7953/Long Time

Long Time
Date of Scene:	19 June 2019
Location:	Doug Ramsey's Room, Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Cypher, Cannonball

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Cypher has posed:
There are days... there are days.

On this particular day, Doug didn't come down to breakfast, or to lunch. Nobody's seen him, anywhere.

Because he's currently in his room, curled up into a ball in the middle of the bed. With the curtains pulled, the sunlight is muted and the room is dark. Aside from the slow turn of a fan, everything is still, including him.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will come looking for Doug. He has brought lunch up to the other man, thinking he might be sick or something. He will knock on the door "Hey doug you in there?

Cypher has posed:
There is only silence from the other side of the door, a quiet stillness, before a faint "M' fine, Sam."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie might not be able to read people like Doug, but Sam does know his friends. He will check the door to see if it is unlocked, and if so, he will say "I'm coming in." before he actually comes into the room with a pastramii sandwich

Cypher has posed:
The door is unlocked, and Doug is curled up in the middle of the bed, like a lump. "I'm fine Sam," He repeats. "I'm not hungry." His stomach rumbles, giving away that that's a lie.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will walk over towards the other man. He has chips and a drink on the tray and says "Ok, whats up man." He will set the tray on the bedside table, and sit down on the edge of the bed.

Cypher has posed:
There is a long, long silence from Doug. He shifts, and rolls over, his face shiny from sleep, hair mussed. He's a mess. "There are days, Sam, where all I can think about are the things that have happened to me. I can't do anything but ride it out."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will look down at the man and says "You don't have to ride it out by yourself. You need someone we are here bro.

Cypher has posed:
Doug exhales a breath, and then slowly pulls the blanket up over his head, and squeezes his eyes shut. "...I think I've gotten aggravated by all the stress lately. I pushed it too hard last night, ran into a dead end with what I was doing... and now all I can think of is-- is. God, Sam -- I remember ALL of it."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks down at the man and pats his shoulder through the blanket, and says "Would it help you to talk about it, either the time, or the project either one? I am here for you brother."

Cypher has posed:
"I dunno." Doug says, curling in a bit. Though eventually he does extend an arm and go groping for the sandwich, though he can't quite seem to find it. "...Trying to breathe but not being able to get any air. The creeping cold. The *taste*." He looks up at Sam. "...Not being able to move anymore."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks to the other man and says "Well, gonna be honest with you this aint what ya need to put it past you. he will yank the blanket down and walk over opening the curtain wide "Light freedom, life, help banish the dark.

Cypher has posed:
Doug suddenly finds himself disabused of his burrito, and squinting in the light. He blinks, and then shakes his head, before he rubs his face. "You're right, you know. But some days it's just hard, Sam-- maybe it was right that I died that day. Maybe I shouldn't have come back. Maybe it's wrong, maybe I'm not REALLY who I think I am--"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over to Doug and simply says "Bullshit." He will stand there looking at the other man "There is a reason your back, and a reason it took a while. Do Ah know the reason no not yet, but we will at some point. Ah will be honest, ah don't think it is the reason, but it did teach us some stuff, to be more careful, the seriousness of what we do if you will. Maybe it is so Ah have someone to talk to when Ah end up having troubles with it.

Cypher has posed:
Doug looks up at Sam, and then he squints. "...I just don't know how to deal with it some days, Sam. It all gets to be too much and I just..." He shakes his head. He grabs that blanket again, but he does push himself up before he drapes it over him, and then looks down at the sandwich. "Kitty told me -- I -- don't understand it. I know WHY I came back, the mechanisms behind it -- I just."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie walks over to the man, and says "I don't know man, I don't know why I did." He will walk over to sit back beside the man, and says "But tell me this is does anyone really know why they are here?

Cypher has posed:
"I don't know. This is where some people would talk about God's ineffable plan. But honestly... I don't know." Doug closes his eyes. "This was all so much easier when Warlock was here. You know, it's funny, but without him some days I feel like half a person? I think it was because when I died, so much of... me was built around taking care of him."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods to the other and says "You both were that way and to be honest as much as it sucks not for him to be here, Ah think it might be better for you to get used to being yourself, and being you for when he is back

Cypher has posed:
"But I never really learned how to be me." Doug says, "I'm STILL learning how to be me." He does, finally, extend a hand and grab half of that sandwich, and it disappears in short order, because he's actually starving. "Fank oo."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smiles and says "Well, I thought you might need something to eat. It takes time to find the person you want to be and need to be. Sometimes the person you want to be aint the person you need to be as well. "Doug, remember even though your looking like your our age, and smarter and been through more than most 30 year olds, your still running off 16 years of life experience

Cypher has posed:
Doug closes his eyes, and then murmurs, "I never did get to go to the prom. Or, you know, graduate from high school with the rest of you. There's a lot of things I haven't done, that I'll never get to do. I just kind of got thrown into the deep end of the pool... maybe it's messed me up more than I care to admit. I would've liked to go to the prom."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks to the man and says "You know I think that might be possible, in a couple of different ways depends on which way you want to go with it.

Cypher has posed:
Doug gives Sam a dubious look. "What, you want me to go down to Salem Center high and be *that* weirdo?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie shakes his head, and says "Well you could still pass for an 18 year old but might be weird to be dating someone you knows kid sister. No, Ah was thinking either we have one here, as we are always having folks graduating here you know, or we find one of the Adult proms, they do for folks who did not get to go to their regular prom for some reason or another.

Cypher has posed:
Doug scratches his head and makes a dubious face. "I dunno if any of those are good ideas, Sam." Then he tilts his head. "Your sister Paige is cute. Maybe I could take HER to the prom." Having tempted fate that way, he shuts himself up with the other half of his sandwich.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over at Doug and gives the other man the slow once over and says "If she is ok with it, Ah don't mind, but you do realize I know where you sleep, and where your first edition books are kept right?'

Cypher has posed:
Doug's eyebrows raise and the corner of his mouth turns up. "Gotcha." Then he pulls the blanket tighter around himself. "I feel a little better, Sam. Eating helped... talking helped. Thank you." He tilts his head. "Now I'm... mostly thinking about how much it sucks that I never had a senior prom."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "Well you can sit and dwell on that or you can look at ways you can change it. You have the ability to control your destiny my brother, and you are the one who will set your path and speed along that path"

Cypher has posed:
Doug looks up at Sam, and mutters, "...Been reading Dune again haven't you." He sighs, and then gets up, slowly. "...I'm trying, Sam. I'm trying every day. But sometimes I just... I backslide, you know? I can't help it."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smiles and says "Well just remember we are here to step up, and offer you a shoulder to lean on. You do not have to do it alone, you have friends and family here.