It happens to everyone - sometimes, you have nights where you just can't fall asleep, no matter what you do. It could be for a number of reasons, or no reason at all. And this is what's happened now: you've been laying in bed for what feels like hours, just tossing and turning, and nothing seems to help. So what's left to do? Get out of bed and go wake someone else up, of course. If you're not getting any sleep, then why should they?
i n s t r u c t i o n s • Post with your character (note the name and fandom in the subject).
• Other people reply to you by generating a number from 1 to 10.
• Have fun!
o p t i o n s 01 • FEAR. Maybe you're hearing strange, indeterminable noises; maybe there's a severe storm happening outside; maybe you watched a scary movie before bed? Whatever the reason, you're terrified and it's keeping you awake. You just want to wake someone else up so they can protect you from the monster in your closet.
02 • HUNGER. Your stomach is growling and it just won't stop. Or perhaps your throat is so dry you could cough up a tumbleweed? Well, you've gone to the kitchen to remedy this and hey, that was a pan that just dropped on the floor. It was loud enough to wake the dead! Oops.
03 • PAIN. Your body is completely worn out, be it from exercise, battle, sickness, or what have you. Either way you're in enough pain to keep you from sleeping, so maybe someone else has a home remedy or something, or can at least help you take your mind off of it.
04 • SOLITUDE. For some reason, your bed just feels so empty at the moment. You're feeling terribly lonely and really just want someone to keep you company for a while. Maybe it'd be easier to fall asleep if you're with them...
05 • DISCOMFORT. Your room is an oven. Either that or a freezer. Or maybe this bed is just really uncomfortable? Who knows why you can't get to sleep, it feels like it could be anything. Why even bother trying? Maybe someone else can preoccupy you until you feel tired enough to ignore your discomfort.
06 • PENSIVE. Something's on your mind, and no matter how hard you try to focus elsewhere, it's just not going to work. Your body may be tired, but your mind is incredibly busy and it's virtually impossible to get to sleep. Surely, talking it out with someone else will help?
07 • SADNESS. Something terrible has happened that day, perhaps; or you could just be severely depressed. Either way you're trying your hardest not to cry yourself to sleep, and it's not working at all. Better find a way to get it out of your system somehow; you need a shoulder to cry on.
08 • ANGER. You are just... fuming. Who knows why - that annoying dog is barking again, or maybe the people next door are getting busy and keeping you awake. Whatever the reason for your ire is, you'd better put an end to it so you can get some damn rest already! Go wake up a friend so you can complain to them.
09 • RESTLESS. You're far too energetic to sleep right now. Maybe you're just trying to do so out of necessity - you have to be up early tomorrow! But you just don't think you'll be able to fall asleep for a while now, so why waste the time trying to sleep when you could be doing something else? Namely bothering someone else - you're totally jealous because they're getting more sleep than you.
10 • WILDCARD. Choose one of the options above, or make up your own scenario. |
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bakerstreet2016-07-07 05:55 pm
genji | overwatch
numbers are for chumps
This one's fairly routine. He needs to resupply, and he's close enough to an old Overwatch outpost to make that the obvious choice. 76 knows them all like the back of his hand, something that's made him incredibly frustrating to all of the private security details that try to apprehend him. There are conspiracy theories as to why that's the case, of course, but he's been thorough. Effective. There's no real proof.
Not that he's worried about running into anyone tonight. The base has long been abandoned and fenced off, not important enough to warrant real security (not like Helix, anyway). With no functional alarm systems in place, slipping past the chain link and into the complex is easy.
He's quiet, efficient. Not exactly worried about being spotted or followed.]
a dad on the edge. ALSO hope this setup is cool
Genji has kept track of the news. Call it an idle interest. Someone ransacking old Overwatch bases was a concern, but not an immediate problem to him. Overwatch was, for better or worse, gone, and Genji's feelings on it were a somewhat complicated tangle that he was still sorting through. He kept an eye on 76's activities, but felt no need to follow up any further than that.
Not until Winston's recall.
No one knows 76's reasons for assaulting Overwatch bases, and that uncertainty makes him a potential threat if he finds out someone is trying to revive the organization. Genji's feelings on Overwatch itself may be complicated, but the last thing he wants is to see the people he'd worked with - the people who'd tried to help him in his darkest moments - attacked for daring to try to start again. So Genji sets about finding the truth himself.
This is what brings Genji here tonight, the lights of his armor extinguished in order to blend into the shadows as he slips into the silent, long dead Overwatch base. He takes to ledges and rafters when possible, creeps through the base until his efforts pay off and he finds his target picking through the supplies left behind when the base was shut down. He remains hidden long enough to take stock of 76 and his armaments, noting the rifle lying right within arm's reach, the biotic field generators strapped to his person. Then Genji drops from the ceiling behind the vigilante, letting the lights across his armor flicker back to life.]
Soldier: 76. [His posture is loose when he straightens, hands kept away from the hilts of the blades strapped to his back. He's not here to start a fight.] I wish to speak to you.
[How amiable 76 is to the idea is another matter entirely.]
of course it is great
The possible conclusions, of course, being capture or subdue. He'll, he wouldn't be surprised if they were under orders to gauge his intent and convince him to join. He doesn't fear for his life, necessarily. Winston is not the type to send agents with an order to kill someone (not that he thinks a potential situation wouldn't get out of hand), but even being close to these people is a risk. 76 can't afford to be compromised, not when there's still so much work to do.
So he's expected this, in a way, even if he wasn't exactly planning on Genji, of all people.
He curses himself inwardly for letting his guard down like this--knowing it was coming but not making more of an effort to stop it. Genji finds him digging through old cabinets and drawers for medical supplies, but at the slightest sound he's standing and his rifle is back in his hands, leveled at the intruder with almost inhuman reflexes.]
Yeah? That what they're calling it now?
[His tone of voice makes it clear that he expects to be apprehended, not spoken to, and even from behind the visor, it's easy to see he's looking for a way to counter-circle; get himself out from against the wall.]
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Despite reaching for a weapon he doesn't move to draw the blade, keeps his voice even in response to 76's clear agitation. No need to give the vigilante more reason to strike first than he already has.]
If you cooperate, it does not have to be more than talking.
[But Genji is more than aware that the chances for a clean, simple discussion are dimming by the second. That they weren't very high in the first place. Of course a man like 76 would expect a fight. He's a vigilante; like as not, there hasn't been much talking done with him in a while. More than that is the fact that he has no incentive to tell Genji anything. But he might as well try.]
You're targeting Overwatch bases. I would like to know why.
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You must think I'm pretty stupid.
[To walk in here. To think he's going to get an easy answer to that question.]
Who sent you?
[It's not out of the question that a vigilante targeting Overwatch would recognize some of the more prominent agents, so he isn't worried about outing himself by acknowledging who Genji is and whose orders he might be acting under. Still, 76 still has some modicum of the trigger discipline instilled in him, unhinged as he is nowadays. Genji might notice that though the rifle is levels squarely at him, the man holding it doesn't have his finger on the trigger--a clear indication that he doesn't intend to shoot.
Not yet, anyway.]
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[Genji doesn't question the recognition. He hadn't been a Jack Morrison or a Reinhardt Wilhelm, but he hadn't been an unknown either. More than that, Overwatch's shutdown had been something of a haphazard affair, and who knew what was left to rot in these old bases. What 76 had already gotten his hands on beyond supplies. The bigger, more important bases still had security these days, but it was more than clear that 76 hardly cared about that kind of thing. He had all but blown past anyone in his way between him and whatever he was searching for in these remnants of Overwatch's past.
It's possible he knows of the recall too, but Genji isn't about to play his hand on that without being certain. He won't be responsible for feeding a potential enemy sensitive information.]
If you know who I am, then you should know that I have reason for concern.
[He's keeping a close eye on the trigger. He wants to be aware the second that 76 goes for it.]
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[He'll make that clear right away, almost snapping back at him. 76 can't believe that he's here of his own accord, though he's sure it's a possibility. He's not sure what the kid's been up to since Overwatch's disbandment. He supposes it could be any number of things. The unknown offsets any reliance on what he expects from Genji. They're all different now. He can't bank on anything he used to know.
They're both frozen, weapons mere nanoseconds from being drawn or fired, but the fact that 76 hasn't made a move to attack yet is likely telling. Even if he considers himself a different man now, he's not going to kill one of his former team members without good reason.
Genji hasn't given it to him yet.]
You think I'm after agents. Is that it?
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The longer 76 doesn't fire, the odder it feels. He had no problem fighting first and asking questions later with anybody else who got in his way, and Genji has him physically cornered. He'd seen the way 76 had tried to evaluate a way out of his position, had been expecting the vigilante to pull something by now, and yet he hasn't. Why? Is he trying to keep Genji talking to buy time or get info? Is his connection to Overwatch more personal than Genji accounted for? More questions to add to the pile.]
I think it is possible.
[Overwatch had a lot of detractors even before it fell, and the existence of the Reaper shows that animosity toward Overwatch is alive and well ten years later. It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine more out there willing to go to such extreme ends to see Overwatch completely erased.]
You could be selling or stealing technology or information. The point is that I don't know what reasons you have for this. Only theories.
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76 can't exactly tell Genji what he's trying to do without betraying more involvement with Overwatch than is safe to admit, but any non-answer on his part will just confirm suspicions that he's just as dangerous as Talon. The recall is bad enough. Hostile ex-agents coming after him because he's confirmed himself to be an active threat is a problem he'd rather not deal with.]
So, what's the plan?
[He hefts the rifle again, as punctuation. Reminding Genji that he has it, even if he knows the very fact that he refrains from firing or even trying to escape says plenty.]
Track me down and ask me nicely to stop? Take me back to the space ape if I don't?
[Perhaps, given all the digging he's been doing, it's not out of the question he knows about the recall, too.]
sorry for the late, heat + work was not conducive to rp this week
Perhaps unfortunately, the silent threat 76 conveys by shifting his rifle only serves to remind Genji of the fact that he hasn't fired yet. And at this point, he's not sure what info 76 could be stalling for him to spill. He knows about the recall; he knows Overwatch is rising again. He may know as much, or more, about Overwatch than Genji had after digging through these derelict bases. So what stops him from forcing his way through?]
I may have to, [he mutters, fingers shifting their grip idly against the hilt of his blade. Take 76 to Winston, that is. But he'd rather not resort to that. He has yet to even respond to the recall personally; he doesn't want to drop in on Winston's doorstep with a dangerous vigilante in tow with no warning. More than that...] But I find it curious that you have yet to fire. I had not pinned you as one to let himself remain in unfavorable positions for long.
[76 still has his back against the wall. His finger is off the trigger. If Genji chose, he could close the distance faster than 76 could blink and put his blade to the man's throat. 76 knows who he is, he must know that Genji is capable of such feats. And yet he refuses to put his finger on the trigger. To truly back up the threat that the weapon in his hands represents on its own.
More and more, Genji is beginning to wonder just what Overwatch means to 76.]
no problem!
[Which he knows is probably uncharacteristic of a wanted vigilante with seemingly nothing to lose, but he's trying to pick his battles, here. It betrays something, not wanting to attack or otherwise engage Genji, but if he can manipulate his way out of this, he'd rather do that.
But he'll test the waters, especially now that Genji is almost challenging to try and get past him to the door. 76 is hard-pressed not to rise to it.]
I don't want to fight you. Thinkin' you don't want to fight me either. Might be best for the both of us if we just go our separate ways.
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[And if 76 won't offer that answer on his own, then Genji has to find some way to pry it out of him. A straight-out beatdown is off the table, sure, but further consideration has him realizing that if he can incapacitate 76, he could remove that mask or at least threaten it. The secrets of his identity must be ones big enough to make 76 give something up. Enough that Genji can decide whether he'll be a threat to Winston and the others or not. And at the very least, it's obvious that no matter how much they try to avoid it, a fight will happen eventually. Genji won't move, and 76 won't be able to leave without getting him out of the way.
So Genji makes the first attack. There's no warning; he flips three shuriken into his hand and launches them in quick succession at 76. Genji doesn't want to risk closing the distance between them just yet; he needs to keep 76 from getting close to any route of escape as long as possible, even if it means pitting his blade against the vigilante's rifle.]
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4, with a mix of 3 if we hate ourselves
Thoughts of Gabriel and Jack out there in the world kept her awake with worry, wondering what's become of them. Have they sought each other out as if drawn by fate? Were their wounds healing? Were they dry, was it raining? She couldn't shut it off. Her friends— her family— were leaving here. Just when she'd finally found a place in life she could make a difference and support those important to her. She's bone-achingly lonely and no one was there to confide in to share this burden. She couldn't expect anyone to shoulder the knowledge that both Jack and Gabe still lived, were still out there somewhere and may inexplicably find each other and finish what they'd failed to do at the Swiss Headquarters. There's no one left to drape a heavy arm over her shoulders and share coffee with her in the mornings as the recruits slogged out of bed and took their morning runs. Torbjorn had stayed behind to work on local repairs and fallout, and Reinhardt was doing his best to stick around for her, but it just...
It wasn't the same.
She takes to the halls in aimless wandering, blanket wrapped tight about shoulders that felt weaker by the day. Guilt settles heavy in her stomach when she sees an open door with a faint light within and she realizes it's Genji's room.
How could she have been so selfish? She hasn't even checked in on him. It's 0100, and she's rapping muffled knuckles in the door frame through her blanket. It's a poor and flimsy excuse to occupy her time, but the least she can do is apologize for neglecting him and make sure he's still healing all right. Angela hasn't been to medbay in days, and she's not even sure he's still here after she'd unintentionally snubbed him. What if he was in pain? What if an infection had set in? Her sleep-deprived brain kicks into overdrive and she might look a bit too afraid, poking her head in. ]
Genji...?
how is that a question it's us
He sits in his room, stares blankly at the wall, thoughts running in a maddened, panicked loop. His armor is stripped, lying on the floor at his feet, letting his skin breathe. Since he's actually taken to taking care of himself, at least somewhat, his skin is less sensitive. His body's more adjusted to the prostheses, the ports and tubes that help keep him alive. He is healing, at least physically. At least what can heal.
He stares at the scars littering his skin, leaving practically no inch of flesh untouched. He stares at his hand and how, with only a small twitch of his fingers, there's shuriken springing out from his arm to rest between his knuckles. Armed in a second. Never without a weapon, because it's built into him. Is he anything more than a weapon now? It's a question Genji still hasn't found the answer for.
The noise from his doorway startles him from his thoughts. It's a close call that he doesn't throw the shuriken in his hand. When he looks up, he's more than thankful he managed to find the restraint.]
Doctor Ziegler.
[He's wondered where she was, unused to seeing her outside of the medbay. Her absence hasn't been as big an issue as it could have been; she'd given Genji ways to manage himself and his pains until she could check him out properly, a just in case protocol, so while the pain is the same background ache as it's always been, it hasn't gotten to agonizing levels. There'd been annoyance at her absence, irritation, but it'd always guttered out quickly in the face of the looming issues surrounding him now.
Seeing Doctor Ziegler's face in his doorway, harried and exhausted, he immediately understands why she hasn't been in the medbay. Genji is losing a purpose, but Doctor Ziegler is losing a home. Losing friends. Lost friends.
Genji remembers the shuriken between his fingers and flips them back into his arm, ignoring the way its inner workings whirr and click as it sheathes the stars back in place. He beckons her inside, not about to kick her out but not comfortable with the door open to the outside when he's out of his armor.]
Come in.
I was just leaving the offer open ok like it didn't HAVE to be suffering but aight cracks knuckles
Angela isn't quite herself, but it's subtle. It's in the tiredness around the eyes, the delayed expressions, slower movements. Nothing that couldn't be chalked up to a late night were there not a thousand and one other things going on. ]
I hope I'm not disturbing you; I saw your light on. [ That doesn't explain how she got clear across the base to the empty barracks he had holed up in, made only emptier as the days went by. He motions her in and the relief is palpable in the line of her shoulders, stepping in and already knowing to close the door behind herself. Her brows draw together apologetically before she's even done anything. ] Thank you.
Have you been doing well? I apologize I haven't seen you in some time. Things have been... [ Heartbreaking, destitute, arduous, lonely— ] hectic.
[ It's a little forced, but she does find a small smile in there somewhere to offer him. She'll take a seat at the foot of his bed and pull her blanket tighter about her, similar to the one she'd wrapped him in when he came to visit and she took his armor off. Now he's doing it on his own and she is genuinely happy to see him taking initiative of his body and healing even if the weight of all the recent news and losses is taking its toll on her, no matter how she tries to fight it.
There's only so long you can fight to keep an organization going when the entire world is picketing for it to come to an end. Jack had been dealing with it for more than a year now, and now Jack is gone. He'd taken Gabriel with them, and Reinhardt was no leader. No one was up to par with Morrison, and he had been losing his battle as well. What could they hope to do?
She almost physically shakes herself from circling back on it again and she looks a little closer at his flesh, signs of healing and his movement; more importantly, his face. ] Your skin seems to be healing nicely. Has there been any pulling or tightness?
[ It isn't what she'd come for, but she will still make an attempt at small talk and ensure he's doing well. She's guilty above all else, and she prioritizes him over herself. ]
you don't fool me you came here to bring pain you gotta follow through!!!
With all the time he's had to be near her, Genji has become adept at reading signs of distress in Mercy's otherwise flawless facade. The fact that he doesn't have to put effort into seeing them right now says a lot, though to a more removed person all they would see is someone who needed a good night's sleep. But context is everything. Genji knows how much Overwatch and its agents mean to Doctor Ziegler, and losing a place and people she's put so much time into, people who she's forged connections with, can't be easy.
He's not surprised when she decides to zero in on him. He knows she genuinely cares about his progress, but he's also more than aware that she's using it as a distraction to soften her own pain. He'd been familiar with the tactic even before he'd woken up in her care.]
Doctor Ziegler.
[His voice is quiet, gentle when he interrupts her. Though they still have more than their fair share of rough moments, he's managed to shape up his attitude toward her a fair bit from how he'd started out. And seeing her now, desperate for any footing that won't crumble beneath her feet, doesn't bring him anything but pain.]
My health report can wait. You look ready to collapse.
[He thinks it might be necessary. He hopes she might feel safe enough with him to do so, despite their rocky path.]
IF ONLY I COULD WAIT 25 MORE MINUTES it could be 3:14 stone cold pain austin time
Genji had become her friend. Tentative though it may be at times, they had forged this connection together and she won't be the one to leave those she has left. He's just as alone as she is, here.
The tone of his voice nearly shatters her. He knows. As gentle as she had been with him not even so long ago, and that's when she realizes how bad she must truly look. A hand goes to her hair out of instinct as if she could smooth the impression away with a few fixed strands. ]
I'm sorry, I just— couldn't sleep. It's never been so quiet here.
[ Reinhardt had been doing his best to support everyone. She hasn't gone so long without anyone to so much as ruffle her hair or touch her shoulder in passing, or share some silly new story about how just at lunch in the mess hall, she missed Reyes gradually adding his frozen corn to Jack's tray and everyone at the table watched his brows furrow further and further in his confusion as his tray never cleared. Or for Lena to come stumbling in with her arms full of desserts only to crash into one of the beds and go tumbling, still getting used to her speed. It's empty. The warmth is gone. Her family's gone. ]
I'd still like to hear about you.
[ Angela's stubborn if nothing else. ]
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He might as well do what she says. Maybe hearing some good news will ease her mind some.]
I am healing well. No pulling. The - the scars shouldn't prove an issue in the future. [He stumbles on acknowledging the damage in words, can't help it. He is covered in scars. Every inch of flesh he has left is touched by that terrible night, warped, and acknowledging it still shakes him. He's quick to throw it off.] I have been following your directions for managing the pain that does crop up, and it hasn't gotten beyond my ability to treat. Your foresight has been a blessing.
[He laces his fingers in his lap, watches her quietly for a long moment. Without his helmet, Genji's expressions and emotions are clear. He'd always been an emotional sort back before the attack, a tendency for wearing his heart on his sleeve, and that hasn't changed; all that's changed is that his primary emotions tend to be anger or despair, and there's now a helmet that hides his face. But now, without it, all of it is obvious. Concern. Exhaustion of his own. More than a small tinge of fear.
He can't remain here. He has no doubt that those remaining in Overwatch's bombed out shell of a shadow will scatter. The world will force them to, if nothing else. Genji is one of the lesser known Overwatch agents in the public eye, and he'd rather keep it that way before he becomes just another example of Overwatch's sins, his story, his agony, used as nothing more than a 'got ya'. He has no doubt it would happen. He needs to get out and lay low. He needs to...
He needs to figure out who, and what, he is without Overwatch. But the first step, and all the steps after it, only seem to get bigger and bigger the more he contemplates them. They begin to seem impossible to take. He's always had something to fall back on, his family and then Overwatch, but what he's considering means being on his own for the first time in his life. It's terrifying.]
I am... afraid, [he finally admits, voice hardly more than a whisper and eyes cutting away from her. His tongue fails him shortly after. The words are left hanging between them.]
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And that's childish of her to admit, but she isn't ready to let this go. Not in the least. He indulges her, though, and she smiles with the news. It's a tired little thing but it's still genuine, still warm. ]
I'm so glad to hear it; you look a lot better. I was afraid over the swelling for a bit, but it seems to have dissipated. I imagine that's helped with the sensitivity.
[ Genji's concern for her shows and he looks as if he's been harboring many of the same thoughts as her. Many of their members had homes to return to. Plans for their lives. Those are the ones that had wasted no time in leaving to help cut resources and avoid draining what was left of the funding Overwatch had held for so long; the few who remained were the lost ones unsure of where to go next. She'd long-since bought her home in Switzerland as well as one here in the states, and sure, she had plenty of savings to comfortably pad her for two lifetimes, but... but that wasn't the issue here. The issue was that Overwatch was where she had decided to spend her life. That wasn't so easy to leave.
His admission is what draws all of her attention on him, and her eyes well up with tears as she holds her hands out to him— for him to take. ]
I am too. I don't know... [ she almost continues in German. As if it'd have more meaning in her own tongue; but Genji wouldn't understand. ] —how to leave. Overwatch is what I wanted to dedicate my life to. This is where I can make the most difference for others.
[ Her voice grows thicker, softer, but she doesn't cry; she will shift closer to him if he'll take her hands, though. ]
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I don't know where I would go, [he admits in turn.] I have never been without somewhere to return to. Home would accept me, no matter the trouble I brought... and Overwatch -
[He's quiet for a moment. Talking, thinking about Overwatch always brings up a nasty, complicated tangle of feelings in his chest. He manages to swallow it down.]
... Overwatch gave me a purpose, once that was gone. Now both are gone.
[He hadn't realized that Overwatch and its agents had begun sinking under his skin despite his best efforts until it was all over. The way he could pass time in silence with McCree as the cowboy chattered away or shared the silence with him, once they'd found common ground to keep them from being at each other's throats. Reinhardt's boisterous voice and laughter, his larger-than-life attitude in battle, the way the giant could bring Genji to his knees without effort when he clapped him on the back. Commander Morrison, who had refused to treat Genji as something fragile from the start, refused to put up with his attitude yet always offered what he could to help, no matter how many times Genji pushed it away. Doctor Ziegler, who had taken the worst that Genji had to give yet never stopped caring for him.
Maybe Overwatch meant more to him than Genji had let himself acknowledge.]
What will you do, Doctor?
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How stupid of her. So caught up in her grief. ]
Genji... I have to apologize again, my dear friend. I wasn't thinking of how this has effected you and yet here I am looking to have my hand held. I don't think I can give you advice, but I can... I can help you find your answer. You're not without a home; not so long as I'm around. I have a cabin in California you're welcome to stay at, or a home in Switzerland, if Europe appeals to you more. Please don't ever think you have nowhere to go. I'll have keys made and addresses in your hand tomorrow.
...How far have you traveled? Base to base for Overwatch doesn't count. [ Perhaps he just needs to experience more of the world to find his place. In the meantime, when he's weary, he can always come "home" before deciding where to go next. It isn't like she uses them but a few months out of the year anyway.
Turning the question on her, though, leaves her in silence for a long few moments. What will she do? Well, isn't that why she couldn't quiet her mind? Running all these circles around these questions. ]
I think... I will need time to think on that. I may go stay in the cabin for the winter and see where it gets me. I know I have to let go of Overwatch so everyone else can leave, but I just... [ She shakes her head slowly. Nothing is ever that easy. ] I'm not ready.
I keep thinking about it and I just can't sleep. It's so quiet that there's nothing to take my mind off of it.
[ Her voice only trembles a little bit as she says the words, and saying the words makes it real. That is a hard thing to swallow down and she struggles with it for more than a moment, doing her utmost not to cry. That'd only make her feel worse and she's not sure she'll feel any better afterward. She doesn't have the energy to cry; she just wants... to sleep. Maybe then she'll be able to sort her feelings out. ]
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I did not tell you this to shame you, Doctor, [he says quietly, giving her hands a light squeeze. This is perhaps the most gentle Genji's ever been since he was first dragged into Overwatch. Allowing himself to open up to the doctor has allowed the fear to break past Genji's attempts to hide it, and the behavior is as much an attempt to comfort her as it is to comfort himself. He's scared in a way that he hasn't been since - well... since realizing Hanzo wasn't going to stop until he was dead. A bone deep thing, a feeling he's trying desperately to shake.
Her offer of shelter has him swallowing, touched by how easy she offers it. Even now it's hard for him to believe how kind she is to him, after everything he's put her through. He ducks his head in a gesture of gratitude.]
Thank you. [He has to take a second to compose himself before he can his head again, before he can meet her eye again.] I... have not traveled at all beyond where Overwatch sends me. Perhaps I shall try California first.
[Switzerland? Well, that's a little too close to home right now.
He listens in silence to her confession, his face twisting in empathy. He understands and knows the feeling all too well. He's barely been sleeping himself, too scared of what the days to come hold for him. He doesn't speak immediately, eyes on the floor as he considers things, before an idea strikes him. It has him rising to his feet.]
Do you know how to dance, Doctor? Would you teach me?
[It's a fairly simple activity, he figures, enough to distract but not enough to demand too much attention of the exhausted. Something that could help sleep find its way to both of them.]
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Angela can see he's scared. The expression takes her back to... well, back to the night he'd first been put in her care, mangled and raw. She remembered the look in his eyes when he'd begged to be saved. He hadn't had an inch of flesh for her to hold, then, but she's certain she'll never forget. There's a fraction of that fear in his eyes and her offer was immediate. The relief it'd brought him was a balm on her heart, slipping one hand free to touch his cheek when he lowers his head. Urge him to look back up at her when she smiles, showing him that she was feeling a bit better being able to help him. ]
Even if you say that, I will still apologize. It was wrong of me. I'm only glad I have a home to offer you; not everyone here is so lucky.
[ It's harder to talk about herself, but when he comes up with... such a request, how can she refuse a smile? Confused though it may be, a weary little laugh slipping out of her as he stands and takes her hands with him, leaving her little choice but to stand up with him. ]
I suppose that depends on how you mean; I can do a little bit of formal dance, but that's about where it ends.
[ She's rusty on the fancy footwork from DDR of ages past, and she'd never really gone clubbing when she was younger— just a few formal affairs for the hospital, for Overwatch. Galas for fundraising and the like. ]
I— I can do my best, Genji. Here.
[ She still has one of his hands, so she'll have him raise his arm and push his elbow to lock, mimicking it on her end, before she guides the other to her waist and rests a hand on his bare shoulder. Then, looking down at their feet, hopefully he'll follow suit. ]
It's just a very basic step, but it will be enough to get you by at most dinner parties. I'll move my feet and wait half a beat before the next step so you can follow, all right? Hmmm, let's see...
[ The doctor realizes a distraction for what it was, but it gets her mind focusing on other things and there's a lopsided little smile as she tries to remember what she'd been taught, caught up in the attempt to ease her worries, working with him.
Aaaand back-two-three, up-two-three, pivot, pivot, and she finds herself humming some song that comes to mind and suits the tempo, not quite used to leading and occasionally glancing up at the ceiling as she tries to recall what to do. ]
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So he lets the doctor move his body into position, his eyes following hers to the floor to watch their feet. And Genji is nothing if not a quick learner. He watches her moves and mimics them, stumbling only once or twice in his movements. Mastering footwork is old hand to him. He lets himself drift on following her steps, on the sound of her humming, the tension easing out of his body as he sways across the floor of his bedroom with her.
Once he feels confident he has the patterns down, his eyes move from his feet to her, letting a tired smile curl the corners of his mouth.]
I am surprised anyone can stay awake during this.
[Says the guy who used to club it up almost every night. But the simple, slow motions are soothing, relaxing, and Genji can only hope that it's working out the same for her as it is for him. They both need the rest. Deserve it, after everything that's happened and with everything yet to come.]
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