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om_mainSummary: Alisha calls Simon after her perfect meeting with Alice to talk.
It wasn't very long after seeing Alice walk out the door that Alisha ended up calling Simon. She wasn't sure whether he'd be glad to here she was finally back at the school or not, but either she was going to get both bad conversations out of the way at once or she was going to feel a little better after talking to him.
But first she went outside. She had no desire to be in the room when - or even if - Alice came back and being back in the relative country was actually kind of nice. The city was her home, but this was a nice place to stay. It was nice to be in a place where she didn't have to worry about her powers. Where she didn't have to worry about trying to explain herself.
Eventually, she pulled out her mobile and called Simon. She did need to get this over with.
Simon was in the middle of watching the short film La Jetée when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, unwilling to pick up, but frowned and reached over to put the film on pause when he saw Alisha's name.
He'd only been waiting for this phone call for a month.
So yes, he picked up, and hoped that it was the phone call he expected it to be. "Hello?"
"Hey. Can you talk?" There was a time when she wouldn't have bothered to ask the question, but that was before he'd actually had a girlfriend. Or whatever she'd been. Alisha couldn't assume that he'd be alone anymore. She didn't ask herself why that bothered her so much.
"Um. Yes," Simon confirmed with a frown.
"I just wanted to let you know I was back in Westchester." She glanced around and headed for the barn. "I know, I know, everyone wanted me to come back sooner. I just...I wasn't ready." For her powers. For Scott. Or, apparently, for Alice.
"But you are now?" Simon checked, sitting up a little straighter.
"No," she answered bluntly. "I'll never be ready. This entire thing makes me sick to my stomach." She only wished she were talking metaphorically. "But I'm here. And I'm calling."
"I'll be on campus Thursday morning, for training," Simon replied after a beat.
Alisha sighed. "Of course you will." She took a breath. "I don't think Alice is going to be willing to help this time around."
Simon frowned. "Why would we need Alice?" Dr MacTaggert, and possibly Simon Tam, would be sufficient 'help', if that was what she wanted to call them.
"I guess we won't," Alisha said softly. It felt like she was losing touch with everyone. Nathan was gone, she hadn't talked to Curtis since London, Alice wouldn't talk to her now, and then...then there was Scott.
"You've talked to Dr MacTaggert, right?" Simon checked, still frowning.
"When I say I'm back at the school, I just got back an hour ago. The only one I've talked to is Alice." And talking to her meant that she hadn't wanted to talk to anyone else. Except Simon. "So no, I haven't talked to Dr. MacTaggert yet."
Simon was a little slow, but he finally put two and two together. "Did something happen with Alice?" It was the only reason he could see why she would be calling him already.
"No," she replied dryly. "She was absolutely thrilled that she was missing a roommate for a month." She shrugged to herself. "It doesn't matter."
"You rang me," Simon pointed out quietly. Of course it mattered.
Because I wanted to talk to you, she thought. But she couldn't say that. Instead, she said, "I knew you'd want to know when I made it back to town."
Right. Simon nodded a little, even if she couldn't see it. "Thanks." A pause, and, "How've you been?"
"Realizing I miss the city. You might see me more often." Especially if she couldn't work out things with Alice. "Especially since I have my own studio out there now. And a hot tub. At least when I sneak into Shinobi's flat."
"You have a studio?" Simon asked, eyebrows raising in surprise.
"Also known as my living room," Alisha said. "Where do you think I went after leaving yours? I didn't come back here and there was no way I was leaving one sofa and going to another one."
"I don't know where you went," Simon pointed out quietly. She hadn't given him any news, for a month.
Alisha sighed. "I wanted to be normal for a little while. I wanted..." She wanted things she knew she couldn't have, but she couldn't help but try to have it for at least a little while. Well, most things she wanted she tried to have. Not everyone.
She still wasn't telling him anything, though, so Simon phrased it as a question. "Where did you go?"
"To Shinobi's. He's one of the only other people I know in the city who could set me up." She could have talked to Sirius, but that was a set of complications she hadn't needed on top of everything else. "And he did. I even have my own art studio. At least, I turned the apartment into a makeshift studio."
"Shinobi gave you a flat?" Simon worked it out, eyebrows raising. That... was huge.
"Don't sound so surprised. It's Shinobi. He liked throwing money around. Why else would he commission uniforms for the squad he was going to leave just a few months later?" She still didn't get it.
"It's still... It's a lot," Simon stated quietly.
"It means that if you ever feel like leaving the place that's barely bigger than the rooms here, you have a place to stay." She wasn't even aware she was going to offer until she opened her mouth and by then, it was too late. The offer was out.
Simon was oddly touched, but mostly confused, by the offer. "Thank you," he said, on account of the former. "But I - I'd rather have my own place." It mattered, that he could do this on his own.
Well, that solved that, but it still left her with why she called. "I just wanted to let you know I was back." There was a certain emphasis to that last word. She wasn't ready, but she was available.
"I'll be around," Simon stated quietly. He thought he knew what she meant, so he forced himself to go on, despite the fact that she wouldn't. "For training, twice a week. After you've talked to Dr MacTaggert - we can get started."
"Of course you're going to make me do the hard work." Her voice wavered a little and she closed her eyes. There weren't a lot of things that scared her. This was like all of her fears rolled together in one big terrifying ball. And he knew that. And he still wanted her to speak to one of the people she didn't want to. A teacher. Someone she barely knew. Someone she didn't trust.
"That's not the hard work," Simon pointed out. No, the hard work would come after she had talked to her.
"Feels hard enough to me," Alisha muttered. "At least you'll be there for that."
Simon nearly offered to be there when she talked to the doctor, too, but held himself back, only just. He needed her to do this on her own, to prove - mostly to herself - that she could. "I will be," he simply confirmed.
"Fine," she said finally. "I'll talk to her. Thursday, you said?"
"Yes," Simon confirmed, sitting down on the edge of his bed.
She tried not to squirm. "I'll try to talk to her before then," Alisha muttered.
"Ring me again when you have?" Simon quietly requested. For now, he really ought to get back to La Jetée, so he could write that essay about it.
There was a long pause and then a quiet, "Sure."
"It'll work," he told her, just as quietly. "You'll see."
"I hope you're right," she said before hanging up. She closed her eyes. She really didn't want to do this, but what other choice did she have?
It wasn't very long after seeing Alice walk out the door that Alisha ended up calling Simon. She wasn't sure whether he'd be glad to here she was finally back at the school or not, but either she was going to get both bad conversations out of the way at once or she was going to feel a little better after talking to him.
But first she went outside. She had no desire to be in the room when - or even if - Alice came back and being back in the relative country was actually kind of nice. The city was her home, but this was a nice place to stay. It was nice to be in a place where she didn't have to worry about her powers. Where she didn't have to worry about trying to explain herself.
Eventually, she pulled out her mobile and called Simon. She did need to get this over with.
Simon was in the middle of watching the short film La Jetée when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, unwilling to pick up, but frowned and reached over to put the film on pause when he saw Alisha's name.
He'd only been waiting for this phone call for a month.
So yes, he picked up, and hoped that it was the phone call he expected it to be. "Hello?"
"Hey. Can you talk?" There was a time when she wouldn't have bothered to ask the question, but that was before he'd actually had a girlfriend. Or whatever she'd been. Alisha couldn't assume that he'd be alone anymore. She didn't ask herself why that bothered her so much.
"Um. Yes," Simon confirmed with a frown.
"I just wanted to let you know I was back in Westchester." She glanced around and headed for the barn. "I know, I know, everyone wanted me to come back sooner. I just...I wasn't ready." For her powers. For Scott. Or, apparently, for Alice.
"But you are now?" Simon checked, sitting up a little straighter.
"No," she answered bluntly. "I'll never be ready. This entire thing makes me sick to my stomach." She only wished she were talking metaphorically. "But I'm here. And I'm calling."
"I'll be on campus Thursday morning, for training," Simon replied after a beat.
Alisha sighed. "Of course you will." She took a breath. "I don't think Alice is going to be willing to help this time around."
Simon frowned. "Why would we need Alice?" Dr MacTaggert, and possibly Simon Tam, would be sufficient 'help', if that was what she wanted to call them.
"I guess we won't," Alisha said softly. It felt like she was losing touch with everyone. Nathan was gone, she hadn't talked to Curtis since London, Alice wouldn't talk to her now, and then...then there was Scott.
"You've talked to Dr MacTaggert, right?" Simon checked, still frowning.
"When I say I'm back at the school, I just got back an hour ago. The only one I've talked to is Alice." And talking to her meant that she hadn't wanted to talk to anyone else. Except Simon. "So no, I haven't talked to Dr. MacTaggert yet."
Simon was a little slow, but he finally put two and two together. "Did something happen with Alice?" It was the only reason he could see why she would be calling him already.
"No," she replied dryly. "She was absolutely thrilled that she was missing a roommate for a month." She shrugged to herself. "It doesn't matter."
"You rang me," Simon pointed out quietly. Of course it mattered.
Because I wanted to talk to you, she thought. But she couldn't say that. Instead, she said, "I knew you'd want to know when I made it back to town."
Right. Simon nodded a little, even if she couldn't see it. "Thanks." A pause, and, "How've you been?"
"Realizing I miss the city. You might see me more often." Especially if she couldn't work out things with Alice. "Especially since I have my own studio out there now. And a hot tub. At least when I sneak into Shinobi's flat."
"You have a studio?" Simon asked, eyebrows raising in surprise.
"Also known as my living room," Alisha said. "Where do you think I went after leaving yours? I didn't come back here and there was no way I was leaving one sofa and going to another one."
"I don't know where you went," Simon pointed out quietly. She hadn't given him any news, for a month.
Alisha sighed. "I wanted to be normal for a little while. I wanted..." She wanted things she knew she couldn't have, but she couldn't help but try to have it for at least a little while. Well, most things she wanted she tried to have. Not everyone.
She still wasn't telling him anything, though, so Simon phrased it as a question. "Where did you go?"
"To Shinobi's. He's one of the only other people I know in the city who could set me up." She could have talked to Sirius, but that was a set of complications she hadn't needed on top of everything else. "And he did. I even have my own art studio. At least, I turned the apartment into a makeshift studio."
"Shinobi gave you a flat?" Simon worked it out, eyebrows raising. That... was huge.
"Don't sound so surprised. It's Shinobi. He liked throwing money around. Why else would he commission uniforms for the squad he was going to leave just a few months later?" She still didn't get it.
"It's still... It's a lot," Simon stated quietly.
"It means that if you ever feel like leaving the place that's barely bigger than the rooms here, you have a place to stay." She wasn't even aware she was going to offer until she opened her mouth and by then, it was too late. The offer was out.
Simon was oddly touched, but mostly confused, by the offer. "Thank you," he said, on account of the former. "But I - I'd rather have my own place." It mattered, that he could do this on his own.
Well, that solved that, but it still left her with why she called. "I just wanted to let you know I was back." There was a certain emphasis to that last word. She wasn't ready, but she was available.
"I'll be around," Simon stated quietly. He thought he knew what she meant, so he forced himself to go on, despite the fact that she wouldn't. "For training, twice a week. After you've talked to Dr MacTaggert - we can get started."
"Of course you're going to make me do the hard work." Her voice wavered a little and she closed her eyes. There weren't a lot of things that scared her. This was like all of her fears rolled together in one big terrifying ball. And he knew that. And he still wanted her to speak to one of the people she didn't want to. A teacher. Someone she barely knew. Someone she didn't trust.
"That's not the hard work," Simon pointed out. No, the hard work would come after she had talked to her.
"Feels hard enough to me," Alisha muttered. "At least you'll be there for that."
Simon nearly offered to be there when she talked to the doctor, too, but held himself back, only just. He needed her to do this on her own, to prove - mostly to herself - that she could. "I will be," he simply confirmed.
"Fine," she said finally. "I'll talk to her. Thursday, you said?"
"Yes," Simon confirmed, sitting down on the edge of his bed.
She tried not to squirm. "I'll try to talk to her before then," Alisha muttered.
"Ring me again when you have?" Simon quietly requested. For now, he really ought to get back to La Jetée, so he could write that essay about it.
There was a long pause and then a quiet, "Sure."
"It'll work," he told her, just as quietly. "You'll see."
"I hope you're right," she said before hanging up. She closed her eyes. She really didn't want to do this, but what other choice did she have?
