Summary:Robbie and Rachel begin to reconcile. She makes him an offer. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It was early in the afternoon at the HQ of the New Warriors supergroup. Most of the warriors were off doing their own thing, but Robbie? Robbie's definitely been doing his own thing. He's been getting vengeance, unleashing some pent up rage against the gangbangers and murderers that litter the streets in the night. Some of his work might have showed up on the news. But while he was at the HQ, he texted Raven.
"Hey…"
Few minute pause.
"Want to hangout? Miss you."
Then he waits for her response. In the meantime, he was fixing up the Hellcharger, the hood popped open, Robbie with a wrench. Fine tuning at its finest, his phone nearby in case Rachel decides to text back.
*
It's been two weeks and change since Rachel's heard from Robbie. She knows the exact amount of time, because she's been staring at her texts with him off and on every day since the last received message. She's been really busy learning magic and working on her project for ESU's art program, but she finds time to check her messages, just to make sure she hadn't missed one.
When her text alarm goes off, she picks up her phone and can hardly believe it. It's Robbie. She swallows nervously and starts to write five different responses, deleting each one and trying something that might sound 'better'…and has no chance to send one before he sends another. She exhales a pained sound, some relief but mostly sadness, when she reads it. She sends one back.
RR: just tell me where and when ill be there
*
Robbie hears his phone buzz and he wipes his head from the sweat. It was a hot day. He reaches over and he picks up his phone, seeing the text message that she actually -returned-. He could've sworn she would've blocked him or something. But that was probably just his own paranoia at play. He hesitates in sending back a text, but at the two minute mark he sends one back.
RR: Warriors HQ. Fixing up the car. Whenever's convenient.
Because Robbie wasn't a guy who rushed, not unless it was something extremely important, and after the blowout of the last time they met…Robbie has no idea how this is going to go.
*
Robbie's demons must be working really hard on him — one in particular, probably — for him to be thinking that Rachel would block him. Rachel very specifically gave Robbie the full, raw empathic imprint of how she feels for him before he left that night. She did that so he could think back on it when he was feeling particularly rough, if he ever wondered if she cared about him at all, he could know with certainty…that she does love him. Not as he might wish, but she does care for him, and with genuineness.
RR: ill be there shortly are you hungry?
*
A love that..never belonged to Robbie. Belonged to someone else. Someone she met in one day. The pain was still with him perhaps, that no matter how many evil men he killed, or how he tried to distract himself..that will always be an imprint. But at the same time, it is not as if she hated him. Does she even know what love is? Maybe not. Whether its just friendship or love, he doesn't want to think about it anymore.
Robbie felt his phone buzz again and he replied in short order.
RR: famished.
He hadn't eaten in three days.
*
That can't be a fair assumption, that Rachel's already in love with the person whom she told Robbie about. But, Robbie's also probably not in the best frame of mine, even now. Weeks later. This will probably come up in discussion, at some point.
RR: be there soon
And, it's about half an hour later when Rachel arrives, carrying two heavy bags of Mexican food from El Azteca, and toting two six-packs of beer with her tk, since she only has two hands. The six-packs are Negra Modelo and Tecate, two decently respected Mexican beers, one dark and the other more amber, for pairing with food and personal tastes.
Rachel is dressed for comfort, but also stylish, as is her usual — white, lightweight, off-the-shoulder cotton shirt with a grey tank top beneath, black cut-off shorts, and white sneakers. Her hair's pulled up into a tight ponytail high on her head, and she's got sunglasses on, with minimal makeup. She comes to a halt in the doorway and knocks on the door with one hand. "S'me," she says with a half smile. "I come bearing food and beer."
*
No, he's not in the right state of mind. How can anyone be? Robbie is especially sensitive to that kind of stuff. But he'll make it. He'll survive. He always has. If he's tough, its most certainly to try and be a good role model for Gabe, who idolizes him. But…that is for another time. Robbie responds to the text with a 'K' and thats about it.
Then he's distracting himself, his nervousness, with tuning up his car. This thing was a monster of a machine, the fact that Robbie wanted to keep working on it is beyond probably sane, but hey…the Ghost Rider needs a fast Ride. But then there she is.
Dressed modestly, Robbie is just wearing black jeans, vans tenneshoes and a red shirt. His jacket is hung up on one of the many hooks.
When he sees her proper though? He can't help it. He smiles at her. Its not a forced one either. its warm, like the sun just came out after a long night. "Hey." he shuts the trunk and he wipes off his forehead, setting the towl aside as he approached her. "Its…"
Pause, as he looks her in the eyes.
"Good to see you. The car has air conditioning..or we can go inside and find a table. your call."
*
Rachel smiles, as genuinely as ever, when she sees Robbie disengage from his work on the Hellcharger. She's really missed him. And, gosh, as he smiles, she really wants to hug him. But, she doesn't. She hasn't really earned the right to, yet. It would probably only make things harder. So, she smiles a little softer and nods to his offer. "As before, I don't want to get any grease on your interior. It's too beautiful a car to be ruined by this delicious food I've got with me," she says jerking her head in a little nod in the direction of indoors. "C'mon. Let's get you cooled off," she says and turns to head inside.
Finding the tables with ease, she sets down the heavy plastic bags that are packed to the gills with food, chips, salsa, queso, and tons of napkins and silverware. She settles the six-packs of beer nearby and begins digging into the bags of food, placing everything neatly, so they both can reach whatever they're wanting with little difficulty. She sits down on one side, once she's done, and begins doling out the napkins and silverware.
*
Robbie sees this pause that exists between them. Uncertain boundaries. It was bound to happen, really. But Robbie seems to nod just a little bit. "Alright, in we go then." He'll walk with Raven inside, letting her take the lead especially as she sets down the bags. He starts prepping the table and pulling out plates just in case they would rather contain the mess a little bit better. He pulls out a chair, and looks at the two six-packs of beer.
Did she intend for them to get absolutely plastered? Eh, probably, but he didn't mind it. To him…these were the few moments that he could be with her. And yeah…it hurt. He couldn't be with her like he wanted. He couldn't hold her hand. He couldn't lean against her and enjoy a beautiful view. He can't.
But he managed to have her friendship. A painful reality…but its one he accepts, even if reluctantly. fearfully. Perhaps it is better to be a friend. Solid foundation. The future is uncertain.
Doesn't matter right now. Robbie shakes off his thoughts, and he looks at her with a bit of a smile, before he starts to eat. "…Thank you for bringing in the food. Its delicious so far." He's only taken a bite or two. "…but, how've you been? Its been awhile." Trying to break the ice.
*
Rachel can feel all of these emotions that Robbie's going through with the clarity of seeing through glass — she knows exactly the sort of things going through his mind and she experiences her own hurt along with him. She's cried about it more than once over the time they've been apart, but she's not about to feel sorry for herself, right now. Right now is about Robbie and trying to heal together.
She got a bit of everything, but she focused mostly on things she knows to be Robbie's favorites. Of course, she skipped her favorite, because it's what she ordered the night of the dance, and she's not trying to bring back painful memories for either of them. She loads her own plate with Mexican rice, chicken enchiladas and fish tacos, veggies, and begins eating salsa and chips while she twists open a Tecate for herself. "I'm glad you like it. I wanted to get you something you'd enjoy. I love the food, too, so it's a win-win," she smiles. She pauses and considers the question. "I've been existing. I've tried to stay really busy with studies and working on my entrance application. How're you?" she asks. She pointedly doesn't mention that she'd noticed the uptick in gang members' deaths being news-worthy.
*
Robbie never knows when Rachel is peeking into his thoughts. One of the reasons why he tries to shove those emotions deep where she might not be able to get to them. Man, dealing with empaths suck because you can never try to be tough around them. But she did indeed get a bit of everything, and Robbie looks like he's definitely in his happy place.
Quickest way to the heart…through the stomach.
But when she tells him she's just been existing. Not bad, not good…existing, Robbie's face reveals a look of worry. She's always one or the other, rarely just…alive. "I hiope everything's alright. But I'm glad your studies are at least going well. I considered trying to get into college but…too much on my plate as it is, I think."
Then he takes a deep breath. "Surprisingly enough, I've been alive. Been working a lot, spending time with Gabe….hunting." that last one is said with a bit of scorn. What did he do while he was out? "Good news its though, with my job, I've been able to buy cheap parts for the charger that I've bene able to amp up. Hopefully increase speed and hope its tough."
He takes a breath then as he takes another big bite.
*
It's not that Rachel's /peeking/! She can't help but feel the emotions of everyone who comes within range of her empathic reach. She's not actively digging around in his mind, no, no. She simply can feel the ebb and flow of the complex web of emotions Robbie's experiencing. And, she's got deep, personal insight as to why he's feeling the way he does. She keeps her thoughts to herself, though. He deserves his privacy as much as anyone else.
"Oh, I'm okay, really. Don't worry about me, at all," she is quick to reassure him when he experiences a plume of worry in her direction. "And, really, if you want to go back to college, you should. You don't have to take a full course load. You can take it one class at a time, if that's what works best for you. You should definitely do it, if it's something you're considering," she encourages him.
Rachel listens as she eats and nods her head, her shiny black ponytail bobbing along. "You know, you work too hard, Robbie Reyes. I wish you would allow me to help you with some stuff. With your very busy workload… I have more than I need and I want to share it with you, but I feel like you would be insulted by that. Never mind the fact that you know I would never say that you couldn't do anything you set your mind to, nor that you need taking care of… But, I can help and I want to, but I don't talk about it, because I fear you'd be angry and hurt by it," she exhales. "Tell me I'm wrong, so I can share with you," she says, though the expression in her lavender eyes is more of a pleading one than a mere request.
*
Robbie doesn't appear too reassured when she tells him that she's just fine as is and that Robbie doesn't need to worry. He seems to exhale a bit before he nods. "Alright then." But then she's trying to encourage him to go back to school if he wants to, which he very much so does, but he shakes his head. "Can't. No time…gotta support Gabe, and this is about as much as I can handle. We get by and I can afford a luxury every now and then." he tries to defend himself…
Even if she's right.
He works way too much. To the point that anyone else his age would've dropped by now. She wants to help him. Financially? Food wise? What would she have that she wants to share with him. He certainly doesn't smoke, so her weed or bong would be denied by him. But…Robbie takes a breath. He's fiercely independant. But he can tell through her eyes that this means a lot about her.
"Your wrong." he acquiesces. "I wouldn't be hurt by it. It'd just mean I was in your debt, is all." His eyes briefly look away, then back to her.
*
Rachel remains silent for a while as Robbie explains why he can't, and that she's wrong! Never has she been so happy to be wrong. "No," she corrects. "You wouldn't be in my debt, because I didn't earn this money. This was given to me, to spend as I see fit. And, if there's a more deserving pair of people, I don't know them personally," she says firmly. "This money…" she exhales, trying to find a good way to explain it. But, of course, to share how she got the money would be to talk about her father, indirectly, and she hates that topic. She doesn't want to introduce worries about that to Robbie, right now, either. Her father sucks and there's no need to think about him.
"This money was gathered on my behalf, to help me live a life of luxury. And, while I do splurge from time to time, on investments and stuff, I actually try to live pretty modestly, despite my eating habits," she says. "But, I'd like to set aside a trust for you and Gabe, so you get a monthly stipend that will help you live in a safer place, and hire someone to help you look after Gabe while you're working long hours as Ghost Rider, or going to school. I'm not saying you should stop your job, 'cause I think you like it. But, you shouldn't have to overextend yourself so much that you're working all the time and barely have time for yourself. Just…think about it. It's no big deal. I want to help and make your life more comfortable, is all. Because you mean a lot to me, and I cherish our friendship. And, one of the conditions would be that you definitely, absolutely cannot feel indebted to me."
*
Robbie looks like he's going to open his mouth, but then he closes it, instead he just looks surprised. She was going to give them money as a trust fund? He doesn't want to know how much that stipend would be. But he also doesn't want to mooch off of someone else. "Rachel…" Robbie doesn't know what to say. "I can't accept this." whether or not he's serious or he's in a state of such disbelief remains to be seen.
To him, this is beyond friendship. Nobody has ever given a rats ass enough to literally give him free money that she doesn't reasonably use. "I don't want to live off of you. Doesn't…feel right." Clearly, Robbie looks hesitant to accept, though its clear that he wants to. He could buy a new wheelchair for gave after a few months. a good one, not the crappy ones the hospital gave them out of pity.
*
Rachel shakes her head, "I knew you'd say no," she exhales a sigh. "But, I have to put it out there. Just think about it, Robbie, please," she insists, though gently. There's a part of her that wants to make this all go easier for her, to get her way, and it would be so easy to do. It's a very dark part of her that she keeps a very tight rein on, but it's still there, nevertheless. She shuts those dark thoughts away.
"You wouldn't be living off of me. It would just be extra helping hand. So you wouldn't have to work so hard, such long hours. So, Gabe could reliably have someone to be there for him when you needed to be elsewhere. You wouldn't have to live solely off of it, though you could if you wanted. I know you like working and having a job, and you wouldn't have to stop working it, if you want to keep it. This just gives you more /options/, more /opportunities/." She purses her lips for a moment. "Just, think about it. And, don't just spend all your time arguing against it. Really think about what I'm saying, too."
*
Robbie sees her be disappointed in him, she just wants to help. Of course, he has no idea that she even thought about just empathically forcing it. He looks her in the eyes as she starts making points. He could spend more time with Gabe. He could work just a little bit less. Robbie just…he doesn't want to mooch off of a girl who…still has a place deep in his heart. Its the what-ifs that are getting him.
Eventually, he stops eating, and he just rests his hands on the table for a second. Thinking. He weighs his options, and he just nods.
"Okay." Okay what?
"I'll take it." Robbie says then. If he had extra cash…he could do his part to help out the rough neighborhood too. Give a homeless guy some extra cash. Pay for an old lady's bus ticket. The small things you could do. Plus, the real important thing? He could buy Gabe a better wheelchair after a while.
Robbie caved.
*
Rachel's whole being lights up. She smiles, vibrant and alive, as happy as Robbie can ever recall seeing her, and some of it even leaks out, empathically, as it overflows for a moment. "Really?!" she exclaims excitedly, bouncing in her seat once. "I'm making it happen. You can't take it back, now," she says with a delighted little pedaling of her sneakered feet on the floor. "I've got paperwork already all drawn up, just need to fill in the blanks, really. I've been wanting to do this since, well, since before I even met Gabe. I've just had my lawyer sitting on them, on the off chance I could talk you into it," she says excitedly, now gobbling her food in a fashion that's more Rachel-like than she'd been doing, before.
She starts talking about all the things Robbie and Gabe'll be able to do, she even mentions buying Gabe a new chair and some new clothes, so he can feel swag as he goes back to school in the near future. She talks on and on about things Robbie could study at school, and that she already knows the places to go to apply and register for classes, and she's gonna help him with everything, if he'll allow her to. For the first time since that awful day, Rachel feels like things might be getting back on track. She hopes so, anyway.