Yes, it's me knocking at your door

[sorcery_fledgling]

Who: Rinoa, Johnny, and Sola in the beginning
What: Johnny's hermit mode has gone on long enough. And Rinoa wants A Talk
Where: Johnny and Sola's home
When: Tonightish
Style: Going with brackets but I'll match you guys
Status: Closed


[Patience wasn't something Rinoa was fond of. Yet patient she had been, at least for a few days. She'd been hoping Johnny would come around, with more than an anonymous text. So she waited for him, checking her SFC often, hoping to see something from him.

Nothing. Quite frankly, now she was just fed up.

Since contacting him probably wouldn't work, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

And that's how she wound up in front of his door, pounding on it with barely contained fury.]

Johnny! Johnny, open up! We need to talk! And don't think for a minute I'm going to go away if you ignore me!

Comments

[replicatedcourage]

[Sola, currently curled in bed with his wallowing matesprit, sits up with a bit of difficulty due to the vampire's arms woven around him in some sort of complex knot, or at least that's how it seems.]

I told you she'd worry anyway. C'mon, lets let her in?

[He smiles a little, worry still plain in the way his ears don't perk up with the gesture as they normally would.]

[not_heavens_adam]

[Johnny's grip tightened a bit with Sola's words and he shook his head before burying his face back in his pillow.]

Leave it. She'll get fed up and go eventually.

[It hurt to say it, but he didn't want to face Rinoa...or anyone right now. Or ever. Not as long as Barry was around.

[sorcery_fledgling]

[Tough luck there, Johnny. She has no intention of doing that.

After a few minutes lapse, she scowls and bangs on the door again. Now the anger is leaking in.]

I am not kidding! I'm gonna count back from 5! If you don't open it by the end, I'm forcing this door open!

[Of course, she's not strong enough physically do kick it down. But this is where having Sorceress powers comes in handy.]

5!

[The countdown begins.]

[replicatedcourage]

Johnny, I'm sure she'll understand if you just talk to her. She's your friend, right?

[He flicks an ear as Rinoa's deceleration of the number five, putting a hand gently on Johnny's arm around his waist.]

She's just going to get more mad if you don't...

[not_heavens_adam]

[Johnny was (sadly) underestimating Rinoa's seriousness, so his reaction was next to nothing with the exception of more face burying.]

I don't need to talk to her.

[sorcery_fledgling]

Four! ...Three! ....Two!

[Oh man, he doesn't believe her, does he? Whelp.]

One!

[Okay, she'll give him a couple extra seconds. He might be on his way now, but got caught up or-

Oh, who is she kidding? He's not coming.

Taking a couple steps back, she lets her anger take a hold for a moment and channels its energy into her powers. For a brief moment, she realizes why Sorceresses can become so easily corrupt and overtaken by their powers: anger makes them that much more potent.

It's not even a regular para-magic spell; it's just pure magic that shoots out from her hands. But since Rinoa hasn't learned how to properly channel her energy, the spell is much stronger than she expects. But it's too late now. It fires out and collides into the door.

What happens next can only be described as a small explosion. Rinoa's knocked back onto her butt, coughing as debris and dust kicks up from the aftermath. Luckily she's not hurt, but the same can't be said for the door... and a chunk of the wall it was attached to.]

[replicatedcourage]

[The resulting explosion of Rinoa's wrath elicits a yelp from Sola, who only stays perched on the bed by the grace of Johnny's arms around him. After a moment of silent confoundedness, Sola manages to squirm his way out of the vampire's grip and peek out of the bedroom.]

She blew up the door!

[Sola's dismay is nearly tangible as he leans back in to report to Johnny.]

If she wants to talk to you that bad, you should just do it or someone's going to get hurt!

[He hopes it's not going to be Johnny but he has a feeling he can't stop Rinoa from smacking him if she so chooses.]

[not_heavens_adam]

Mmmm...

[The explosion had gotten him to look up...but as soon as Sola finished his sentence, the vampire curled back up, pulling his pillow back towards him.]

Just tell her to leave..

[sorcery_fledgling]

[Once the dust settled and cleared, Rinoa got back to her feet and walked inside.]

Johnny! Sola? Sorry about that, I'll pay for damages, but...

[Glancing around, her worried expression turned into a frown.]

Hey, where are you two? I'm not leaving until I talk to Johnny!

[replicatedcourage]

[Standing in the bedroom doorway, Sola looks from Johnny, to Rinoa, then to Johnny again. He wants to help and so far all he'd been doing to help is to curl up with Johnny in bed and try to make him feel better by talking about nothing or simply sleeping but it hasn't been working at all. Johnny still remains a worrisome lump in the covers and nothing's been done about the actual problem at hand.

So maybe drastic measures really do need to be taken.

With an apologetic glance at Johnny's somewhat pathetic prone form, Sola leans out into the hall.]

We're in here!

[not_heavens_adam]

[As soon as Sola turned traitor called out to Rinoa, Johnny burrowed further under the blankets and pulled his pillow over his head....as if that would save him from the woman who'd just blown up his door.]

[sorcery_fledgling]

[Rinoa followed the voice, and quickly found Sola sticking out into the hallway.]

Thank you, Sola. And really, sorry about the door.

[But now's not the time for that. Giving him a rushed smile, she peers over his shoulder to see the lump in the bed that was Johnny.]

Johnny Rayflo. Come out from under there; we're talking whether you like it or not.

[replicatedcourage]

[A little stuck between Rinoa's scowl and Johnny's baleful if weak glare he imagines the vampire to be giving him from under the safety of the pillow, Sola sneaks around Rinoa into the apartment proper. His ears droop, wondering if he's done the right thing. The last thing he wants to do is hurt Johnny more, but Rinoa is their friend and she wouldn't do anything to hurt them, right?

He glances at the pile of rubble that now constitutes the door.

Um... it'll be okay. Probably. Even so, Sola grabs Rinoa's sleeve for a just a moment, whispering into her ear.]

Don't be too mad. He's scared, and sad, cause Barry's trying to take him away and he doesn't want to.

[The replica looks at the mound of blankets and pillows with a careworn expression.]

He's trying to protect his friends.

[All the help he can think to render given, Sola silently slips away to another corner of the apartment, fairly certain Johnny will be angry with him for sharing so much but his concern for his matesprit outweighing the worry at his standing for the moment.]

[not_heavens_adam]

[While he didn't hear the first part in detail, the snippets he caught, plus the second part about protecting his friends earned the poor pillow next to the vampire a trip across the room. It hit the door frame and then fell to the floor uselessly.....but it was the thought that counted.

He knew they were just worried....hell, he was worried. But...he was scared, and he didn't know what to do or where to turn...so he lashed out.]

[sorcery_fledgling]

[You really are, Sola, and Rinoa hopes to prove that. His whispered words do simmer out her anger a little. It's hard to be mad at someone when they're just trying to protect you. And she understands it, she really does. It wasn't much different than what she did back home, willingly agreeing to get sealed in the Sorceress Memorial so Ultimecia couldn't use her to hurt her friends.

But that's running away, and so is this. She nods to Sola, giving his shoulder a squeeze.]

I know. But it's no good hiding forever, and if he won't come to reason himself then I'll help him get there.

[There might be some force involved, but whatever works.

She frowns when the pillow hits the frame.]

That won't work. Sola, if you don't mind giving us a few minutes alone?

[Not that she's going to give him much of a choice. With an apologetic smile, she steps into the room and closes the door behind her. Sorry Sola...

And with that she spins on Johnny, hands on hips.]

So this is your solution to a problem: hiding.

[not_heavens_adam]

[Johnny rolls onto his back and runs a hand down his face; he knew there was no hope of chasing her away now. Not like this.

What are you doing here, Rin?

[His voice is tired and dull and he keeps his eyes on the ceiling.

[sorcery_fledgling]

You should know full well what I'm doing here. I'm checking up on you, for one thing, since I haven't seen you since before I fell into that sleep.

[She rather not say "coma". Too many haunting affiliations with that term.]

And to get you to stop doing this. You can't hide forever.

[not_heavens_adam]

[Johnny turned his head so it wasn't fully under the pillow...but he decidedly didn't look at her.]

I can't fight him, Rinoa.

I can't do anything.

[sorcery_fledgling]

What do you mean you can't fight him? I know what you're capable of. You're strong. And you're not alone.

[not_heavens_adam]

[He tenses up before, angrily, ripping the pillow away from his face and sitting up.]

Don't say that. I am alone. I need to be.

I shouldn't even be here with the Fais or Sola.

You shouldn't be here. Why do you think I was avoiding you?

[sorcery_fledgling]

[His anger startles her, enough to be taken aback for a moment and stare.

But she isn't unused to this. She quickly recomposes herself and fires right back.]

Because you're afraid. And you think pushing your friends away is the only way to protect them.

[not_heavens_adam]

[He didn't like being called on it...but he wasn't going to argue, there was no point.]

It is the only way.

Do you know what he would do if he knew what you meant to me?

[sorcery_fledgling]

Probably something horrible. I know he tricked Sola already.

[not_heavens_adam]

He would torture you...probably in front of me.

If you're lucky, he'd kill you, plain and simple.

I can't have friends, Rinoa. You're better off going home, taking a long shower to get rid of my scent, and forgetting all about me.

[sorcery_fledgling]

If he killed me, I'd get brought back to life, right? And I've been tortured before.

[Rinoa huffs at him.]

If he tried to touch me, I'd give him a bigger dose than what your door got. Because you're my friend and friends stick together, through good and bad. And if you think I'm being naive or I don't understand, I do!