Gossip And Germs

Participants:

daphne_icon.gif delilah_icon.gif melissa2_icon.gif

Scene Title Gossip and Germs
Synopsis Delilah and Melissa gossip a bit, then Delilah gets a new roommate.
Date March 19, 2010

The Den


Another night at the Plague Den. The kids are in their room, Luke is off doing whatever Luke does, and though Mel was conspicuously absent for most of a day, she's here now! She's got her mask and gloves on, as well as a bandana wrapped around her forehead to hide her bandage. It's not really her style, but it's more her style than a bandage or fresh wound!

She's doing her rounds, checking on her 'tenants', and now it's Delilah's turn. She knocks on Dee's door, holding a fresh glass of juice. "Dee? You awake? It's Mel," she calls out.

The response is a guttural noise, something between confirmation and just - well, a noise. Mnnnnggh. Yeah, she's awake. Though when Melissa opens the door, like always Delilah isn't alone. Samson is fine in being shut in with her, as he has gotten very aware and protective the week and change he has been here, courtesy of Alexander bringing him back for Dee. The dog goes out into the safehouse if he really wants to- and chances are that he might be getting hosed more than once a day if he spends so much time with Dee. Good thing he dries easily.

The giant dog is lying splayed at the side of the bed, paws here and there with one foreleg moving off of his head so he can look up at the door. Delilah is simply tucked into the bed, her lower half put away and leaving her to sit up propped on a couple pillows. The girl looks just terrible; her previously bright and bushytailed look has all but entirely deflated. Red hair slack, brown eyes tinged red, face pale with dark circles under her eyelids. Her freckles seem stark on that background, and even her posture and hands seem rigid.

Melissa looks at Samson for a moment, then to Delilah. "Hey…how ya feelin'?" she asks, moving to offer the juice to Delilah. "Any better?" she asks, studying Dee's face intently, and giving her a sympathetic look.

The dog grunts, appeased with who is at the doorway. You're good to go. Delilah peers up after a moment of pause, eyeballing Melissa like every other time. The mask and gloves and just- everything- makes this more terrible. She can't even touch her friends. "Whaddy'think?" It's bitter like a lemon. "No." Though it is understandable that she is totally ornery about this.

Melissa nods. "Sure you'll start feeling better soon," she says, along with a reassuring smile that Delilah can't see. "Wish there was something I could do for all of you. But at least you're not alone here? I mean, that's something, right?"

"No. Is'not. It's an awful thing." Whether she means the sick people or her caretakers is hard to tell. Delilah glances to the juice Melissa brought with her. "I can'ardly take a bloody piss on my own." It is all around dejectedly terrible. Samson sits his shoulders up to stick his nose into the blankets.

Melissa cocks her head. "As I said, wish I could do something to help. But if me being around bothers you, I can stop visiting? Don't want to make this any harder for you than it already is," she says, leaning up against the wall.

Being nasty isn't working, so somewhere in the fever thinking Delilah decides to stop doing it. For now. "No, you're fine, 'lissa. …Is that for me?" She sounds more like the sick kid now, going from ablaze to meek in a few seconds. It's not wholly her fault, either.

Melissa nods and steps back towards Delilah, again offering the juice. "It is. Figured something cold and sweet might make you feel a little better. And got some of those over the counter flu meds too, if you want."

"I don't think they'll do much for this, but-" Since she got them. Delilah accepts the juice and peers down into the cup before sipping at it. "Today has been better, considering. I'm sitting up." She will probably not stay sitting up for much longer, illness-wise. Samson stretches himself out along the floor when Melissa nears the bed, legs reaching out before they put him upright. He sniffs over at the juice as if he was supposed to be a taste tester for it. You! Stop giving my girl things! I have to check first!! >:(

"No, they probably won't be as effective, but maybe they'll help some of the symptoms. It's your choice though," Melissa says, stepping back to again lean against the wall once the juice is taken. "Is there anything I can do to take your mind off of things?"

"I'll take some if you got them." Samson is all well and good but- Delilah wrinkles her nose and tightens her lips. She seems heartbroken for a few moments, swallowing it up. "It's kinda lonely in here. But I can't get close t'you guys."

Melissa nods and reaches into her pocket, pulling out a little box of medicine. Two pills are taken out, and offered over to the sick girl. "I know. But you've got Samson. And we can talk to you. Could even bring you one of the kids' DSs if you want. We got more than we have kids."

Delilah pops them down without much ado. Samson sits. On Melissa's foot. "He don't talk back. You guys only come when I need something, or if you have something." Sad, but true. Dee gulps at the juice to wash the pills down. "I don't want games, I want company. Can't I get a roomie?" Wibble. Please?

Melissa frowns down at Samson, and tugs her foot out from under the dog. "Soon as I can, sure. But there aren't that many people here," she says, looking up, again with a sympathetic look. "But I'll see what I can do, Dee. I know how crappy loneliness can be."

"It's not like I wanna yank someone away from someone else- just- if anyone else comes here, ask them if they mind sharing? I'unno. It's just- boring and lonely." Dee frowns at Samson, who seems affronted at Melissa not liking him sitting so close. Fine! He snorts and moves closer to the foot of the bed, only to heave himself up onto the end. Plop. He will lay right here. Hmph. Delilah doesn't seem to mind the body in her bed or on her feet.

"You're heavy," Melissa mumbles to Samson, before she nods to Delilah. "Yeah, I know. And I'll do what I can. I'm sure no one else wants to be cooped up in a room alone either, so it shouldn't be hard to find someone who wants to share a room with you. But until I do…is there anything I can bring you? Something that might make the stay more bearable?"

Samson wriggles around, fussing up the blankets before finally stopping to lie with his head between Dee's shins. Doggie Sigh. "Not…really. Nyquil would get me to sleep though, maybe I should just do more of that."

That has Melissa frowning a little. "You're having that much trouble sleeping? I'll see about getting you some NyQuil though. But you don't want like…any movies or magazines or anything? You sure?"

Delilah shrugs a little. "Magazines, I guess. I hadn't been reading many books. I- go out and do stuff more'n I sit and relax. Now I've all this spare time and- I'unno what t'do." She finishes the juice now, holding the cup in one hand and reaching out to scratch at Samson's nose with the other.

"You could write a book? Or…like…learn how to knit or something," Melissa suggests, shrugging lightly. "Or um…become a crossword fanatic? There's plenty of stuff that can be done while stuck in bed. Just a matter of what you want to do."

"I know how to knit. And sew. All manner of things. I just don't have the stuff here. Besides, anything I made would be covered in germs." Delilah winces. "I'm not much of a writer either. Awful at crosswords. I guess if you can find me a good book or two? That's about it."

Melissa nods. "Sure, I'll find you some books. What kind do you like? Sci-fi? Romance? Fantasy?" She smiles. "C'mon. Tell me something about Dee."

Delilah smirks a little. "Modern Fantasy, High Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Romance- I- am actually a sucker for- well- not romance but, you know-" El-oh-el. Usually she would just say it.

Melissa arches a brow. "I don't know. What? You like the sex scenes or something? Sure I could find you some erotica if that's what you really want," she says, shrugging.

Delilah just puts one hand over her face, wishing she had the juice to dump on her head. "Er, yeah. Um. Any kind of that, and those other ones? Though- erotica kinda things are probably bad for me when I'm sick… will I explode or something? I don't know the answer…"

Melissa now looks amused. Very amused. "I doubt you'll explode. For that matter, if you could get that hot while sick you'd probably have already exploded anyway. So you're prolly safe." She thinks for a moment then nods. "Yeah."

"What if I explode after I get better?" She's looking far ahead now- Delilah is going to get way worse before she gets any better, but she seems hopeful now. "Al was- teasing me last week- and then I coughed up blood, so that was a sour note- but- brain hands." Fffffff.

Melissa looks utterly confused. "Brain hands? What the hell are brain hands? Like, hands with little brains on the fingers or something?"

"He's got telekinesis, right? Well…" Delilah swallows a half of a cough, holding her hand in the air at Samson like she is touching him. "Hands. With telekinesis. He said something about holding things down too and I just about died."

"Mmm…Well, whether you make him behave or not is entirely up to you." Melissa pauses, frowns, then asks, "Wait…what kind of teasing? He's gay isn't he?"

"Mmmm. I thought so." Delilah looks torn, peering at Melissa with a squint. "I think he is …in between-ish. Ninety percent gay? I don't think he'd freak out if a girl yanked his pants off, anyway, he still is a dude."

"Huh. Go figure." Then Melissa notices the squinting and she grins. "Don't worry, I'm not plannin' on goin' after Alex. Honest."

"Good. Cause I was. He's kind of hot if you missed it." Once Dee gets better, she promises to test her theory about the pants. "At the risk of sounding like a nympho, when this is done with I'll bloody need a good shag." Okay, forget that thing about illness making her blush. It does that sometimes. This is just Dee. On her own.

Melissa laughs. "Hey, more power to you. Alex is just a friend. Potentially a good one, but there will be a distinct lack of nudity between him and me. Promise. I've got my sights set elsewhere."

"You'll come to know me as the one who doesn't care much about who she is nude with. To be completely honest." Delilah laughs, though it turns into a coughing whoop for a second. "Crush, huh?"

Melissa wrinkles her nose and shakes her head. "Crush sounds too middle school. Let's just say I'm diggin' on a guy. He's not hot, but he is cute and adorable and potentially biteable."

"If he's kinda diggin' back, dig your fangs in." Delilah smiles, and even in her slack, dull hair and raccoon eyes, the smile is bright and distracts from her state. "Do I know'im?"

Melissa laughs and leans her head back against the wall. "I don't know who you know, Dee. But it'll be a little bit before I can dig my fangs in. So we'll see what happens. The chase is definitely fun though."

Oh. Right. "Well is there a chance I know him?" Delilah wants to gossip. A little. Samson is ignoring it like he always is apt to do. "It's always fun, yeah. Though not when it gets you in trouble, so be careful with that."

Melissa grins and shrugs. "I don't know. He lives in New York, so there's a chance, sure. Just not sure how much of one there is." Aha! Her plan to distract Delilah is WORKING! "And there's always a chance of trouble too. But I mean, hell. Just in the last month my life has been…well, you know that old Chinese proverb, May you live in interesting times? I definitely live in interesting times."

"We all do." Distract is a go. Delilah seems to have forgotten some things for now. "It's a small evolved world, if I don't know him, could be a friend of a friend or friend of a friend of a friend- or my cousin's friend's aunt's ex-husband-"

Melissa laughs. "Could be! And no, I mean, I live in very interesting times. In the past month I've been witness to an accident, been in an accident where a bridge partially exploded, gotten kicked in the face, nearly shot and blown up with a grenade, and nearly had my head cut open." A pause to think, then she nods. "Yeah, think that's it. Oh, and the puppy. The puppy who just chewed up my favorite pair of boots," she says, and it's clear even with the mask that she's making a sad face.

Samson looks up at 'puppy'. What? Oh. Not me? Dee smiles a little. "Sounds like he's doing good. Could take a few lessons though, couldn't he, Samson?" The dog on her feet rumbles and stretches on his side.

Melissa is on the second floor, leaning against the wall in Delilah's room. The door was never closed, so the fact that there are people talking is easy enough to hear from the hallway.

Mel wrinkles her nose at Delilah and shakes her head. "I loved those boots. They were leather thigh-high stilettos! They looked awesome on me! Especially with this one skirt I have," she says with a sad sigh in memory of said boots.

Just then, one of the girls who is helping out in the Den comes in. "Oh there you are. I've been looking for you. We had someone else brought in yesterday. Just thought you should know. She's two doors down," she says, pointing in the right direction.

Melissa considers that for a moment then smiles at Delilah. "Hold that thought. I think you may have a roommate. If that's the room I'm thinking of…it's tiny. She'll probably have no problem moving in here with you." And then it's off to Daph's temp room she goes!

Daphne isn't expecting or probably looking for company. The tiny speedster sits curled up where her bed meets the wall, propped up by pillows and looking about as pale as the sheets — perhaps it's an improvement as she was brought in with a high fever. She almost disappears, with pale face, pale hair, pale white t-shirt against pale wall and pillow — and that is fitting for her moods. She would rather be anywhere but here — weak and crippled with strangers she doesn't know, who all know she's Evolved. A book sits open but unread on her lap as she stares out the window.

Melissa raps on the door then opens it, and stops dead in her tracks. "You? You're the girl that was just brought in with the flu? Well…guess it's not so surprising," she murmurs with a shake of her head. "Didn't get your name the other night, but I'm Melissa and I'll be your host in this place." She smiles, forgetting about the mask that hides it, and asks, "Was wondering if you'd like a bigger room, with a roomie. So you two can keep each other company and from going insane while you're cooped up and sick."

Well, small world. Though as Melissa says, it's not that much of a surprise — after all, Danko tried to kill them not far from here. She looks somewhat surprised, then chuckles — but laughter brings on a bit of a coughing fit. "I don't think I'm very good company right now. Or ever for that matter, but it's your house and your room, so whatever you want," Daphne says a little gruffly. "Daphne," she adds, as if in afterthought. She's sure Teo already told people her name, and Sumter already knew she was coming, somehow. "Thanks for letting me stay." It's another afterthought, like a child being nudged to say thank you for a present she hates.

Melissa smiles. "Yeah, right. I know you'd rather be anywhere else but here. But trust me, it'll be better with a roommate. Just let me find…One moment." Mel disappears, returning a minute later with a wheelchair. Less chance of infection if she's just pushing Daphne, after all!

"She's going nuts being alone, and I'm sure you will be too before long. You guys can gossip or watch movies or something. Or play I Spy if you get really bored," she says, moving the wheelchair to the edge of the bed.

Daphne snorts. I Spy? Does anyone actually play that? She never did, but she grew up in Kansas. It'd be like Dory in Finding Nemo, except with corn instead of clownfish. The tiny blonde sighs and inches to the edge of the bed, then reaches for the arm of the wheelchair to shift her weight from bed to seat. The transferral is awkward, catching and bruising one thigh on the arm of the chair, but hey, practice will make perfect. "Hard to gossip when I don't know the same people. I'm sort of a loner," she points out. She gestures to her bags. "Can someone … grab my stuff? I'm not very mobile right now." It's hard to admit it, and she glances away angrily.

"Hey, maybe you guys do know the same people. I mean, you know me!" Melissa says with a grin, gathering up Daphne's things, handing her what'll fit in her lap, then wheeling her out. The rest can be grabbed after Daph is settled, after all!

It's a short trip, luckily, and Melissa smiles as she pushes Daphne into Delilah's room. "Hey Dee. This is Daphne. Daphne, Delilah. Say hi and make nice, now," she teases.

Delilah has only had a couple minutes to herself, but it was enough to push Samson off the foot of her bed and bring her blankets back up around her lower half. When the girls come in the door, Samson is sitting in the middle of the floor and watching them. The dog dwarfs the new girl, who he tries to get closer to so he can sniff her. It's okay, just push him away. The redhead in the bed isn't familiar, but her polite smile amid a drawn face and flat hair is probably welcome. "Hello there." We're in the same boat.

She might not know the girl by face but the name is familiar — but, it's a big city and Magnes never described Delilah to the speedster. "Hey," Daphne manages. "Sure there's room for me? This dog takes up half the room all by himself," she says, an attempt at humor, though she does give the giant canine her hand to sniff and lick. No fear of dogs here. "Sorry you're sick too," she adds.

Melissa laughs. "Samson? Yeah, he's huge. But there's plenty of room in here. Honest," she says, moving Daphne over to the second bed and helping her to get from chair to bed. "And I'm sorry you're both sick. Which is why if there's anything I can do to help, you let me know."

Samson is there to offer a big pink tongue and hearty sniffles of her hand. He does know to move out of the way, at least. "Yeah. It'll be roomy enough, if you decide its fine. If he wants on your bed though, just push him off." Easier said than done, Delilah! You're bigger than Daphne. "If this doesn't work for you that's okay too."

There's a little scowl as both young women are so nice to the speedster who just wants to be left alone — and yet is heartbroken for being abandoned at the same time. Catch 22s are so much fun. "Thanks," she says a little tersely. "It might be you that wants to kick my ass out in the long run, but I appreciate it," she tells the younger woman. She tilts her head. "You don't happen to know a crazy kid by the name of Magnes, by chance?"

Melissa looks amused at the question. "We both do," she says, pushing the wheelchair into the hallway once it's no longer needed. "Oh hey! You're his friend who brought him clothes when his got destroyed! I didn't put it together before now, but that was you, wasn't it? In the hotel room?"

Uhoh! "We'll see- Haha. Um. Yes. We're friends. I haven't seen him lately though, obviously." Delilah eyes Daphne somewhat warily, unsure whether this is going to be a good question or a bad one. Maybe he pissed her off too? Who knows? Oh, Melissa does! It's cool. Or something. "I don't know if I wanna have a Talk About Magnethead party."

After getting maneuvered, cheeks blushing from having to accept help, Daphne curls herself up once more, arms wrapping around her useless legs in a defensive ball.

"Yeah, I guess that was me," Daphne says with a wry smile that turns sad after a moment — after all, that was when she had her power. "No problem. No Magnes gossip then. That makes our only gossip source Melissa, Teo, and Joseph, I guess but I don't know Teo very well and I haven't seen Joseph in forever, so it'll be pretty damn boring gossip on my end. Sorry."

Melissa beams at them both, or, well, tries to. Stupid mask. "I make an awesome gossip source though! You two can have tons of fun with that. And I'm sure other people will be by to visit you guys! But for now? I gotta go check on some kids, then my dog, and check in at work. But seriously. You guys need anything, let me know, hmm?"

"Teo's only come while I've been asleep. Or so out of it I don't really remember." Delilah comments after what seems like a long pause on her end. She's frowning a little. "And he's good for it, cause when I see him I'm gonna give him a bloody nose." But, then she will probably try to make up if he thinks it wasn't earned. So it won't really do much except make a mess.

"I don't know him. But he seemed like a nice guy," Daphne says softly, sleepily. But then she thought Corbin was a nice guy, too, and where did that get her? "Thanks, Melissa," she tells the woman, again slightly begrudgingly, as if someone were nagging her to be polite. It's not Melissa's fault she's here, after all. Nor is it Delilah's. "I don't expect anyone to come visit me, so you won't have to worry about visitors on my part," she adds.


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