The Immortal War

@ sun spirit

Time nodded a little when he explained how he felt about how he became Nature, giving him a sympathetic look. "Jonathan was good friends with the old Nature.. I didn't know her as well, but she was very kind. I think you agreeing to help try to stop the end of everything is probably enough to repay her. You shouldn't try to worry too much." She offered him a little smile, looking down at the journal in her lap. "Besides, if everything works out, and we stop April, you'll have a long time to do all sorts of good things that would make the old Nature proud." She wasn't sure if her words were helping to cheer him up at all, but she hoped that they were, knowing how hard it could be for new Immortals to adjust and come to terms with everything.

---

Jonathan snorted at her teasing, releasing her hand and shoving his into his pocket as he looked at the journals in his arms. "But no one likes Death. Why would you?" He knew she was trying to be friendly, but he also knew it was probably because she felt like he needed to be polite in order for him to keep helping her. "I'll go find some place to sit and read through these, you keep looking for whatever it is you're looking for. In a few hours I'll take Time home, she needs more rest than just sitting in an armchair." It wasn't that he didn't want to be her friend, he just assumed that that was something impossible, or at least that she'd never want to be his friend.

@ katahdin

Skylar was a bit taken aback by Florence's reassurances--he hadn't been looking for validation, just kind of offering his side of things since they were exchanging information--but smiled nonetheless. "Thank you... hearing that from someone who knew her is really nice. It almost makes you seeing my embarrassing tooth gap worth it." His smile grew a little bit, hoping to lighten the mood and make her smile since things had gotten a little serious. "You know, if you ever want to talk to someone about how you became Time or anything at all really, I'd be willing to listen."

---

Despite knowing she shouldn't push it, Cat smiled a little more fully. "You didn't deny it," she said, though she needed a couple moments more before she could address what he'd actually said. "Well, you seem okay so far today. Usually you just come off grumpy and antisocial, but if this is what you're usually like, you don't seem half bad." And strangely enough, she was being honest. She hadn't quite expected this out of him, which was most of the reason why she'd left him alone so far. And sure enough, it sounded like he was retreating. "Of course. Go take care of her," she said, making a little shooing motion. She was a little jealous of Death and Time, actually. She hadn't had a relationship since she'd become Fate. She didn't want to try with mortals, knowing how much she'd have to hide, afraid to get in over her head... it was nice that they were able to make something together, that things had worked out in such a way for them.

@ sun spirit

Florence was happy to see him smile, not liking seeing someone as kind as Skylar upset. She even had the sense enough to blush a little as he joked about his tooth gap, although she tried to hide her smile as she sunk further back into her chair, tugging her blanket up to try to hide her smile. She looked over at him when he offered to listen if she ever wanted to talk about how she became Time, offering him a little smile as she nodded. "Thank you.. that'd be nice." Jonathan knew the story, since he'd been her first friend here, but she was pretty shy by nature, and so it'd be nice to make another friend.

---

Jonathan focused his gaze on the cover of the journals as she spoke, giving a little shrug as she said he wasn't half bad. He could tell that she wasn't lying, but he wasn't sure how to feel about her honestly. He gave a little nod as she told him to go take care of Time, stepping toward the door before pausing, turning to look at her with a frown on his face. "I.. Time and I aren't.." he struggled to find the words, incredibly embarrassed by what Fate had been assuming, although he wasn't mad at her about it. He understood where she got the idea from, he knew he was over protective of Florence, but it was because he viewed her like a sister. "We're friends.."

@ katahdin

While he'd been brought back more to his smiling, animated self, Skylar couldn't help but notice the way Florence sank back and pulled the blanket up over herself, almost as if she was trying to hide, and remembering how soft-spoken and awkward she'd been acting, he made a concerted effort to be a little less like a chihuahua. He hadn't made many friends yet, as the newest, since he didn't have hundreds of years and lasting bonds with anyone, though Fate had almost immediately offered help and to take him under her wing. He was too much of an extrovert to be alone, and he was afraid of scaring Time off because he had too much energy. So he sank back in his chair, fingers tapping the journal he held nervously as he returned her smile. "No problem," he assured her, and meant it.

---

As Jonathan stepped away, Cat started to move again, sure she was narrowing the possibilities down in the right direction, but as she suddenly heard his voice from the doorway, she paused, glancing back at him. It had to be the most hesitant and uncomfortable she'd ever seen him in their limited dealings, and she had a hard time biting back a smile. It was kind of cute--okay, really cute, dammit, and not in the excitable, innocent, Skylar way. Still, she felt like she had to reassure him somehow. "It's okay," she assured him. "I won't tell anyone. I'm not a gossip, and besides, you guys are your business."

@ sun spirit

Florence thought that Nature was nice. They hadn't really ever had to work together, but the few times she'd met him before today he seemed nice. A bit loud and energetic at times, but still nice. She wouldn't mind having him as a friend, especially if things with War didn't turn out well. She stifled a yawn as she settled back into her chair, blushing as she looked over at him apologetically. "I'm sorry. You're not boring me, I promise. Using my powers just takes a lot out of me." She explained, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Do you get tired when you use your powers?"

---

Jonathan's brows only furrowed even more when Cat didn't seem to understand what he was saying, shaking his head as he cleared his throat. "No, no. Time and I are just friends." He stated simply, sounding much more confident in the statement, although he wondered why he was so worked up about Cat thinking that he was with Florence. Others had made the mistake before and he hadn't bothered to correct them, but something about Fate thinking he was in a relationship with Time didn't sit well with him. "We don't have any.. business. We're just friends."

@ katahdin

When she yawned, Skylar blinked, then shook his head emphatically as she began to apologize. "No, no, you're fine! Take a nap if you want one! I'm sorry I've been keeping you up." He started to pick up the journal from his lap and bring it closer, but paused as she rubbed her eyes and asked about his powers. Did she actually want to talk? Hesitantly, Skylar let the journal down again, offering Time a small smile. "I do sometimes, but it's usually after growing things. That comes pretty easily to me, but it's a lot of energy. I have to concentrate more on stuff like what I just did, but it isn't really tiring, you know?"

---

Though Jonathan sounded much more sure of himself this time, there was still something off. She wasn't sure why he would hide a relationship with Florence, other than maybe they wanted it to be private--Time was a little shy, after all--but Cat nodded all the same. "Okay, if you're sure," she agreed breezily and forced herself to turn and keep moving, realizing that otherwise, she'd be tempted to keep talking to him. Around that time, she stumbled onto an area where the buzzing of the objects around her was so quiet as to be almost nonexistent. Around her were more objects, mostly stacks of journals, and she sat amidst it all, enjoying the relative quiet of this small bubble. "Okay, let's see if you left me anything helpful."

@ sun spirit

"You haven't been keeping me awake. It's nice to talk to people." Florence offered him a little smile, curling into the blanket as she listened to him talk about his powers. "You grow things? Like plants? Do you keep animals too?" She'd always wanted to get a pet, but Jonathan had always discouraged it, and she wondered if maybe sometime Nature would let her visit his home and whatever pets he may keep. "You must be very strong. I don't think I'm a very strong Time. Jonathan says it's just because the sands can be overwhelming by nature, but I think it's because I'm weak." She admitted softly.

---

That wasn't the response he'd wanted, but he knew it was best to drop it rather than keep digging himself deeper into the hole he found himself in. He remained standing by the door for a few minutes, watching as Fate wandered around the room before settling in front of a specific stack of books, which was when Jonathan shook his head and turned to head out of the room, wondering why he'd stopped to stare at her. He frowned when he spotted Florence and Skylar talking rather than resting or looking for more clues, setting his journals down before standing in front of Time. "I think it's time for you to go home." He said, knowing she was exhausted, and would feel much better sleeping in her own bed instead of that chair.

@ katahdin

Skylar couldn't help the silly little grin that came to him when she said it was nice to talk to him--okay, people, but he was people too, and he liked talking too. "Yeah, it's part of the whole 'Mother Nature' thing, except for the part where I'm not a girl. I mean, things grow normally on their own, but you have the special case stuff and things that need to be monitored and the really cool part is when people start bringing stuff into different areas and you can make something new. And yeah... I probably have too many of those... they look at me, all cute and everything, and their home's just been destroyed, and well, I'm soft." Cat had referred to his house as the zoo on more than one occasion. Previous Natures had something to do with it, but he'd definitely fallen into his role. He frowned when she called herself weak though. "Hey, that doesn't seem true at all!" He leaned into the space between their chairs. "Cat told me once you actually absorbed the sands. Since I'm young and stupid and had no idea what that means, she had to explain how no Time's ever done that before. That doesn't sound weak to me! And even if it is, there's nothing strong about being able to grow a field of daffodils. I'm basically just some glorified hippie."

That's when he heard something thump down nearby, and he jumped at the sound of Jonathan's voice, quickly shifting back into his chair when he saw the frown the other man had on his face. "Is everyone leaving for now...?" he asked hesitantly. The summons had caught him by surprise, and he still only had dinosaur pajama pants on. If they were dispersing, he could at least use the break to put some real clothes on, get something to eat, feed everyone he'd left at home.

---

Cat sifted through journals filled with descriptions of fates, doubting there would be much of anything in those. She'd never really had many--if any--visions about other Immortals and doubted she'd find much there. Unfortunately, that took up all of the stacks of books she sat with, and she had no idea what kind of objects she was looking for or what, exactly, they did. She had a vague recollection of something powerful that she'd read about a long time ago, but the only thing she knew about it was that it should be in this area. If the others couldn't find it soon, she supposed she could touch everything around her, read them, but she wasn't sure how she'd react to that right now. Usually it was like a miniature vision: sometimes it wanted recording, because no one had before, but sometimes it was part of another recording. She never really knew. Potentially, it could make her shaking now worse, compounding her need to record, but it might not...

She pushed herself up, making sure she knew the spot she was leaving, and made her way back into the living room, where she found the other three in conversation--notably, Skylar asking about everyone leaving. "You guys can. It's a good time for a break, with Florence needing rest," she said as she stepped into the room, self-consciously tucking her hands into her back pockets again, just in case. "Besides, I did kind of drag everyone here first thing, so I'm sure you have things to take care of. Animals to feed, souls to transport, all that. If anyone's feeling up to it, taking a journal and doing some reading before we meet again would be great, but how about we just plan to be here again tomorrow morning? I found the right area in the house, so hopefully I'll have found something for us then."

@ sun spirit

Her eyes lit up as he spoke about all the animals he had and what he did with his powers, finding it endearing to listen to him talk like this. "What kinds of animals do you have? What are your favorites?" She asked curiously, wondering if perhaps had anything she liked. She blushed s bit as he began to talk about how strong she was, shaking her head a little as he put himself down too, offering him a little smile. "I like daffodils.." Before she could finish her thought she turned as Jonathan came in, frowning as he said that it was time for her to go home. She didn't want to yet, and as tired as she was, she knew she only needed a little nap before she could go back to being helpful.

Before she could protest though Fate came in and repeated Death's decision, which cause her to sigh and push the blanket off her lap as she stood. "Alright, I suppose that's fair.. See you all tomorrow morning? Around nine?" She asked, waiting for the confirmation before teleporting herself home.

Jonathan sighed as Fate spoke, glad that Florence had headed home to rest, although he was worried that Cat was going to push herself too much, and not rest herself. "We should all get some rest. Who knows what we will have to face in the coming days, so it's best that we're all well rested." He said, giving a pointed look to Cat before he wished Nature and Fate a good evening and teleported back to his home.

@ katahdin

Part of Skylar wished he could've talked to Florence a little longer, especially when he saw how excited she seemed to get at the mention of animals, but between Death and Fate, there was no chance to continue conversation, so he just murmured his assent to meeting again at nine, lingering as Time left, and then Death. "Well, looks like we're both on his bad side," he commented to Cat with a little smile and pulled the key out of his pajama pocket she'd handed him earlier. "Do you want this back?"

Cat would've been more offended about Jonathan's pointed words if not for the plan she'd already formed that she'd essentially have to do soon unless she wanted to needlessly worry the others, but as it was, she just shrugged it off and shook her head as Nature offered her key back. Part of her wanted to take it, to take up her art supplies and paint for hours, but she couldn't. "You keep it. Take it, hide it, and don't tell anyone where. I know it seems like an odd request, but it's for the best, trust me. And say hello to your fur babies for me," she added with a little smile as he gave her a bewildered look but complied with her request, shoving the key back into his pocket before leaving as well.

Left alone, Cat returned to the cluttered room and the small circle of objects. She didn't sit down or touch anything immediately, standing over it and thinking about how stupid this could potentially be, but they were already so close, and this was the fastest way to find out everything they needed to know. Dammit, she was really going to do this. She bent down and slowly began to gather objects, picking up as much as she could carry, and took them into the living room to set down on the coffee table. Then she returned for more, for a total of three trips, before she had everything in front of her. Then she looked around, considering the need involved in her shaking hands, and started to clean. She dusted and mopped and picked up, making sure nothing was within reach of her chair that she could do something stupid with or break. Then, finally, she sat down and reached for the first object.

After a couple, the information she gleaned started to blend together--the life of an object in summary--, each vision vivid and bright, and she realized immediately none of it had been recorded. They were objects, many of them magical in some way no less, but fates always involved people. Something minor like this had to be sought for. And so she felt steadily less steady, until, blessedly, her hand brushed a sheathed dagger and she saw a familiar vision. She tried to pull it, to separate it from the rest of the objects, but she just scattered everything nearby and there was a chorus of clanging as things hit the ground. Her entire body was shaking so badly that she couldn't even pretend to control it, and when she attempted to stand to retrieve the dagger, she collapsed instead.

Visions swam in her hand, vying for attention, each needing, no demanding, to be let out of her and recorded, but there was nothing around. No canvas and no pen. And despite how much it hurt not to, she wouldn't. She pushed back desperate thoughts of what she could use, just to make it feel better, and curled into a ball on the ground with clenched teeth, fighting to wrest her body back under control as well.

@ sun spirit

Jonathan had spent a few hours reading through previous Deaths' journals, writing down a few useful bits of information here or there, but nothing major. Once it began to get later though, he made himself dinner before bringing some of the leftovers to Time, checking in on her and waking her up long enough to get her to eat before sending her back to bed. After that he was going to head home for the night but something told him to stop by Cat's and offer her dinner, so with a frustrated sigh he packaged up the last of the leftovers before teleporting to Fate's house, ending up in her library.

"Fate?" He called, holding onto the container of food as he looked around the now mostly emptying library, finding it odd that all the books and items that had been on the shelf were now missing. "Fate, it's Death.. I brought you something to eat." He called as he hesitantly stepped out into the hall, heading toward the living room where the lights were still on. He froze for a moment when he reached the doorway, taking in the mess of books and artifacts, and then Cat on the ground, practically convulsing. Before he knew it he was on the other side of the room with her, the container of food forgotten on a table as he knelt beside her and pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as he rocked with her gently.

"It's ok, Cat. I'm right here." He soothed into her hair, rubbing a hand up and down her back. He should have known that she'd try to do something foolish like this, and he mentally scolded himself for leaving her, for not realizing she was up to something when he left. "You'll be alright. I'm right here with you, I won't let anything happen, ok? Just focus on me." He murmured, holding one of her shaking hands in his, hoping it would help to calm her down.

@ katahdin

Cat wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there, trying to calm the tremors, when she heard a voice echo through the house. Shit. She needed to get in control of herself fast. She tried to sit up, not yet trusting herself to speak, and she managed it somewhat, leaning back against the chair, but it wasn't the ideal, on her feet with minimal shaking that she'd been aiming for, and that was how he found her. Before she could stutter out anything though, he'd crossed the room and was sitting in the floor too, holding her as if his solidity could somehow stop her body from shaking.

She'd expected yelling or scolding from him, not this kind of gentleness. Certainly not to be checked up on. "I'm fine," she managed to stutter out, sure the words were nearly intelligible. "Just a little shaky." The truth, though, was that she was scared she'd really messed up. Something in her hurt in a way she'd never felt before, and there was this little voice that insisted she knew how to fix it. In a way though, Jonathan did have a sort of grounding influence though, almost as if just by holding her still, he was somehow willing it all to ease within her. And despite her claim of being fine, she did lean into him.

It felt like days passed, though she knew it couldn't have been that long, when the tremors subsided enough that she felt she could trust her voice. "Y-y-you weren't s-supposed t-to come back." Gods, as if the shaking weren't bad enough, she was itchy now. With the little autonomy she'd regained, she began to scratch her arm. "Y-you weren't su-su-s-supposed to s-see this."

@ sun spirit

Jonathan couldn't help but roll his eyes as she insisted that she was fine, although he was glad she wasn't looking at him when he did it. "Cat, you've pushed yourself too far. You're not fine." He said simply, continuing to rub her back gently as he held her against his chest, relieved when the shaking calmed down, even if only a little. The scratching though was something he didn't like, and with a little huff he stood with her in his arms, grabbing the leftovers before teleporting her to his home.

"I'll bring you back in a minute, just have to find something. Stay right here, and don't itch." He ordered, although his voice was soft and gentle, knowing that she didn't need him to yell at her. He'd set her down in his living room by the fireplace, tucking a blanket around her to keep her comfortable while he disappeared in another room, returning a few minutes later with a pair of obviously homemade mittens and a roll of packing tape.

"I know you itch, but scratching might be a weird way of fulfilling the visions you've seen." He said as he knelt down in front of her, carefully taking her hands and sliding the mittens on before wrapping the tape around where the covered her wrists, not tight enough to hurt, but enough to where she wouldn't be able to get them off without a struggle. He shook his head as she said he wasn't supposed to see, that he wasn't supposed to come back. "I was worried about you... Thought you might forget about dinner. If I'd known you were going to do this.. Cat, you shouldn't have been alone." He scolded, but it sounded more like he was scolding himself for leaving her.

@ katahdin

Cat had thought the last thing she expected was Death himself to show up and hold her while she shook like she was having a seizure, but then he suddenly stood up, lifting her in his arms, and before she could so much as voice an opinion on it, teleported her to a house she only faintly recognized from the handful of times she'd had reason to visit. He'd set her down and left her by a fireplace with instructions not to scratch before her stuttering mouth could formulate a joke about kidnapping, but she still scratched a couple of times before he came back to relieve the pestering itch that wouldn't leave her alone, not hard enough to bleed, but enough to provide some relief--and apparently leave red marks on her skin.

When he came back with the mittens, it was like some part of her forgot he was trying to help for a moment, and she tried to hide her shaking hands out of reach, but he captured them both and taped the mittens on nonetheless. When frustration welled up in in response and she barely stopped herself from trying to rub her itchy skin anyway, she knew he was right. "R-relax, I'm inv-v-vincible." She somehow managed to force her lips to curl up into something she hoped resembled a smile. "A-and I w-w-w--fuck--w-was careful. I'll be f-fine. L-look." She forced herself to her feet, using the nearby wall as support, taking every bit of distraction she could latch onto to force her thoughts away from the incessant need. She started to take slow steps, focusing on easing the muscles in her body, and started to think maybe it was working when a bad tremor went through her and the only thing that kept her from collapsing to the ground again was Jonathan. "You sounded like you knew about this earlier," she stuttered. "I didn't completely fuck myself, right?"

@ sun spirit

Death sat back a bit once the mittens were taped on, watching as she attempted to scratch anyway, knowing she'd get annoyed with them eventually, but at least he hope that she recognized that he was helping her. As she pushed herself to her feet he stood as well, holding his arms out to catch her in case she fell, which was exactly what happened. As she collapsed he caught her in his arms, holding her against his chest to keep her steady.

"No, not completely fucked." He reassured, brushing her hair away from her face. "I was in much worse shape than you, and here I am, so you should be fine. But you have to stop pushing yourself, Cat. That won't make them stop. It's easier if you distract yourself, sort of forget it's happening, like breathing." He explained. "You could eat dinner, I'm sure that would help you feel better. Or I could read you a book, or we could dance, or I could tell you bad jokes.." he started to list the things he could distract her with, before he frowned at a realization, slowly guiding her back to the chair he'd set her in. "I can also bring you home and get Nature or someone to watch over you..You'd probably be more comfortable there with them.." he looked away, rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly. She was probably grateful for his help initially, but why would she want to spend more time with Death of all people? Especially after he'd practically kidnapped her when she was in a terrible condition.

@ katahdin
(Okay, I feel like writing out stuttering is going to get annoying, so we're just going to use our imaginations when Cat speaks, okay? xD)

Though he didn't seem to realize it, Cat was trying to distract herself, at least a little. It was hard not to focus on your body when it was shaking and itching and you could barely move a few steps without trying to fall. When he started talking about first-hand experience with this, she gave him a confused look. "You're Death though, not Fate."

This had to be the last thing he wanted to do with his night, but for some reason, Jonathan was trying to help her, though, when he sat her back down and started talking about taking her home and involving Nature, she realized he'd probably reached his limit on what he was willing to do. "Okay. Thank you for the help. I'll return," she held up her mitten-covered hands, "tomorrow." She reached out and grabbed his arm--as best she could, anyway--to get his attention since he wasn't looking at her. "Don't involve anyone else," she warned seriously. "I'll leave, I'll figure it out, but the others don't know, and even if they did, Florence is resting and Sky would be scared and useless. Sorry to make you feel like you had to step in." She let go of his arm so she could focus on teleporting.

@ sun spirit
(Lol of course)

"I am Death. But that doesn't mean I've overextended my powers and ended up like you are now and worse. And I didn't have anyone to help me, so I'm very confident that you'll be fine." He said with a little shrug, shoving his hands in his pockets. It'd been days before he could get up off the floor the worst time it had happened to him, and days after that before he could function normally again, but Cat wasn't in nearly the same state as he was. It'd take her a day or two at most to recover fully.

He frowned when she said she'd go home alone, and asked him not to involve anyone else, grabbing her arm to anchor her here with him. "No, that's not what I meant." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "You shouldn't be alone right now. I just figured you might want to be home, and with someone you actually like, rather than me.." he explained, his grip loosening on her arm. "I'll bring you home, help you into bed and I can sleep on your couch." He offered as he looked at her, shaking his head quickly when she apologized. "No. No. You have nothing to apologize for. I'm happy to help, really. I just.. I know I'm not the best company, and I don't want to make you uncomfortable.." he explained, clearly nervous about how she'd react. "I just want you to be safe, is all."

@ katahdin

Overextended. She wasn't sure that was what she could call it. It was more like she was being punished for not using her powers when she should be. But he still seemed to know what he was talking about all the same and for some reason felt like she could trust his assessment. Then again, maybe she should be worried because he was being so nice and gentle, and she'd never seen him act like this except to Time--which made sense, given their relationship, but didn't explain her.

Then he was stopping her before she could leave, even though she'd thought that's what he wanted, and she watched him quietly as he spoke and tried to explain himself. He looked a little concerned and a little nervous, and--okay, he was cute, but that was an objective observation, and she wasn't falling for any of it. None of it, even if it did make for a good distraction. Still, he was a little dense, wasn't he? "What makes you think I don't like you, or that I'm uncomfortable? I don't think you know how much more you've touched me than anyone else in over a decade, and I'm usually a little picky on personal space." His hand was still on her arm even that minute, even. Still, she seemed to be shaking and chattering a little less, focusing more on the conversation than enunciating her words or trying to keep still. "You're far nicer than your anti-socialness gives you credit for. Time's a lucky girl." She rubbed her leg absently, not entirely aware her hand was moving. "Just give me a little longer, and I'll be fine."

@ sun spirit

Death was sure Fate would ask him to bring her home and leave her alone, sure she wouldn't want his help, so when she started speaking his brows furrowed in confusion, looking at her as he listened. When she spoke about him touching her he realized his hand was still on her arm and quickly withdrew it, taking a little step back, as he worried perhaps his proximity to her was uncomfortable, especially when she added she liked her personal space.

"I'm sorry, Fate. I didn't mean to, I should have asked first.. I'm sorry." He apologized again, looking at her in confusion when she once again brought up Florence. He thought that they'd been over this. "Time and I aren't dating. We're just friends." He said, far more confidently than he had the previous time they'd had this conversation. He watched as she attempted to scratch at her leg, glad he'd put the mittens on her. The shaking had lessoned even more, and he speech was getting better, but it would still take hours before she started to fully feel normal again. And even then, it wouldn't be until she recorded her visions that she really felt normal. "It'll be hours or days, Fate.. It's not something that fixes itself immediately." He explained soflty, moving to grab the container of leftovers he'd been planning on giving her. "You might feel better if you eat, or at least it'll be a distraction for a while. It's chicken parmesan, but I didn't know if you were a vegetarian or anything, so I put the chicken off to the side so it wasn't sitting on the pasta." He explained, looking over at her. It felt odd having her here, it made him feel uncomfortable in his own home, but part of him thought he could get used to having her around, although he quickly stifled that thought, doubting Fate wanted to be his friend.

@ katahdin

The way he practically jumped away from her might've been funny if it hadn't been for the timing, the action happening in practically the same breath as she mentioned Florence--or maybe Cat's sense of humor was just off at the moment. "You've got to be," she argued when he once more denied having a relationship with Time. "You're obviously head-over-heels for each other." She realized she was trying to scratch herself again around the same time and self-consciously forced her hand to her side where it could do no damage--not that the mittens he'd taped to her would allow such a thing.

She sighed, looking up at him as he gave his estimate on her recovery time. "Then I'm going to have to function through it anyway, because we don't have days to wait. In days, this might be a good moment for me, depending on how quickly it progresses." Before he could say more though, he surprised her by bringing over a container of leftovers that he'd apparently intended for her all along, which he'd put thought into from the sounds of what he was saying. "That's why you were at my house? Feeding me?" She looked touched as she reached for the offered container. It wasn't the most stable, even in her lap, but pasta didn't go flying everywhere either, which she considered a win."Thank you... Have you eaten already?" It was awkward enough eating in front of someone who didn't have food; it would just be embarrassing to be watched at this point, especially with the hovering, as if he were just waiting for her to do something stupid or crazy.