[Vi's reticence to meet her eyes is hardly subtle. A distaste and distrust for all things ADI, and a reluctance to make use of their facilities, Caitlyn assumes. She does hate dragging Vi to a place she doesn't want to be, but there aren't any other appealing options.
Caitlyn obdurately bears as much of Vi's weight as Vi will allow, though by the time they reach the stairs she's gritting her teeth together. Less so from the pain than from exertion. She's never considered herself weak by any means, but Vi is a compact package of muscle that is not easy to carry over long distances.]
Do you get some sort of pleasure from treating me like a bag of flour?
[The small, tired smile on her face makes it clear she's teasing, albeit sincere in her desire for Vi to refrain from straining herself further. And even the thought of being hauled up the stairs over Vi's shoulder is rather a blow to her dignity.]
It's only four floors up. We'll clean ourselves up and discuss our next steps, and then in the morning we'll...
[What? Find a new place to stay? She doesn't want Vi to be anywhere that makes her uncomfortable, and it doesn't even occur to her that she wouldn't follow Vi wherever she goes, but she's fairly certain she hasn't got enough money to afford anywhere else. Money... an exhausting thing to have to think about. Do the washing up, take out the bins, keep the apartment clean, cook, do the laundry, shop for food and supplies, keep track of how much money there is, because if the money runs out then so do the food and supplies... Back home, if Vi wanted a place to live, Caitlyn could just give her one. She could give her a whole building.]
We'll figure something out.
[Her leg, acting with a mind of its own, twinges in protest at the thought of walking up that many stairs, but she forces her knee to bend and her calf to take her weight anyway, as she begins to trudge upwards.]
no subject
Caitlyn obdurately bears as much of Vi's weight as Vi will allow, though by the time they reach the stairs she's gritting her teeth together. Less so from the pain than from exertion. She's never considered herself weak by any means, but Vi is a compact package of muscle that is not easy to carry over long distances.]
Do you get some sort of pleasure from treating me like a bag of flour?
[The small, tired smile on her face makes it clear she's teasing, albeit sincere in her desire for Vi to refrain from straining herself further. And even the thought of being hauled up the stairs over Vi's shoulder is rather a blow to her dignity.]
It's only four floors up. We'll clean ourselves up and discuss our next steps, and then in the morning we'll...
[What? Find a new place to stay? She doesn't want Vi to be anywhere that makes her uncomfortable, and it doesn't even occur to her that she wouldn't follow Vi wherever she goes, but she's fairly certain she hasn't got enough money to afford anywhere else. Money... an exhausting thing to have to think about. Do the washing up, take out the bins, keep the apartment clean, cook, do the laundry, shop for food and supplies, keep track of how much money there is, because if the money runs out then so do the food and supplies... Back home, if Vi wanted a place to live, Caitlyn could just give her one. She could give her a whole building.]
We'll figure something out.
[Her leg, acting with a mind of its own, twinges in protest at the thought of walking up that many stairs, but she forces her knee to bend and her calf to take her weight anyway, as she begins to trudge upwards.]