It takes a minute to want to move in the face of this. But no one else is going to do it for her, and lying still is only making things worse. With the backing track of a hyperventilating horsegirl to get her pumped, Madeleine Cross drags herself up the couch arm and onto her feet.

She makes it as far as her knees before she realized this isn't going to work. She whimpers like a dying flute and drops back onto the floor. But it's too soon to give up: she pulls her knees up into her chest and then stretches out her arms in front of her, sort of wiggling in a vaguely forward direction toward the medicine cabinet. 

"You're, nngh, not out, nnnf, of, nnnf, shape, hnngh, you're just, haaaaa, having, fffffft, a, hhhhh, reaction. Everybody, nnngh, does this, hhhhfffff, the first time, heeesh, the first time they... oh thank you finally, the first time they see it."

Now she has to drag herself into a sitting position so she can fumble around for the tape. The ideal thing would be to apply a clear coat to the damaged areas first, but a woman who doesn't even understand the basic tenets of fashion is sure to ignore the medicinal powers of nail polish. It's fine. What she really needs is pressure, and to make the sight of the thing go away. 

"I don't know though. About instincts, I mean. I couldn't tell you... when I'm panicking over nothing versus when it's. You know. Real. But... oh!"

She smiles brightly as she looks up from her tape job. The offending area is gone, replaced with a makeshift ballet slipper in white skin safe tape. She pulls off her other shoe just to check, and clicks her tongue. She pulls her arm back from the drawer and starts measuring out more of the stuff.

"One time I was getting a sandwich, right? And an old lady got in line behind me and I just... I kicked. At full force. And then I tried to rear, even though obviously I am already standing upright. So I just bolted. I ran for so long. And this was... prior to meeting you, so it was. Quiet. Everything I saw, I thought was her ghost. And then I noticed... my leg was covered in orange juice. I hit her groceries. I've never been back to that shop since."

Two feet wrapped now. Problem all gone! Madeleine drags herself onto her feet and instantly falls forward onto her face.

"But I don't have those episodes anymore. Not since we became... partners. When I feel a shadow now, I meditate. I picture running. With... er. Yeah. This is the first..."

She wiggles her feet. One more time she makes the push and this time it sticks. Her steps are wobbly but her feet actually hold her weight. She shrugs.

"Hmm. I guess I can't banish them all. But! Like I said... this is very normal. By the morning you won't notice. What about you? Are you stable? Can you breathe? Let me get your leg back on so we can train."