[she's glad her roommate is recovering, at least, even if it's still 100% incontrovertibly Lina's fault that she ended up like this. she sighs quietly, more for theatrics than anything else. because she's struggling with words, trying to find the right thing to actually say so she sounds sincere and not just like she's repeating herself. which is, to put it nicely, fucking impossible.]
You get one on me. That's the fair thing to do, right? Like, I don't know how you're going to do it, but you get to do something to me that hits me as hard as—[her face hit the floor, is what she's about to say before she course-corrects again.]—that hit you.
[ Jen chuckled. ] What, do you think I'm mad? You think this is something I'd want to get even with you over?
[ even if it's not that, even if it's just karma, it's kind of endearing in a messed up way that Lina would just be like "okay, now hit me back" or something to that effect.
Jen actually considers this for a long moment as she's balling up the tissues and dumping them on the coffee table. she rises from her sitting posture and rolls her shoulders. then she steps up in front of her roommate and grinds her metal fist into her left palm. ] But! If you insist...
[her hands go up to her face as though that's actually going to guard her. she knows Jen has more strength in one arm than Lina does in her entire upper body.]
I meant metaphorically! Don't actually punch me in the face!
[ Jen lunged downward but didn't go for Lina's face as she was obviously expecting her to do. her knees hit the carpet in front of the couch and her aim was much lower. the other girl's sides, apparently. for a good ol' fashioned revenge tickle!
which won't work if Lina isn't actually ticklish. worth a shot though. ]
[fuck! shit, okay, no, that—she's extremely ticklish, which she hadn't expected to be a problem but here she is giggling like a fucking lunatic and trying very hard to fend her roommate off with both her hands going down to her sides to push her away.]
Aah! Stop it! [she's just glad she's not getting punched because she can definitely withstand this. even her protests have some playfulness behind them.]
[in a second, she'll unpack that this was Jen's second reaction after punching.]
Haha, nope! Not yet! [ she hasn't been satisfied that she's extracted her "vengeance" so quickly. Jen isn't all that ticklish herself, so Lina would have a hard time deflecting her assault with just that. it's ... surprisingly pleasant, to hear Lina laugh with such a lack of restraint. she could keep up with this a while.
[she hasn't been challenged like this since she was a kid! it's actually kind of fun? it brings back actually good memories, but she can't focus on them because now her legs are squirming, too, trying to push Jen away as her eyes shut and her laughter gets a little more desperate.]
Worth it! [ and now she's laughing, too, because it's exhilarating. Lina's struggling is getting more and more effective. even if the targets are unfair. ]
Oof, hey! Not the boobs! [ Jen moves in closer, pulling her right arm in to try and wrap them around Lina's legs. maybe clamp or pin them together between the two of them. it leaves her with one less defense to use, but also still gives Jen one hand for tickling. ]
[hey, if it means that there's less tickling going on, Lina will let it happen, and as somebody else in that sort of situation she knows damn well that it hurts more than it should to get attacked in the boobs. she calms her legs down as best she can while still being tickled because Jen isn't letting up and her body bends to one side and bunches up against the couch to try to make the space too tight for Jen's hand to maneuver.]
Oh, and since when are we playing fair? [ she's not quite done yet, and Lina isn't just giving up either. that makes this a challenge and Jen always rises to challenges. always.
so what if her hand is about to be crushed? Jen should be considering any potential consequences or injuries she might just sustain but hey, she's already going to have a hell of a time showing her actual face at the gym for a day or two, so she might as well go for broke. she shifts one leg up onto the couch and changes the angle of her attack. if Lina squirms too much though one of those hands might end up in a place she won't want it. ]
[Lina knows Jen has a point and hates it but now she's literally climbing on top of her? give Lina a second, let her breathe, let her breathe dammit and she can stop this and find some way to make Jen regret taking it this far just let her—]
Jen, please, I—
[her hand grabs at Jen's wrist to try to make her stop, because it's getting less fun now that Lina can't even focus on breathing and it's hard for her to control, if she successfully grips Jen's wrist with her own noodly arms, where Jen's hand ends up. good thing she can pretend it was on purpose if she ends up accidentally groping her.]
[ it's that point where Lina's not just struggling in a way that's fun to witness but more seeming like she's genuinely having some trouble. so Jen relents.
her expression's color lilts from joy to concern quickly. Jen's right arm is firmly planted in the cushion in a way that bears all her weight while she lets Lina hold onto her other hand that's turn with a flat palm down. onto what, she hasn't yet noticed, but there's no movement there. ]
[give her a second. the tickling has stopped and Lina's face is bright red and she's definitely crying a little bit, and there's a pained smile on her face that, in a moment, is probably going to become much less pained. because her head is tilted up at Jen, and then her eyes follow her arm down, and Lina lets go so Jen can more easily pull away if she wants. which might be a big if.]
Couldn't—[god, she's breathless. it doesn't help, and the way her chest heaves as she tries to get air back isn't going to help Jen's case much either.]—let it go with just a look?
A... look? [ Jen is confused. ] You thought I was actually going to punch you? For real?
[ wait. now that the moment is less hectic and her senses aren't focused on attack or defense, she notices that her other hand didn't land on Lina's shoulder. or literally anywhere else appropriate. ] Shit! Sorry! [ she pulls the hand aside which, unfortunately, she doesn't have the balance for. Jen doesn't go careening off the couch, thank God, but the sudden shift does cause the recliner in that section to forcibly activate and the leg extension saves her fall. somewhat.
aaaand her face is beet red. again. fan-frickin-tastic. ] God, you could have said something!!
[Lina laughs with a little more of an edge behind it, but she's still delighted by what she's seeing. flustering her roommate is what caused this whole thing in the first place, so they're maybe not even at this point, but Lina considers it a notch in her column.]
[Lina grabs for Jen's arm to try to stabilize her and sit up a little more at the same time; she actually doesn't want her roommate to get hurt, after all. but the recliner, well, does what it's supposed to (though of course not as much as an actual individual recliner might) and Lina ends up sinking back into the couch with her hand inadvertently tugging Jen closer. which is fine by her since it means they're both less likely to fall off the damn thing, but maybe Jen would like, uh, not to be right there in Lina's personal space again right now.]
[ being right there isn't necessarily a bad thing? it means that she's stable and both Lina's grip and her own arm bent at the elbow now flush with the seat helps a lot with that. but it also means Lina may regret being quite this close to her since, well, Jen did just spend the past couple of days outside the city with little but a freshwater dip and a soak with a cold towel for cleaning. though the mass of hair cascading down around them might help with that since, again, dry shampoo is the greatest invention since sliced bread when it comes to keeping her looking fresh without having to spend three hours in the shower each morning. ]
I. [ gulp. ] Uh. [ it's hard to break Lina's gaze right now. ] Mind was elsewhere...
[ there is a faint whisper of a memory in the back of her mind. an awkward encounter. two young voices whispering back and forth to one another. "what are you doing?" "Idon'tknowhelpme." ]
So. Should I move...? [ Jen meant to make that sound more certain. she should, without question, move. ]
[and with Jen this close, yeah, there's a lot that Lina could be doing, and seeing her flustered like this is extremely funny. if the circumstances were a little different and they knew each other better, if Lina were at all more confident, if a lot of things changed then maybe she would've done something.]
[instead, Lina tries very hard to keep her face straight and not wrinkle it up. something like this is best delivered with a smile, right? because it's funnier that way. she brings her face close, keeps her voice quiet, makes it so their lips are just about to touch...]
[ Jen's heart went from almost skipping a beat to breaking in the span of a few short words. her expression freezes in shock.
she very calmly rises up onto her knees, reaches behind her, grabs a pillow, and flings it (not too hard!) at Lina's face. ] Oh! My! God! You are the worst!
[ but it gets her to laugh, and it gets her to move off the couch, which was the goal, right? right??
Jen huffs, crosses her arms, and turns away. ] I was going to until you surprised me!
[from the bright laughter coming from Lina, yes, this was exactly the goal. she lets the pillow fall into her lap and picks it up, holding it against her chest and hiding her smile behind it. too bad it's spreading to her eyes and she's the most obvious person in the world.]
Oh my god! What, did you want me to kiss you?
[the pillow is now serving double duty covering up the red in her face that appears the second she thinks too hard about that. she forces herself to stop being so giddy and playful and switch back into the persona that Jen might best know her for. well, as well as she can.]
Haven't I distracted you enough? Go take care of all that stuff. Wash the outside off you.
[ are they at the level where they can actually joke about this sort of stuff and not take anything they say too seriously? Jen has to honestly question that for a second because, well, she's seen first-hand how serious Lina can take things.
Jen heaved a sigh and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. she is pointedly not answering that question because she feels embarrassed enough over. well. stuff. ]
Whatever, nerd! Guess I'll go before I infect you with grass cooties or something.
[ yeah that. was lame, even coming from Jen of all people. she is still flustered, and not doing a good job of being fake-mad about things without seeming absolutely childish. she moves swiftly off to the bathroom to go take a suddenly very much needed cold shower that had nothing to do with what just transpired. she's just... sore, okay!?! ]
[haha. ha. cool. way to go, Lina. she's just gonna grab some of the extra stew that she didn't give to Jen and pull an energy drink out of the fridge and stay in her room for a while because hoo boy she feels like she has fucked up a lot tonight. and apparently the fuckups continue because she hasn't actually put all the clean stuff away and anything that Jen could actually use to dry herself off is still here, in Lina's room. she groans audibly.]
[great. now she has to make this even more awkward because she is apparently unable to cease. she has popped and she cannot stop. grabbing one of Jen's towels and a robe if that's what she feels like walking around in, Lina leaves her dinner where it is and heads over to the bathroom. she raps on the bathroom door with the back of her hand (four knocks, emphasis on the first and fourth) and calls past it.]
Jen? I have your towel.
[the only reasonable thing to do is to walk in, but she's going to wait this time, dammit.]
[ the shower was, in a word, amazing, in just how badly Jen needed it. the past couple of days had been filled with a lot of joy, but also a lot of stress. the need to hold herself back and reconsider all her actions of the past couple of weeks, for one thing, but also try and impress literally everyone around her every waking hour? it took its toll.
so far into her own head was she right now that she even neglected to take off her arm before stepping into the stall. normally she avoids getting it wet or dirty, and god forbid her taking it anywhere near the beach except in the case it arrived in. but even amidst scrubbing herself down she couldn't help but think to how much easier it was, how natural it felt to her, to use it right now. she wasn't going to wash her hair in full - it wasn't that day of the week - but she did at least want to rinse it out. same with the hand itself.
hmm. she ought to go visit a gun shop or something and see if there's a particular kind of kit she could use to clean it out. Jen could always tell the clerk it's for a friend if they ask for too many details.
the knocking draws her out of that train of thought but not all of them, and she just barely makes out Lina calling to her on the other side of the sturdy door. already rinsed and now just standing under the showerhead because the cold felt really invigorating, Jen replied back but not very loudly. ]
What? What is it?
[ deciding in the same instant that of course she couldn't hear anything, the water was on, she cut that off. Jen also decided that it made sense to open the glass door of the shower since that would surely also block the sound from reaching her.
she probably should have stopped herself from stepping out onto the mat, hair clinging to her every which way less like some pinup and more like a drowned rat.
and ... yeah Jen wasn't thinking straight (hah!) when she spoke up again. ] Yeah, come in?
[Lina hears the water shut off and assumes that Jen is finished, and that probably means that she's already figured out that there isn't anything in there to dry herself off with. which means she knows what Lina's there for, and she knows that she probably should make some sort of effort to cover herself up so Lina doesn't get exactly the same treatment that she gave Jen earlier today.]
[Lina can be so dumb sometimes.]
[she opens the door with a flat expression, holding the towel and robe folded up in the other hand, and immediately yelps and drops both of them. though she's not going to end up bleeding, because she's not also carrying a bunch of heavy stuff, she will grab the door and hide behind it so she can cover her eyes. and then just. casually lean out and show only one eye that's doing its best to focus on anything else.]
Okay, okay, we're fucking even!
[she's doing a very bad job focusing on anything else, though. look, she knows her roommate's hot. Jen knows she's hot, too, and it's that level of confidence, even as she's stepping out of the shower, that's part of why... god, yeah, Lina would probably be attracted to her if they weren't roommates. ugh. she hates this. (she doesn't.)]
[if she actually wanted to help, she'd pick up the towel and robe and bring them over to Jen. or close the door. she is doing neither.]
We —? [ Jen's brain finally catches up to her at about the point where Lina's already shouted at her and has gone mostly into hiding. she could be doing a lot more to cover herself, too, or move back into the shower (like the glass would hide her at all) or forwards to fetch the robe and/or shut the door but there's a problem with anything.
every surface is wet, she's wet, and if she has learned one single lesson this evening it's that she would like to NOT actually break her face. or worse.
still standing on the mat before the shower, Jen crouched down and clutched at the edge of the stall with her metal arm. it may not have the absolute best grip for the situation but it's strong and clamps down in a way that if she slipped and fell she would absolutely damage the track in the process to prevent it.
her other arm slides up over the top of her knees to cover her chest and the way the color from her face is bleeding out to every exposed bit of skin that isn't already lightly tanned from her time outdoors.
she sits there, vaguely shivering, for what felt like an eternity but was probably more like two seconds. ]
Y-yeah, uh. I guess. I guess we are? [ why uncertainty? because that wasn't her intent but also, god this was embarrassing on a whole new level. ] Can you... hand me, the...?
[ she can't reach out without exposing herself. ] Or just. Throw it over my face. That's fine too.
[Lina takes her time pretending she's not watching Jen crouch down and do her best to cover herself. she would've been fine if her roommate just turned around because, like they already established, she's more into chests and doesn't really care if she sees Jen's ass, but that's not really the point of all this right now.]
[the point is that Lina extracts herself from her poor, makeshift hiding place and decides that hey, she doesn't actually like her luck with throwing things at people right now. she inches into the bathroom with one hand barely covering her eyes, and yeah at this point it's a little theatrical and she's definitely peeking anyway—and she's not being subtle about it, either. but she has to at least pretend that on some level, this isn't what she wanted to happen.]
Here. Sorry. I got distracted.
[which Jen probably understands. Lina lowers the towel and robe down to Jen's level, then decides "fuck it" and kneels down in front of her, using the, uh, linens? as a shield between their bodies. she holds it up at her own chest height to keep herself from seeing too much.]
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[she's glad her roommate is recovering, at least, even if it's still 100% incontrovertibly Lina's fault that she ended up like this. she sighs quietly, more for theatrics than anything else. because she's struggling with words, trying to find the right thing to actually say so she sounds sincere and not just like she's repeating herself. which is, to put it nicely, fucking impossible.]
You get one on me. That's the fair thing to do, right? Like, I don't know how you're going to do it, but you get to do something to me that hits me as hard as—[her face hit the floor, is what she's about to say before she course-corrects again.]—that hit you.
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[ even if it's not that, even if it's just karma, it's kind of endearing in a messed up way that Lina would just be like "okay, now hit me back" or something to that effect.
Jen actually considers this for a long moment as she's balling up the tissues and dumping them on the coffee table. she rises from her sitting posture and rolls her shoulders. then she steps up in front of her roommate and grinds her metal fist into her left palm. ] But! If you insist...
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[her hands go up to her face as though that's actually going to guard her. she knows Jen has more strength in one arm than Lina does in her entire upper body.]
I meant metaphorically! Don't actually punch me in the face!
[that is on her for speaking poorly, though.]
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[ Jen lunged downward but didn't go for Lina's face as she was obviously expecting her to do. her knees hit the carpet in front of the couch and her aim was much lower. the other girl's sides, apparently. for a good ol' fashioned revenge tickle!
which won't work if Lina isn't actually ticklish. worth a shot though. ]
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Aah! Stop it! [she's just glad she's not getting punched because she can definitely withstand this. even her protests have some playfulness behind them.]
[in a second, she'll unpack that this was Jen's second reaction after punching.]
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or, as long as Lina can still breathe, anyway. ]
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Oh my god I'm gonna kill you!
[she deserves this. entirely.]
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Oof, hey! Not the boobs! [ Jen moves in closer, pulling her right arm in to try and wrap them around Lina's legs. maybe clamp or pin them together between the two of them. it leaves her with one less defense to use, but also still gives Jen one hand for tickling. ]
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This isn't fair! Oh my god!
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so what if her hand is about to be crushed? Jen should be considering any potential consequences or injuries she might just sustain but hey, she's already going to have a hell of a time showing her actual face at the gym for a day or two, so she might as well go for broke. she shifts one leg up onto the couch and changes the angle of her attack. if Lina squirms too much though one of those hands might end up in a place she won't want it. ]
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Jen, please, I—
[her hand grabs at Jen's wrist to try to make her stop, because it's getting less fun now that Lina can't even focus on breathing and it's hard for her to control, if she successfully grips Jen's wrist with her own noodly arms, where Jen's hand ends up. good thing she can pretend it was on purpose if she ends up accidentally groping her.]
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her expression's color lilts from joy to concern quickly. Jen's right arm is firmly planted in the cushion in a way that bears all her weight while she lets Lina hold onto her other hand that's turn with a flat palm down. onto what, she hasn't yet noticed, but there's no movement there. ]
Hey. Sorry. I got a bit crazy there. You okay?
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Couldn't—[god, she's breathless. it doesn't help, and the way her chest heaves as she tries to get air back isn't going to help Jen's case much either.]—let it go with just a look?
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[ wait. now that the moment is less hectic and her senses aren't focused on attack or defense, she notices that her other hand didn't land on Lina's shoulder. or literally anywhere else appropriate. ] Shit! Sorry! [ she pulls the hand aside which, unfortunately, she doesn't have the balance for. Jen doesn't go careening off the couch, thank God, but the sudden shift does cause the recliner in that section to forcibly activate and the leg extension saves her fall. somewhat.
aaaand her face is beet red. again. fan-frickin-tastic. ] God, you could have said something!!
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[Lina grabs for Jen's arm to try to stabilize her and sit up a little more at the same time; she actually doesn't want her roommate to get hurt, after all. but the recliner, well, does what it's supposed to (though of course not as much as an actual individual recliner might) and Lina ends up sinking back into the couch with her hand inadvertently tugging Jen closer. which is fine by her since it means they're both less likely to fall off the damn thing, but maybe Jen would like, uh, not to be right there in Lina's personal space again right now.]
Could've. Didn't. You couldn't even tell.
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I. [ gulp. ] Uh. [ it's hard to break Lina's gaze right now. ] Mind was elsewhere...
[ there is a faint whisper of a memory in the back of her mind. an awkward encounter. two young voices whispering back and forth to one another.
"what are you doing?"
"Idon'tknowhelpme." ]
So. Should I move...? [ Jen meant to make that sound more certain. she should, without question, move. ]
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[instead, Lina tries very hard to keep her face straight and not wrinkle it up. something like this is best delivered with a smile, right? because it's funnier that way. she brings her face close, keeps her voice quiet, makes it so their lips are just about to touch...]
You should take a fucking shower.
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she very calmly rises up onto her knees, reaches behind her, grabs a pillow, and flings it (not too hard!) at Lina's face. ] Oh! My! God! You are the worst!
[ but it gets her to laugh, and it gets her to move off the couch, which was the goal, right? right??
Jen huffs, crosses her arms, and turns away. ] I was going to until you surprised me!
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Oh my god! What, did you want me to kiss you?
[the pillow is now serving double duty covering up the red in her face that appears the second she thinks too hard about that. she forces herself to stop being so giddy and playful and switch back into the persona that Jen might best know her for. well, as well as she can.]
Haven't I distracted you enough? Go take care of all that stuff. Wash the outside off you.
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Jen heaved a sigh and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. she is pointedly not answering that question because she feels embarrassed enough over. well. stuff. ]
Whatever, nerd! Guess I'll go before I infect you with grass cooties or something.
[ yeah that. was lame, even coming from Jen of all people. she is still flustered, and not doing a good job of being fake-mad about things without seeming absolutely childish. she moves swiftly off to the bathroom to go take a suddenly very much needed cold shower that had nothing to do with what just transpired. she's just... sore, okay!?! ]
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[great. now she has to make this even more awkward because she is apparently unable to cease. she has popped and she cannot stop. grabbing one of Jen's towels and a robe if that's what she feels like walking around in, Lina leaves her dinner where it is and heads over to the bathroom. she raps on the bathroom door with the back of her hand (four knocks, emphasis on the first and fourth) and calls past it.]
Jen? I have your towel.
[the only reasonable thing to do is to walk in, but she's going to wait this time, dammit.]
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so far into her own head was she right now that she even neglected to take off her arm before stepping into the stall. normally she avoids getting it wet or dirty, and god forbid her taking it anywhere near the beach except in the case it arrived in. but even amidst scrubbing herself down she couldn't help but think to how much easier it was, how natural it felt to her, to use it right now. she wasn't going to wash her hair in full - it wasn't that day of the week - but she did at least want to rinse it out. same with the hand itself.
hmm. she ought to go visit a gun shop or something and see if there's a particular kind of kit she could use to clean it out. Jen could always tell the clerk it's for a friend if they ask for too many details.
the knocking draws her out of that train of thought but not all of them, and she just barely makes out Lina calling to her on the other side of the sturdy door. already rinsed and now just standing under the showerhead because the cold felt really invigorating, Jen replied back but not very loudly. ]
What? What is it?
[ deciding in the same instant that of course she couldn't hear anything, the water was on, she cut that off. Jen also decided that it made sense to open the glass door of the shower since that would surely also block the sound from reaching her.
she probably should have stopped herself from stepping out onto the mat, hair clinging to her every which way less like some pinup and more like a drowned rat.
and ... yeah Jen wasn't thinking straight (hah!) when she spoke up again. ] Yeah, come in?
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[Lina can be so dumb sometimes.]
[she opens the door with a flat expression, holding the towel and robe folded up in the other hand, and immediately yelps and drops both of them. though she's not going to end up bleeding, because she's not also carrying a bunch of heavy stuff, she will grab the door and hide behind it so she can cover her eyes. and then just. casually lean out and show only one eye that's doing its best to focus on anything else.]
Okay, okay, we're fucking even!
[she's doing a very bad job focusing on anything else, though. look, she knows her roommate's hot. Jen knows she's hot, too, and it's that level of confidence, even as she's stepping out of the shower, that's part of why... god, yeah, Lina would probably be attracted to her if they weren't roommates. ugh. she hates this. (she doesn't.)]
[if she actually wanted to help, she'd pick up the towel and robe and bring them over to Jen. or close the door. she is doing neither.]
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every surface is wet, she's wet, and if she has learned one single lesson this evening it's that she would like to NOT actually break her face. or worse.
still standing on the mat before the shower, Jen crouched down and clutched at the edge of the stall with her metal arm. it may not have the absolute best grip for the situation but it's strong and clamps down in a way that if she slipped and fell she would absolutely damage the track in the process to prevent it.
her other arm slides up over the top of her knees to cover her chest and the way the color from her face is bleeding out to every exposed bit of skin that isn't already lightly tanned from her time outdoors.
she sits there, vaguely shivering, for what felt like an eternity but was probably more like two seconds. ]
Y-yeah, uh. I guess. I guess we are? [ why uncertainty? because that wasn't her intent but also, god this was embarrassing on a whole new level. ] Can you... hand me, the...?
[ she can't reach out without exposing herself. ] Or just. Throw it over my face. That's fine too.
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[the point is that Lina extracts herself from her poor, makeshift hiding place and decides that hey, she doesn't actually like her luck with throwing things at people right now. she inches into the bathroom with one hand barely covering her eyes, and yeah at this point it's a little theatrical and she's definitely peeking anyway—and she's not being subtle about it, either. but she has to at least pretend that on some level, this isn't what she wanted to happen.]
Here. Sorry. I got distracted.
[which Jen probably understands. Lina lowers the towel and robe down to Jen's level, then decides "fuck it" and kneels down in front of her, using the, uh, linens? as a shield between their bodies. she holds it up at her own chest height to keep herself from seeing too much.]
I'll, um. Yeah.
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