@emmelinefm
LOCATION: outside the infirmary
SEBASTIAN KNEW THAT SOME questioned his sympathy for the woman. and yet, those that were closest to him knew better than to ask questions. he just wanted to help. he remembered when he had first arrived in the quarantine zone, alone and scared and with blood on his hands he couldn't wash away, no matter how hard he tried. and yet, he had been lucky enough to find people who took him in, helped him through the ebb and flow of his adjustment. he aimed to do just that for emmeline. there were moments of good in their blossoming friendship, moments of growth that sebastian had seen and he would always be proud of her, even with the bad.
he had thankfully been unoccupied when he heard the call for his presence, exiting the doors with his jacket thrown loosely over his shoulders. he could feel the oncoming cold nipping at his exposed wrists, the pads of his fingertips, the flesh of his cheeks. and yet, he was focused on none of that -- only the woman in front of him.
" emmeline? " he calls out to her, not making a movement closer. she needs space in this moment, and he knows to give it to her. " you did good, coming to get me. okay? can i come closer, or would you like me to stay where i am? "
like any coin, being slightly out of touch with reality had its two sides - it both protected and put her in danger, almost simultaneously. emmeline was a survivor like a cat with 'nine lives' - she was simply 'lucky'. however, that luck came at a price of her deterioration and inability to trust like she had done so many times before. when everything had changed, she thought it would get solved. she was doing well in life for once, she was stable and thriving and everyone's structures quickly fell - she was no exception.
there had been people around her, ones that were too close and then... it would be a long running pattern and trauma only exacerbated her illness. guilt was no uncommon thing with people. the woman could think of a lot more deserving people to be here, people who she had admired and loved throughout her life, that had helped her so much but it didn't play out that way. her sister cared a lot about her, even when she had her own children and she'd always fought to be a support - the other had made it clear very early on that she wanted to remain close to her, to make sure she wasn't alone.
it always felt so real and sometimes, she could recognise it and keep it to herself, other times, not so much. it had lead emmeline to sebastian because he seemed genuine. the woman couldn't be so sure but he had helped her, somewhat filling the role of her late sister without realising it. her chest hurt. she was about to start her dialogue when she heard that - 'you did good, coming to get me.' she'd sworn her family had said something similar to her when she was unknowingly at the worst points of her life, however, now there just seemed to be a lot more of them. it had somewhat broken her out of what she'd initially thought but that didn't mean the idea wasn't still pressurised within her. "you're not safe with me." emmeline was gentle in nature, she wasn't going to hurt anyone and that should have told her everything she needed to know.
