Veronica and Piper's Apartment, Wednesday Evening

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Rubbing at her temples, Callisto eyed the small vial of murky liquid in her other hand, debating whether or not to drink it.

Comments

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

*ring*

Okay. She's a day late. She'd been half-hoping Cal would take the initiative and call, but.... no.

*ring*

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Callisto picked up her phone. "Cal."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"It's me. What are you doing?" Parker curled up on her window seat, and scratched Esme behind the ears.

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Callisto put the vial away for now. "Nothing."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Nothing?" Parker frowned. "This is not what I'd hoped to hear. Something. TV-watching. Beach watching. That would be cool." She sighed. "Did you get those herbs you were trying to find las tweek?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Callisto sighed. "I'm afraid you're going to have to settle for breathing," she said. "Yes, I got them."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Are they helping with the nightmares?" Parker tapped her fingers on the windowpane, biting her lip. "And... do you still not want to talk about them?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Not as much as I'd like," Callisto replied. "It's not exactly something I can talk about, Parker."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Let's see if I can guess. Based on things you said over Christmas break." Parker's voice dropped. "People you love dying. Fire. Destruction." Her voice got quieter. "Rape."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Callisto's grip tightened on the phone. "The first three hardly even qualify anymore," she said by way of not answering the question.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker felt totally inadequate to dealing with this. Totally inadequate to counseling Cal, or helping her cope.... "I thought so." She sighed. "Cal, you have *got* to talk to someone about this. Someone who knows more than me. Who knows what to say. How to help. Please?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Why?" Callisto asked dully. "I already know the kinds of things they'll say."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Like what?" Parker took a breath. "That it wasn't your fault? That it's okay to feel hurt? Anger? Fear?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Girls like that," Callisto's voice was hard. "Don't get kind words and gentle reassurances. They get what's coming to them."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I would never say that to anyone. No matter who they were." Parker's voice had grown even quieter in intensity. "And neither would any competent healer, doctor, therapist, what have you, in this century. The truths of your childhood weren't true, Cal. You can't hang onto them. And why would you want to?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Just because it no longer means a drop in your market value, it doesn't mean they're not still true."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

This would be why Parker wanted her to talk to a professional. Because 'I have no response to that' was not the right thing to say here, she knew that much.

"It wasn't true then, either. Even if everyone said it." Parker sighed. "Think about seeing one? Please?" After a moment, she added, "I have some photos for you, if you can set your phone to receive."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"If it wasn't true he wouldn't have rewarded him for it," Callisto said. Then, grateful for the change in topic, asked "What photos?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"They might freak you out a little," Parker said hesitantly, then carefully sent the files. "I'm deleting them after this. He knows I was going to send them to you anyway."

Her photos of Mini-Ares went through the phone to Cal's and Parker checked. "Did you get them?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"It's a child," Callisto said, frowning. "I don't understand."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"It's a minified God of War." Parker smirked a little. "Ares is teaching a class here in Fandom. And Fandom decided to mess with him last weekend. Not even soi-disant gods can escape the weird of this place."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"There's no self-styled about him, Parker," Callisto said. "And if you mess with him, you're asking for trouble."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"That much I got." Parker debated a moment, then said, "He says he can teleport to where you are. I don't know if I believe him, but he's one more reason why I didn't think you coming back here was the best idea."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"If he could get to ho-... the hotel, no reason he couldn't make it here," Callisto said.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Okay. But he's here a lot. Hell, I don't know. Where do you feel safer? Seriously?"