Closed RP: Mel and Brice get back: Lola acts as therapist. Again. She should get paid.

[totallyluminous.livejournal.com]

((Written with with Brice-mun! SPOILERS for 'Feeling The Vibes'. ))



I can't save the world. I'm just a kid.

So were Melanie Beeby's last thoughts as she blasted back down to Hogwarts castle. The reason for her scared thoughts? Simple. After escorting a little bodhisattva back to earth and getting him safely to the monks, a Creation angel had showed up to thank her in her room at the Academy
afterwards. And Mel had been awed, and then he'd basically smacked her down for not saving the whole of India.

And apparently she holds the key to saving 21st century Earth. So no pressure there, then. The blabbermouth has kept this under her hat to such an extent that not even Brice knows. She won't even tell Michael, though maybe he has an inkling of what's in store. The closest Brice might have to an idea is that after this visit, after texting Lola to say 'Hi, we're okay, mission went well', Mel threw on her training clothes and went to the dojo. She didn't even stop to get a smoothie at Guru. Yeah--something's up with Melanie Beeby, but she's keeping her lip zipped.

But, on the whole, the mission went okay. They saved Obi. They saved Deva Katchi from being under Razak's thumb; and they made sure one family, Obi's in a former life, got a way out of the slum. And Mel felt bad about not being able to save everyone anyway; she doesn't need the recurring image she was given of a long line of humans waiting patiently for a brown dribble from a rusty tap before daylight. But in Heaven, a lot of the time, what you want doesn't always come into it.

I can't save the world. I'm just a kid.

Is Lola back yet? She doesn't know, but surely Lola'll be with Jaime if she is. Mel heard the 'love you!', clear as anything. So Mel is sitting down, on her bed, and staring into nothing.



***

This staring thing Mel had going on was really starting to worry her boyfriend. They'd gotten back pretty recently. (And soon found out that a whole bunch of people had spontaneously popcorned. The hell? Here you go away to save a baby Buddha for a few days and people were getting turned into snack food left and right...) Mel had been scarily quiet for a long time, and it was so unlike her to not talk that Brice had to draw the conclusion that something was wrong. Had he done something? He hoped not.

He wasn't good at this. He needed a girl. A girl for his girlfriend to talk girly stuff with until she turned back to her normal, sparkly self. And there was really only one person he could contact in this situation.

Lola,
Back from the mission, but Mel's not really herself. No amnesia or anything, but she's just... Well, come see for yourself. I'm getting kind of worried. She'll talk to you.

Hurry?

Brice.

Comments

[nicknamegirl.livejournal.com]

Well. After receiving an owl like that, Lola really couldn't do much else than cancel the brisk jog she'd been planning, and instead legged it up to Mel and Brice's room. She only glimpsed Brice before he was out the door, Tracy and Twoey in tow, and he nodded at her, gratefulness obvious in his eyes. Lola gave him a brief smile, and then went over to sit with Mel on the bed.

"Hey Boo," she said and poked her friend on the leg. "Took you long enough to come back. How was India?"

Yes, something was wrong. But they'd get to that. Lola wasn't in a hurry.

[totallyluminous.livejournal.com]

Mel turns the slightly dazed look onto Lola, but smiles a bit. 'India...was hot,' she says, and stretches out to open one door of the wardrobe. 'See that salwar kameez?' The other one's on the other side of the wardrobe, and she can't be bothered to get up and move it. 'These totally cosmic Earth angels gave it to me, like halfway through.' She clears her throat. 'Um, Maia got my number and some mates of hers started giving me nuisance calls, so...Brice chucked my phone in a river.' A half-smile. So Brice-like.

'And it went okay,' she finishes slowly. 'Obi got there safe.' And she won't mention the dead ducklings, or the massacre on the train or the tang of blood surrounding the slum. 'Yeah. How was yours?'

[nicknamegirl.livejournal.com]

Lola turned her head and looked. Ohhh... Fashion. "Definitely cosmic," she decided and nodded approvingly. "I should get one of those." She leaned back against the wall and huddled up comfortably, hugging her knees as she listened. The mentioning of Maia made her wrinkle her nose. "Sounds like her. She's been kind of quiet here while you guys were gone... At least from what I've seen." Lola had noticed how an awful lot of people had popcorned lately. She hadn't noticed that Steph had been one of them, so she hadn't started to worry about what Maia might get up to once she realised her only friend here was gone, maybe forever...

She shrugged. "Pretty good. My guy was this adorable little hero... Azhar. He had to watch over his little sister all by himself." Lola sighed a little sadly. "He was real good, though. Just getting very tired of working so hard." Her mouth curved into a smile, and her dark eyes shone with warmth. "His name means 'luminous'. How cool is that?"

[totallyluminous.livejournal.com]

Mel reaches over for her brush and starts to get the cots out of her hair--not that there really are any, but it gives her hands something to do so they're not constantly twisting. 'That is cool.' She can't mention Obi's family issues, not now. It'll be like she's trying to overshadow Lola. 'When did you get back? You don't smell so...you know, end-of-a-mission-y.' The smell of Earth tends to stick around on angels, like it wants to be close to you.

Mel leans back and gives her friend a once-over. No nervousness, no sign she needs to talk (about Jaime or otherwise), just utter serenity--which means she's the one with the problem, ARGH. She'd be an idiot not to notice the strangely convenient exit of Brice. Lola might have--would have--wanted to talk to both of them if it were just about the trip. She ponders what to say so Lola won't drag it out of her, and then clocks her friend's running gear.

'Lollie, were you going for a run? Can I come too, if you're still up for it?' Mel never asks to go for runs anymore. She's too busy having lie-ins with Brice.

But something, obviously, has changed.

[nicknamegirl.livejournal.com]

Lola smiled, the picture of peace and happiness. Oh yeah, she was problem-free alright. At least for now. She had agreed with Jaime to not focus so much on the issues that their relationship was going to bring up yet, so she wasn't focusing. Instead she was letting herself float around on pink clouds, variety nine. That happy feeling had been somewhat deflated, though, when Brice's letter came.

"I got home on Valentine's Day," she replied. "Kind of... fitting." She blushed a little. Moving right along.

Lola arched an eyebrow. A run? That had been a while ago. "If you want," she said finally. Hey, maybe Mel had to release some endorphins before she started opening up. "But I haven't seen you in ages!" She gave Mel a playful nudge with her foot. "We've got so much to catch up on... Like, I haven't had anyone to gossip with for ages." Okay, gossip wasn't angelic. It was still fun. And Lola had missed it.

[totallyluminous.livejournal.com]

Mel squirms. Gossip? Should girls who have the ability to save the world gossip? Isn't that a bit...sinful...

OH MY GOD I AM ACTING LIKE VENETIA ROSSETTI.

'Yeah,' she answers, wry smile on her face. 'Valentine's Day, huh? I hope he took you to that teashop or something. Though maybe he'd react to frills on frills in a bit of an abject way...and it's not like La Sanchez can just start snipping away at them, as much as the decor would offend you...' Come on, it offended MEL, Queen of Pink. Okay, okay, stopping the teasing now.

'Gossip,' she muses, deciding eventually on her answer. 'You know, I think I've forgotten how to do it. Your earrings are gorge, by the way.'

[nicknamegirl.livejournal.com]

Lola laughed. "Not really... We just talked, and then we went for a walk. And," her eyes absolutely sparkled, "he said he loved me. So. Best Valentine's Day ever." She couldn't help it. She hugged herself happily, beaming. She'd been holding this inside for a long time, waiting patiently until Mel got back so she could prattle on and on about it, and squee and behave like a typical teenage girl.

Lola's hand went to her earrings. Oh yeah, the earrings... "Thanks!" she grinned. "Don't worry, carita, we'll get you back and gossiping in no time... It's in your blood." She tilted her head a tiny bit. "You okay, babe?" Yeah, she'd noticed the squirming before.

[totallyluminous.livejournal.com]

Mel laughs gleefully, sparkles showing through, and hugs her best friend equally as tightly as Lola hugs herself. 'That's amazing! Omigosh, Lola, that's so cool! Well, I mean, not cool, but--oh, yes! I knew he was sensible when it came to you.'

Guys aren't generally sensible, at least. Mel rubs her nose when Lola mentions gossip. 'I dunno if there's anyone I--no, it's not that, I'm fine, I'm just--' She pauses, and finishes, '...feeling a bit tired from the mission.' Blatant lie. She's crushed Obi went. She's terrified about this new role she's been told to play. And she doesn't know how to get back to Mel, since her inner angel is, like, on all the time.

[nicknamegirl.livejournal.com]

"Sensible enough, at least," said Lola contentedly, hugging Mel back. Mmm. Yeah, she was planning to soar from this for a few more days at least.

She looked Mel in the eyes thoughtfully. There was something her best friend wasn't telling. The lying thing was hard to pull off with other people; with Lola it was next to impossible. They were soulmates. Lola wasn't used to being kept in the dark, and she didn't like it. Of course she knew how fond Mel was of Obi. It hadn't been easy for her when she found out the little guy was due for a mission, and she was sure it would take some time before Mel was really over it. But it was not just Obi, here. Mel was tense and pale, completely unlike herself, and it scared Lola a little bit.

"Then you shouldn't go jogging," he pointed out mildly. "Mel... Brice is worried about you. You... seem kind of unlike yourself. So. Should we worry?"

[totallyluminous.livejournal.com]

'Yeah,' she says quickly, 'I totally should go jogging. It's just like, you know, when I get back from a mission I wanna go dancing? Well, no ID for clubs here.' Mel clears her throat. 'Lollie, neither of you need to worry. It was just a bit more difficult, the mission, than I thought it would be.'

That part's true. Both the mission and the visit afterwards were harrowing, much moreso than she could have guessed. And now...she has to save the world? One, she might fail. She's not suited to this! She's an angel, sure, but not an excellent one. Why didn't they pick Orlando or someone?

'I don't want you two to worry,' she says, more like herself, and stands, rubbing her arms to bring some warmth into them. 'I really don't. There's nothing to worry about. Want to go for that run?'

[nicknamegirl.livejournal.com]

Lola looked at her suspiciously. Yeah. She wasn't buying it. But okay, Mel wasn't ready to tell, so her friend wouldn't force her. She was just going to have to live with her curiosity and worry.

"Well, it's our right to worry, babe," she said calmly. "We love you. But okay. In your own time." She stood as well. "Alright. If you hurry up and get ready, I can wait. I still think you should get some rest, though. I know you're buzzed, but I don't want you to overdo it." She gave Mel a very stern look. "Remember the last time, when you passed out on the treadmill? I'd rather not have to visit you at the Sanctuary again," she said, disguising her concern as a teasing remark.

[totallyluminous.livejournal.com]

She makes a face at that remark, but her mind's clearly not minding that prospect. Not having to do anything would, at this moment in time, be totally awesome. Just lie there and let the world pass--okay, so she knows it wouldn't be. She knows that sort of depression is what she got when Helix, her inner angel, was offline, and she doesn't really want it again.

'I know you love me,' she replies, and puts her hand on Lola's shoulder. 'Love you too. And really--there's nothing to tell, or, or worry about. Or anything.'

That may have been overkill on the lying front. Mel quickly heads to the bathroom, grabbing combats and a sports top as she goes. The wardrobe door is still open, and the pashmina that smells of India is on her bed.

[nicknamegirl.livejournal.com]

"Okay, if you say so." Liar, liar, really fashionable pants totally on fire.

Lola sighed, and waited for Mel to get ready. She stretched a bit, limbering up for the run, and tried to think of something to say that would make Mel open up. What could it possibly be that made her not want to share with her best friend? They told each other everything. Was it embarrassing? Man, she needed to talk to Brice. But he was just as clueless, and just as worried.

"Mel!" Lola called out after a few minutes. "Get your cute butt out here! Otherwise we'll be jogging in drizzling rain!" Because this was Scotland, and the tiny periods of sunshine here were pretty far between.

[totallyluminous.livejournal.com]

'Sorry!' she calls, and exits the bathroom, where she changed pretty fast and did her hair in a ponytail, staunchly refusing to look in the mirror, because vanity? Totally the sign one is unsuited to saving the whole damn frickin' world.

'Though,' Mel announces, trying to make Lola feel more comfortable about the whole 'you're my soulmate but I have to hide this from you' thing, 'It's just rain, right? And aren't angels meant to, like, make friends with all the little molecules? Like wall molecules, remember?' She does, right? Giving Mel advice on how to make the little wall molecules friends with her. And tobe honest, she's a hell of a lot more worried about this now than she was a month ago.

She coughs, and grabs a hoodie, tying her trainers, tensely cool and not bothered about anything.