The Park, Late Sunday Morning

[soniaroadsqueen]

Crazy Apple was sitting on a park bench, her legs folded beneath her in silence. Her breathing started off slow and steady, almost like she was meditating or something.

The thing about Crazy Apple was that she knew she wasn't really some sort of other personality of Ringo's. Not in the way people usually meant when they talked about that sort of thing. It wasn't the same sort of thing as what Agito and Akito had back home. Neither of them really remembered much of what the other had done, leaving some odd fuzzy areas in both of their memories. But Crazy Apple knew everything Ringo had done, and Ringo, underneath it all, could see and hear what Crazy Apple did.

Crazy Apple was who Ringo became when she felt overwhelmed and couldn't deal with the things she was seeing or doing, but she kept seeing and doing whatever it was, which meant she'd either have to deal with it eventually or keep being Crazy Apple.

Still, Crazy Apple was independent enough to make decisions, and while she wasn't particularly interested in what Ringo ultimately decided to do, she still had little ways to influence that sort of thing. Like what she was doing now: sitting still, clearing her mind of distractions, leaving herself with few ways to avoid mulling over the thoughts swirling in her head.

Or maybe you can start dealing with your own shit like the rest of us do, Ringo, Dante had said. Fake split personality bullshit ain't cute.

Her breathing slowly sped up, becoming a little more ragged, as unformed thoughts of outrage and betrayal and an undercurrent of shame and worry slowly swirled beneath the surface of Crazy Apple's active thoughts. Ringo's emotions. The ones she didn't want to deal with. They weren't enough to push Crazy Apple aside. Not enough to pull Ringo to the surface where she could curl up and cry herself out from too many competing feelings. So Crazy Apple continued to sit there, trying to keep her breathing under control and let those emotions keep swirling.

Wondering if anything would come of it.

[ooc: Open.]

Comments

[soniaroadsqueen]

She made a face at him.

"M-maybe we can eat outside."

She wasn't going to make any promises.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante made a face back at her.

"Whatever Ringo wants," he said, though, walking in the direction of Moobyland.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo turned away from him, content to walk along in silence for a little bit, staring at her feet. She trusted Dante to get them where they were going.

Eventually she spoke again. "Dante?"

She hesitated for a moment, then, "Thanks."

[rebelseekspizza]

"You can thank me by not having another meltdown or turning into somebody else," Dante said, pushing open the door to Mooby's. "That way, you're a pain in the ass, but you're our pain in the ass."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"I-" She hesitated.

"I don't know. I-I can try?"

She stepped through the door and then to the side, not even looking up to take a look around. "B-but, you all have more important stuff to deal with than talk to me about nightmares."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Not the next couple of hours," Dante said. "Anders gets off work at five. Until then, I've got literally nothing more important to do than talk to you about nightmares."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"That's, um, kind of a while." It was barely lunch time.

Ringo turned her head slightly and glanced at Dante out of the corner of her eye. "Are you sure?" He didn't have other stuff he'd rather be doing?

[rebelseekspizza]

"If you keep asking me if I'm sure, I'm going to get annoyed," Dante said. He walked up to the counter. "If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't be there."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Well. She had to give him that. Dante didn't really do stuff he didn't want to, in her experience.

"You're already annoyed," she pointed out with a little smile. She wasn't feeling quite enough like herself to turn that into real teasing, but there was some of her old self in there.

[rebelseekspizza]

"'Cause you're being annoying," Dante fired back. "You want a normal Mooby Burger or a cheese one?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Normal, please," Ringo said.

Also, softly: "Sorry."

Apologizing meant she must feel pretty bad.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante ignored the apology in favor of ordering two Mooby Burgers. He leaned against the counter, waiting for their order to get filled.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo sort of stood there, awkwardly waiting herself.

She wasn't sure what to say, or what to do.

She didn't think she regretted letting Dante talk her into this, but she was kind of worried she might change her mind.

Maybe that was just the hunger talking. Food would help.

Right?

[rebelseekspizza]

Eventually, the guy behind the counter produced the two burgers and the fries and the sodas Dante had ordered. Dante picked up the tray and carried it back to Ringo.

"Sit your ass down."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Outside?" she reminded him hesitantly.

"Just. Just in case?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"Right," Dante sighed. "Forgot. Sit your ass down outside."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Sorry," she muttered again, even though she knew he didn't want to hear it.

Then Ringo turned and headed back to the door, pushing it open for Dante.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante walked on through, picking a table outside at random to sit at. He set the tray down, immediately snagging a fry.

Ringo could dig in when she wanted to.

[soniaroadsqueen]

She hesitated for a moment, but her stomach gurgled again, and she sat down and grabbed a handful of fries for herself.

"Thanks."

She'd already said that.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante took a few bites. Swallowed. Said casually, "So when'd you start getting these nightmares?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Well. Diving right into it, huh?

Ringo honestly wasn't sure whether she was grateful or upset about that.

She chewed slowly, taking a long couple of swallows of her soda.

"Right-" Pause to swallow. "Right after LA."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante had never been great at stalling for time or taking things slow.

"'Cause of the zombies?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Um. Sort of."

Ringo looked down at the burger in front of her.

"I mean, they're in them. And, you know, scary, but they're not the worst part."

[rebelseekspizza]

"So what is?" Dante asked, picking up his own burger.

[soniaroadsqueen]

She licked her lips nervously.

"I killed them. And, like, I-I could feel it. The feeling of impact traveling up my legs." She shuddered.

"And I--"

Her voice trailed off so that her next words were almost a whisper. "I liked it."