Confused before?

Jade, having already eaten was still thinking about the way Alex had behaved. No one was going after him, and she couldn't fathom why he'd reacted the way he did to her note. What had she done to offend him? It wasn't that bad was it? He can't have mis read what she had written that badly could he? How could you take offense from it? She grabbed a reakfast roll with some kind of fried meat in it.

"I'll be back in a moment. I... I need to check on something." She stood up, Seymour rolled his eyes.

"He's not worth it Ms Black." He chided.

"That's Doctor Black to you. You need to learn some manners, what you said hurt him and someone needs to go apologise you you all."

"He's just a big..."

"Shut up Nipples." Jade grumpled, deliberately mis pronouncing his name.

***

She walked out of the refectory and broke into a jog to catch up with Alex. He hadn't shambled far, but she could tell from his posture that he was annoyed, upset and hungover. Maybe even all three at once.

"Alex, wait." She said, a little out of breath. He kept on walking, setting his shoulders a little against Jade. She slipped by him and stopped in his way. He kept his eyes downcast, usually a good strategy, unless you were being acosted by someone more than a foot shorter than you.

"What?" He grumbled.

"Do we need to talk?" She asked, unsure really what to say.

"No" He averted his gaze. She reached up and turned his head to look at her.

"Don't worry about them. What they say doesn't bother me... I think... If I've done anything to upset you I'm sorry. Next time i'll wake you up at 6am if you like?" She paused to look at him, study his face for emotion. He kept it set cold and hard. "I don't really know why you apologised, you didn't need to..." She was trying to get an answer out of him.

None was forthcoming. She scowled a little.

"Well, eat this, drink a lot of water as I said. Did you take the pills?" She studied him again. Still nothing, he was either an expert at hiding his emotions or so hungover and screwed up inside that it didn't show. "Come back in when you feel up to it? I'll amke sure those bullies arent mean. I'll tip Seymour over if I have to." She chuckled.

She looked up at him. Seing the hurt, wounded pride and not the drunken lout that people had picked on. Her flaw, seeing the best in people. She thought she had seen the real Alex last night, sensed that his walls were down and wished now that she could tell him it would all be ok. Whatever his demons were, it would all be ok. She knew what demons were like to carry.

"Yeah?" His first and only word, skepticism evident in his voice, something like sarcasm too. He didn't believe her. She couldn't work out why he was being so cold now. The hangover? Did he actually hate her for some imagined wrong doing?

"Yeah." Tears were about to start. She bottled it. The stress of coming out of stasis was getting to her. She felt alone, and now one person she thought was a... Friend? Was shutting her out.

She stood on tip toes and kissed him on the chin.

"Don't shut me out ok? I'll listen when you want to talk about whatever is going on." She sniffed and turned back to go into the refectory, leaving him in the corridor.

***

She picked at an apple and a slowly cooling coffee waiting for anything to happen. Listening to the chatter around the table.

<Tag>

OOC - Whipped out in a lunch break because I couldn't let you walk off like that! It was bugging me all morning!