Bead-weighted chests with lofticries...

[preytosociety]

Who: Daneel, Kobra, and Lydia
What: Lydia's having intense nightmares that somehow lead to bonding with her house buddies, Kobra and Daneel. Plus a lesson on the laws of robotics.
Where: House 7
When: Day Five - Around 4:00am
Warnings: Memory of traumatic events including mental and physical abuse, potentially graphic imagery?



Even though his hold on her had seemingly been broken when he was brought back to life, the mental and physical scars of Peter Hale's bite were still there. It was easy to keep the marred skin of her side hidden. No one who hadn't known her at the time of the attack had any idea. It was the imprint he'd left, the memories and the images flowing through her mind whenever she let it wander, that she couldn't deny. As much as she wanted to repeat the words over and over, 'mountain lion' just wasn't going to cut it anymore.

It had happened.

And when Lydia closed her eyes, she could feel it happening all over again. The bite. The claws in her skin. His hands on her face. The burnt body--

She awoke with a start to the sound of screaming. It took her almost a full minute to realize the screaming was coming from her. She stopped, covering her mouth with her hand and pulling her knees to her chest as she rocked back and forth ever so slightly. There were tears in her eyes and a look of pure terror still frozen on her face.

All she could do was hope no one had heard her.

Comments

[preytosociety]

The tears that pricked at the corners of her eyes and threatened to fall were definitely happy ones. Ecstatic ones, actually. Stupid guys. Stupid feelings! As much as she missed Jackson, she'd never felt like this with him or with any of her friends. Not even with her family. She could definitely be a good person around the right people.

These were the right people.

Lydia took Daneel's hand with her free one, threading her fingers through his, and held it in her lap to pull him a bit closer as she let herself relax against Kobra. After a few more sips of tea, she set her mug back on the table and settled between them again with her legs folded up under her. She was just resting her eyes...

"I vote we all go to the future with Daneel when we find a way out of here." She said, sleepily.

[thezerothlaw]

That was potentially not the best idea. There was so much waiting for him in his own time, so much responsibility, an entire galaxy to care for while he went about the business of making himself disappear, and what place was there for Kobra and Lydia in the middle of that? All the same... maybe he could feel a bit lonely at the prospect of going back alone. It would be pleasant to have them there, as unwise as it might be. Would it be better to explain to them the Zeroth Law and his own mental abilities, plus what he and Giskard had done at Three Mile Island, just in case that scenario ever happened? He kept his secrets, knowing what would happen to a robot who was too powerful, who had thwarted the Three Laws even a little, but... maybe that didn't apply here.

Tonight was not the night for that conversation, and maybe it never would be. Tonight was for helping Lydia, and that came first, of course.

"I'll remember that," Daneel promised. He squeezed Lydia's hand gently, and since she seemed to want that physical closeness, he moved a little closer. He could be warm and comfortably and physically there, if that's what she needed. "I believe I would miss you two, were I to return now, though I'm not at all sure you would be happy there."

[goodluckkobra]

Kobra would much rather follow Daneel or Lydia home than go back to his own time. He just wished he could find a way to take the other Killjoys from his time, too. They would all be happier somewhere else. Maybe it was selfish, but he knew that his friends would want him to go someplace better if he could--somewhere with real medicine and real luxuries like beds and showers.

"I can be happy anywhere, long as I have good company." And the two of them counted. Even if Kobra was going to die here, at least he knew that there were people with him who would care.

He smiled over Lydia's head at Daneel.

[preytosociety]

Lydia was fine and dandy, now. Calm, content, and drifting off right there on the couch. If she could, she'd just bring them both back with her. They'd find somewhere to settle far away from Beacon Hills. Somewhere safe. No werewolves, no dying, no painful, conflicting laws.

She mumbled, "You sound like a hallmark card." before murmuring, "But same here. We'd miss you, too, Dan."

Oh no. The nickname stuck. She was too tired to care.

[thezerothlaw]

No one had given him a nickname before he'd arrived here, and he found the intimacy implicit in it... very nice, to say the least, doubly so now that Lydia was apparently using it as well. There were more words he was considering the use of besides "happy," now, like family. Part of him was slightly shocked that he even dared think such a thing -- he was a robot, and that was a ridiculous thing for a robot to claim, robots did not have families -- but it also seemed... rather apt.

Daneel stroked Lydia's hair, soothing. If she could sleep, it would be the best thing for her. No harm would come to her, or Kobra for that matter.

"Relax," he said softly. "You're safe here."

[goodluckkobra]

Even if those words weren't directed at him, they made him feel safer, too. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt safe. It was a really nice feeling. Nothing was coming for him and if it did, Daneel would probably know before they did. He could be ready if he needed to be, even if he'd left his kitchen knife in Lydia's room.

He sighed and rested his head against the side of Lydia's, eyes closing. This was nice. Sometimes he felt like he trusted a little too easily, but his gut said that everything about these two was good for him.