Fury (Ian)

[Arden Patricks]

I shake my head, sighing almost silently as I look around the mess in the living room before perching lightly on a chair semi across from him. But I suppose it could be worse, and again is not unexpected.
I look down at my fingernails a moment, trying to think of something to say.

[Ian Hunt]

"So how are you?"
I'm going to force normal conversation now, regardless of how painful it might be. We can't just sit here in silence.

[Arden Patricks]

I shrug. "No worse than... I don't know. All right."
I'm not really sure what I started off saying, to be honest.
"Have you seen her at all?" I ask after another moment of waiting for my fingernails to do something interesting. I don't know if I should bring it up again or not, but the question doesn;'t wait for me to decide before it flies out of my mouth.

[Ian Hunt]

My fists clench automatically, and I glance down before I answer, carefully unfolding each finger and ignoring the brief spasm of painful protest as the muscles in my hand don't want to co-operate.
"Couple of times," I mutter.

[Arden Patricks]

I bite my lip again briefly. Definitely shouldn't have asked.
"And... how is she?" I ask, looking back at my hands.

[Ian Hunt]

"She's in Azkaban, Arden," I can't help but clench my jaw again slightly, because really...what more answer is necessary?

[Arden Patricks]

"Well, obviously...." I say a little more snappishly than I intended and barely refraining from rolling my eyes. "But I just meant... relatively. There are different degrees of... of...." I shrug. Unwell? Awful?
I asked the same question of Logan when I first saw him and got roughly the same answer, so I really should have known not to ask. I should go see Maddie as well, see for myself if she's 'all right.' But I don't know if I will, and that's stupid. If I'll go there for Logan, I should for more decent people also.

[Ian Hunt]

"She sits in a corner and cries," I reply, unable to stop myself from snapping back, "Make up your own mind on how she is."
Of course it doesn't help that her cell is right next to Logan's. I'm sure he's making things worse, he would.

[Arden Patricks]

I wince very slightly again biting my lip. Definitely should not have asked, I think... except I still sort of did, even if I don't like the answer and I don't think he liked saying it or thinking about it.
But she'll be all right... she'll be all right, I repeat to myself immediately as if I've just been thinking otherwise and have to contradict. There doesn't seem to be a thing that I can say.

[Ian Hunt]

"Sorry."
When she doesn't respond I manage to draw in another shaky breath and feel thoroughly stupid for snapping at her in the first place, so I lean forward slightly to rest my head frustratedly in my hands.
I hate feeling so helpless, so useless...but there is really nothing I can do apart from wait this out. I just want to be able to do something, anything at all, to make her feel okay again, but I can't while she's in that place.
There's nothing I can do.

[Arden Patricks]

"No," I shake my head. "I - you have nothing to apologize for, I'm sorry. It was a stupid question to ask."
If he were someone else I might put my hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture or something, but luckily we're sitting far enough apart that I don't have to debate it much.

[Ian Hunt]

I contemplate arguing with her again on that point, because it wasn't really a stupid question. It was perfectly reasonable.
However, I can't really muster the will to bother replying, as my attentions are better spent forcing myself to sit up properly and compose myself.
It feels weird to act this way in front of Arden. I don't know when it was that I stopped being able to act apathetically about things, but now I can't seem to at all and it's rather annoying.

[Arden Patricks]

I look down at my hands again, hating silence. I've asked everything I can think, and said everything I can think of. So now what?