Participants:
| Scene Title | Only My Pride |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Koshka makes a house call to offer an apology. |
| Date | May 7, 2011 |
Eltingville Blocks Daphne's Residence
It's a little past supper time, at least past when most people would have eaten supper. And it's been nearly a week since Koshka had seen Daphne. It's been on her conscience, that night she'd taken Sable and and the speedster past the fence in an ill-planned and hasty decision to try to return to a stranger's house well beyond the woods. Nearly a week of avoiding, though the excuse that the teenager had given was the pain in her leg was too much for a lot of walking. It's not far from the truth.
But it's time to face facts and fears. She needs to make sure Daphne is okay and hope to redeem herself eventually.
That's what prompts the knock at Daphne's door. Against instructions to stay off her damaged leg, Koshka made the trip to the speedster's house. Most of the traveling was hopped, one leg bearing the brunt of her weight while the injured was kept off the ground. Now she stands and knocks, balanced and waiting, hoping the woman is home.
It takes about 2.5 seconds for Daphne to get to the door, peer through the peephole and see Koshka.
It takes another minute before the door opens a crack, Daphne's face peering out, looking past Koshka to the street, then back to Koshka. Dark eyes drop down to the girl's leg and back up.
"You shouldn't be here," the speedster says tersely. To her credit she doesn't shut the door in Koshka's face but waits for a response first.
"I won't stay," Koshka counters quickly, not even bothering for a greeting. Her hands go into her pants pockets, and the favored leg is rested lightly on the ground. "I just… I came by to apologize. Twice. For… what happened and not coming sooner." To her credit, in spite of her obvious apprehension of facing the speedster again, she shows honest remorse as well.
After spending only another moment to watch Daphne, Koshka turns slightly to go. "I'm sorry that… I came and asked you to get involved. I knew it was risky when I asked and… I'm sorry for…" The last isn't said, for risk of repeating herself. "I won't bother you for… those things again."
Daphne's pale face remains impassive as she listens, and only when the girl turns to go does she finally sigh, rolling her eyes. "Well, you may as well come in for a second," she says, glancing once more out to the street and then opening the door wider to let Koshka in. The petite faux-blonde is in cut off jean shorts and a Yankees jersey, feet bare, and face makeupless.
"You want something to drink or eat?" Amadeus has stocked her fridge as part of his 'rent' for her couch.
"Listen, you don't have to apologize. I got stupid. Not your fault," she says over her shoulder as she walks to the kitchen to grab a couple of Cokes from the refrigerator, then returns to the living room the front door opens into. "Sit down. Did someone take a look at your leg?"
Limping, a half hop meant to keep most of the weight off her leg, Koshka follows Daphne inside. She closes the door behind her and leans against it. "I should. Apologize I mean. I don't think I really got how much danger it was and… I shouldn't have put you or Sable at risk like that. It… I didn't think it through very well and… I'm… I have to rethink. But I shouldn't have asked you, you have no reason to have helped at all."
Pushing off the door, she hops a little further into the room. There's a beat where Koshka hesitates, then she sinks onto the couch. "I know a nurse that… she lives in the neighborhood. She looked at it. And she's going to talk to the doctor about it." There's a subtlety to her tone, implying that the doctor isn't the one at the community center.
The can of Coke is handed to Koshka as Daphne moves to perch on the arm of the sofa furthest from the teenager. "You didn't know," she says with a shrug as she studies the top of her own can, then curls fingertips beneath the tab to open it, bending to take a quick sip of the bubbling liquid before it overflows.
"I didn't think you screwed me over on purpose or anything. I should've trusted my instincts. I'm not a coward, but I hadn't gone over the fence for a reason before you came along, right? I should've trusted that. I knew better."
She sighs, and shakes her head. "Listen, this rethinking business? You need to just stop whatever it is you're trying to do. Those objects — things are just things with arbitrary meaning and value set to us by stupid people. It's why people are willing to pay buco bucks for some piece of art most of us wouldn't even wanna hang in our bathroom. Whatever it is — it's not worth your life, you know?"
Koshka takes the can, but only stares at it. "Yeah, you shouldn't've listened to a kid. Especially not a hothead like me." There's worse words she could use to describe herself and her actions, surely there's been words tossed around recently by her guardian and before by her father. Her shoulders rise and fall in a shrug, but she looks up at Daphne after.
"I'm not convinced," the teenager admits. "I'm… I'm not going back for a while. Not… not that way anyway." She sighs and shrugs again, dropping her gaze. "The approach was wrong or… I don't know. I… I've been given other options."
"Whatever, kid," Daphne says, shrugging away Koshka's words. "Just because you're a kid doesn't mean that you're not a person. And trust me, I'm not the epitome of patience and even-keeledness myself, so if everyone ignored me just because I'm a bit of a hothead — well, I'd say I don't have any friends, but I kind of don't, so forget that analogy."
She takes another sip of her soda. "I'm not gonna tell you you can't or can do something. Trust me, I've had enough people tell me what I can't do in my life. Just… don't risk your neck for stuff. It's not worth it." So says the thief who'd put her life on the line for jobs in the past. Daphne's nose wrinkles at her own hypocrisy. "Just be careful."
A hint of a smile meets Daphne's own self deprecating remarks. Akin to those Koshka herself feels at times, moreso when people seem to ignore her or decide simply that her logic is wrong because she lacks in years. "I get what you're saying. Believe me. Adults just… they're well meaning but sometimes no better than kids themselves. And… I'll be your friend. Everyone needs friends. And I won't ask you to risk your life or limbs again, either."
Another look is cast toward the soda, the teen turning the can over in her hands slowly. "I'm done taking risks. —No. I'm done taking risks without thinking about it fully. I'll be careful next time."
The girl's words bring a half smile to Daphne's lips before she glances down at her anklet on her small bare foot. "Did anyone come to talk to you or anything? I mean, not that the robots weren't bad enough, but I'm kinda shocked no one's come to throw me in the real slammer for attempted escape or something."
She leans to knock on the coffee table. "I mean, not that I want anyone to. But I've been expecting it any moment, you know?"
"No, no one. No one did the last two times I went over the fence either." A fact Koshka had overlooked, though only the first time brought hunterbots around. She frowns faintly, curious, then files the thought aside. "No one's talked to me about skipping school either. Which I wasn't really making a habit of." Not intentionally. "It was kind of implied that I might get into trouble if I missed classes. But…" She shrugs. It's all be quiet.
"Probably because they're not really worried about the state of your mind," Daphne says a bit bitterly, though it's delivered with a smirk. "I probably would do the same if I were you, but you might wanna try and go just so they don't automatically assume it's you when something goes wrong."
She brings her feet up onto the cash cushion, one hand idly scratching near the ankle's perimeter. "That girl Sable okay? Sorry if I was pretty quiet once we got out of there." It was as quick and silent of a "ride" home as it could have been given injuries and piggy backs… Daphne had demanded she go back to her own home, ignoring any offers to help her in her then-disabled state.
"I think so," Koshka answers. Her shoulders roll out another shrug. "I haven't seen her since, but I don't think she got hurt any." She grins slightly, amused over some memory or thought. "I should probably check on her soon though. And apologize." Looking at Daphne again, her grin turns a little more solemn. "Are you okay though? Besides the whole negating thing, you didn't get hurt, did you?"
Dark brows rise at the smile, but then she shakes her head at the question, turning her hands over to show the still skinned palms and forearms that are healing, from when she went sprawling in the grass when her speed went from really-really fast to zero.
"It's only my pride that's fatally wounded," she quips.
"Sorry," Koshka says again, earnestly. "Really. You might not see it as my fault, but… It was bad choices I made first. I should've listened to my guardians. Or my gut. Or maybe both." Most likely both, in her opinion. She stands and offers the can of Coke back to Daphne. "I need to get home before curfew. Still have homework to catch up on."
Daphne hops off her perch on the couch toward the door, waving away the Coke can. "Save it. The Coke I mean. And the apology too. Thanks for coming to say it. You got moxy, so I give you that much. Just don't let it get you killed, kid," the speedster says, as she opens the door and peers out again cautiously.
She leans against the door, turning to look at Koshka. "Be safe, all right? I wish I could be a bigger help." There's a sad, self deprecating smile at that.
The can is stuffed into Koshka's back pocket with a soft spoken thanks. "I'll be safe," she promises with a small nod. Moving up to go out the door and make her way home again, she pauses and looks up at Daphne. "Believing enough to try and get to that house was help enough. And I meant what I said about being friends." The teen offers a small grin, then hobbles forward to go outside.