K.J. closed her eyes and slumped back against the counter after her father had left. Talking to him was always so trying; she always had to fight the urge to punch the man and suppress the side of her that agreed with him a little too much and all the while putting on a face that hid all of her inner thoughts and showed him what he wanted to see. She put down her tablet and rubbed her face with both hands, pushing at the hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. She had purple streaks today and they fell around her fingers in colorful strands.
"K.J.?" She heard Tasha ask hesitantly. She felt her place a hand on her arm. She shivered to think about what Tasha would say if she saw K.J. without the familiar sweatshirt covering the scars beneath as she pulled away and opened her eyes.
"I'm fine," She said, offering no explanation beyond that.
Tasha frowned at her and reached to touch her cheek. Tasha was always trying to touch K.J. when she thought K.J. was being distant. It was had a psychological base, she was pretty sure; connecting with someone physically when you wanted to connect with them emotionally. K.J. had never really understood that and she backed up subtly, but enough that Tasha realized her attempts were in vain and left her alone.
"I met Argo in the hallway," She offered, hoping K.J. would take the conversation from there and fill in some details.
"He wanted to talk to me," K.J. said, jumping up onto the counter so she could sit there and hunched over her tablet, trying to give Tasha the silent message of how much she didn't want to talk right now. Either Tasha didn't notice, or she was just being stubborn. Probably the later, as the two of them had known each other long enough to notice when one of them wasn't in the mood.
"What about?" Tasha asked, coming to stand beside her.
K.J. did her best to not sigh or let her shoulders sag in annoyance. She set aside her tablet momentarily. "The reaction of the Board."
"Oh," Tasha said, nodding.
K.J. picked up her tablet again, hoping that would be enough to close the discussion. Apparently not.
"And what do they think?"
K.J. scowled at her caretaker. "They're angry, obviously. They favored Teivel. They don't think this is a woman's job."
"So what are you going to do?"
K.J. flicked to the computer's home page. Tasha was always picking at things like this and getting under her skin. "I don't know, OK?" She snapped, and cringed a little when she noted the stress that resonated in her response. She was just under so much pressure now. She needed time to think, not vexatious chatter that only made her nerves all the more strained.
Tasha raised her eyebrows. "I think, perhaps, that it might be best if you got out of here for a few days." She said quietly.
Now K.J. let her shoulders fall. The game was up and Tasha had won. It was always a push and pull like this between them; Tasha was always trying to coax out a reaction and K.J. was always trying to present a solid face and pretend that she didn't have one. It was hard, pretending that you didn't care when you really did.
Tasha slid her arm around K.J.'s shoulders in some distantly maternal gesture. K.J. leaned into it. As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted someone to comfort her right now and to tell her that it would be alright. She wasn't sure she was going to be able to pull this off, and that terrified her.
"I Know, Sweetie." Tasha said, kissing K.J.'s hairline. "I know, but hey," She gave K.J.'s shoulders a little sideways rock. "We can't give up now, can we? Eh?"
K.J. smiled wanly and shook her head, pulling away. "I suppose not," She said and was shocked by how close to tears her voice sounded. She bit her lip and looked away, doing her best to get a grip on her raging emotions. Her feelings had been running amuck lately and it confused her. She was used to being able to sort them into nice, neat boxes in her brain.
Tasha turned the corners of her mouth up sympathetically. "Come now, you look hungry. How about I make you some lunch? Then we can talk about all of this, yeah?"
K.J. nodded and slid off the counter and followed Tasha over to the little kitchenette that was behind the living space. She pulled up a chair and sat on it backwards, resting her arms and chin on the laddered back of it.
"Do you want me to call Gene over?" Tasha asked, pulling out a pan and some bread.
K.J. shrugged. "Why not?"
Tasha nodded and sent a quick text, then turned to K.J., hand on her hip. "All righty, Kid. What do you want?"
K.J. shrugged again. "I dunno. Whatever you're willing to make, I guess."
"Is fried cheese an option?" Gene called from the doorway.
Tasha widened her eyes at his sudden appearance. "Well you do come quickly when she's involved, don't you?"
Gene made a noncommittal noise as he walked over to join them. "Hello, Love," He said, giving K.J. a quick peck on the cheek.
Tasha rolled her eyes, but turned back to the counter. "Alright," She said. "Grilled cheese it is."
Gene sat down next to K.J. and she leaned her head against his shoulder. It wasn't that she wasn't affectionate; it's just that she didn't feel like being affectionate all the time. She was tired enough right now though to let her walls crumble a bit.
"So, K.J." Tasha said, buttering the pan and getting the first sandwich ready to cook in its greasy goodness. "Are you totally opposed to visiting your grandparents for a week or so while you gather forces and prepare your attack?"
K.J. considered this. Agace had moved her parents out to an elegant estate in upstate New York once she discovered the extent of the allowance that Argo gave her. K.J. visited them every now and then, rejoicing in the cool comfort of the blissfully ignorant care.
"That sounds nice," she admitted.
Tasha nodded, as if she had expected that. "OK then, I'll get you all set to go then." She dumped the first sandwich on a plate and handed it to her. "In the meantime, you enjoy this, OK?" K.J. smiled and nodded, happy to relax now.