Bad Day Gets Worse

Who: Joshua and Claire
When: Mid-day
Where: Joshua's

After what felt like an eternity, the school finally allowed students to leave the premises. Most of the roads were clear now, and while there were piles of snow here and there on the sidewalks, it was definitely a lot safer than it had been the night before. Claire left school and headed home, feeling icky and grimy and desperately wanting a shower and change of clothes. After she'd accomplished both, she headed out to her car again, texting Joshua on the way.

hey irish. u up for company? i'm free now :)

She didn't know if he was in school, or working or not, but she was eager to get out of the house and see him since she couldn't the night before.

Dean hadn't been gone from the apartment too long when Joshua's phone gave the text-ring. He was laying on his back on the bed, music up loud, one arm slung over his eyes, trying to mentally talk himself into rationality. He had no right to be upset, no right to feel like he'd been stabbed in the back. It was over, it had already been over, and just because his instincts had been right didn't mean anything now. It wasn't like she cheated. With a sinking feeling of dread that it might be Lullaby, he picked up his phone and uncovered one eye to read the message. Claire. He ... wasn't sure if that was the best timing or the worst.

After a few minute's pause, he got up an answer to her. Sure, just at home not doing anything. U wanna come over? He had to rally himself before then, the poor girl had enough reason to not feel good about his former relationship.

sure. on my way :)

She was already in her car and pulling out of the drive by the time she sent the message. She was tired, since she hadn't the best night's sleep with having to sleep on the library floor, but she was willing to put off napping until she saw Josh. She wasn't entirely sure yet if she would tell him about Gabe... a part of her thought she should, since she had despised secrets being kept from her, but then again nothing had come of it and she knew it would probably just upset Joshua. By the time she parked in front of his apartment complex, she hadn't really come to a firm decision, but she figured she could just play it by ear.

Walking into the building, she made her way to his apartment and knocked on the door, waiting for him to answer. Hopefully he was in a good mood.

By the time she got there, Joshua wasn't exactly in a good mood, but he'd managed at least to focus a little bit, wash his face, that kind of thing. He was ready to answer the door. And he kind of hoped she wanted to do something mindless, like watch TV or take a nap or something. "Hey," he greeted her with a little smile as he pulled the door open and moved back so she could come in. "How was the mass high school sleep over?"

"Hi." She returned his smile and stepped inside, thankful for the familiar warmth of his apartment. "It was okay. Kind of uncomfortable, since it wasn't like they had hundreds of cots to pass around. I slept in the library. I'm really hoping I never have to do that again. What have you been up to while I'm been imprisoned in school?"

"Being imprisoned here," he said with a slight shrug. He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek, then gestured toward the couch. He waited for her to settle before he did too, beside her. Cheerful, Barclay, cheer the fuck up. "So did you curl up under one of the reading tables or something?" he asked with a small little smile. "'Cause it's adorable in my mental picture."

"You've got your bed here," Claire sighed, plopping down on the couch. "And a tv, and real food. I slept on my hoodie in the corner of the library." She grinned and looked over at him. "Almost everyone was stuck in the gym... I don't think I could have handled all the snoring." Claire reached over to take his hand, lacing her fingers through his before she continued. It was weighing on her mind, so she figured she might as well say it and get it over with. "Sort of off topic, but did you know Lullaby was back in town?"

Joshua had been about to ask why the teachers didn't keep a headcount or something, when she laid that last bit on him. It wasn't a surprise, of course he knew she was back in town, but how did Claire know? "Uh ... yeah, actually, I did. Dean told me," he said, definitely not wanting to get into what else Dean told him. All that shit was strictly in the Don't Want To Discuss column. Like ... highlighted. "How'd you know?" he asked, because he really couldn't fathom how, unless she ran into Lullaby somewhere. Which was an awkward nightmare scenario he didn't even want to think about. His thumb rubbed over her's lightly in the meantime.

Claire wasn't really surprised that Josh knew. She doubted Lullaby would have come back to Marquette without telling Josh, given their history. "Isaac St. James told me... he knows about Lullaby. She saw him at the cemetery and showed herself," Claire explained. "He told me Lullaby's been going by a new name, and has been hanging out with this new girl at school too, who I'm assuming doesn't know who Lullaby really is... and probably won't, at least not until the memorial page comes out in the yearbook at the end of the year." She paused, since that was a lot of information he hadn't asked for and she didn't want to get snarky about his ex-girlfriend. She looked over at Joshua. "Are you doing okay? With her being back and everything?"

He didn't really know who Isaac was, though he'd probably recognize him from just around, if he saw him. There were quite a few people like that. He frowned vaguely at what she said about the new girl, but didn't say anything about it. The way he saw it? If she wanted to run that sort of risk, that was up to her. She wasn't his responsibility. He shrugged slightly at Claire's question, looking down at the carpet for a moment before his gaze lifted to her. "Don't really matter, not like I've heard from her or anythin'," he told her, completely honestly. Lullaby still may as well have been an ocean away. "I'm doin' fine. ... are you doin' okay? With her back and everything?"

Claire thought maybe it did matter, because she had seen how broken up he was over the whole thing. Was it possible he was over it in so short amount of time? She blinked in surprise at his question. "What? Yeah, I'm fine. I mean... should I not be fine?" If she wasn't talking to Josh, then Claire really didn't have any reason to be bothered by it, right? "Are you sure you're okay? You seem kind of off..." Maybe she was just being paranoid, now that Lullaby was home.

Joshua let out a quiet sigh and ran a hand through his shortish hair, making it stick up. Goddamn, he didn't want to talk about this. This had been the exact thing that he hadn't wanted to talk about when she was coming over. The exact thing. Because then it would be obvious that he was upset about it -- though it seemed like it already was -- and she'd worry about why, and maybe she had a right to. He didn't know. He just didn't fucking know how he felt or how he was supposed to feel about anything anymore. "It's nothin' to worry about, I promise," he said, trying that tact one more time. Joshua looked at her earnestly, bringing her hand up with his to kiss one knuckle. "Can we not talk about her, please?" He was just ... done thinking about her today. Just done.

"Okay." She frowned, but she didn't want to push him into saying what was wrong if he didn't want to. It was something to worry about. At least to her. She felt mildly paranoid about the whole thing, but he said he hadn't heard from her. Only Dean. So... she didn't know what to think and it would drive her insane if she tried to figure it out. It was probably nothing. And this was another reason why Claire wished Lullaby had stayed out of town. Claire didn't have these crazy thoughts when she was gone. She'd felt more secure then. "We don't have to talk about her." She shifted, wracking her crowded brain for something non-Lullabyish to say.

Because he really felt like it, Joshua got horizontal on the couch, putting his head in her lap as he shifted around so that he was laying on his back and looking up at her. She'd had a shower right before she came over, he could smell it. It made him want to bury his face in her hair and just ... go to sleep. He was tired, of all kinds of things. "Tell me how you've been," he said quietly, watching her expression as he cupped her knee with one palm.

She thought about her answer probably longer than she should have. But it wasn't like she could go into a tirade about how she had really been. Finally she lifted one shoulder in a soft shrug. "I've been okay," Claire said. It was more or less the truth. She hadn't been great, not with Gabe kissing her, or Lullaby coming back and now this weird feeling. But 'okay' was good enough for her at the moment. Looking down at him, she managed a small smile. "Just... same old stuff. I wish I had something more exciting to tell you."

He looked at her for a long moment. Because he didn't believe her. And it was just salt in already-stirred-up wounds. Having Dean there, saying that he and Lullaby were together and happy had just dragged up everything about their breakup. How it had just come out of the blue for him, and she hadn't wanted to talk about anything, and she couldn't take care of someone ... And now Claire didn't want to tell him stuff. "Do you wanna really tell me how you've been?" he asked Claire again, expression serious.

"I..." Claire clamped her lips together for a moment as she debated. He didn't seem like he was in the best mood and she didn't want to make things worse by dumping her issues on him. "You're already feeling... off," she explained, wishing she had a better word for it. "You don't want to tell me what's wrong with you, because it has to do with Lullaby. And I know that's a touchy thing for you... I just don't want to tell you stuff and make it worse for you." The last thing she wanted was to make him miserable, or start a fight.

Okay that got him even more worried. If there was stuff not to tell, then there was stuff to tell. Joshua took a breath and held it for a second. "Dean came here today to tell me that he and Lullaby are together now," he said, since you had to give to get. "And they're happy and that's great, I just ... it just happened and I'm tryin' to process it still. That's why I'm off, it's nothin' to really get worked up about. It was over a long time ago, she was just ... she was pissed at me for bein' jealous, back when he was her best friend and got told everythin' and was involved in everythin' and was exactly what she needed all the time, and I just ... wasn't. And turns out my instincts were right." And he really hadn't meant to say all that, but there it was. " ... I need you to talk to me, Claire, I really do," he added quietly, almost vulnerably. "Off or not."

She blinked once, since that sort of took her by surprise. Lullaby and Dean were together? She had mixed emotions about that... some of it was elation and relief, because that meant Lullaby wasn't going to come knocking and wanting Josh back. And then some of it was paranoia, that he was really upset about it because he still had feelings for Lullaby, and then some of it was sympathy, because she knew that it must suck for Joshua, feelings or not. Dean had been his friend, hadn't he? Wasn't there some kind of unspoken guy rule about exes? Maybe there wasn't. She didn't know. "I'm sorry... about Dean and Lullaby. I can see why it would upset you, if you're upset about it," she added, because he hadn't come out and said that he was, but she could tell. She just didn't want it to be that he was upset because he still loved the other girl. She pushed a hand through her hair and sighed. She knew if she told him about Gabe, he would probably think it was starting all over again and she didn't want that. She wanted him to trust her. The smart thing to do would be to just keep quiet about it, but she hated it when he'd kept secrets from her. "I just need... you to not freak out. Or get mad, or..." Claire released a mildly frustrated breath. "There's just been a lot on my mind lately. And I don't want there to be things between us that... secrets and stuff. I hated it... when I found out Lullaby was your ex... then that she was alive..." She wasn't making any sense. "The other night I went to Gabe's because my parents... they fight a lot. A lot and it was just... he kissed me. But nothing came of it," she explained quickly. "He apologized and... that was all it was. I didn't want to keep it from you in case it came out some other way."

Joshua laid still and stopped breathing for a moment. Not only had she gone to someone else for comfort or advice or whatever, but he'd kissed her. The dude that had looked like he liked her, that she spent so much time with ... that had no doubt been there with her just the night before ... had kissed her. The knife that Dean had stuck in his chest earlier in the day? Just got a hard wrench to one side. But he didn't move. "What kind of kiss?" he asked, tone still very low. Which was followed by a more important and involuntary question: "Did you like it?" Because he had to know. He really did. Was he going to get sabotaged in every fucking relationship he tried to have? By the Guy Buddy? What the fuck was this shit? How was he not supposed to get mad about that?

She shot him a look, but contained herself from getting snippy. It was a valid question. If he had told her some girl kissed him, she would be demanding the same answers. Before going off to punch said girl in the face. Maybe she hadn't thought this through. "It was just... a kiss. A normal one, I don't know." She didn't want to go into detail. "And no... I... if I liked it, I wouldn't be sitting here, telling you about it. I would probably be breaking up with you. He won't do it again," Claire said confidently. She was really terrible at this stuff. She felt a bit ill inside and nervous, even though she was trying to stay cool and collected. It was hard. "And I don't want you to start comparing this to Lullaby and Dean, because it's nothing like that, okay?"

When the urge to move came, it came all at once, and Joshua sat, then stood up in almost one motion. "A normal kiss like a peck kiss, or a normal kiss like normal-for-us kiss?" he asked her, though he wasn't absolutely positive that he wanted to know. What he was positive about was that he wanted the little fuck right in front of him so he could beat his face bloody. He turned to look at her, anger clearly in his eyes. Not really directed at her, it was just there, and had reached it's boiling point. This? Today? Was just too much. "How do you know he won't do it again? He knows about me, right? That we're together? And he did it this time, why would he not disrespect it again? ... he does know we're together, right?" He didn't even comment on this being like Lullaby and Dean, because she didn't have the first clue what that was like.

"It was just lip to lip contact, Josh." Claire was trying really hard not to get exasperated, because who cared what kind of kiss it was! Did he just want to torture himself with it? She scooted to sit on the edge of the sofa when he sat up. He was mad, that was much obvious. And while she wished he wouldn't be, she couldn't blame him for being angry. She felt tense, like if she said the wrong thing, he was going to blow up, or make her leave or break up with her or something. Just like with Gabe, she was finding it hard to say the right thing. Her mind was completely blank as she fumbled. "He won't do it again because he still wants us to be friends, and if he does it again, we probably couldn't be," Claire said. She tried to keep her tone from getting defensive, but it was getting hard with his line of questioning. "Yes he knows we're together... do you think I wouldn't have told him? It's just... it's a complicated situation, Josh. I swear to you that it's not going to happen again. I need you to trust me on that."

He didn't really mean for it to, but Joshua's TK lashed out behind him and knocked one of the dining room chairs over onto it's back. He couldn't even articulate how he felt at the moment, a riled-up combination of hurt, despair, and completely impotent anger. He'd been angry ever since his first love had died on his lap and there'd been nothing he could do, and everything else bad that happened seemed to just add to the pile. "It's not a complicated situation. It's the most simple fucking situation in the history of man. It's two males wantin' the same female, and competin' to convince her that they're the best," he said, and even though his voice was under control, he didn't feel like he was, at all. "I trust you, it's him that's the problem. I should -- ... fuck, I'm gonna go kick his ever-lovin' ass for disrespectin' you, and us, and me." In the middle of that declaration, he was headed for the hooks that they hung jackets on, aimed for his hoodie. He knew where the bastard lived, after all, curse be buggered, he was going to put some pain into someone deserving today.

Claire jumped when the chair fell over, knowing exactly where it was coming from. Her heart thudded hard in her chest and she looked back over toward Joshua, a pained expression on her face. "I'm not some female that two men need to fight over. I'm capable of making my own decisions, Josh!" She shot up from the couch and hurried over to grab his arm. "No, you're not. No one is going to kick anyone's ass. That's just... you can't do that." She didn't want to sound desperate, but it was hard. She didn't want Joshua trying to hurt Gabe, or vice versa, especially now. "Look, you're allowed to be angry. I'm really sorry, okay? I am. But it happened, and I dealt with it, and it won't happen again. Gabe wasn't trying to disrespect anyone. He said he was sorry and I know he is. Please just... let it go."

He didn't expect her to understand, from what he heard, girls really just didn't get all those territorial rules. It wasn't that she was a possession, so much the opposite, she was something precious to protect. Because obviously things -- people, girls -- could be taken from him, right out from under him, without a whole lot of effort whatsoever. And then they'd be happier somewhere else. He moved his arm as though he'd just stopped himself short of shaking her off. He didn't want to take it out on her, it wasn't her fault. But god, he wanted to take something out on someone. "And if I don't?" he demanded, and there was a slight tremor in there. "And if I don't and he sees that he can just do whatever without any consequences and that I'm weak? That I'm weak Claire and I can't fight for you without riskin' killin' myself and you'll get pissed 'cause I won't like you hangin' out with him and then I'm the irrational jealous boyfriend again and oh he'll be there to listen and comfort you and assure you you deserve better. And what better than him, hey?" He was breaking. He didn't want to, he really didn't want to do this, but it was happening anyway. "Somebody who doesn't have all this shit attached to him, somebody who's not cursed, somebody can make you happy, somebody who can use his own fuckin' steak knife --" Another one of the chairs in the dining room toppled over, and Joshua thunked his forehead against the wall, eyes closing and nostrils flaring as he tried to get a hold on himself again.

Even though he hadn't shaken her off, she knew he'd thought about it. So she released his arm and let her hands fall to her sides. This was like, the worst afternoon ever. And it was her fault. Why had she told him again? Why? Gabe would have never told him, and no one else knew. Crapcrapcrap. "You're not weak," Claire protested. "Just because you don't try to kick his ass doesn't make you weak! There are consequences, and he knows that, which is why I know it won't happen again. You don't have to fight for me, Joshua. I'm here. I'm with you, okay? You don't have to fight for me when you already have me." She paused and rubbed a hand over her eyes wearily. She couldn't help but wonder if he was really focused on her and Gabe, or if he was lashing out about Lullaby and Dean. She reached out to touch his arm again, more gently this time. "You make me happy. I want to be with you, that's why I'm here! Why I'm still here, after... after everything. I don't give a flying pig's ass about your curse, Joshua. Your curse doesn't define who you are, or whether or not you can make a girl happy. Please just... please calm down." She didn't want the guardian angel out here, tossing her out on her butt for upsetting him. "I'm not Lullaby," she said quietly. "I'm not going to do what she did... I'm not her."

She could say that, and he could hear her. And he wanted to believe it, more than he wanted anything else. To think that it would be okay and ... well, that everything would be okay. Because he really didn't feel like it would be, from where he was standing at the moment. He just had no idea how to tell her that he felt like he couldn't make anyone happy. That he was just ... maybe a stepping stone to happiness. A placeholder for when things were good, but when the chips were down, he was worthless. He didn't feel like any sort of man. But all that was impossible to say and explain, and he probably shouldn't anyway. Because she would think it was her fault. Or Lullaby's fault. When really all this shit just highlighted flaws that had always been there. Pre-existing things. He opened his eyes, staring into the soothing blankness of the wall, feeling his rage start to slip away and leave an emptiness in it's place. "How come you didn't come to me when you were upset about your parents?" he asked quietly. "How come this is the first time I've heard of the problem?" Lullaby hadn't talked to him much either, had taken her feelings to Dean. And look where that went. Did he just have a big 'insensitive useless prick' sign above his head or something? It made him feel unbelievably inadequate, if he couldn't even hold his own in the friend arena of the relationship.

"Because I don't like to talk about it," Claire said, leaning back against the wall and pushing her hair behind her ears. "It's not like I ran to him to talk to him about it. I don't really even talk to him about it either... they were just fighting and I didn't want to hear it anymore. There's just some things I keep to myself, and it has nothing to do with you, or him. It's just... my stuff. I never had people to actually talk to about things before, so I'm still in the mentality where I need to just keep it to myself. Especially when you've both been through a lot of fucked up stuff lately, and you don't need my insignificant problems on top of them."

He twisted his head a bit to look at her, expression serious and just ... kind of faraway and sad. "You don't have to do that," he said, one hand moving up to cover where her's was on his arm. "They're not insignificant problems, Claire. No matter what other fucked up stuff is going on, you're important, okay? You're ... incredibly important to me. It ... I feel ..." He swallowed thickly before he went on, eyes ticking down for just a second. "I feel useless in a lot of ways? A lot. And ... if I can help you, or -- or just listen to you when you need it, and be there ... I want to. I really want to. My door's always open to you, day or night or whatever, and my phone's always on. For if you need somebody," he ended in a murmur, aware that he was kind of asking her to do something she'd straight-out said she didn't want to do.

"I don't want you to feel useless." And she really didn't. She didn't like that he did. She didn't know if it was simply Lullaby that had made him feel that way, or a multitude of things, but she didn't want to be part of it. "I'll try to... get it through my head that I can talk to you about things," Claire said with a weak smile. "I promise that it has nothing to do with you... it's just how I've always been and sometimes I'm too set in a certain mindset to even think about changing it." She tugged at his arm, wanting to bring him closer to her. "I'm sorry about Lullaby and Dean. And Gabe. And... I wish I could just wave a magic wand and make everything better."

Joshua moved away from the wall at her tug, turning to wrap his arms around her. Part of him felt halfway pathetic about it, like he really should be tromping through the snow right then, on his way to break Gabe's nose. That part was still hurt and pissed off. It was just quieter now, which was likely a good thing. "If you did we couldn't have all these fun times," he joked weakly, nuzzling his face against her hair. He was trying, at least. She smelled so good and comforting. " ... don't be sorry," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.

"Yeah, it's been a barrel of laughs," Claire said wryly before she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. He could say not to be sorry, but she was. And she should be. She just wished everything would disappear for awhile. Wouldn't that be nice? Claire pulled back just enough to turn her head and catch his lips with her own. She supposed it could have been much worse. Much worse. But he wasn't angry with her, and he was hugging her, so the uneasy feeling in her stomach began to subside.

He had much the same wish. He wished Dean and Lullaby would disappear. And Gabe. And the rest of Marquette. And his guardian angel, who's presence he was very much aware of just down the hallway. Through the entire episode, Sean had been almost palpably listening, ready to step in. He wished his fucking curse would go away, and just ... everything but her. Joshua kissed her back, softly at first, and then with a bit more desperate-feeling hunger. She made his chest feel full and achey at the same time, but it wasn't a bad feeling.

Claire slid her hands over his neck and up into his short hair. She felt like maybe the worst part of it had passed and everything would be okay. She felt like maybe Lullaby really did a number on him... but she hadn't helped anything by telling him about Gabe. She just hoped they could put it in the past now and forget about it. So she kissed him back fervently, more than happy to lose herself in that rather than talk anymore.

She wasn't going to get any argument out of him. It wasn't even sexual so much as just comforting, to kiss her. Reassuring. Gabe may have gotten a kiss, but it wasn't anything like this, and she actually wanted to be with him. It was probably stupid, but it made him feel better. And anything that did that was something to cling to at current. Joshua held her right and matched her enthusiasm. Why couldn't they just do this all the time?

She kissed him until she felt that instinctive burning in her lungs that maybe she needed to stop and breathe. Claire pulled back from the kiss, though she didn't move away from him. She kept him close, pressing another light kiss against his lips. She really just wanted things to be okay. She never handled it very well when they weren't. "Things will be all right now, won't they?" She didn't want secrets kept between them, and hopefully he agreed with her.

Joshua's first instinct was to say that he didn't know, but that was kind of highly negative of him, so he probably shouldn't say that. He stalled for a second, stealing another kiss from her lips. "As long as we keep talkin' to each other, things will be all right," he said back in a murmur. That was the key, wasn't it? It was what had killed his last relationship, and he didn't want to see it happen again. He was coming to feel fiercely for Claire, and if that imploded as well ... it wouldn't be good. "Thanks for tellin' me, Claire," he added, more breathed than said. He did appreciate it from her end, despite how he reacted.

Claire nodded a bit and kissed him again, hoping that telling Joshua about Gabe wouldn't explode in her face. A thought crossed her mind and she pulled back again to look at him. "You won't... try to confront him or anything, will you?" Because that? Would be ten kinds of bad. With Gabe being a werewolf, and Joshua's curse. That was a recipe for major disaster, and she refused to let it happen to either of them. All she could was pray that Joshua could let it go for good.

He looked back at her, straight in her eyes the way he didn't really do with many people. He didn't know if she was worried more about him or about Gabe, or just didn't want the shitstorm it would probably cause. He was quiet for a moment, debating. Because he still did want to confront, and fight it out, and let Gabe know that his place was nowhere near Claire's mouth. "Not if you ask me not to," he answered finally, the closest to the truth he could come. She'd have to tell him no. Then he would try not to.

She swallowed once and nodded, knowing that he probably wouldn't like having her ask him not to, but it was important and better than he didn't go near Gabe. Claire just wanted to keep the two of them as separate as possible. "I'm asking you not to," she said quietly. "For no other reason that it would... become a really bad situation, and I don't want to see you get hurt." Because he would, curse or not. If he pushed Gabe hard enough.

He stared at her for another long moment, because he really didn't want to agree to that. Really didn't want to. And even if Gabe fought back? Joshua could take a lot of pain. And if it got to be too much, Sean would be there. He didn't mention that, though, as she would probably like the idea of Sean getting involved even less. "Okay," he said finally, and let out a soft breath, feeling crappy about the whole thing. "But if he ever tries it again? I get to take that back."

"That's fair," Claire murmured. She knew she would do everything in her power not to let that happen. After the way she'd reacted when he kissed her, Claire was sure Gabe probably wouldn't be trying it again. She was just glad they'd come out of it without things being too awkward. "I'm sorry... I don't mean to make it difficult for you. But I appreciate your agreeing to leave it alone." She pressed a kiss against his cheek before dipping down and nuzzling against his throat. She knew she'd contributed to his crappy day, which made her feel guilty as hell.

Joshua re-wrapped his arms around her, leaning his cheek against her head as she nuzzled. It felt nice. He partly still felt like ass about everything, but that would pass in time, hopefully. The point was, Claire was with him and she hadn't tried to hide this thing from him, and that was a good sign. "Anything for you," he murmured to her, and pressed a soft kiss to the hair over her temple. He gave her a gentle squeeze and then pulled back enough to take her hand. "C'mon. Let's throw a stupid movie in and fall asleep on the couch." She had to be exhausted, and after how the first part of his day had gone? He was getting there himself. Cuddling and a nap sounded blissful.

She nodded and followed him to the couch. After being stuck at school, and having to sleep there, she wasn't going to complain to napping on something comfortable. And honestly? The last half hour had been pretty exhausting. She shrugged out of her jacket on the way and toed out of her shoes. The afternoon hadn't ended in disaster, and that's all she could ask for right now. Hopefully things would calm down, hurt feelings could be forgotten and everyone could just... move on.