Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge [Kait]

If he wanted to kill himself, Lochlann would have just gone home.

That was the price of failure. If he didn't learn to adapt, the herd was going to tear him to pieces, and his mother would never speak again. It was a tiny little tidbit he'd forced to the back of his mind for the last year, but it had resurfaced over the course of this last week. He had nothing to do but think, when he was conscious at least. He'd never shoot himself, for gods sake. Of course, no one was going to believe him. Who would take the word of an addict over a straight-A honors student?

Lochlann was sitting in the hospital lobby, a set of crutches resting next to his seat. He didn't have anyone to bring him a change of clothes, so he was wearing the same flannel shirt and jeans the night of the....he wasn't sure what to call it.

Attempted murder seemed fitting.

He was dizzy and felt light-headed, like he might pass out at any moment. They warned him the pills might do that, which is why he wasn't allowed to leave by himself.

He didn't know who else to call. He didn't have a phone. And he certainly wasn't going to call her.

So he'd called Chloe. Or, more accurate, the nurse-receptionist-woman called Chloe, since he wasn't too good with phones, and he'd left an uncomfortable voice-mail asking if she'd stop by the hospital. He just needed someone to walk out with him so he could leave this god forsaken place. He offered to pay her once they got back to his place, he just needed to get out. His leg throbbed but he refused to look at it, feeling a rush of anxiety claw at his throat with the very idea. Just keep calm, he told himself. Can't give them any other reason to keep me here.

Suicide watch. What a joke.

Loch wasn't expecting the welcome he received from Chloe, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't grateful. He patted her back and then dropped his hands back to his side when she backed up. The hand that stayed on his shoulder was cool and felt good on his burning skin, even through the fabric of his shirt.

“Hi Loch...I heard about what happened. I’ve, uh, done something like that before, so… I guess, if you ever want to talk about it…” She shrugged.

Loch's eyes widened. She'd shot someone before? Oh shit. He'd always wanted to meet a girl he didn't have to worry about hurting but--

--then he realized what she meant and his face softened. He was still surprised, but it was a completely different kind of surprise. It seemed impossible that someone as vibrant as Chloe could wind up somewhere that dark, but that was the problem with feelings like that. They didn't discriminate. He realized he was still searching her face and he dropped his gaze. He sighed a ran a hand through his hair.

"Thanks," he said, casting a nervous glance back towards the desk. "But mostly I just want to get out of here. I hate hospitals. Can we, uh, talk outside? I have something I need to ask you."

He grabbed the crutches and got himself to his feet, awkwardly, but the idea of getting revenge kept him steady.

After a week cooped up inside, the cool winter air and sunlight was a welcome relief. He leaned against the wall of the building and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He was still pretty dizzy and the short walk was taking more out of him that he thought.

“You wanted to ask me something, Loch?”

He opened his eyes cast his gaze down, scratching at the back of his neck. "Well, first, really, I want to thank you for coming to get me. I didn't really trust anyone else, and since you already know my secrets..."

He shrugged.

"I was set up," he said. "Remember I warned you about that girl who wants to kill me? I didn't do this to myself."

He refused even say what this was, counting on the fact that it was pretty obvious, but also detracting from his own creditability by refusing to say I didn't shoot myself in the leg.

"I can't let her get away with this." Lochlann said. "She won't do anything in public. If you're with me, she won't try anything. She has a reputation to uphold. I'm-"

He hesitated. It seemed like a lot to ask, but she could say no. Only he really didn't want her to say no. It was part terror and partly because, when all things were said and done, he was kind of lonely. "I'm wondering if you'd help me break into her apartment. "

It still sounded pretty bad.

“Well… first off, I don’t see why she wouldn’t just shoot both of us. I mean, I look like a demon and I would be helping you break into her home.” She fired an imaginary handgun. “Bam! Die evil demon. And secondly, why do you want to break into her apartment?”

She had a good point. Loch was both amused and disturbed by the sound effects.

"Well, she doesn't know I've told you things about her. As far as she knows, you're new here and there's no reason for her to be suspicious of you. So if she caught both of us..."Loch's voice trailed off, picturing Guin shooting Chloe and himself, then putting the gun in his hands. This girl was going to give her nightmares.

"Alright, nevermind, maybe that's not such a good idea." He racked his mind, admittedly happy to have something else to think about besides his leg.

"I've broken into her apartment before," he said. "Guin stole something of mine that's really important to me. I need to take something of hers so I have something to bargain with."

He stopped to catch his breath for a moment. "What if we call her at home to see if she's there first, and if she is, send her all the way to the otherside of the island on some kind of errand? Then we'll be in the clear for at least a half hour, and I don't even need that. Just a couple of minutes."

Even though she was shooting down his ideas, Lochlann was feeling pretty satisfied. He wished he'd talked to her about his plan to confront Guin the other day. Maybe he wouldn't have wound up getting shot.

Hmmm," he chewed on the inside of his cheek. He really wanted to sit down, but getting back to his room where he could avoid any curious looks for the next 6-8 weeks was a better goal.

She asked him about what he was looking for and Loch faltered. He never, ever talked about his mom, and talking about that necklace would inevitably open up that discussion. In some ways, it was easier to tell her he was a murderer than this. He was quiet for a little bit too long, perhaps giving the impression that he'd dropped the subject, but after another moment he started to talk.

"My mom gave it to me. This," he motioned to his body. "Isn't supposed to be permanent. It's hard to stay in one shape for too long. If it started to rain right now, I'd be fucked. That amulet helps keep me human."

He changed the subject, maybe a little too quickly. They were almost back to his room. Loch had a tenuous grasp on geography. "What if we sent her to...I don't know. Europe. Make up this big packet, like she's being sent on some kind of...safari?"