[PRP]1405053 01 08011404? (Horace & ??}

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Good. There's nothing in Oklahoma." He sighed, running his fingers through long hair. "You can't change the past, but you can help him with it. But you should work on you first, I think. And just because you think doesn't necessarily make it true, Melany." He stirred his coffee idly, allowing her this moment of introspection and paranoia.

"Okay, I'll give you the grand tour of the house in a bit, then. I... don't want to shock anyone. But I also can't really control it, you know?" It was hooked to his emotions after all, the weak things. He took a drink. "What were you doing the last time everything started feeling weird?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"I was talking to Eve about Ezra," said Melany thoughtfully. "My ex-boyfriend, you know. He was in a car accident, in a coma for months, he woke up and the first thing he did when he saw me was tell me to leave, and then he broke up with me over text message, and I was trying to think of what I'd done wrong, and... I mean, I have to have done something. We weren't fighting, we almost never fight, and he knows I don't care about how he looks, I dealt with his weird hair color phase, didn't I? And... I can't help but think I'm responsible somehow..."

She froze in place. "I need to think of something else," she said, "I think I hear her calling me."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace got up from the armchair and abruptly plopped himself down next to her. Of course he wanted to ask more, wanted to reassure her that it wasn't her fault, but the subject needed to be dropped.

"Stay with me, Melany. Tell me your favorite thing to do on a Sunday. Tell me why you went to a Hooters in New Jersey - was it the novelty?" He was so keyed up now that he knew if he touched her, there would be a shock. He hated shocking people just as much as he hated touching people. It was like a sign that even being magical wasn't doing to fix what was broken in him and he guessed that was right, but he wanted it to.

"Listen to me only, okay?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"I go to practice," said Melany, her face screwing up with her effort. "I'm a ballerina. I'm a, a soloist, I started when I was like four? I worked so hard to get out of the corps and now it's all for nothing--" she stopped and took a deep breath and switched topics, rubbing furiously at one ear. "It was a dare," she said, "one of the guys in the corps wanted to go and he dared a few of us girls to go with and prove we were cool. It was creepy. Their wings weren't even good. Um, except the vinegar parmesan sauce. I didn't eat that many anyway, since... I'm a ballerina."

The stress was leaking out of her shoulders as she rambled.

"I don't see how going to a Hooters proves I'm cool anyway. I'm plenty cool. I have the best fashion sense out of anybody I know."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Your coat is pretty awesome," he agreed. "I don't have a fashion sense, I just like bright things, makes me feel less grey." Case in point, he was wearing a lime green shirt and Orange and brown pants. With shiny, gold sneakers.

"Do you know if they have a guy version... like with... booty shorts?" Horace sounded super thoughtful, but he eyed Melany carefully. "I could go for that. As long as it came with better food." He sipped his coffee thoughtfully. It looked as though he couldn't find out more about the circumstances surrounding her other self without triggering her and Horace would rather avoid that.

"You should tell me when you're next in a show - I wanna come. Oh, s**t, I forgot to ask - do you need anything from your apartment? I can run and grab some things."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany smiled at that, a big crinkly-eyed flash of an expression. "It works for you," she said. "It's sweet. And I like your shoes." She complimented everyone somehow, but she was so sincere about it it was hard to doubt her.

"It probably won't be for a while," she said, "I filed for a sabbatical... I don't want to leave them up s**t creek if I do something awful and someone..." She rubbed her temples, then hugged herself for a long moment. "If you could get some of my clothes? I'm sorry, this is such an imposition..."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"You need your eyes checked," he said, but laughed anyway. When she was happy and smiled.. it was just so much better than when she curled in on herself and looked lost.

"Well, make sure you let me know for when you go back, then." Horace spoke lightly - because he had to be certain she'd go back, because she wasn't. "Yeah, I can get your clothes. And it's not a problem; I offered and wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it." He slid the notepad back to her. "Write down some of the things in particular you want me to grab? Like, I dunno, fancy loofahs or something, too." Like he wasn't the king of loofahs himself. His bathroom had at least three at any given time.

"Do you want anything to eat? While you're here, you have free run of the kitchen and wherever. I do want to talk more about your blacking out episodes, but I feel like that's gotta go as slowly as possible. It can wait." He shrugged, stretching out his arm. No more asking for tonight.

"I draw the line at taking you to Hooter's... if they even exist here." He wrinkled his nose playfully at her.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"There's one in Danvers," said Melany, and she leaned over the notebook to write a very short list of things she thought she might need. "I have a really bad feeling about leaving town right now anyway..."

She passed the list over to Horace. "Thank you so much," she said. "I mean it. Really."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Danvers... I've changed my mind. Let's go later." He paused. "Plus, I kind of... want to see Danvers State - well, the facade of it's still up." Horace wasn't into ghosts and old asylums, never.

He grabbed the list. "Don't worry about it - buy me wings some night or something." When he smiled, his eyes crinkled at the corners. "I'll grab your things tomorrow. Want a tour of the house?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"Sure," said Melany, smiling up at him again. "I've been. It's still spooky, even with the inside all changed up." She got up, bringing her coffee cup with her. It looked a lot like she wanted to say thanks again, but also like she thought she'd said it too many times already. Instead she just smiled and looked kind of relieved.

The Semblance of Unity

We can wrap here? :3? Seems a natural spot