capeandcowllogs | It's the season of scars and of wounds in the heart / Of feeling the full weight of our burdens

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It's the season of scars and of wounds in the heart / Of feeling the full weight of our burdens

WHO Two friends (and a party crasher)
WHAT Trying to make it through the holidays
WHERE At Roxanne's house
WHEN Christmas Day.
NOTES None.
WARNINGS None.

The Ritchi house was remarkably still. She had, out of habit, gone to Midnight Mass at a local church, though her heart wasn't in it -- she at least tried. She'd fallen out of faithful habits years ago, but she hadn't wanted to be alone in her house -- especially after she'd sent the Brainbots to find their 'daddy' and stay with him. One of them kept coming back, for whatever reason, but she didn't-- feel right, trying to shoo it off or punish it. So it kept her company as the night faded into dawn once she'd come home; she had fallen asleep on her couch with it curled up next to her like some bizarre, glowing cat and risen the next day sore and unrested.

Treating herself to a hot bath to try and reach some semblance of 'human', Roxanne emerged less sore and more awake, if still troubled. She turned off her communicator, set aside everything that wasn't work related, and let the radio carole away for her as she decided that today she would remain in her comfiest of pajamas, drink eggnog -- eventually with Rum Added -- and resolve not to think about anything but her work and ignore the absence of friends and family. It was old habit, easy to fall into -- not like she hadn't spent several Christmases alone-- when she wasn't tied to a rocket sled, or... any other number of contraptions.

The morning turned into afternoon, the snow came down and Roxanne could not bring herself to do anything except notate CPS reports and listening to whatever came over the radio.

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She had plenty of time to burn until Christmas dinner, and with everything (hopefully) taking care of itself in the oven and with her daughter and Luna's supervision, she didn't feel it would hurt at all to pop over to Roxanne's with a plate of shortbread and a bottle of liqueur.

Christmas cheer aside, the arrival of a certain big-and-blue pseudohero had made Andromeda worry about her friend more than usual. She lifted her hand to knock, hoping Roxanne would at least consider opening the door.

Oh, she would-- after she peeked outside to make sure there was no alien on her doorstep. She didn't think he'd be here so soon after -- well, everything. But she was there in her coziest robe and fluffiest slippers, opening the door and giving her a wry smile.

"Happy Christmas, Andromeda," she said, keeping her smile up and her eyes bright as she could manage. "Didn't expect to see you till the potluck tomorrow."

"And you as well," she returned, her own smile a little more genuine.

"I didn't know if you'd be up to coming, all things considered -- so I just wanted to make sure I came to wish you happy holidays. I've got some food for you too, if you're interested." She didn't move to enter into the house yet, though. No need to presume.

Roxanne stepped out if the doorway and beckoned Andromeda inside. Her smile stayed in place, but it was a fraction tighter. She stepped aside to let her in, and then shut the door behind her.

"You talked to Megamind," she said, leading into her kitchen. She didn't sound angry, just resigned.

"Unfortunately, people from my family rarely do what they're told."

She followed Roxanne and set her things on the counter, shrugging.

"I talked to him, yes." She didn't mention that she'd tried to be nice.

"He is months behind. Months." She is already breaking out glasses. "Am I to guess you've figured out that much? I hope you don't think I'd date him when he was full on mwa-ha-ha mode."

"I was certainly hoping you had a little more sense than that," she admitted, cracking open the liqueur bottle with a small smirk.

"But confirmation is always good."

"Much more," she replies. She is appreciative of the liquor and lets Andromeda get to pouring. "I mean, sine might question my wisdom at dating an ex career criminal turned city defender, but... He changed. So much."

For her.

"If I -- have it right, he was taken from the moment after I, ah... Dumped him."

"For the first time, I assume."

That explained a little more about his demeanor when she mentioned Roxanne, at least. She passed over a reasonable glass for Roxanne and took a smaller portion of the stuff for herself.

"That's -- unfortunate timing. To say the least."

"Our relationship was a series of unfortunate timed events," Roxanne admitted. This is where she starts with the whole complex story. It is long. Messy. Emotional. And they may be halfway through the bottle before they even reach the bits where the ex-Bernard becomes the very dumped Megamind.

"I think you might almost have me beat for 'most convoluted and conflicted relationship'. That takes a lot of skill."

She's going to need a pepper-up potion before dinner, isn't she?

"Well, he -- follows it up with heroics and dashing bravery, so... There's that, too," she said, threading fingers through her hair. "There is so much good about him, Andromeda, when he's-- allowed to be."

But she stops to circle the liquor still in her glass, and then admits, "But right now he's at the point in his life where he'd rather dehydrate kittens than entertain the idea."

"Well, something must've changed that made him decide he wanted to be that person even after you broke up with him. Any idea what that was?" Because that seems like the best way to get him to come around.

"I don't know. Not for sure. I mean, I -- I asked to come and help me fight Titan -- Hal -- and he told me no and left with... no real doubt I was on. I know he saw the television broadcast, but..."

She shakes her head. There's something missing. Could it have been three simple words? I need you --

No.

That's just silly.

She couldn't have been the deciding factor in a guy changing his entire life around.

Right?

He wasn't exactly certain if what he was doing was the correct thing to do. Situations like this called for delicacy and Megamind wasn't exactly one for diplomacy.

Still - even for one as socially inept as Megamind, he knew he'd screwed up big time.

So he'd used a brainbot to track her down, traitorous beings that they seemed to be these days. He'd followed it to her door, and stood before it with some assortment of flowers that had rather questionable origins, and tapped twice on her door.

Roxanne freezes. There's a moment of stillness, where she just looks at Andromeda, and then sighs. "That's either Megamind or Hal. I don't know anybody else who'd come over on Christmas day."

Hal, because he's tactless. Megamind because... well.

She looks at her drink, sighs, and pushes it aside, getting to her feet. "If it's Hal, this could get very ugly," she says as a warming, but makes her way to the window and peeks out, before going to the door and opening it.

"...Happy Christmas, Megamind," she greets her visitor. At least Andromeda knows not to start casting spells, right?

It's a good thing that it's Megamind, because Andromeda is a few feet behind Roxanne with a fully-raised wand ready to hex whoever decides to come through the door like a bloody idiot.

...well. She lets her wand drop just a little, but doesn't move to put it away completely. He still declared himself a supervillain, but he did bring flowers...

This man was clearly a walking contradiction.

The door is pulled open and he's greeted and, stunned, he just stands there like a fool. He wasn't expecting anyone else to be there, but he should have because this is Roxanne and of course she would have company on Christmas.

He shoves the flowers in her direction, not waiting to see if she actually manages to grasp them.

"Ah -- here. I didn't realize you had company. I'll...be leaving."

Oh, he is not getting out of this that easily. Andromeda slithers her way around Roxanne while summoning her jacket from the nearest hook, already pulling on one arm by the time she starts to push past Megamind.

"No, no -- I'm just on my way out, actually. Turkey to baste and potatoes to smash, that kind of thing. Roxanne, dear, keep the bottle -- and Megamind. Keep in mind that if you do anything stupid to hurt Roxanne, I might have to do something nasty to you. Happy Christmas!"

Once she's cleared the threshold of the door, she apparates with the usual click-pop.

It's a sudden flurry of -- everything, really. She's catching flowers and trying to catch Megamind's hand in all of this, and there goes Andromeda--who is a good and dear friend but...

"Yeah, thanks, Mom--" she breathes, vaguely annoyed. "I'm sorry. She's-- ah-- just trying to watch out for me. I hear you two spoke. Ah-- come in. Please?"

He's frozen solid when she's catching at his hand and what was that abominable woman saying about hurting her - he looks offended at the insinuation, though he supposes that inadvertently he has hurt her though there's a flash of blatant irritation mixed in there too because really who gives a damn about his feelings in this?

"I--"

He's baffled as to what to say, and there's nothing else he can do but go in.

Edited 2011-12-28 04:32 (UTC)

She carefully shifts the flowers to one arm and -- oh god he just feels so bad and she had no watch on! Already her eyes are starting to go green as his, and she has to release his hand and severe the contact -- it's just too intense that way.

"Let me get these in some water..." and have the good sense not to ask about their origins, okay. She heads toward the kitchen, though she keeps glancing back to make sure he hasn't fled.

He misses that only because he's still distracted by the fact that woman had a stick in her hand and brandished it like a weapon - he's seen some strange things in his day but that was certainly a new one.

"Of...of course," he mutters, dropping his hand by his side, relieved that she'd let him go.

He's tempted to flee. The longer he stays here, the longer that he's thinking maybe this is a bad idea.

The flowers? Put in a vase in record time. She then goes to her purse, and fetches something from it -- a black watch, in a very familiar design. She twists the face in a familiar motion, and locks it in place, before she relaxes. Right. Alone in her head.

Right. Time to brave this conversation.

"Things have-- probably been really confusing for you," she says, as she turns back, feeling awkward there in her jammies and a robe, her fuzzy pink slippers between her feet and the hardwood floors. "Is there -- you must have questions."

He came for answers, right? And... flowers.

He snorts.

"Confusing? That's putting it a bit mildly, don't you think?" Confusing, soul crushing...however you want to label it, Roxanne.

"But if you insist on slapping such an...inappropriate label as that on it, then by all means. We'll say the past twenty something hours have been confusing."

And, ha. Answers. Answers to questions that he had millions of - and no idea where to really start.

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