Room 508, Friday afternoon

[soniaroadsqueen]

Time away from the island had done wonders for Ringo's emotional equilibrium. Funnily enough, it had never occurred to her to not come back to Fandom, and that meant that she had to actually return at some point.

Ringo didn't really believe that Kathy and Raven were back on the island. She didn't really believe that they were ever going to be back. Still, deep down inside, there was some tiny spark of hope that she'd open the door to room 508 and they'd just be lounging on their beds eating some of those ice cream bars Kathy kept stashed in her mini-fridge.

So the first thing Ringo did when she got back to the island was to run up the stairs of the dorm, taking them two at a time, and rush down the hall to burst into room 508 without knocking. The room was empty. The welcoming grin on Ringo's face faded into something a little sad and a little rueful. That little spark of hope had her ready to welcome them back, but of course there was no one to welcome.

She looked around the room slowly. It felt like the occupants had left expecting to come back. The room was tidy, with nothing strewn about, but it was still a room that expected someone to be back soon. The mini-fridge hummed softly, beds were made, and Kathy's desk was neatly organized as if expecting a study session any night now. A room waiting for a return that was never going to happen.

Ringo's lip twisted slightly as she considered that, and she felt that lump in her throat that seemed to be a pretty constant companion these days begin to form again. She walked across the room and opened the mini-fridge, finding exactly what she expected. She reached in and took one of the ice cream bars out. She hoped Kathy wouldn't mind.

Then she walked over to sit cross-legged on Kathy's bed, leaning back as she peeled the wrapper away and took a bite of ice cream. She absently tossed the wrapper toward the trash can, the location of which she knew without having to look after so many visits. She thought to herself that she should take out the trash. A thought that brought with it a snort of self-derisive amusement. As if anyone would notice.

Though, now that she'd had the thought, she realized that she should do it. And, maybe, do some other things around the room, too. Ringo sat up slightly and looked around again, a plan already beginning to form in her mind. All these little pieces of lives lost. They couldn't just stay here, and they should be seen to by someone who could recognize their value. Someone who understood what they represented. Who they represented.

Yeah. Someone should do something with those things.

Ringo began compiling a mental list of what she'd need.

[ooc: Room modded with permission. Open if you like!]

Comments

[rebelseekspizza]

"What the fuck are you doing?"

The words were out of Dante's mouth before he even got a handle on the train of thought chugging through his head, the second he saw that door open - only to have it be Ringo inside.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo jumped, startled out of her reverie, and glanced over her shoulder.

Oh. Dante.

"Hey. Just, you know, thinking."

Like it was totally normal to sit in a dead friend's room and think.

[rebelseekspizza]

"In here?" Dante said. Flatly.

[soniaroadsqueen]

She shrugged bit awkwardly. "Thought they might have gotten back."

You know, maybe.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante let out a loud, exasperated sigh, shoulder thumping against the door frame. "They're not coming back, Ringo," he said. "You need to let it go."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"I know." Her smile still held pain, but it wasn't the near-cracking expression she'd had last week.

"I know," she repeated, her own sigh softer than Dante's, but still heartfelt. "But some part of me keeps expecting--" Another sigh. "I don't know."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Just stop," Dante said.

He sounded less combative now. Definitely less exasperated. "Seriously. Just stop."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo snorted. "No, I know."

She took another bite of ice cream and looked around.

"I was thinking, maybe, um, that I'd pack all this stuff up. Put it away. Just, you know, just in case."

Shrug. "I mean, I know there probably isn't one." No just-in-cases this time. "But it'll make me feel better."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante's eyes rolled up to the ceiling.

"Fine," he muttered out the side of his mouth. "Just hurry up so we can close this door and keep it that way, all right?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Her attention turned back toward Dante, expression suddenly curious.

"Why?" she asked.

After all, it was just a door.

[rebelseekspizza]

"'Cause nobody's living here now."

Dante knew full well that wasn't the question Ringo was asking.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"And?" Some days Ringo would be inclined to let it go at that, but Dante's response had been just a little to sharp for this to be one of those days.

"Shouldn't matter if I'm in here or not, then."

[rebelseekspizza]

"It's not your space," Dante said. Sort of mildly. Maybe?

Was there such a thing as 'mildly with an edge'?

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo looked around the room. "Right now it's still Kathy's and Raven's space." Their stuff marked it.

She finished the ice cream bar, then got up and walked across the room to the mini-fridge. "You want one?" she asked, waving the now-clean popsicle stick in Dante's direction.

It'd be a shame to let them go to waste, after all.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante's gaze darted briefly to the mini-fridge. It was weird to realize he'd half-bartered about it with Kathy not too long ago, and he didn't want to think about it.

"I'm not hungry," he said, pulling away from the doorway. "Just hurry up."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo paused and glanced back over her shoulder to give Dante a look. "Why?"

then her expression softened, along with her voice. "It's not like I'm in anybody's way here."

[rebelseekspizza]

"I told you."

... More or less.

"I want this door shut." He turned his back on her, frowning.

[soniaroadsqueen]

She stood still, simply watching Dante in silence with that same, almist-gentle, expression for long seconds.

"You're welcome to shut it, if you want," she pointed out. It might not have been clear whether or not she was talking about the door.

"I can letyself out when I'm done."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Fine," Dante said. He stretched his arm out and shut the door real fast.

He still felt antsy. He wanted her out of there. Let the school clear it out so no one else had to deal with the place.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringoade no attempt to hide the way she was looking at him. Evaluating him. She'd been in no shape last week to pay enough attention to Dante to remember what he'd been like, other than knowing he'd been wrecked, too. That made it hard to know if he was in any better shape today.

But her own week with her family had given her enough of a start on healing that she could pay attention to him now.

"You okay?" she asked. Funny how she seemed to be saying "I'll listen if you want".

[rebelseekspizza]

"I'm fine," Dante said. He turned, back hitting the wall.

He'd barely even told Anders anything, and the focus hadn't felt quite so on him that time. "But hey, it's cute that you're worried."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"About you?" Ringo kept her voice light, teasing, but since he wasn't looking at her she didn't bother hiding the concern on her face. "As if."

"You can take care of yourself, right? Don't need anyone?" She didn't actually sound sarcastic about that. Doubtful, maybe, but not sarcastic.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante shrugged expressively, like that particular statement wasn't even worth saying anything to.

"Thought you were packing."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo looked around the room again.

"Not--" Deep breath. "Not today. I, um, need to get some boxes."

What she really meant was that she wasn't ready to face this. Not yet.

She glanced back at Dante. "So you'll probably just have to deal with me being in here Sunday or something."

[rebelseekspizza]

"You really should just let the school handle this," Dante said, shaking his head. "I'm sure they've got people."

He just wanted this whole thing over with so they could move the fuck on and he didn't have to think about it again.

[soniaroadsqueen]

The smile she turned at Dante was soft and sad. "People to do what? Throw it all away? Donate it to charity?"

She shook her head.

No. This was one of those tasks for the ones who were left behind. And deep down, part of Ringo was looking forward to it. A chance to feel like she was doing something for Kathy. For Raven.

Even if that something didn't matter to either one of them anymore.

[rebelseekspizza]

"It's just stuff."

Some of it painful stuff. The rest of it, useless stuff. Dante didn't see the point of keeping it. "Who cares where it goes?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo stared at Dante in silence for a bit.

Eventually, she answered him. "I do."

Her lip twitched slightly. "I say it's for them, but the truth is, it's for me." She shrugged. "I guess I'm selfish that way." That lump in her throat was back as those words reminded her of the last time she'd admitted to being selfish.

"And maybe a little bit weak." Her eyes darted to Kathy's desk. "Not being able to put it behind me without doing something like this."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Yeah, we both know how shit you are at letting anything go." She wasn't the only one thinking about that right now - though at least Dante scrambled and said, "Sorry, that's not an attack."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"I know." It was weird for Ringo, hearing herself sound so calm. She didn't feel calm. Nostalgia, hurt, regret, loneliness. All of those things, she felt. Not calm.

But she smiled at Dante again. That soft smile that wouldn't make many people think of Ringo Noyamano. 'Soft' wasn't an adjective that many would apply to her, after all. "I know."

He was right, though. She wasn't good at letting go. There weren't many things that she'd grabbed onto in her life, to be honest, and that made her try to grip them all the tighter.

[rebelseekspizza]

In his heart of hearts, Dante just felt stupid for letting himself feel for like a second in life he could latch on to anything. (Felt stupider still for making any kind of promise to Anders about sticking around, when he couldn't actually promise anything.) It was a memory he wanted to erase, so he could put himself back in a state of mind where he could handle this kind of shit. Because it just happened. This shit happened all the time.

People got dragged down the hall and they just never came back. Their stuff got incinerated. Boom, gone. Clean. People got messed up by the police and vanished into custody. People got shot, stabbed, killed all the time and oftentimes, it was good people who hadn't even run straight into the weapon the way Kathy had. No point in holding on to it.

He let out another sigh. Tired, this time. His hand reached for the doorknob and he twisted it open. "Just stop, Ringo," he said. Again.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Last week Ringo had fought tooth and nail not to cry. Not to break down in front of Dante.

Today she could feel the tears beginning to well up, and she let them.

"I can't," she said softly.

"Sorry." It wasn't like she didn't understand what Dante wanted. At least a bit of it. To let this all go. To put it behind him. And she kept dragging it up, refusing to just make it go away.

"Like I said. I'm selfish."

[rebelseekspizza]

She was crying.

Aw, crap.

There was a part of Dante that wanted to do what he'd done that one night: stick around, let her cry it out, pretend he'd never done it afterwards, so at least she'd have someone. But this one wasn't just hers-- it was his, too, and-- with Anders, he'd shared anger, and desperation, and the eventual giving up. He got Anders on this, and he was pretty sure Anders got him.

He didn't get Ringo. But the way she was crying, and why, it was like she was trying to dig underneath the anger he'd covered himself in. And he couldn't have that.

So he didn't say anything else. He slipped out the door. Shut it behind him.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Back in Tokyo, with her sisters, Ringo had cried herself sick. Loud, desperate, hurt sounds. They'd been with her, and helped her weather that storm of emotion.

This time, though, the crying was a soft thing. Tears blurring her vision, running down her cheeks, but not the great sobs that had left her gasping for breath. A gentle rain rather than a thunderstorm.

Ringo didn't know how long it lasted, but when she finally reached up and wiped her eyes dry, Dante was gone.

She stood there, in the middle of the room her senpai had slept in. Right next door to her own. Then she walked over to the mini-fridge again and got out another ice cream bar before returning to Kathy's bed.

She sat down, folding her legs beneath her and slowly eating that ice cream.

Remembering.