[center] [img]http://i.imgur.com/xRj8oPR.png[/img] [img]http://i65.tinypic.com/b66f5i.png[/img] [img]http://i65.tinypic.com/21o8tg4.png[/img] [h2][color=a2d9ce]Callan[/color] | [color=8A3DFF]Emma[/color] | [color 33ec06]Marcus[/color][/h2] [hr][color=silver]𝕄: π•Šπ•–π•‘π•₯. πŸ™πŸœ, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / π•Œπ•Šπ”Έβ„π•€π•ƒβ„• 𝔼𝕒𝕀π•₯ / / π•Œπ•Šπ”Έβ„π•€π•ƒβ„• π•‹π•£π•’π•”π•œ / / πŸ™πŸšπŸ˜πŸ˜[/color][hr] [sub]Collab with [@Baklava][@Chasers115][@Diggerton][/sub][/center] Were it not for her peeking, Callan might've guessed it was Marcus that came through the door as the sound roused her awake. She hadn't been rooming with either of them long, but just by listening to their movements around the Suite, Cal felt like she could tell Siena and Marcus apart with decent accuracy. Though such acute attention to detail wasn't something she was very accustomed to. Just an alarm for when to hurriedly brush the possibility of crumbs off her chest and run her thumb along the corner of her mouth so as not to look like a barbarian as she snacked on her bed and watched her shows. Alas. Silly, vainful efforts. Guilt and regret. The two wicked things kept Callan rooted in place. Eyes closed as she laid there beneath her comfortor, breathing cleverly to hide the fact that she wasn't sleeping. She wrestled with the words in her mouth for far too long. If she pretended to wake up now, things might be super weird. Especially considering the genuine grogginess of her average mornings. The door shut and Callan sat up with a sigh, staring at the door like it might reopen at any moment. She needed to apologize for her snippy comment at breakfast. She didn't want to leave things like that before they had to leave. [quote][color a2d9ce]Heya Marcus where u at? :P[/color][/quote] Something buzzed on her roommate's desk. [color=a2d9ce][i]Of course.[/i][/color] It was getting really close to when they had to leave. Would she get a chance to talk to him if she waited? Callan looked through the window at the fierce weather outside, gears reluctantly turning towards a solution she'd rather not consider. Holding her breath, she flipped through the small list of contacts on her phone and found Emma's name. [color=a2d9ce][i]Chill out, Cal. She's not gonna freak at you for wanting to talk to your roommate.[/i][/color] [quote][color a2d9ce]Hey, Emma. Do you know where Marcus is? He left his phone in the Suite.[/color][/quote] [quote][color 8A3DFF]He told me he was heading towards the track.[/color][/quote] [color=a2d9ce][quote]Ok thanks[/quote][/color] [quote][color 8A3DFF]By the way, stay safe out there.[/color][/quote] The cursors blinked back at her as Callan hesitated to answer, though she had no idea why. What else was she going to say? [color=a2d9ce][quote]You too[/quote][/color] Pulling on her maroon jacket, Callan grabbed her umbrella and left. [hr] Marcus had found himself at the track, getting in some last minute training before they were sent out on their mission. It was mostly something for him to keep his mind off the many ways this whole thing could wrong, and partly because he wanted to test his limits. He found his mind wandering to the claw marks that marred their floor earlier in the week; clearly Callan, but a question he'd never gotten a full answer to. Was that just another example of her testing her own limits? Or was there something else afoot? [i]Flash[/i] He dashed forward quickly, activating the 'jump' as he did. Then, as the vertigo had subsided for a split second, he did it again. Two consecutive rewinds followed, placing him back into a runner's position. It was an odd feeling - he'd normally be panting heavily and wiping the sweat off his brow after an exertion like that, but the rewind left him feeling like he hadn't done anything at all. Besides the dull thudding of his left knee; but that was an old injury he'd grown accustomed to - no amount of rewinding would take that one away now. He sighed heavily and let out a small shiver, slight drops of rain flecking from his face as he did so. The cooldown was his enemy here; a whole minute for his thoughts to run rampant. He dared not to sit down, even though his torn hoodie was mostly soaked through at this point. Fortunately, he'd been intelligent enough to purchase a new one with his free week, but the torn one was now his official training outfit. At least until it got warmer. He stretched once more, having already done so several times between using his ability. At this point, however, it was more out of nerves than anything else. [color=8A3DFF][i]Do you think we're ready for this?[/i][/color] In the privacy of his own mind, he wasn't as sure as he'd made himself sound. Rounding the corner of the gym building beside the track, Callan spotted Marcus through the chain link fence a good distance away. She watched and waited, just out of sight, as she collected her thoughts again. Since when was talking to Marcus a difficult thing to do? She was here for an apology, not a confession. She took a deep breath, spinning the umbrella in her hand a few times before holding it steady and stepping forward. She stopped at the corner of the field, well out of his way while she waited for him to see her. One more sequence of dashes and rewinds, and Marcus was once again taking another stretch. As he twisted his torso around, he caught a shape out of the corner of his eye. Despite the rain that was pouring down, he could see the strand of aquamarine that denoted his roommate, and he gave her a quick wave. "[color 33ec06]'Sup Cal?[/color]" he shouted. "[color 33ec06]Come to break the bleachers again?[/color]" He grinned as he said this, walking over to her position. It was about time he get out of the rain anyway, and get changed for the mission. "[color=a2d9ce]Hey Marcus,[/color]" she smiled back, "[color=a2d9ce]Nah, not today.[/color]" The words came out easier than she thought they would. "[color=a2d9ce]I, uh. I actually wanted to talk to you.[/color]" "[color 33ec06]Well then, talk away.[/color]" Marcus said, the tone in his voice noticably shifting to a more serious one. 'I actually wanted to talk' was one of those key phrases that even he could recognize as the beginning to a more serious conversation than his usual demeanor facillitated. "[color 33ec06]I was just about to head back to the suite anyway. Don't want to catch pnuemonia right before we get sent out![/color]" he added. "[color=a2d9ce]Oh,[/color]" she blinked back at him, noticing his obvious lack of umbrella, "[color=a2d9ce]Yeah. Okay. I'll just. Talk while we walk then.[/color]" Torn between what she was saying and wanted to do, her umbrella, almost of its own volition, gravitated away from herself and towards Marcus. Not offering to share would be rude and yet sharing didn't feel quite right either. Especially with Ernie's jest during breakfast that morning still fresh in her mind. A fresh sheet of rain splashed across the side of her cheek as she held her umbrella over his head, seemingly unphased. "[color 33ec06]Why thank you![/color]" Marcus said, sidling closer to Callan to take advantage of her umbrella offer. His mind flicked to what Ernie had said at breakfast earlier that morning, but he contemplated the humorous parallel silently in his head. Then he thought of what Max had said during their conversation; she'd be having a field day with a situation like this. "[color 33ec06]So what's on your mind?[/color]" he asked, turning his head to look over at Callan. She followed Marcus with her umbrella as he moved closer, using every ounce of self control not to visibly tense up her shoulders while her mind reeled from the consequences of her indecision. She should've just handed it to him. Doing her best to brush it off, she turned her attention towards answering his question as they began walking. "[color=a2d9ce]Uh. About this morning,[/color]" she started, glancing at him without turning, "[color=a2d9ce]Sorry for calling you out like that. Ernie pretty much hit the nail on the head. You can think of it like a game if you want. If that helps.[/color]" She smiled ruefully, brushing her hair behind her ear, "[color=a2d9ce]I mean, I'm guilty of it, too. Uh. Not that it's anything to feel guilty about. Like Ernie said, we're all coping in our own way... and actually....[/color]" As they passed under the portico outside the gym's entrance, Callan stopped, shifting a step away. "[color=a2d9ce]That's one of the things I really like about you. I wish I was half as good at keeping everyone's spirits up. But I'm not. And I'm worried. Like-- [i]really worried.[/i] About you... and Siena.[/color]" She almost forgot to tack on the name, feeling relieved and ashamed in equal measure. Not the most eloquent apology she'd ever given, but it would do. Marcus inwardly cursed himself. This sort of thing certainly wasn't a game; his statement at breakfast had been a little joke, but had apparently turned him into the guy that can't take a job without making it into a little arcade objective. He was well aware that this wasn't going to be a stroll in the park, but maybe everyone considering him childish just came with the jokester persona. "[color 33ec06]Nono, it's not a game; this is serious business.[/color]" Marcus said, the slightly brewing frustration well hidden. "[color 33ec06]I was just making another one of my jokes; I'm not going to be taking this lightly, don't worry about that.[/color]" He listened intently to the rest of what she had to say, before responding. "[color 33ec06]That's my job as the funny guy! Make sure all you people remember to smile once and while.[/color]" Marcus said, cracking his own half-grin. That's really all it was to him: a job. More of an obligation than his actual personality. That personality was one that had died when everything fell apart though - and he was happy to fulfill this role instead. "[color 33ec06]But...[/color]" he said, tone shifting back to serious. "[color 33ec06]If you think for one second that I'm not worried about you guys, you're wrong. You and Siena are both on the front lines today, while I'm in the back helping people get the hell out of dodge. Even Emma is out there with Siena! The three people I am the closest to at this place are all going to be fighting for their lives, and there is absolutely [i]no way[/i] for me to help if something goes wrong. So yeah, I'm worried too, Cal.[/color]" he said, exasperation in his voice. He mentally kicked himself: this certainly wasn't going to make Callan feel any [i]better[/i] about the situation, but it was something he needed to get off his chest. Callan smiled back sincerely. "[color=a2d9ce]No, I know. I know you're taking it seriously. I like your jokes.[/color]" She stopped herself there. This was beginning to feel like less of an apology and she had to remind herself not to think about crossing any lines. (Not that she'd have the gall to do so anyway.) "[color=a2d9ce]Save your worrying for Siena and Emma-- and especially yourself. I'll be fine. And I'll make sure they're fine. Both of them.[/color]" She smiled confidently, cocking her head to the side. Of course Marcus was worried, too. But she hoped to put his mind at ease. "[color 33ec06]Well, I'm glad you get a kick out of them. Usually people charge for that kind of entertainment.[/color]" Marcus said. He was regaining a little bit of his funny side now that he'd unloaded his worries onto Callan, and he smirked when he turned to look at her again. "[color 33ec06]I'll keep a little worry for you, too; just in case the monster decides to fling his pants at you or something.[/color]" he said, giving her a slight jab with his elbow as he did. Callan scrunched up her nose with a faux grimace before laughing. "[color=a2d9ce]Well, they can hear and understand us, remember? If all else fails, you can knock'em dead with some jokes.[/color]" Just like that, they were on their way back to the dorms again. "[color 33ec06]If I'm close enough to tell any jokes, it means something's gone horribly wrong. You done goofed if that's the case.[/color]" Marcus said with a chuckle. "[color 33ec06]Unless you want to patch me through to a radio or something - I can give the front team some moral support during the whole thing![/color]" "[color=a2d9ce]Of course, it's never gonna happen, but that's probably for the best. If we broadcast your jokes, we might lose half our unit to friendly fire.[/color]" "[color 33ec06][i]Half[/i]? I think they'll just switch sides and come hunt me down![/color]" Marcus said. He chuckled slightly, before falling silent again as a thought crossed his mind. "[color 33ec06]Hey Cal...[/color]" he said, turning to face her with his hand extended. "[color 33ec06]A promise: I'll make it back if you do![/color]" he said. Despite the slightly morbid agreement, he still forced a smile out as he said it. Callan stared at the extended hand. Unlike Marcus, a flicker of melancholy overcame her smile. The remnants of worries that could never be completely laughed away as she quietly observed the way his scars moved when he smiled. "[color=a2d9ce]Heh,[/color]" she grinned back, taking his hand before he had the chance to notice anything amiss, "[color=a2d9ce]Easiest promise of my life.[/color]"