was able to help protect them, but not that last time. It shatters her inside. 

"I'm not fine. I don't know if I'll ever be fine again." That's probably the truest sentence she's spoken in a while. "Everyone just seems to be going along like the ripples aren't- and I'm stuck behind still trying to-" she shakes her head, "I'm sorry." her nose begins to run a little and her breath is catching in her throat, the knot forming, preventing her from speaking normally. Normally for her now, anyway. Quiet voice, quiet demeanor. Nothing about Fire is Fire anymore.

She picks up a napkin from the table and wipes her nose, pursing her lips a little. Another slow breath in and out through her nose, even though it feels stuffy now. There is a slight redness to her eyes and they feel a little itchy, like they want to water, but she's cried so much already. She knows she hasn't shed her last tears, however. 

Where the hell did your Summer go, Dani? Some Fire you are, can't even transition your pain to wrath, ready to rally against the foes that did this. You're sitting around, crowded by your own fears.

Fighting it won't help if we don't know enough of what happened... And she wants to know exactly what happened. What went wrong and how can they fix it? Did it even give them anything of use? If it does, does that justify the cost? She doesn't think it ever will. 

Riley watched as the anxiety grew within the Firebringer. They had seen it only get worse since what happened. Riley caught Archie's eye and then glances at Firebringer. It seemed the three were always trying to keep their heads above water these days. Gasping.

The Bright One slid to the side, wrapping an arm around Dani, providing a comforting squeeze. The two had not entirely spoken on all of this; the bureaucracy, investigation, all of it had taken days.

Riley looks once more to Archie as he gave an explanation, giving a silent nod. The moth opened their mouth as if to say something but only silence came. They gulp, as if trying to catch the words.

" We're here for ya" Riley said softly.

"I Know that don't feel like much. How could it?"

Riley was struggling to find words. Why were words so useless?

Archie placed a hand palm down on the table, but otherwise opened and relaxed.

“Danica, the truth is the world doesn’t often make sense. When we get right down to it we live in constant chaos and all we can do is try to fight for any semblance of order and peace we can muster. What I can say is that I have many of the same questions you do, but I have already concluded that they won’t change what has happened.”

“I wake up with two options. The first is to let despair keep me in a cage of my own construction, bitter, angry, miserable, afraid, all of the above. The other is getting up and doing what I need to do. I know that can mean a lot of things, but for me it boils down to two simple things.”

“The first is to keep living, because if Linden caught me skulking around they would be the first person to literally drag me out of that cage.”

“The second is to do that same thing, even if I don’t have the same muscles to back it up.”

He offered a small grin to accompany the lightening conversation.

“Sometimes all we have is one another, and I don’t want you to think you are someone Riley and I could forget about, or harbor any ill will towards. We know you did everything you could, Danica, I don’t think you are capable of anything but 110%. Now it’s our turn to help you though. You deserve it, have earned, and need it.”

“I am not sure about how it would with the Spear, but maybe take some time off, and just take a few moments to live in the community you have done so much for, and that owes you some R&R. How does that sound, Danica?”

He remained focused on the Elemental, providing them a course of their choosing.

Tone deaf. So much of this is tone deaf. Mostly from Archie. He gets it, but he doesn't at the same time. Just because someone might have been through something in the past doesn't mean they know what it is like for someone else, especially when their hurt isn't as fresh as the other. It's like when you aren't depressed and are trying to empathize with someone else who is. It doesn't always mesh right. 

She almost wants to tell Archie exactly what she thinks, but she knows it would start an argument and she just doesn't have the time for those right now. They take too much energy. 

Riley is more genuine. They get it better, of course. They know her, care about her. The beginning she can feel that Riley knew was just... it wasn't quite what they wanted to get across. At least, she didn't think so. But it is the last words that matter. They were listening. 

"I don't..." she sighs, she wants to go a little more aggressive, but she just can't today. "I don't want you to think that I don't appreciate the words, but at the moment, all I'm hearing is words. I just said what I needed and instead I'm being told how to resolve my problems. They aren't resolvable. I'm not just going to put on a mask and pretend to be okay so that others can feel comfortable."

"The only thing that is going to solve that is time." Yes. Understanding that is a key part of healing, right? Maybe. The recognition of it still comes and goes. "Telling me to keep on trucking along does nothing for me. It doesn't help. I don't know that being told that really helps anyone." Her words are oddly calm and collected. She isn't fighting, she is just relaying information.

She pauses, "And please don't call me Danica. You can call me Dani if you want. It feels weird. Solomon called me it once and just... eh..." She's never really like people using her full name. Names have always given her trouble. "I am taking 'R&R'" She quotes it, "I'm just not going to smile about it. You can't rush it and I feel like everyone is trying to force it."

She looks over at Riley with a faint smile, "And I'd appreciate the help trying to just... figure it out. If I can't fight it, then I need to know more about it. I don't know if it will make me feel any better, but I'll still know. We'll know. It's yours to deal with too, even though I can't tell you how to make it bearable." She gives a sympathetic look to them. You're about as close to falling apart as I am, aren't you?