I'm starting to attempt some Q&A chats. I will post a link to the chat room in my profile, and also on my Tumblr: inopinion dot tumblr dot com Tuesday, 16 May 2017 at roughly 8:30-10 eastern daylight time (EDT). No downloads, no accounts, no registration required. Just enter a name of your choosing and come chat. I'll be hosting this more regularly leading up to the final chapter of Something New, so keep checking my tumblr for details or stalk the chat link and see if you get lucky!
A ways back, there's an omitted called "appointment" this is the piece that goes along with that. What happened after the appointment when Ro was helping Tris move since Four was otherwise scheduled. A lot of these scenes got cut because it was just way to complicated and every single scene was like a schedule run-down of why they couldn't spend time together.
Tobias could tell that making Tris talk or filling the silence with words wouldn't help her. She needed to be quiet. She needed to rest her mind and her body. He helped direct her on the sidewalk with a hand carefully placed on her lower back. She hugged her arm around her middle and looked dazed every time he had to change her direction.
When she started toward the stairs in her building, he knew she was on some sort of autopilot still. He had to stop her and push her to the elevator. She looked at him suspiciously, with an anger and wildness that disappeared in a flinch. Where ever her thoughts went, for a moment she wasn't there. He suffered the gentle rise up each story by examining her for similar flashes of instability.
Tris kept her composure and held her hand out for her keys at the door. Tobias tried the knob and it turned. Caleb was home and Ro was sitting at their kitchen table. Tris looked between Caleb and Ro and retreated without a word to her room.
"She didn't take the sedative, did she?" Caleb sighed and poured water over a tea bag.
"What happened?" Ro commented.
Caleb started towards Tris's room. Tobias stepped in his way. "Can I?"
"You got this?" Caleb raised an eyebrow. When Tobias nodded, he handed him the cup.
Ro was left worried and wondering at the kitchen table. Tobias could hear his questions to Caleb start just as he opened the door.
"I just need a minute." She whispered to save her throat. She'd put on her sling to support her arm. The brace wasn't taking all the stress away from her muscles and the sling helped more than she wanted to admit.
"There's no rush. Here, tea." He transferred the mug to her free hand. He tried to sit next to her, but she shied away. He slid to the floor and rubbed her calf. It took her a few minutes to take a sip.
"I'm sorry you heard that."
"I'm sorry you didn't feel like you could tell me. That was… barbaric."
"It's actually really advanced."
"You know what I mean. They said you could take a sedative."
"No drugs." She was tired of saying it and in no mood to argue.
"Aren't you taking the pills?" Tris shook her head. "No wonder you look so tired. You couldn't have slept well."
"I took the drops. Not a full dose. It was better today, I only took them this morning." She took another gulp and looked a little restored. "Ro is waiting. We should get started."
"Take your time. If he's here to help, he won't mind waiting." Tobias scrambled to get his feet under him and get up to help her. She leaned into him, her forehead against his chest and took a deep breath. He automatically started to wrap her up, removing the cup from her hand in the process.
"Please don't hug me. Not right now." She stopped him. "I just need this." She pressed her forehead into his chest and held the knuckles of her fist against his stomach. He took a risk and put his hand on the back of her neck. Comforting her by her preferences was hard for him. But he restrained himself. She nodded her head and pulled away, "I'm okay. I'm okay."
Caleb took control as soon as she stepped outside her room. He set boundaries on what she could and couldn't do. "No lifting, no sorting, no pushing, no yelling, no cursing, no pinching." He added the last ones to get a little laugh out of her. Ro stood by uncharacteristically silent and waited for instructions. Caleb must have either answered all his questions or established that none of them would be answered. It took Tris a little while to adjust to directing instead of doing. And it took more than a little guidance to keep Ro on task. Four kept his nose clean of questions and just did what she asked. He kept an eye on his watch.
"Are you staying here or coming back?"
"I'm taking her back." Ro spoke for her. Tobias ignored him and waited for her to respond.
"I'm going back tonight. I have to work tomorrow and I'm pretty tired. I think we'll go on the 8:20."
"Is Christina off patrol then?"
"No. But I'm gonna hang out with Ro and Jordan in the training room. Christina has a date after patrol, but she's not optimistic."
Four glanced between Tris and Ro and tried to ignore the smirk smeared across Ro's face. "Okay. I'm off at seven. I'll look for you at breakfast?"
"Yep." She agreed. He didn't like how Ro started moving towards her when he was closing the door.
When he arrived in the waiting room just at the end of her appointment, what he heard had sounded inhuman. If he'd known all the screams had come from her, no one could have stopped him from getting to her. While he needed her to know that to ease his own conscious, he could also tell that making Tris talk or filling the silence with words wouldn't help her. Tris needed to be quiet after the echos of her own screams had rendered her ears sore and her throat hoarse. She needed to rest her mind and her body both of which pulsed and flinched at his proximity. He helped direct her on the sidewalk with a hand carefully placed on her lower back. She hugged her arm around her middle and looked dazed every time he had to change her direction.
When she started toward the stairs in her building, he knew she wasn't aware of her surroundings. He had to stop her and push her to the elevator. She looked at him suspiciously, with an anger and wildness that disappeared in a shudder. Where ever her thoughts went, for a moment she wasn't there. He suffered the gentle rise up each story by examining her for similar flashes of instability.
Tris stared at her door with a blank expression.
"You okay? Do you have your keys?"
"My keys? Uh… right. Yes. I keep my keys… I keep them in my bag?" She pointed at his hip. He held it open so she could rummage with slow, tentative motions and an expression that was both determined and somehow lost. She passed them to him without showing him which one and stared at the door again. Tobias tried one key, it didn't fit, but it turned the knob, the door was unlocked. Caleb was home and Ro was sitting at their kitchen table. Tris looked between Caleb and Ro and retreated without a word to her room.
"Is she okay?"
"No. She's… She's acting strange." Tobias glared at Ro, the intruder in their midsts. But Caleb didn't register his discomfort.
"Strange how?"
"Quiet. Uh… like she didn't know where we were going, where she is."
"She said she'd let them knock her out. But she didn't take anything, did she?" Caleb sighed and poured water over a tea bag.
"You knew what they were gonna do?" Four started to get hot.
"What happened?" Ro commented.
Caleb started towards Tris's room. Tobias stepped in his way. "What's going on? Did this happen before?"
"Maybe? Sort of. She got a little weird at the Bureau during rehab. Like she didn't feel inside of herself. It's when we started the medications the first time."
"Anyone want to tell me what's going on?" Ro interjected again.
"What are you doing here?" Four shot back, Ro put his hands up and physically leaned back.
"Whoa, that's not gonna help. You got this?" Caleb raised an eyebrow. When Tobias had taken a few breaths and nodded, he handed him the cup.
"So you got anything more helpful than 'she's not inside herself'?" Tobias crinkled his nose.
"It's a, shoot, what do they call it? I'll look it up later in my notebook. It's like a self-defense mechanism, she becomes dissociated with her body, she feels disconnected… it's a anxiety response. Let me go look it back up." Caleb retreated.
Ro was left worried and wondering at the kitchen table. Tobias pushed the door open slowly.
"I just need a minute." She whispered to save her throat. She'd put on her sling to support her arm. The brace wasn't taking all the stress away from her muscles and the sling helped more than she wanted to admit.
"There's no rush. Here, tea." He transferred the mug to her free hand. He tried to sit next to her, but she shied away. He slid to the floor and rubbed her calf. It took her a few minutes to take a sip.
"I'm sorry you heard."
"I'm sorry you didn't feel like you could tell me. That was… barbaric."
"It's actually really advanced. It's cutting edge, even for outside."
"You know what I mean. You should have been sedated."
"No drugs." She was tired of saying it and in no mood to argue.
"Aren't you taking the pills?" Tris shook her head. "No wonder you look so tired. You couldn't have slept well."
"I took the drops. Not a full dose. It was better today, I only took them this morning." She took another gulp and looked a little restored. "Ro is waiting. We should get started."
"Take your time." Tobias scrambled to get his feet under him and get up to help her. She leaned into him, her forehead against his chest and took a deep breath. He automatically started to wrap her up, removing the cup from her hand in the process.
"Please don't. Not right now." She stopped him. She pressed her forehead into his chest and held the knuckles of her fist against his stomach. "I just need this. Just this. For one second." He took a risk and put his hand on the back of her neck. Comforting her by her preferences was hard for him. But he restrained himself. She nodded her head and pulled away, "I'm okay. I'm okay."
Caleb took control as soon as she stepped outside her room. He set boundaries on what she could and couldn't do. "No lifting, no sorting, no pushing, no yelling, no cursing, no pinching." He added the last ones to get a little laugh out of her, but she remained unmoved and limp. Ro stood by uncharacteristically silent and waited for instructions. Caleb must have either answered all his questions or established that none of them would be answered. It took Tris a little while to speak up and direct. And it took more than a little guidance to keep Ro on task. Four kept his nose clean of questions and just did what she asked. He kept an eye on his watch.
Tobias stacked his box, the third in the pile and sat on the couch next to her. "You should come back with me."
"It's okay. I can take her back." Ro spoke for her. Tobias ignored him and waited for her to respond.
"I'll go back with Ro. I have to work tomorrow and I'm pretty tired. I think we'll go on the 8:20."
"Well, is Christina off patrol then?"
"No. But I'll just stay with Ro and Jordan till she's back from her date. She's not optimistic."
Four glanced between Tris and Ro and tried to ignore the smirk smeared across Ro's face. "Or, you can come to the maintenance office."
"It's no bother. Besides, we'll just be in the training room." Ro interjected. Tris nodded and squeezed above Four's elbow.
"I'm off at seven, I'll see you for breakfast?"
"Yep." She agreed. She mustered a small smile, the first that afternoon. He didn't like how Ro started moving towards her when he was closing the door.