Playing Catch Up (Kallisti)

[Legione Sumus]

Juliana Nazarova (Moon Pyre)

Juls chuckled. "Personal is more than fine. I channeled when I was angry, a little bit of fire that started in a rubbish bin. It was scary."

Juls glanced over at Elyse. "It's good to see Elyse back. I can't imagine what she's going through. Let's go join her."

Juls got up and joined Elyse at the table and sat down. "So what act do you plan to do?" Juls asked Elyse, it was an distraction. That's what she'd need, so she wouldn't ask about the problem, just take her mind off it and be normal day at work?

[Anna]

Anna listened to Juls story and told her own.

”Nervous during my dance audition at Juilliard, channeled to help me keep my balance during a rough move. Don’t tell Julliard - don’t want to lose my degree. And it’s not like I meant to cheat.”

Anna looked over as Elyse arrived, and her smile told Anna that her reasoning for going by herself was she just didn’t want to interrupt. She was here and that in itself was a good sign. It had been a rough couple of days for their little wolf. Anna nodded and followed Juls to sit with Elyse.

She looked up at their approach. ”Hi Anna! Hi Juls!” Elyse smiled and Anna could tell it was genuine. Elyse didn’t fake smile very well.

Juls asked a question, not even broaching the subject of Elyse’s recent absences. Elyse could likely use the distraction. ”Wolf finding her pack. Seems very relevant right now.” Anna was glad that despite her brief reference to her struggles, Elyse wasn’t upset - well at least not showing it. ”Little worried about doing the group numbers though.”

Anna smiled and touched her hand. ”You’ll do fine! I’ll get the spot next to you and keep you on track.”

Elyse’s smiled. ”Thanks Anna - that means a lot.”

Anna gave her a hug. ”Always got your back, sis!”

”How is your channeling going?” she said, her voice suddenly becoming a tease. ”And how’s Cade?”

Anna grinned. ”Good! Channeled more today that I have since I learned I could. Learned a lot. Juls is a good teacher! she blushed at the mention of Cade. ”Good - I texted him for the first time today. We’ll see I guess.”

[Legione Sumus]

Juliana Nazarova (Moon Pyre)

Juls smiles. "You don't have to do the group numbers if you don't want to, we understand. Sometimes personal experiences are better after a traumatic experience. Sometimes only the group ones work. And sometimes we need a break all together. You just tell us what you need and we'll fill in the cracks cause that's what family does."

The girls started talking about a boy. "Who's Cade?" Juls said with her chin in her hands and her elbows on the table with an intruiqued look that said Anna needed to spill the beans.

[Elyse]

Elyse smiled at Jul's response. "You're right Juls, maybe if I'm reservations about the group stuff I should stand aside, just focus on myself and crowd work tonight. Take it easy, come back slow, readjust." Elyse nodded. That's what she was going to do. The routine she was going to do was her first one, and she hadn't done it in awhile. Everyone here would understand. She turned to Anna, a thought hitting her. "We should do something sometime - me and you."

Anna smiled, "I'd like that."

Elyse laughed at Jul's response to finding out about Cade. It was gossip time. "Cade is the man we met on our day off, and Anna is absolutely smitten with him." She was clearly teasing Anna.

[Anna]

Anna blushed. "I am not!" she said feeling her cheeks heat up, she raised her hand to try to hide her blush, giving away the absurdity of her denial.  She knew Elyse was teasing and part of her was playing along with that. "He's just...super cute...

Elyse laughed. "When she went to refill our drinks, she made it a point to sit closer to him and she's brought him up at least once the past couple of days...she's smitten." she said to Juls. Turning back to Anna, she continued. Whenever you checked in with me, you told me you wanted to text him.  You finally did today...What did you say?"

Anna rolled her eyes and just gave Elyse her wallet. Elyse opened her messages and gave Anna a pointed look. "This...this is what you came up with after two days? 'How are you? I'm practicing my magic today. Oh practice went well, and I'm sure you got the job...'You can do better than that Anna - you spent years taking your clothes off for money.  You're basically a sex goddess...and you were so good at it, you bought a house in Moscow."

Anna wasn't hurt by this, but she was curious on where Elyse was going with this. "That was different - they were clients.  I don't want that with Cade...I want something real."

Elyse nodded at her. "I know that, but I also think this isn't what you wanted to say to him," Elyse sighed. "What did he say to you at the end of the day, before you came to help me."

Anna spoke softly. "That he thought I was beautiful...wasn't ready to date yet, but to keep trying if I was interested."

"I think he likes you, Anna, and if he doesn't yet, you caught his attention.  A text like this won't keep it.  He may not be ready to date yet because of the loss of his wife and son, but I know this isn't what you wanted to say.  Tell him what you want to - be honest - and he'll respect that, and if he doesn't. Maybe he's not a good fit for you."

Anna looked down, not in shame, but in thought.  Elyse was right.  That isn't what she had wanted to tell Cade. Anna looked up and realized that Elyse was holding her wallet out to her.  Anna took it and typed the message that she had truly been considering the past couple of days.

"Hey Cade. I've been thinking about this the past couple of days. I know you're not ready to date yet, and I understand that. I don't want to push you, and I absolutely want to respect your boundaries.  I hope that when that time comes, you'll give me a call, because I am interested. You told me to keep trying if I was interested, so I'm going to. And to show you my honesty on that - I'm gonna say it.  I do think you're cute, and this time I'm not taking it back.

She turned to Elyse and read her the text, making sure to include the smile emoji at the end. "That sounds a lot more like the Anna I know," Elyse smiled at her.

Anna turned to Juls. "What do you think, Juls?"

((OoC: At this time, Anna has not sent the message...if Juls likes it she will send it, if Juls is not a fan, it might be sent or might be altered))

[Marta]

Marta was walking home from school.  It was one of the things that she was allowed to do now.  As she was getting older and better, she was being given a longer leash.  An attempt to find some independence.  She only lived a couple of blocks away from the school, and if she wasn't really feeling up to it, she could call Ricky and get a ride.

Most days, Marta was fine, but today, not so much.  She still decided to walk home.  Splash walked beside her, wearing her red emotional support vest, but Marta was lost in her own thoughts. It wasn't that today had been bad.  She just felt alone.  School was great - she got to meet people and was making some friends.  She thought anyways. But she still didn't feel like she fit in.  These kids were nicer than the ones in Mexico.  They didn't make fun of her and call her a stupid idiot for being behind.  They had been accepting, but it didn't change the fact that they were younger than she was, and as she was changing, she didn't feel like she belonged anymore.  They didn't do anything wrong.  It was her.

She thought again maybe she could go back to homeschooling.  That worked better for her, but she also liked being around people.  Even around people she still felt alone.  Lost in her thoughts, Marta didn't realize she had kept walking past the intersection where she need to turn to go home.  She completely lost track of time and was unaware that more than enough time had passed for her to have reached her destination.  Instead when she looked up, she was somewhere she had never been.

She was lost, and that combined with her bad thoughts caused the panic to rise.  Her breathing quickened and she began to cry, the cold Moscow air causing the tears to burn on her cheeks.  She was pulled from her rising panic attack by a tug at her coat sleeve.  Splash, who had noticed something wrong with her companion, had taken the sleeve in teeth and pulled gently, trying to get Marta's attention.  When Marta looked, Splash let go, and walked forward before turning her gaze back on Marta and sent her an image.

Elyse!  Elyse was close.

"Take me to her, Splash," she said.  She had trouble forming the images without the help of words.

The wolf began to move through the streets.  Marta could still feel the panic burning within her, tempered only by following Splash through this weird area.  Splash would go to buildings walking parallel to them, but looking at them as if her destination was on the other side.  Finding a street running perpendicular, the wolf would take it, her tie to Elyse not giving her a GPS route to take, rather a general direction.

They came to a building with a nondescript door.  Splash started running, going to the door and pawing at it with intensity.  Marta ran to the door and pulled at the handle.  The door, locked, wouldn't open.  The panic began to rise, she began to hyperventilate.  It was luck that she saw the door buzzer and slapped it.  The tears were once again freezing to her cheeks.

"I need help! I need Elyse," she screamed, switching between pulling at the handle and ringing the door buzzer.

[Sterling]

Sterling was almost one of the first kids to arrive. Mostly because she made her parents drop her off at the front door. Though she always walked to the side and they always waited for her to enter the building before they left. She waved at them down the alley but was distracted by a girl in a panic. "It's alright. We'll get you inside. Just calm down a bit, deep breath and all that."

Just as Sterling went to punch in the keycode the door pushed open and one of the big guys from the club opened the door. "Everything alright?"

Stirling shrugged. "Not sure. But she's looking for Elyse. I'll take her inside." Sterling nodded towards the girl. "It's alright. I'm Sterling. Elyse should be inside. Probably in the dressing room or the lounge we'll find her."

There weren't many people in the dressing room yet, no one would be getting ready this early only planning their costumes, so she didn't linger long before pushing the employees entrance to the lounge open. Elyse sat at one of the tables with Juls and Anna. Sterling gave them a wave and spoke behind her, "Elyse's in here." Sterling held the door for the girl and wait till she was inside before letting it close and taking her spot at a nearby table pulling out her laptop to get down to work. Work first -- then play. That was the rule.

[Legione Sumus]

Juliana Nazarova (Moon Pyre)

"A cute boy eh?" Though with all the details about the lost wife and son that seemed a bit much. "I dunno. Maybe cut it down a bit? Just tell him straight out. I think you're cute. I'm not taking it back this time. And I'll respect your boundaries. Maybe through in something cute or follow up on something he said. You obviously know you'll see him again. How'd you meet him?" Juls was all ready to hear more gossip before Sterling pushed the door open. So much for jucier gossip, the kids were about to arrive. Not that she minded, they were all great. And they helped a lot -- alot more than Juls thought kids that age should want to help.

[Marta]

A girl came began to lead Marta into the building.  Marta was aware that the girl was talking to her, trying to calm her down, but her words were lost in the mess of Marta's panic attack.  Marta found the girls hand a grabbed it, her other hand grasping on to the handle of Splash's vest. The movement helped keep her panic attack from increasing in intensity, but still she was hyperventilating and she kept quietly saying, "I need Elyse...I need Elyse...

Marta was aware she went through a hallway and into what looked like a dressing room.  She then moved towards another room.  The girl opened a door and there appeared to be a lounge. Something drew Marta out of her mind, and she turned her head to look at the girl, wanting to ask the girl what she had said, and why that was important.

[Elyse]

Elyse listened and agreed with Juls on that.  Perhaps Anna had gotten a little wordy, but seemed content with the critique and deleted the message before attempting to write another.  Elyse's eyes were drawn to the door before it open.  Splash had spoken to her.  Marta was here, and she was having a panic attack. The door then opened and Sterling was there, with a panicking Marta.

Elyse was on her feet, moving quickly to the girl. Elyse went down to her level, taking Marta's hands.  Elyse quickly addressed Sterling. "Thank you, Sterling, I'll take her from here.  If you could do me a quick favor, I'd appreciate it.  In my locker, I have a couple of bottles of water, could you bring her one, please?" Sterling was a good kid, and assumed that she would help out.

Elyse took Marta in to the lounge.  She was breathing hard and seemed like she had just come out of a daze. She took Marta and set her down in a chair at the table with Juls and Anna. Marta's head was turning, her eyes wide, trying to find something familiar to focus on.  Elyse had dealt with this before.

"Look at me, look at me, look at me," Elyse sang.  The notes didn't matter, only that she sang it.  Elyse had been there when the wolves had given her the name Windsong, and she knew why. Marta's gaze met hers. "Marta, we need to breathe now, remember? Can you do that with me?" Marta nodded, and Anna handed her a coat which she wrapped around the girl.  Splash sat down next to the chair and rested her head against Marta's leg. "Now deep breath in...and out...in...and out...

Elyse led her through the exercise, and Marta began to visibly calm. "This might sting a little, okay? Keep breathing." Marta nodded and Elyse breathed on her hands and Marta only flinched a little bit as Elyse's warm hands wiped away frozen tears. When she was calm, Elyse continued. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Marta hesitated, but spoke in a few moments. "I was walking home, and I was thinking about things, and when I looked up I didn't know where I was...

Elyse nodded. "That's okay - that sometimes happens...does Ricky know?"

Marta's breath began to speed up again. "Oh no...I forgot to tell Ricky. He's gonna be...

"Breathe, breathe," Elyse interrupted, preventing the build up of panic. "Ricky won't be mad, but we should tell him that you're with me and you're safe. Do you want me to send him a message or you?"

Marta had begun to look around, but it wasn't in panic.  Her eyes briefly looked at the two women at the table, staying longer on Anna.  She had seen Anna before. "You, please."

Elyse pulled out her wallet and sent Ricky a message, letting her know Marta had a panic attack, had been brought to her by Splash, and was safe.  She was keeping her here to get her calm.