Participants:
| Scene Title | Forced Smiling |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Brian and Kammy talk, Joe plays. |
| Date | Feb 3 2009 |
Description of location, if any.
With the latest 'excitement' in New York, it's gotten even harder for Kameron to convince her parents that she was not coming home. Phone calls that were usually a good half an hour of general social chatter were now at least an hour, with three quarters of them pleading for her to come back home where it was -safe-. Kameron could only refuse, but she never had a good enough reason to stay, as far as they were concerned. Apparently, her choice wasn't good enough. Still, she tolerated the conversations because she loved, respected and owed much to her parents. Returning from spending a few hours at the park, Kameron's violin is in its case, carried in one hand, with Prince's leash in the other, the well mannered collie faithfully leading Kameron back to the apartments.
Standing just outside of the apartments. Brian is leaning against the building, watching the small boy in front of him quietly. His arms are folded, and his expression mostly sour. The last few days haven't been his happiest, and even though he has done his best to be grateful and cordial to Kameron, and good to Joe, his temperment has been somewhat in flux. Between the angry outbursts, the crying, he has really done his best to try and prove he's not a complete psycho. But dying two times has that affect on you.
His eyes go up to Prince as he leads Kameron faithfully towards the complex. Joe is currently playing with a remote control car on the sidewalk, while Brian gives a fairly silent "Hey." In greeting to Kameron.
Knowing full well that Brian was going through some heavy things, which she has respectfully not questioned, letting Brian have his privacy, Kameron has been entirely quiet on the issue of his temperament. Patient, understanding, tolerant - Kameron only wants to help her friend, and his charge. "Go on Prince." Kameron murmurs to the dog, reaching down to unhook his collar from the leash so the collie can bounce forward and bowl little Joe over in greeting. "Hey," Kameron greets back a bit more loudly, hesitantly stepping towards her friend.
HEsitant, because she doesn't want to trip over a small boy or a dog that she can't see. "How are you doing?" She inquires, folding her hands behind her back.
Even though they haven't known each other very long, Kameron most likely is a large part of what keeps Brian going. How patient she is, how tolerant she is, how giving she is. It hurts him that he takes so much from her without being able to give anything back. But he knows that he'll probably be taking more and more, before he can give anything back.
Joe immediately abandons his new toy and instead floods the little Prince with affection and attention. A broad smile on his face, now that his new best friend has come home.
Glancing over to her, Brian gives a little shrug. Though he sighs, remembering that her kind of blindness couldn't pick up such a gesture. And so instead of using words, or another gesture that she wouldn't be able to pick out, he does something she can perceive. His head practically flops onto her shoulder, though not hard enough to hurt herhe hopes enough to demonstrate how he is. If his head flopping were to be put in words it would probably be a 'Not so good'.
Kameron doesn't mind; she's a giving sort of person. She giggles at the sound of Joseph and Prince playing together - the boy was as good for the dog as the dog was for Joseph, it seemed. Kameron's limitations still gave Prince opportunities to play, but not as much as Joseph would. Naturally missing the shrug, Kameron unsuspectingly waits for some sort of verbal response. Maybe Brian was just having trouble putting it into words. While Brian's final reaction of letting his head flomp onto her shoulder speaks way better than words could, it's surprising enough that Kameron gives a small jump and squeak. Er - Oh dear. "That bad huh?" She smiles faintly, letting her violin slide to the ground, braced against her leg so she can reach up and offer a tight hug. "I know you probably don't believe me now, but.. it'll be okay, Brian. You have to believe that."
Letting his arms slink around her back, he doesn't match the tightness though it seems he certainly appreciates the gesture. Letting his head rest there, he gives the slightest of nods, a gesture which he figures, now could be perceived. "I know it will." He practically whimpers. "Thank you Kameron." With her he doesn't have to fake his strength, he doesn't have to have it all together. She's tolerant, and that's what he needs. "I'm going to ask you more favors. If you want me out of your life, if you're not going to be able to handle it tell me now. I'll understand. I just need you to know, that if you stay with me." He takes a gulp. "Things will probably get weirder if not harder for you."
Kameron can certainly tell at the nod, and she smiles faintly. "You don't have to thank me." she assures. "What are friends for, right?" What -are- friends for, if not to be a rock when their other friends are drowning in the sort of things that can break a person. At the continued comment, she makes a face, reaching up a hand to pinch the back of his shoulder, "Stop that," she informs him quite firmly. "I said I wanted to help you, and I'm going to do that. If it's a safe place to stay, someone to lean on or anything else, it's okay. I don't want you to say silly things like that anymore. I'm not going to abandon you," she'd be a horrible person if she did that. "I can handle weird things, and I'm not going to back down because life is a little hard." She's already had it hard - though nowhere *near* what Brian was experiencing, or what she might. Nonetheless, she made a decision to stand by Brian through his troubles, no matter how bad it got.
He won't tell her that he plans on making her apartment a safehouse. Or that he's going to store weapons in her apartment. Not right now. It hurts him that he's going to use her. But she's all he has, to somehow try and gather the pieces of Phoenix back together. He stays in her embrace, letting his head rest on her shoulder. "Well then I won't thank you because I don't have to." He says with a little smile, tightening his grip on her for a moment, before going to straighten a little bit, picking up his head.
Bad, Bad Brian. BAD BRIAN. Kameron would — probably not know how to react to that. Other than be hurt that she was being used. And that he was considering storing weapons in her apartment. Although insisting she could handle the 'weird' things aside, she probably should find out what sort of things before she commits to 'being able to handle it'. As for the safehouse thing - she wouldn't mind as much, but there wasn't a lot of room, even though she did pass on a lot of the amenities that were often available in the apartments. "Right," Kameron grins, "Now you're getting it." Feeling him start to straighten again, she lowers her arms to release him from the hug, "Now no more talk about me not wanting you around, okay?"
Doing his best to summon up a smile even though she couldn't see it, it was the principle of the matter. Letting his amrs slide off of her, he goes to give her hand a squeeze, shoving himself off of the wall. "JoeJoe, let's go." He calls out, waving his hand to summon the boy to his side. "Get the car." Turning somewhat, he gives Kameron a little nudge with his shoulder. "Alright. Let's go listen to radio or something."
Eventually, Kameron hopes, he'll be able to actually feel like smiling, and not just smile for her benefit. As he moves to head inside, she whistles for Prince, scooping up her violin case and the leash in the process, "Alright." It sounded like a plan! And that said, she heads inside, puppy dog, little boy, friend and all.
 February 3rd: The Start |
 February 4th: We Do What We Can |