chopped up with a knife, hammered like a screw

[friendlyfires]

Who| Willow and OPEN
What| New arrival fresh off the dimensional rift!
Where| D7 common room (for other D7ers) and then the Central Commons
When| a day or two before the tours start
Warnings/Notes| Probably talk about mental illness/insanity and possibly reflection on various and sundry gruesome events in her past. Also, burning couches.


In the D7 common room:

Willow examines the room she's been shepherded to with no small amount of mistrust. Walls were an occasional help, but this reminds her of nothing so much as a cage, big as it is, a pen bigger than any she's built. And everything looks so angular and perfect, it's unnerving. It makes her nervous. Everything's making her nervous.

It's not long before others on floor 7 might begin to smell burning fabric. By the time anyone comes to check, Willow has set one of the couches merrily ablaze. She's pulled up a stool as close as she can to sit on, staring into the flames as if nothing else matters, occasionally murmuring unintelligibly to herself.



In the Central Commons:

Willow's been told that food is unlimited here, but she doesn't trust that. Why should she trust anything any of these weirdos have to say? As a test she went and ordered all the waffles they'd let her have, and now is sitting before a plate piled ridiculously high with them, determinedly working her way through as many as she can. The jam they gave her is even better than plain old berries. She's definitely hoarding the leftovers as long as she can before they spoil. Maybe they have ice boxes here. Or she can make one, that would work.

She's so focused on devouring the food in front of her that she probably won't notice anyone in her vicinity unless they try to catch her attention deliberately. Waffles are important, okay.

Comments

[iflipmyhair]

...Seriously. Seriously.

Homura had been asleep, with dreamless peace, one of the few nights she'd had since her arrival here. And then came the smell. That unmistakable, burning smell. Her mind, now subliminally awake, first leaped to the thing she most associated with fire: that terrible unearthly laughter echoing through the air, the sounds of carnival as silhouettes frolicked and played with abandon in the ruins. The howling of winds and the waves lapping against the fast-growing trees and broken buildings as she screamed at he sight of Madoka and that thing talking to her--

Her eyes flipped open, wide, finding herself in her room in Panem. But the smell was still there.

Her reaction afterwards was instant, almost painicked. With swift strides, flowers were tossed aside, and two large vases were filled with water. Soon, they were splashing onto the flames; almost as soon as the water was thrown, Homura was filling the vases again, to continue dousing those damned flames until there was nothing left, not even the smoke.

She didn't care if Willow was watching. She wanted the fire gone.

[friendlyfires]

Willow was so entranced by the flames that she didn't notice someone else busily at work behind her until the first vaseful of water splashed over her beautiful, blazing fire. That got her attention fast. "Hey!"

When Homura returned to douse the fire further she was up, grabbing her arm tightly so at least one vase she couldn't throw, her eyes wild. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "I need that, you jerk."

The only reason she could think of that anyone would want to put out her fire was to hurt her, to keep her scared and in the dark, like those awful dark hands that grabbed for her light in the night. Well, she didn't let that happen if she could help it, and she wouldn't let this either.

[deafscythe]

There are a few options. He could put the fire out. Or he could watch it burn.

So Justin Law, being Justin Law, simply watches for a long few moments.

"Are you attempting to set off the fire alarms?"

[friendlyfires]

"No," Willow replies, as if this should be obvious. "Just burning it."

She doesn't bother looking up at Justin. The couch is much more interesting.

[iflipmyhair]

Homura's eyes narrowed, her face darkening at the girl stopping her. She didn't know this girl; at that moment, she didn't care.

"Let me go." Her voice was low. This would be the girl's only warning. "Right now."

[friendlyfires]

Willow glared in return, squeezing tighter obstinately. "Leave my fire alone and I will," she insisted.

[deafscythe]

"Well, you are going to set off the fire alarm." He's surprised it hasn't already gone off. Unless they just don't have fire alarms in this world.

[friendlyfires]

"And what does that do?" She feels a vague familiarity with the words, but she can't be bothered to care right now, honestly.

central commons

[knifewithnoname]

Willow has an audience, in a small child who is sat surrounded by colourful rope, drawing cards and tying knots, timing herself with a sand timer. A look of fierce concentration on her face.

Or at least that was what she had started doing, now she was watching the girl eat waffles, because Pruna might get excited about food, and she might be able to eat an awful lot of ice cream when she wanted to, but she had never seen someone eat so much food at once.

"You must have been being hungry." She spoke after a while of watching, one eyebrow raised.

[deafscythe]

"Lots of bright lights and loud noise and people rushing around putting the fire out." This girl is an odd one.

"A candle would be a much better choice, if you must have fire."

[iflipmyhair]

The response is cold and firm.

"No."

She proceeds to try and dump some of the water on Willow from her. She didn't want to necessarily toss the girl across the couch, but if this didn't work, she wouldn't hesitate.