[OPEN] We've opened our eyes

[furgood]

Who| Meulin Leijon & Terezi; Meulin and you!
What| Meulin hangs around the commons and then takes Terezi on an ill fated late lunch
Where| Tribute Towers Commons; out on the town
When| Backdated to the Sunday after the medieval ball
Warnings/Notes| None so far

A. Open
Meulin bounces on the balls of her feet, looking around at the magazines spread here and there. She's early for her outing and that makes her a tiny bit nervous. Various tributes and staff might not have been as appreciative of her work as they could be and well--she'd be happy when they were out of the tower.

If her picture hadn't been in there, maybe she wouldn't be so nervous. It was too late either way. There was no time to send a message to meet somewhere else and she was already here. She picked up Celebrus and flipped to an open page.

"Oh yes, tell me what outlandish new styles should be my own, Celebrus. Inquiring minds want to know." She mumbled, louder than she means, and pulls out a pen to take the ridiculous quiz.

B. Closed to Terezi

When she spies the young troll, Meulin pushes off from the wall she'd been propped against, leaves the magazine on a nearby table and starts moving to meet her. A purse is slung over her shoulder and she pauses for a moment to pull out her pen and paper. Her smile is still a little hesitant at the corners, not quite as light as it might have once been.

"I hope you're hungry, I have a reservation made for that weird fish place I told you about. The one where you catch the fish and they cook them. And there's a great place in the District 11 section of the shopping center that does fruit smoothies, ice cream and all that. I asked around for suggestions."

She looks so proud of the research she put into this, be proud of her Terezi. She might be a little awkward around Terezi but there was no excuse not to do things right.

Comments

[furgood]

"God I wish I could. I sincerely tried but there was all this talk about ruining the narrative for Jason and that if we were going for a hateship, he has plenty to choose from. Though the magazine said as much."

Meulin puffs out her cheeks in mock annoyance. Her vague attempts were for naught in this case.

"I just wanted to see the fanfiction."

[pythianjudgment]

"Right!" Terezi exclaims with a laugh before she realizes Meulin wouldn't be able to hear that. She doesn't bother covering up her grin and she quickly adds more scribbles to the notepad.

1 COMPL3T3LY 4GR33!!!

M4YB3 1 C4N 1NCORPOR4T3 1T 1NTO MY COM1C BOOK
B3TT3R Y3T
1 COULD WR1T3 TH3 F4NF1CT1ON MYS3LF

4ND 1F 1T JUST H4PP3NS TO B3 SPR34D 4ROUND TOWN..............
OBV1OUSLY N31TH3R OF US H4D 4NYTH1NG TO DO W1TH TH4T

Terezi waits for Meulin to finish reading the note before trying to pass a wink to her.

[furgood]

"Comic book? Well if it's anything like your posters, more people would see that than fanfiction. Though editors might shut you down. You meowst be sneaky about your pairing. Get two or three comics in before you make them kiss and point out all the buildup and how can you waste it?"

Her smile hardly falters at the idea of comics like her posters or the implications of connections to peacekeepers. At some point, she's noticed her old fear creeping back and being more obvious, so she's trying quite a bit harder now. Her free hand comes up to make a little conspiratorial gesture as she returns the wink.

"Either way, I meowst be infurmed to look fur it."

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi laughs at the conspiring, but it's advice that she plans to take to heart. Maybe she can find a way to sneak it in after all. Wouldn't that be a riot? It's not like it subverts the intent of the comic, so maybe her editors will let it slide.

YOU W1LL B3 TH3 F1RST TO R3C31V3 4 COPY
S1NC3 YOU W3R3 TH3 1NST1G4TOR FOR TH1S GLOR1OUS 1D34
MY 1NS1D3 1NFO
MY MUS3

Terezi waggles her eyebrows with suggestive playfulness.

[furgood]

"Do I get a mention in the dedication? 'And to my muse, Meulin, who gave unto me the ridiculous ship during an outing for fish and fruit.'"

She shakes her head, still smiling. Keeping an eye out for cars, she looks both ways far more than twice before they cross the street. Actual traffic is new and a little scary and they still have a few more blocks to go. She'd rather get there in one piece.

"Said muse may have gotten the idea from a source who shall not be mentioned because the author thinks he's dumb. Insert a frowning face here."

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi sticks close to Meulin while dodging traffic. It's hard to write and smell where she's going at the same time, so it takes about half a minute before she can pass a new note to Meulin. If it weren't for the need to write, Terezi might have taken her hand, just to make sure they stayed together.

H4 NOT 4 CH4NC3
TH3R3 1S NO W4Y TH4T 1 4M CR3D1T1NG G4RY 1N MY COM1C
YOU C4N T4K3 4LL TH3 CR3D1T 4ND H3 C4N SUCK ON TH4T
NO ON3 C4R3S WH3R3 TH3 MUS3 COM3S UP W1TH TH3 1D34 4NYW4Y >:]
YOU C4N H4V3 4 WHOL3 P4G3 D3D1C4T3D TO YOU

[furgood]

They pause on the sidewalk so Meulin can read and not walk into people. It's getting a little more crowded as they head towards restaurants and things after all. She's happy she's saved the need to write back at least, or they may never get to the restaurant.

"True! I mean, muses are where you get ideas in the first place. I think, at least. Poor Gary, his ideas shall go uncredited. Pawful." She shakes her head slowly before adding, "And I don't need a whole page. One ship does not a whole comic make. Unless it's the main ship I suppose."

[pythianjudgment]

NO BUT ON3 SH1P COULD M4K3 4 R34D3RB4S3 >:]
1M4G1N3 HOW M4NY P3OPL3 WOULD R34D TH1S COM1C
1F 1 TOLD TH3M TH4T TH3R3 W3R3 GR4TU1TOUS M4K3OUTS CONT41N3D W1TH1N 1TS P4G3S
3SP3C14LLY SUCH H1GH PROF1L3 SMOOCH3S!!!

Terezi passes over her newest note, while craning her neck to sniff at their whereabouts. There's a number of restaurants in the area, but she still isn't sure of where they're going. The one that Meulin describe doesn't sound like anything she's been to before.

[furgood]

"You're a tribute, I think you have a built in fanbase. But so do they, or purrhaps, a hatebase? What do you call an anti fandom cause I think Jason has that."

She purses her lips, well aware that he probably doesn't appreciate what she writes about him. They aren't exactly flattering. Oh well, she won't worry about it. She spots the restaurant up ahead and gently snags Terezi's arm again.

"Either way, people looove to read about people they hate. Especially having torrid affairs. The scandal of it all, Cyrus and Jason looking longingly into each others eyes. Finally, a kiss. There needs to be flowers in the background. And look at that, we're almost here!"

[pythianjudgment]

What do you call an anti fandom cause I think Jason has that.

Terezi doesn't think she can grin any wider. Meulin is a delight, and there's nothing that the girl could do to change her mind at this point. She exhales something between a laugh and a frustrated noise. "I need to be taking notes," she complains aloud, but before she gets a chance to convey her lament in writing, Meulin is already exclaiming that they're almost there.

After all the build up, Terezi is more than eager to know which restaurant they're going to be eating at. She writes only two lines on the board:

WH3R3 1S 1T?
WH1CH ON3?

[furgood]

Meulin hurries them up to a rather tall building. It's fairly hard to tell its secret from outside and it hardly looks like what it is. At most, someone might suspect it of being a club. She doublechecks the name and beams.

"Lux 4! We're a little early for the reservation but I'd rather be early than late. These are like gold apparently."

She takes her hand to lead her in and--well. What was secret outside is obvious once you make it through the door. The entire entranceway and lo, the entire restaurant is set under an enormous aquarium, where bright light shines through and a thousand species of fish swim over their heads. Meulin is enthralled, so much so that it takes her a little while to look down at Terezi.

[pythianjudgment]

Lux 4... Terezi feels like she's heard that name before, but she can't quite remember where. She follows Meulin's lead into the restaurant, the whiteboard hanging from her free hand. It's all she can do to keep walking once the smell hits her.

This was not what she was expecting at all.

There's water everywhere, and most of it is over her head. Her shoulders tense and her movements become more rigid, that familiar fear coming back to her. She tries not to outright panic. No no no, it's okay, she mentally reassures herself. You can smell everything here. There's no lurking. The water is clear. They can't even get to you, they're behind the glass. She concentrates on breathing as she walks, keeping her head down so she can smell as little as possible. It's not great--the theme is hard to escape; but she thinks that if she can just hold out long enough to get to a table, then maybe she can distract herself with the food, and Meulin won't have to waste her time and money on this reservation.

[furgood]

Meulin notices, suddenly, her ducked head, the way she doesn't look up. She can't quite figure out what's wrong but something must be. She glances up ahead at the person waiting to take her name and scans the space beyond him. No one Meulin recognizes, but she stops a little short of the host.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?"

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi hears the question, but only shakes her head in response, her fingers curled around the whiteboard notepad tight enough to turn her knuckles white. Her breathing seems strained, and her hands are shaking. She doesn't think she'd have the ability to write even if she wanted to.

It's okay. It's just water. It can't hurt you. She tries to repeat those words to herself, over and over; but her head feels dizzy and her feet won't move. She's stuck in place with so much water over her head and the hues of blue and green glinting off of everything. And what if something broke that glass? The stray thought crosses her mind, and her stomach nearly drops out.

She sinks into a shaky crouch on the floor, whiteboard binder clattering on the ground next to her. Her hands go first to her face--as if she could hide from the scent of the water like that, and then to cover her head. Her breaths come in more desperate gasps. Her heart feels like it's going to pound out of her chest.

"Out. Get me out of here. I want out." She pleads over and over between ragged breaths, knowing that Meulin can't hear her, but unable to do anything else.

[furgood]

Terezi stays still for a few moments and just when Meulin begins to move toward her, she sinks down to the floor. There's something sad and familiar about that, she thinks in some distant part of her mind, as the rest of her sinks down beside Terezi. Her hands to her face then up over her head and Meulin distantly remembers what helped in her own panic attacks. This was a panic attack, but what about, Meulin wasn't sure. Hesitantly, she rubs her hand over Terezi's back, slowly.

"I can't..You want to go? We can go. Nod if you want to go, Terezi."

Her mind races ahead to the quieter spots nearby. Nothing in a blind spot of course, but there were at least two relative secluded areas. Quiet with little traffic.

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi almost doesn't hear Meulin. Her mind is too preoccupied with the way her chest is straining to get air, which only ramps her terror up tenfold. She has to breathe. If she can't breathe, she's going to die. She's going to suffocate again.

Somehow the voice breaks through. Something about going. Leaving. She manages a shaky nod. Yes. Yes, she wants to leave. Before something terrible happens like she knows it will.

[furgood]

Once she gets the nod, she scrambles to pick up her bag and her whiteboard. The whiteboard goes in the bag and that gets looped over her arm. Over her shoulder, she murmurs an apology, something about having to cancel that reservation for Leijon, and focuses back on Terezi. She gets a hand under her arm and lifts. She's not exactly strong but it's more of a suggestion than actually trying to carry her.

"We're going outside, okay Terezi? Come on, there's a park nearby. You just need some fresh air, right?"

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi is easy to lift up. She doesn't way much, and her legs still make the attempt to work; but if Meulin were to let go, she would likely end up on the floor again. For the moment, she tries to concentrate on breathing and walking, trying to drown out the terror of what might happen if the ceiling cracked under the pressure of all that water. She wants to run, but her legs feel too paralyzed to manage more than an assisted walk.

She lets Meulin decide the direction and location, her hand clamping tightly on her friend's arm. The trip back outside is agonizing, but she eases her grip a little once they get outside. Neither the panic nor the shakiness disappate quite as quickly.

[furgood]

They make it out the door and Meulin breathes easier. That was probably the hard part, she thinks, and takes a moment with Terezi latched onto her arm but still upright to think. Left is the park with the faulty camera in the corner by the trees, right is the benches and courtyard area, no spots but closer. She shakes her head just a little to clear that thought. Terezi is a Peacekeeper. They don't need blind spots. She heads to the benches.

It takes only a few minutes and Meulin doesn't speak until she has Terezi settled on a bench with her purse in her lap.

"Do you want something to drink? I can get you something if you need it."

[pythianjudgment]

Something to drink. Terezi nods her head, clutching her purse in her lap, now that Meulin has her sitting again. She's not sure that she could drink anything right now, but now that they're outside, it might help. If it helps, Terezi is willing to try.

There are people staring by this point, after a scene like that. Terezi keeps her head down, trying to ignore them. Undoubtedly, this is going to end up on someone's gossip column, but for the moment she just doesn't care.

[furgood]

Meulin nods. Okay, something to drink, she can do that. She glances around the courtyard and spots a little shop. That'll do.

"I'll be right back okay? Just..." There's hesitation, then Meulin kneels down a bit to get closer to Terezi's eye level, "Breathe in and out slow, it helps. Try concentrating on that. Or try like--relaxing your muscle one by one. I won't be long, so just sit tight."

Once she gets some acknowledgement, she's up and across the way to the shop, disappearing inside. It takes a few minutes for her to return with a bag of what is probably too many drinks.

[pythianjudgment]

For what it's worth, Terezi tries to follow Meulin's advice. She concentrates on her breathing and tries to ignore the craving for more air. Slow and deep. Not drowning. Not suffocating. Just breathing slow and deep. She tries to let the breath come on its own, forcing herself not to hurriedly suck in air.

When Meulin returns, Terezi seems a bit better--still shaky, but not as panicked. She feels on the verge of starting up again, but the precise motions of breathing in and out are enough to keep her from hyperventilating.

She lifts her head a little, holding her hands out for one of the promised drinks.

[furgood]

A cold fruit juice is pressed into her hands. It claims to contain all sorts of enriching vitamins but Meulin was skeptical. She holds the bag up to peer inside as she waits for Terezi to take a sip.

"I got plain water and something fizzy if you'd rather have that. But you said you liked fruit."

Terezi is less shaky but Meulin still kneels in front of her and sorts through the bag. It was more or less what she just grabbed from the shelves and she pulls out a stick of jerky with a strange look.

"I'm not sure why I grabbed this. I got some crackers...and an orange."

She was feeling more silly by the moment. Crackers, jerky and an orange. Hardly the thing she'd want during an attack.

[pythianjudgment]

Despite her panic, Terezi has to laugh a little at the jerky and the other things. It's a nervous quiet little thing that sounds a small part hysterical, but it's still progress made. She holds onto the fruit juice for a few seconds, just feeling the coolness in her hands; then the cap comes off and she tries a few careful sips. She can feel the cold down through her throat and chest, and it clears her head a little.

In and out, in and out, she breathes.

"Thank you" are her first words, when she finally finds her voice again. It takes her a few seconds to remember that Meulin can't hear them. She grimaces at the slip, but doesn't reach for the whiteboard yet. A few more breaths, a few more sips... Then she manages to shakily draw the whiteboard back out of her purse.

Her writing is a mess, but somewhat legible.

TH4NK YOU SORRY

[furgood]

Meulin watches her quietly, fingers curling and uncurling in the bag in a nervous gesture. One she forgets would make some sort of noise, that it's something Terezi might notice. When Terezi speaks, Meulin understands. The words can only be a few things 'I'm okay' 'thank you' 'im sorry'. Some short and to the point. She nods but Terezi spells it out as well.

Picking up Terezi's pen, she carefully writes back a reply beneath it.

It's alright really. I've been through this.

Take as much time as you need. We'll grab something at a little place. Was it the water? I didn't realize it would be like that honestly :( I'm sorry.