17 [action/written]

[frost_jewel]

[On the border between afternoon and evening of the 31st, the draft ends for Mia. For a while, all she can do is look around at the village, standing still near where they all arrive. Then she takes what remains of her notes to the battledome. To turn them over to...well, whoever is there to give them to. She doesn't want to talk, at least not for very long.

Then she goes home, House 16, and checks on her housemates before taking what is perhaps the longest shower in her entire life. The water is freezing by the time she's done, and she doesn't care. The next morning, whoever wakes first will find the coffee is ready and there is no Mercury Adept in sight.

She's out for a walk. It's not a long one: back to the battledome, to check on people. Any people, but especially those she knows well. If there are questions she has to answer - and she doubts very much there won't be questions - then she will, as polite and quiet as she ever is. When she's through there, she'll head for nearby houses and apartments, without going too far. She knows her limits and is waiting to meet up with them.

That autopilot carries her until midafternoon. What follows isn't exactly a crash. It's a slow spiral, one that finds her walking back to the house at a glacial pace, as though she might find somewhere to hide instead. But she can't. Instead she huddles into a chair in the living room, finally opening the journal to write something.]

Thank you to everyone who was there to help us. [She doesn't feel the need to specify where. The next several things she tries are crossed out, until:] I'm sorry we couldn't do more, sooner.

[[ooc: Whew look at all that action! She's mostly bouncing from house to battledome, and if you want to run into her while she's walking or standing and staring off into space, that's great too!]]

Comments

[Action]

[vulcanblazer]

[Adell emerges from his training in the battle dome in the afternoon. As he's heading out of the building, he sees Mia slowly trudging back to her house, as if lost in a haze.

He hesitates for a moment. He had heard things. Bad things, and he knew Mia's name was on the draft list. Though Mia was quiet and reserved normally, everything was just off about this picture.

He didn't know what he could do. But he couldn't do nothing. He hurries his pace to catch up to her, though it's not hard to do so.]

Hey, Mia.

[Action]

[frost_jewel]

[She only manages not to jump because she heard him coming.]

Hello, Adell. [And her voice is soft, though she hasn't done much talking in the past few days.] How are you?

[Action]

[vulcanblazer]

Me? Other than being attacked by an angry piano the other night, I'm fine.

[Maybe that story might cheer her up, if she asks about it. But he's almost afraid to ask...]

How about you?

[He's not good at hiding intent. Mia can probably read the concern on his face, despite his best efforts to try to keep a more stoic look.]

[Action]

[selphie_t]

[Like so many others, Selphie had seen Mia's name on the draft as well but she'd been too focused on preparing for it and surviving to give the girl a proper greeting. Add into the equation that Selphie had opted for evacuating Vaskoth as soon as she could and she really hadn't seen or heard from those who had stayed behind.

When she sees Mia walking down the street in something that could best be described as a fog, the perky brunette knows that something is off. She frowns a bit before walking at a brisk pace to catch up with Mia.]

Welcome back, Mia.

[Action]

[frost_jewel]

Thank you, Selphie. [Even her smile is reserved.] How are you?

[rashness]

[This is Mia's next door neighbor. He is currently... sitting on a lawn chair next to the pool which is in their shared back yard frowning as he reads a book on pool care. Seriously, he inherited this thing. Does he need to do something special for the winter? Should he drain it (more? He did boil out half of it a while back after all).

This boo...k. Does seem to be suggesting he should fill it up though. Man, it's way too cold for this. But he gets the hose and starts to fill it up again. Maybe he should get a cover or... Well, it's better to focus on something mundane than it is to focus on that draft.

Of course, this also means he is lost is thought and as a result of not paying attention to his hose and- it'll end up spraying his pants. All over him, ac...tual-ly-]

Waaaaaaaaah?! That's cold-!?

[And he leaps back from the hose (which falls in the pool; don't ask why he didn't just let it go to begin with) now with wet pants]

[frost_jewel]

[She looks up at the sound of a splash, inches from unlocking the front door. Did something happen in the backyard? Though she feels herself dragging, she has to investigate.]

Hello?

[calmbeforethe]

[Despite needing to catch up on all the sleep she wasn't able to get this last week, Ororo is still up at dawn. It was a body clock thing, waking with the earth, one that she was used to. So when Mia steps outside of the house to go on her morning walk, she'll find Ororo already up. She's standing in her little garden, a little cloud floating around. If Mia checks, Ororo's eyes seem distant and not at all focused on the cloud, or the plants around her.]

[frost_jewel]

[Are they in a competition here? Mia isn't even sure if she slept. She can't recall the night passing, but she can't recall going to bed. When she encounters Ororo outside, it snaps her out of her personal fog a little bit. Approaching slowly, she touches the older woman's arm.]

Ororo? Are you all right?

[Voice]

[thefinaljedi]

[Luke, thankfully, had managed to get Ami to sleep and decided to check out his journal before following her. Seeing Mia's message, he decided it only proper to respond, stepping into the next room and turning on a voice recording if only to spare her the sight of him. It...had not been an easy day.]

Mia, it's really me who should be thanking you.

[written]

[frost_jewel]

Please don't.

[All on its own like that, it sounds harsh.]

It's kind of you to say so.

[deathsdoctor]

Miss Mia?

[Law, for the record, is looking somewhat ghastly despite his calm, steady tone. Insomnia sucks. But honestly... he's not the only one.

He does have a cup of tea in his hands. He obviously caught her coming in. It's for her.]

[frost_jewel]

[The papers are in a neat little pile and tied up with string like a package. She couldn't keep them all. But she brought what she could, and she hands them to him with a respectful nod.]

There were more. I can try to rewrite them for you.

[markofthebrave]

Katara was at 'her' desk in the Battle Dome. She'd done what she could in order to research the virus when Trafalgar had asked for her help. And now she was tidying up her notes. It would probably be better to keep them all on file.

She glanced up when Mia entered the room and smiled at her friend, relieved to see her, "Mia! You're back!"

[frost_jewel]

Such an excited voice nearby was unexpected enough to startle her. Seeing Katara there, Mia tried to summon a real smile for her.

"I am. How are you?"

[Voice]

[geniustheveil]

I'm glad you're safe. I'm sure everyone appreciates all your efforts, and everything you've done for them.

[Voice]

[frost_jewel]

Ami! [For her? She'll talk, weakness in her voice all but forgotten.] Should you be answering?

[Action]

[savedtheworld]

[Aang sees her announcement over the journal. Feeling... relatively well-adjusted himself, he takes some time to make some tea and bring it over to her door, having noted where she lived from the Welcome Center. Knock knock.]

[Action]

[frost_jewel]

[Does the knocking mean she has to get herself out of this chair?

She does, because it could be something important; seeing Aang at the door is a nice peaceful surprise.]

Oh, hello. [Emphasis on surprise.]

written;

[alloys]

[Gratitude isn't one of his greatest strengths. But he knew how involved Mia had been in trying to create a cure, and what do you know? They succeeded.

So. He owes her thanks for that, at the very least. And then some.]

Hey. Thanks. For everything.

written;

[frost_jewel]

[She doesn't want to be thanked. Explaining that seems impossible.]

You're welcome, Mr. Stark. How are you?

[Action]

[lostinmyway]

[The afternoon of the 31st finds Grune in the plaza, still handing out treats to those fortunate enough to return from the draft--or at least, it usually does. However, Grune being Grune, the likelihood of her wandering off for a while when her friends were distracted is fairly high.

When she sees Mia on her way home in the midst of said wanderings, she initially misses her friend's mood and calls out cheerfully:] Hello, Mia! Happy Halloween!

[There's no Halloween on the Legacy, but the likelihood of her picking up the phrase from somewhere is pretty high.]

[Action]

[frost_jewel]

[Mia looks at Grune blankly for several moments; all she really responded to was her name. What, now? Happy...something.]

Hello. [She is trying to be more lively but it isn't likely.]

[snikting]

[By the evening of the first, Logan is physically, back to his old self. He can stand, walk, and more importantly - smoke. Frankly, he'd disgusted with himself. And he hasn't been home since he woke up.

I'm Wolverine. I never apologize.

But he does come back, eventually. When he steps into the house from the cold November air, he does it with no fanfare. He finds Mia, looking none too happy, huddled in a chair. Rogue and Ororo don't seem to be around.

Hrm.]

[frost_jewel]

[To her credit, she looks up when the door opens, and stands up when she sees who it is.]

Logan. [Surprise, worry, relief. How much does he remember? What in the world is she going to say to him?]

There is coffee for you in the kitchen. [It's the best she could come up with and stay in neutral territory.]