![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spin_kick_snapKathy and Anders (and Ronin!) had arrived in the Los Angeles early Tuesday afternoon and had spent the last two days just being the most stereotypical tourists the city could ask for. There had been tours around Hollywood in double-decker buses (including a fifteen minute span where Kathy white-knuckled Anders' hand as they drove past Paramount Studios), taking pictures of various stars of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and visited the Korean Bell of Friendship. Everywhere they went, they were surrounded by throngs of people: other tourists, native Angelenos just trying to go about their day, students, even the occasional celebrity. It did Kathy's heart good to see so many people walking the streets, doing their own thing, just living their lives.
But the nightmares were still there. By morning on Thursday, she was reluctantly admitting that, maybe just sticking to tourist spots probably wasn't going to cut it. She wasn't attached to any of these places, not emotionally. They hadn't been her beats, hadn't been where she'd seen the worst of it.
So today, they'd gone to Griffith's Observatory. It had been one of Kathy's favorite places even before Fandom. It had been where Anders had surprised her with prom.
...It had been where she'd spent several weeks in the planetarium tied to a chair, entranced by the projection of the universe, as an ex. So yeah, lots of feelings here.
They wandered through the exhibits for several hours, exploring first the lower level and then working their way up. With every step, Kathy felt a little lighter, a little better. This had been a good idea; the scant memories she had of hunting and eating a gopher, of shambling through the halls to find her way out melting under the press of people and the influx of knowledge and the fun of education.
"This way," she said, tugging Anders' shirt over to the planetarium. It was risky, she knew, considering how much time she'd spent there, but it had been such a good day...
For ten minutes, it was okay. It really was. Sure, there was a chair that made her heart speed up every time she looked at it, but there was plenty to distract her. An elementary school was there, little kids sitting in their chairs, excited for the show to start. A little boy with golden hair much like Anders' was bouncing in his seat, chanting, "Movie! Movie! Movie!" A live-presenter was going through their spiel, hyping up the crowd to prepare for the upcoming show.
And then it went dark and Kathy's stomach lurched. She grabbed onto Anders' hand again, swallowing heavily. No, she was fine, she could do this. She'd been doing so well, she could make it through and it'd all be okay--
The opening strains of music swelled from the speakers and a star shot across the screen above them. And Kathy pushed herself to her feet and darted out the door.
[For that guy!]
But the nightmares were still there. By morning on Thursday, she was reluctantly admitting that, maybe just sticking to tourist spots probably wasn't going to cut it. She wasn't attached to any of these places, not emotionally. They hadn't been her beats, hadn't been where she'd seen the worst of it.
So today, they'd gone to Griffith's Observatory. It had been one of Kathy's favorite places even before Fandom. It had been where Anders had surprised her with prom.
...It had been where she'd spent several weeks in the planetarium tied to a chair, entranced by the projection of the universe, as an ex. So yeah, lots of feelings here.
They wandered through the exhibits for several hours, exploring first the lower level and then working their way up. With every step, Kathy felt a little lighter, a little better. This had been a good idea; the scant memories she had of hunting and eating a gopher, of shambling through the halls to find her way out melting under the press of people and the influx of knowledge and the fun of education.
"This way," she said, tugging Anders' shirt over to the planetarium. It was risky, she knew, considering how much time she'd spent there, but it had been such a good day...
For ten minutes, it was okay. It really was. Sure, there was a chair that made her heart speed up every time she looked at it, but there was plenty to distract her. An elementary school was there, little kids sitting in their chairs, excited for the show to start. A little boy with golden hair much like Anders' was bouncing in his seat, chanting, "Movie! Movie! Movie!" A live-presenter was going through their spiel, hyping up the crowd to prepare for the upcoming show.
And then it went dark and Kathy's stomach lurched. She grabbed onto Anders' hand again, swallowing heavily. No, she was fine, she could do this. She'd been doing so well, she could make it through and it'd all be okay--
The opening strains of music swelled from the speakers and a star shot across the screen above them. And Kathy pushed herself to her feet and darted out the door.
[For that guy!]
