(( if ever your world starts crashing down ))

[Centrinity]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470px,true][atrb=bgcolor,63160F,true] They shouldn't have told him. Yeah, sure, he had a right to know considering it threatened his safety, but they really, really shouldn't have told him. He didn't need to know the man who had killed his parents and held a gun to his head had escaped. Scratch that - he didn't want to know. He'd just bought new converse yesterday, and already they were almost completely full. He was never that intent on drawing on his shoes on a weekend. He just wasn't. He played his guitar, hacked into things, stuff like that. Even graded homework on occasion. His shoes should have been doodle-free until Monday. Well, so much for that. When he'd realized, he'd gone to pacing his room at the Academy, but that hadn't lasted long before he'd grabbed the keys to his BMW and walked right out. He'd unconsciously grabbed his computer and guitar case and had thrown them in the back seat before he realized. Comfort-things. Drawing on converse, guitar, hacking. They helped him, or, at least, they normally did. But this wasn't normal. This was an immediate threat and his mind was rather frazzled. He wasn't often frazzled. He drove for hours, hardly noticing as it started to pour, blasting the radio, trying to distract himself but he couldn't even bring himself to sing along. Never a good sign, not to him, and that only made it worse when he realized how bad that was. He had no way to protect himself if Agent whats-his-face came after him, he was an analyst, a hacker, nothing more! As that sunk in, he slowly came to a conclusion. He could learn, couldn't he? Hand-to-hand combat had never gone over well, but he'd never tried something different like... a gun? It couldn't be that hard to shoot, could it? He aced all those shooter games at arcades and on the game consoles that were everywhere now. It couldn't be that different, right? He hadn't even realized he'd been stopped for a good ten minutes until he finished that thought and glanced to the side, noting a house. A familiar house... Lilly's house. Was he really that out of it that he didn't even notice he'd come here for help without noticing? Apparently. He sat there a moment more, then turned the car off, hesitating to get out. But what else was he supposed to do? Go back to the school and pace some more? Go out and buy ten pairs of black converse and draw all over them? No, he'd exhausted those two options for now. Forgetting his things in the backseat, not like him at all, he slipped out of the car and walked towards the door, nearly stopping and turning around twice but not doing so. By the time he got within a few feet, already soaking wet from the rain, his mind had turned back to autopilot to a degree and he'd knocked on the door before he even noticed he'd gone up the steps.

[Flame]

Lilly heard the knock, and got up. It was another, baggy shirt and sweats, as well as hair everywhere day. She sighed as she opened the door and her eyes got big. "Rory! What's wrong? Come in." she said grabbing him and pulling him into the kitchen. She sat him down. "What's wrong?" she asked worried.

[Centrinity]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470px,true][atrb=bgcolor,63160F,true] He just blinked a couple times at first, snapped back to reality when she literally dragged him in. His mind instantly flashed to manners, and he hesitated against the pull one he was through the door. He'd get her house all wet, he didn't want that. But, she was stronger than him and he wasn't in a mood to argue either, in any fashion, so he just let her pull him along like rag doll. He settled in the chair before the words actually sunk in, and it was a good thing she'd asked a second time. He opened his mouth to tell her, but found he wasn't quite sure what to say, so his mouth simply closed again and he scuffed his shoes against the floor, glancing down at them. Some of the whiteout had chipped off, he noticed. Funny how you tend to notice unimportant things during a time like this. His mind then jumped right back to the question he still hadn't answered. The... the agent- I mean, rogue agent... the guy who killed my parents... he... escaped. His voice cracked a bit on the last word, and he hadn't looked up yet, though he blinked rapidly a couple times, warding off tears, though he couldn't stop the slight tremble in his lower lip. For a moment, he felt like a kid. Go figure, now that he wasn't acting childish in any way he'd notice that he hadn't really grown up. His mind flashed through the humor in that for a moment, but no smile came. He finally glanced up. I'm the reason they even knew about him going rogue, Lilly, what if he comes after me? He's already held a gun to my head once, I don't want... can't have it happen again. I wasn't cut out for that type of thing, I should be behind a desk with a computer, nothing more, I just- He cut himself off as he realized he was rambling and looked away again, back to his shoes. He wished for a moment he had a black permanent ink marker, so he could fill in that one little gap that would no doubt bother him once he got his head screwed on right again.

[Flame]

Lilly found her mouth hanging open. The man who had killed his parents had died. She had only bairly managed to get that information, and that was on the merit that she had been loyal even when... She refused to think about Malcom. She flat out refused. She moved closer to the younger man, watching him carefully. She would have asked if he was sure, but she wasn't about to be snapped at, and obviously he was worried, so it was true.

She put a hand on his shoulder slightly. "Rory relax. Please. You work at a school full of people who know how to protect people. Or are learning. Shh." she said softly, giving him information and soft words. Then Robin came in. "Rory! Fun? Sad? Momma?" She turned to him as he walked up to Rory and put a hand on his knee. "Momma save you from sad."

[Centrinity]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470px,true][atrb=bgcolor,63160F,true] It wasn't that he didn't want to calm down, relax. And he understood the school was supposed to be safe. Supposed to be being the keyword. He, unfortunately, knew just how bad it was. It wasn't just a leak. He'd only just found that out when they'd told him, which probably wasn't helping matters. He didn't mention it though, mostly because he didn't know how deep it ran yet and he'd prefer to be sure. He'd leaned closer without really realizing it with the hand on his shoulder. He was vaguely startled into reality when Robin came in and put a hand on his knee. He half-heartedly tousled the young boy's hair, more so out of an attempt not to worry the kid too much. It wasn't his problem, he shouldn't have to worry. Naw, kid, not sad. He murmured softly. Even though he didn't quite sound like he believed it, it was true. He wasn't sad. He was scared out of his mind. Something he hadn't experienced since the gun had been held to his head, and before that when Eric wasn't there.

[Flame]

The young woman noticed as he moved closer, but she knelt beside her son, her hand slipping down to her side. "Rory's fine Robin. Do you need anything?" she asked softly. He eyed her. "Lie. Food. Apple." he said telling her she was a lier, and wanted food. She sighed. "One moment Rory." she said shaking her head slightly. She was extreamly close to her son, which was probably why he knew she was lieing. She got him the apple, cut it up and put it on a plate. He grabbed it and ran off.

"Rory. What do you need me to do? I'm fairly proficiant at what I do. I fyou need help ask." she said softly, watching him carefully.

[Centrinity]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470px,true][atrb=bgcolor,63160F,true] He took in a breath to say something, then paused, let out the breath, then tried again, though he ended up getting up at this point, not quite pacing, though he did take a few steps before turning around and walking those few steps back, fingers running through his hair, a habit when he was worried about something to a certain degree. I... I don't know, I just... I couldn't stay at the school anymore, I was just pacing and I needed to get out and I drove and then I was here and... I shouldn't have bothered you, it's... I just... I should go. Sorry for... getting your floor all wet... It had started out as a flurry of words coming out so fast he hardly even knew what he was saying, and he most certainly didn't pause for breath, at least not until he got to the part about not bothering her. He slowed down a bit then, though not much. Finally, his hands fell back to his sides, leaving his hair in a mess(pretty much indicative of his current mental state, so it was fitting, really), as he turned again, heading for the door.

[Flame]

The young woman eyed her coworker as he flipped out again. She reached out and grabbed his hand pulling him closer. "You aren't going anywhere." she said now dragging him to the living room where her son was watching a disney show. She sat him on the couch. "Robin don't let Rory move. I'll be right back." she said to her son, who put down his apple and climbed up on Rory's lap.

"What's wrong? You no happy. Momma worried." he asked, his young voice innocent. He waited for an answer as his mother came back with a few towels. "Here. You need to dry off. Why you thought to not take an umbrella i have no idea." she said tossing them next to him, though one landed on his head. Robin giggled. "Funny hat."

[Centrinity]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470px,true][atrb=bgcolor,63160F,true] He didn't try to fight as she pulled him into the living room. Mostly because, even in this state, he knew full well he couldn't hold a candle to anyway, except maybe a little kid. A little nerdy kid who didn't play sports. Rory knew he had almost no muscle at all, and he wasn't about to pretend like he did now. He blinked as Robin climbed up onto his lap, feeling rather like an idiot considering there was... a child interrogating him. A two year old child. He didn't know how to explain it to the kid, either. He was saved by the towel that landed on his head, though he flinched a bit at it, as if trying to avoid it. More because when something was flying at his face, it was a rather natural reaction to... well, try and stop it from hitting his face. A slight bit of normal Rory slipped through with his reply to her comment. It wasn't raining when I got in the car. He grumbled softly as he reached up to rub his hair dry. He left the towel there, mostly because he had a fleeting moment of a self-conscious reaction to the knowledge his hair was officially way out of place. He couldn't really dry the rest of him off too well, seeing as it was his clothes that were wet more than anything. He wasn't about to take them off or anything, either, so he just curled the towels around him as if they were blankets or something, knowing they'd soak up most the moisture eventually. Clearly there had been a reality check somewhere in there for, although he was vaguely mopey still(because that was about the only way to describe it, even though he wasn't sad or terribly offended and had no reason to be truly mopey). Still, he'd stopped rambling on pointlessly. He glanced over at her, peering around the edge of the towel that was still on his head. Uh. Thanks... Unsure what else to really say, he glanced away again, chewing on the inside of his cheek and just sort of sitting there, feeling... sufficiently put in his place and awkward at the same time. It was a rather strange and disconcerting type of feeling, and he really didn't like it particularly much.

[Flame]

Robin glared at him, as he climbed off now that mommy was there. he then went back to his apple and aladdin. She sighed. "But it was going to all day. Threatening." she said sitting down beside him. She frowned slightly. "I'd offer you clothing, but everything's in my size, except a few shirts, and like one pair of sweats that are not your size." she said softly, thoughtfully.

"Do you want anything to eat? Drink? I don't think you should leave at least until the rain stops." And i know mroe. But she didn't say that.

[Centrinity]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470px,true][atrb=bgcolor,63160F,true] Didn't look at the weather reports either. He mumbled, leaning against the back of the couch, head tipping back to watch the ceiling, though there was no purpose to it. He was just tired of looking down. He only half-heard her comment about clothing, shrugged in response. There was probably something in his trunk, but he didn't mention that. There was a lot of stuff in his trunk, he wasn't even entirely sure what was in there and what wasn't most the time. It was sort of like underneath his bed had been as a child. A disorganized mess of whatever he couldn't find a place for. Quite honestly, none of them needed to go running out into the rain only to find that there was no spare clothes there. Then, he shook his head at her next question. Kinda lost my appetite. He murmured softly, not quite responding her to comment about him staying. He had a feeling he was staying right here until she let him get up off the couch, and he didn't quite feel up to pushing the subject right now. He followed the edge of the towel as it slid off his head, at least until his eyes could no longer see it. He frowned at the two strands he caught sticking straight out and into his line of sight. The rest was probably no better. He almost didn't care, but at the same time he really rather did. At least his hair was something he could control. His head didn't move, though his eyes shifted to look over at her. ... You wouldn't happen to have a blowdryer?

[Flame]

The brunnet sighed. "Obviously." she said softly, touching his arm softly. She nodded. It was just something she did. Ask if they want food or water or soemthing. It was her being polite. it was easy for her. She glanced at his hair as it was uncovered. Cute. in a very 'i just got out of bed' way. She had a thought how he'd look after just waking up. Which gave her a slight blush.

"Hm? Oh yeah. Um. Come on." she said standing up and heading for one of the two bathrooms. The larger one. The one she actually used. It was down the left hallway. She flicked on the light as she stepped into it and then knelt at the sink, pulling out the mess of stuff to find her hair dryer. She found it, and shoved stuff back under the sink. "Here ya go."

[Centrinity]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470px,true][atrb=bgcolor,63160F,true] He'd kept a towel around his shoulders, rather like a shawl, as he'd followed her. Normally, he would have taken this opportunity to peek around just about every corner, but today he didn't. Probably a good thing, really, in the end scheme of things. He stood awkwardly at the bathroom door as she rummaged through things, waiting without a single word. A smile twitched for a moment at the corners of his lips, a sort of silent thank you really, as he took it from her, finally stepping inside the bathroom enough so he could plug the dryer in and see himself in the mirror. It was routine enough for him that he really didn't have to think much about what he was doing. It probably helped that he usually used his fingers on a daily basis already, rather than a comb, to get his hair in place. By the time it was dry, every strand was back in its rightful place and he looked a little less out of whack than before. He turned the blowdryer off and unplugged it. He almost turned to her to ask where he should put it, but he figured it probably went back where it came from and he slipped it away himself. He glanced over at her was a slight smile, though it certainly a happy one, then he glanced away again. He may not have been all over the place anymore, but he certainly wasn't okay with the way today had ended up. Then again, nobody really liked to hear that kind of news, either, and he couldn't just smile and push it aside. It wasn't the past, not yet. Just a possible future and a present worry.

[Flame]

She stood back and watched. It was amusing to watch him put his hair back. She had her hair everywhere, but she was used to looking like hell. She didn't need her hair to be nice to feel safe. It was more, is it out of my face? Utilitarian. Except for the dolphins on the bathroom walls. Which were there for her. She smiled a bit when he put it away. "feeling better?" she asked as she slipped past and out into the hall way, trotting down it to her living room, checking on her son, who was watching the door like a hawk.

[Centrinity]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470px,true][atrb=bgcolor,63160F,true] He shrugged a bit at her question, following her(standing around in the bathroom was just strange). I... guess. More like... feeling saner more than anything. I suppose. He replied, not actually quite sure of his answer at all. He wasn't all over the place, sure, but he wasn't really confidant that that could translate to "better". It hadn't every other time before. If it wasn't raining, he'd probably have gone out to his car to grab his laptop, hack something. That always helped. But he wasn't going to fry his computer in the rain just for a moment of solace. So, instead, he paused, just sort of... standing there. He did that more often than he'd ever admit, though. He always felt a little out of place in someone else's home. At least, until he'd been there a decent amount of times.