originallutece | ic inbox part 2 electric boogaloo

[That is kind of nice.

Baren gave her a room number and failed to mention a name. Whenever Ros comes in, she'll notice it's Ryouta Ono but more commonly known as Zoro, whether she's actually familiar with him or not. Baren doesn't talk about him much, if at all. Yet that doesn't stop Baren from having picked up a chair to put right back Zoro's bedside. He was on his phone when he hears her approach and looks up.]

Yo.

[ - that said he will stand up to go and meet her at the door. It's not his room to invite people into, he thinks.]

How bad's the damage?

[ . . . of what he has to grade.]

Forty-odd papers, and then we head into the finals proper.

[That's about two-thirds of the papers they need to grade in total, but given she'll be going over Baren's work afterwards, that seems fair.]

Those will be the real challenge, I'm afraid.

[. . .]

What's happened to him?

[He just shrugs at that - ]

Whatever it is, I'll get it done.

[At least he's confident at that. He's capable when he wants to be and for Ros, he at least wants to be.

At the actual question though, he seems to be mulling over his answer.]

... Even if I had an answer, I don't think it'd b mine to give, Prof. The simple one is that he's out now even if the doctors don't know what went wrong in the first place.

[On the one hand, he's absolutely correct. On the other, she's nosy and she doesn't like not being told things.]

And in the meantime . . . are you going to stay at his bedside until he wakes?

That's the plan.

[ . . . not a good one, but Baren gets a little dumb for the people who matter to him.]

Mm. Well. So long as you get your work done, I'll be content. But you're going to have to stop to eat or sleep at some point.

Come down to the cafeteria with me.

M'not hungry, Prof.

[And he doesn't want to leave the hospital room.... Not yet.

He might not leave until he's starving????]

Not like you need an escort, right?

I think I do, actually. A nurse may catch my eye and try to manhandle me back into a hospital bed.

Then call Foxy...

[ROOOOS. DON'T MAKE HIM LEEEAAAAAVE]

Foxy is busy with class right now. Get up.

No.

[he doesn't wanna]

He might wake up.

[She glances down at him.]

Perhaps. But he might not for hours, and you can't stay here forever.

Get something to eat. You'll be ready to wait for the rest of the day then.

Then someone else will inevitably wander in and I can ask them to get me food.

[he's not above using people. then a question he probably doesn't want answered - ]

Why do you care so much?

[She pauses before answering, aware that this is more significant a question than it sounds.]

Because I'm fond of you.

[She glances down at him.]

Is that so unbelievable? I'm fond of you, and much as your care is admirable, you won't do either one of you good by starving yourself at his side. I'm fond of you, and I want to be sure you don't wear yourself down in your zeal.

And because I'm so fond of you, I've learnt enough about you to know that you shan't be leaving unless someone bullies you into it. And I happen to be very good at bullying.

[Is that so unbelievable?

Yes.

Baren's normally not all that easy to read. He's not often caught off-guard and treats everything in the world like a joke because it's easier if he thinks he can laugh at everything. Oftentimes, people let him.

This isn't something he can laugh at. He blinks in confusion when she says it the first time, the second time, and she keeps going and he looks more and more like he swallowed a bug. She's fond of him? How? Why? What kind of terrible mistake did he make that led her on to believe that that was a good idea? That was he was worth that kind of time and emotion and investment?

It flusters him. He feels his heartbeat pick up just out of embarrassment, even if the emotion seems to read on his face only as - ]

Do you think I'm deaf? I heard you the first time...!!

[ - irritation.

He turns away from her quickly even though he's not blushing and manages words for whoever's still asleep in the room - ] I'll be back and I'll kick your ass if you cause a ruckus while I'm gone!

[UGHHHHH.

He does a full body shudder like a wet cat.]

Don't say stupid things like that, Prof! Who asked you anyway...?!

[yOU DID, ASSHOLE]

[Good grief, what a reaction. Rosalind blinks, honestly taken aback for a few seconds. She'd expected laughter, or perhaps soft sentiment, but this is . . . good lord, he looks like he's about to combust.]

Are you done?

Are you?!

[no.

he's a grumpy tsundere it's just embarrassing and stUPID]

You began this, Baren. Don't fuss at me.

[A beat, and there's a hint of a smile in her expression as she adds:]

If I tell you I'm fond of you again, are you going to scream?

[as;ldkjDFKJ]

Can you stop saying that?!

[so that answers that.

Baren's been at the hospital plenty of times before though - enough that the nurses recognize him and just make a shushing noise in his direction, to which he winces. Ugh. Ugh.]

I don't think I've ever seen you so flustered.

[She observes it quietly, amused and surprised all at once.]

What kind of answer did you expect?

[Don't ask him these questions, it's bad enough when Fawkes psychoanalyzes him. He makes an irritated motion to run his hand through his hair, the decorative bells in his ponytail jingling as he does.]

You can't really expect me to answer that - it's not like I can tell what you think.

But you clearly expected something else.

[She leans her hips back against the elevator wall as they enter.]

Assuming that people like you is pretty vain.

[that said

baren is pretty vain

just not in this regard apparently]

Assuming, yes. Concluding based on nearly six months worth of evidence, however, no, isn't vain at all.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

[1/2]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject