Apartment Above Luke's, Tuesday

[spin_kick_snap]

It was Tuesday. Kathy knew she was supposed to be getting to work sometime this afternoon, doing stock or cleaning or trying to find people to come work for her or any number of countless, pointless projects. She had a routine and routines were important, at least according to what little poking around she'd done on the computer for Helpful tips when you're a basket case. But she couldn't summon the energy to get up off the couch today. Hell, getting out of bed had been a titanic struggle and the only reason she'd managed a shower at all was because she'd sat on the floor of the tub and just let the water run over her for most of it.

It sucked. She'd really thought she was doing better. She'd been okay for a few days there, genuinely happy and smiling and laughing. The kids had been great distractions while they'd been there, but they were gone now, leaving a hole in Kathy's heart and the promise of a future that seemed further away than ever, today. From 'okay' to 'utter distaster' in just twelve hours, only this time she didn't even have the outlet of fighting in Baltimore to try to channel some of this bullshit into. All she had was Hulu and about a million seasons of Hades' Kitchen to get through while she tried very hard not to think about what Saturday had been or her alternate reality daughter with her dead sister's name.

"You're never going to impress him with that mess," she informed the TV from inside her comfy cocoon of blanket. "It looks like you threw up on a plate. Way to just hand the victory to the blue team, ladies, jeez."

[Open, though I'll be off to bed soon.]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

"You're not a trained psychologist," Kathy reminded. "And support isn't always about coming up with the perfect solution. Sometimes it's just being there to listen, to make someone eat or sleep or shower. To give them a rough kick in the ass when they need it."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Well, I've been told that I'm pretty good at getting underfoot," Ringo allowed, venturing a grin.

"Oh!"

Her eyes widened.

"Eating! I brought cheesecake!"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Worst kohai," Kathy pretended to grumble. "Spending all this time talking when we could have been eating cheesecake."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"If that's how you feel, I can eat your share for you. You know, to save you from all the delicious cake."

That would make up for it, right?

[spin_kick_snap]

Not in the least, Ringo!

"If anything, you should be offering up your slice to me in tribute," Kathy sniffed.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo gave Kathy an "are you crazy?" look. "And just what did you do to deserve a whole cake?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"What, are you suggesting my mere existence isn't enough?" Kathy asked, appalled.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Oh, well, for some cake, sure. Like, maybe half of one? But a whole cake?"

Ringo just shook her head. Sorry, Kathy, but your existence, while sort of miraculous, didn't rate a whole cheesecake.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I see how it is," Kathy sniffed. "I'm gone and everybody's all, 'Woe is me, I miss Kathy, if only Kathy were here I would share my whole cheesecake with her.' But as soon as I come back, it's all 'Enh, forget her, mmm I love this cheesecake.' You're heartless, Ringo. Truly heartless."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo giggled. "Do you really imagine I said 'let me share my whole cheesecake' with anyone ever?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'd hoped," Kathy said, giving up trying for tears in favor of sulking. "Apparently not though, hateful child."

[soniaroadsqueen]

That seemed to call for a sad pout of Ringo's own. "Are-- are you saying that half of my cheesecake isn't good enough for you?"

[spin_kick_snap]

She'd had a younger sister, Ringo. Gonna have to step up your game.

"Oh, it's good enough," Kathy told her. "A whole cheesecake would just be better."

Not that Kathy was up to eating a whole cheesecake these days.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Sorry, Kathy. Ringo was sort of out of practice, too.

"B-but, then, what about me?" Wibble, wibble?

It still wasn't working, was it?

[spin_kick_snap]

A for effort?

"You'll have the warmth and satisfaction of knowing that you made me very happy by feeding me a whole cheesecake," Kathy pointed out. "Don't you want me to be happy, Ringo?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"I doooo," Ringo allowed. "But I also want cheesecake."

You wouldn't make her choose, would you, Kathy?

[spin_kick_snap]

No, but only because Kathy was pretty sure she'd lose.

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine," she sighed. "Did you bring forks along, too, or should I tell you where they are in the kitchen?"

Kathy was quite firmly 'couching' right now and not even cheesecake would tempt her.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Hey, you can't expect me to do everything," Ringo complained. She got up off the couch and went over to pick up the box from the floor. Fortunately they hadn't stepped on it?

"I brought the cake. Least you can do is provide forks."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Either you're getting the forks or we're eating with our hands," Kathy said frankly. "I am a blanket lump on the couch right now."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"You're lucky I'm so magnanimous," Ringo said, showing off one of those Kathy-words she'd picked up. "Should I just go poking around in the kitchen and see what I can find?"

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy gave her directions to both the forks and the plates, in case they wanted to be super fancy and then curled up further in her blanket. "There's nutella in the cupboard, too, in case we want hazelnut chocolate on our slices!" she added.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo got forks and plates. And nutella. Obviously. Which also meant she needed to get a couple of spoons.

Because she might not put the nutella on her cheesecake, and that meant that they had to have another way to eat it.

"You want me to cut you a slice, too, your Blob-ness?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Don't be ridiculous," Kathy sniffed, sitting up straight on the couch. "I'm perfectly capable of cutting my own cheesecake."

You know, now that it was on the couch and everything.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"You only say that so you can cut a ginormous piece." Ringo was onto you, Kathy! Your greed was winning out over your sloth.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Or to prevent you from cutting me a tiny sliver," Kathy countered. "Even though I'm sharing my delicious Nutella!"