[Log] Tired of Sleeping (open, one closed prompt)

[henchgal]

Who: Meredith and Y'all
When: Early half of October
Where: Apartment B1, ADI Offices, a cafe in town
Summary: Meredith dealing with sleepy-song related brain-fog, getting frustrated with herself
Warnings: Minor memory loss/brain fog, may lead into discussion of self-esteem, perfectionism and disability issues.


1. The Bird on the String is Hanging (Closed, B1)
Meredith left three, almost four hours ago to go do the groceries. Any attempts to text her while she's out may lead to the discovery that she left her phone near the french press, which she failed to clean out this morning. It's not like her, really it's not.

And now she's finally back, but what she lays out on the kitchen counter are hardly really groceries. To wit: a tub of caramel popcorn, a bag of Halloween candy, one whole frozen turkey and a single box of cereal. Even she seems confused by what's sitting there before her, staring at the turkey as if it'll explain itself.


2. Clean, Quilted Heart (Open, ADI Offices)
It's slowly getting worse, the slip-ups, the moments when her mind stutters and exhaustion makes the decisions for her. Perhaps the worst incident comes on a workday, when Meredith shows up to the ADI office not only without makeup, but still in her pajamas. She looks...sloppy. It's not like her, given her usual attention to appearances, her need to be just so.

But she's torn between going home to change and just riding out the day. "Perhaps I need to just keep an emergency change of clothes here at the office."

It's a lighthearted comment, but she feels almost as bad as if she'd walked out without any pants on.


3. I Wonder When I'll Be Waking (Open, Cafe in Town)
Coffee solves a lot of ills, right? Meredith's at a cafe out in town, trying to deal with her exhaustion in the way that tastes best. But she's been staring blearily at the menu, holding up the line for several minutes. Perhaps she might need a rescue or someone to just say 'a coffee, please' on her behalf, because between the frappe-machi-mocha-cinos, she's totally lost the plot.


X. I Just Can't Hear What He's Saying (Wildcard)
Please hit me at darkersolstice or darkersolstice#9463 to discuss, but all wildcards are welcome!

Comments

CW: poor coping mechanisms relating to physical disability? Not sure what to call this, exactly

[henchgal]

"Tired, but everyone's tired right now. Look, I just need to figure out what I need to do to push through it better. I need to stop making mistakes and then everything will be fine. Right? Right."

She sounds oddly defensive there, as if the music messing with everyone is something that is somehow her issue to deal with. But then, that's how it's been. Any deficiency she experiences is something she needs to just get over. Push through. Figure out how to function despite. She does such a good job, some people even think she's okay.

[abrightboy]

“Sometimes we can’t just… push through it so everyone else doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Maybe you need to rest. That’s okay, you know,” Malcolm tells her.

[henchgal]

"No, it's not okay. Other people get to rest, but I've got to do twice as much just to be considered half as good. And someone's got to take care of you and Tim. I can't just stop, I'm necessary."

She leans on the counter, looking at the turkey again blankly.

[abrightboy]

“You’re very necessary,” Malcolm assures her, “but we’re not going to die if you take a day off. I promise.”

[henchgal]

"No, you'll just eat Twizzlers for all three meals, and Tim will sulk in his room and not eat at all. And if I stop for a day, I might be tempted to take longer, and I can't. If I stop, I'm not sure I'll be able to start up again."

[abrightboy]

“Okay; I get that. I’m slightly offended, because I would only eat Twizzlers for two meals and I’d order in the third and share it with Tim, but… point taken,” he concedes. “Maybe we should make a list…” he suggests.

[henchgal]

"Or maybe one of you two goes. Or maybe we get grocery delivery this week. Yes, it costs more. It might be worth it right now, given...this."

She rubs at her eyes, sighing.

"I'm sorry."

[abrightboy]

“Don’t apologize,” he tells her. “It’s fine. We’ll order delivery. We’ll still need a list. Let’s see if I can remember what you picked up last time,” he muses, grabbing a pad and pen.

[henchgal]

"Do it in an order that makes sense. Start with fresh fruit and veg, then deli." Is it weird that now that she's not actively at the store, she can picture its layout and how to go about it more clearly? Brains, man. Brains. In the meantime, she decides to chuck the turkey in the freezer.

[abrightboy]

“Why don’t you walk me through it,” he suggests, “and I’ll write it down.”