From: littleredd	Date: January 11th, 2011 11:40 pm (UTC)		(Link)

She was tutting him like his mother would, which was vaguely comforting. He took the potion with ease, smiling a little at Frankie as she doctored his hands. "Thank you," he even added after a moment.

But then she asked how he'd done this, and he hesitated. He could lie and say he'd gotten detention, but then he imagined the first person that she asked about him and detention would laugh. Brian would die before being given detention. There were sickly people that got detention!

"Uh...no...I, uh...my roommate sneezed, and I had to clean the room. He might have had a cold, and it would have been really bad if I caught it too. Then we both could die." He winced a little as he said it, knowing how ridiculous it sounded out loud. "I had to..."

	From: petitechou	Date: January 12th, 2011 12:23 am (UTC)		(Link)

Frankie listened to his explanation quietly until he trailed off, at which point she nodded, finally understanding a little. Well, not really understanding. Mess wasn't something that concerned her, her room at home looked like a bombsite. This room was only clean and tidy because of common courtesy. Rowan probably wouldn't like Frankie's old underwear strewn about the place.

"Well, if you had to..then you had to" she said, trying not to sound sorry for Brian. "Who's your roomie?" She tried to change the conversation.

	From: littleredd	Date: January 12th, 2011 02:56 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Alexander van Rensselaer, he is my roommmate. He gets upset when I clean everything." He frowned, though, looking away. "I think everyone does. But, it is healthy to be clean, so..."

He paused, tilting his head to the side. "Um, y-you're nice."

	From: petitechou	Date: January 12th, 2011 12:47 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Once she was sure his left hand was sufficiently covered in the goop, Frankie took some gauze and began wrapping it. Her heart went out to Brian a little, he must have some deep rooted problems to behave like that. That's what they always said in books anyway.

"No offense Brian, but this doesn't look exactly healthy" she said gently, squeezing his hand slightly and not meeting his eyes. She smiled despite herself at his compliment.

"I am?" She laughed and shook her head. "You're nice too" she said right back.

	From: littleredd	Date: January 14th, 2011 10:24 pm (UTC)		(Link)

He nodded at her, swallowing as he watched her treat his hand. "I know," he said quietly, hanging his head. "I...I have this thing. If...If I don't do things a certain way, I think...I think bad things will happen. So...I have to do them." She didn't, at least, seem like the type to make fun of him for it.

	From: petitechou	Date: January 25th, 2011 02:34 pm (UTC)		(Link)

She had assumed that by now, but it was still upsetting to hear someone explain it. "Okay" she said plainly. The last thing this kid needed was being told what he was doing was wrong. She began wrapping clean, white bandages around his hands carefully.

"What kind of bad things?"

	From: littleredd	Date: January 28th, 2011 02:26 am (UTC)		(Link)

"People might get sick and die, or someone might break in and murder them. You...you just don't know what could happen! So I have to do it, I have to even though I don't want to. Because if people get hurt it'll be my fault then." He nodded, then, watching her wrap his hands in bandages.

"I don't want anyone else to get hurt..."

	From: petitechou	Date: January 30th, 2011 11:04 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"Anyone else? Who's been hurt before" she pushed, asking it casually as she sealed the bandages in place and straightened up. Admiring her handiwork, Frankie felt a bit proud and smiled at Brian.

She pointed at her bed. "Sit. I'll make you some tea" she offered.