damned_institute | Day 29: Chapel

Hiei didn't give a damn about religious services, meditation, or pretending to be social. The always sudden waking after night put him in a bad mood, this one particularly so. Even with Kurikara licking him like some perverted moron, the warmth the dragon provided was welcome in Hiei's bed, and missing when he woke, giving the surrounding air a greater sense of chill.

But the perfect thing to relieve his anger might just be making an appearance that morning, and that at least gave Hiei hope for a decent day.

Hopefully Kurikara and Kurama both would be clever enough to figure it out for themselves. Without hesitation, Hiei demanded to be led to the temple, taking a seat in one of the rear pews. Humans had a way of overdoing things, and this place wasn't really much exception to that. Granted Hiei's limited knowledge prevented him from realizing there were much more outrageous churches, but to the demon, the colored pieces of glass and polished wood seemed to be much.

It didn't matter, however. Either could be turned into weapons, perfect objects to slice into that damned head doctor's throat or bash in his skull. That was a thought worth grinning about.

[Feel free to pester. Just, uh, be aware that he's not exactly nice.]

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Bridget nodded, smiling slightly, if a little less brightly than before. "I wish it hadn't happened, but it did, and nothing can change the past." He looked down. "And the people I hurt... well, most of them are my friends now. They forgave me and they are fine now. The one I think I hurt most though..." His smile was warm. "She's the kindest to me."

For a moment, Bridget was silent, then he rubbed a hand over his face in case there were any visible tears and smiled up at Armand. "If he is a smart man, and your friend, I don't think you should worry about anything."

Armand didn't mean to make Bridget cry. Bridget was being far too kind to him for him to want to distress the boy. "Percy is very smart, and he forgave me," he agreed. That didn't mean it felt right inside, not when Armand was here and unable to keep demonstrating his good faith and devotion to his wife.

Armand felt the urge to rub his eyes again. All this tangled thinking gave him a headache. He didn't feel bright enough to work through the mess his thoughts could get themselves into.

"Let us move on. You've been good to me. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Bridget smiled and shook his head. "Oh no," he said quickly. "You don't have to do anything for me at all. That's why it's friendship! But..." He tilted his head to the side and tapped a finger against his lips in thought. Suddenly, Bridget brightened.

"Promise me that if you're uspet, you won't just go and hide. You'll look for someone to talk to. Okay?" Armand looked sad, but it looked like he was trying to hide it. His father sometimes looked like that and Bridget didn't like that.

It took effort not to flinch at Bridget's request. He had asked, hadn't he? Which meant he was more or less obligated to give the promise, another promise he wasn't sure he could keep.

"I don't know if I can promise that," he said hesitantly. "Sometimes what troubles me is other people. Talking... can be treacherous."

If Bridget pressed, he'd give it, but he didn't want to get trapped into laying his honor on the line to please a friendly child.

Bridget nodded. That was the answer he'd been expecting, though it wasn't a very good one.

"Okay then." He thought a bit more. "Then at least remember that, even if you don't feel like talking, you don't have to be alone. Roger and I are here and we're your friends now. So if you don't want to talk, but you don't want to be alone, we'll be happy to offer any support."

"I can remember that," he agreed readily. The problem was that when he was the most upset he wanted nothing more than to be alone. He hadn't even grown used to letting his wife be someone with whom he could share his secrets. Long ago, he had been that way with his sister. All was different now.

"You give good advice, as if you were much wiser than your years would suggest."

Bridget smiled and wondered if Armand really would remember. There wasn't much he could do and he wouldn't force the man to befriendly, but he'd tried what he oculd and he should be happy with it.

Shaking his head with a blush, Bridget looked down at his bear. "I'm not smart. Roger's the one that gives the best advice really. I'm just a silly kid."

"You have still been a great comfort to me." He gave him a wry smile. "You may have even saved my dignity for a few more hours."

He wasn't happy, but he felt much better able to face a meal and perhaps running into people he knew. With any luck, he'd be able to avoid his roommate though.

Bridget smiled warmly. "Really? Good." He reached over and very lightly poked Armand in the side. "Remember that for later then. You know, should your dignity be in trouble again, Roger and I are here."

It wasn't often that he was saving someone from embarrassment. He often caused it.

With a nervous giggle that sounded like it was coming from someone much younger, Armand cringed back from the poke. "I'm very ticklish!" At least he used to be. He hadn't been tickled lately.

"I suspect the spectacle of a grown man crying isn't so odd here, but I'd rather not for fear of attracting the wrong kind of attention." Spoken of in the abstract, the subject of his dignity almost seemed comical. He could look at it like a wayward pet cat.

Day 29: Chapel

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