rpg_palace | Dom races to find Miranda in Reception

(takes place after Elijah and Dom's fight at the dock)

"Miranda, you got a minute. I need to talk to you. It's about Elijah."

Miranda looked up and smiled, but the smile froze immediately. Dom looked distressed, to say the least, and his tone was far from his usual cheerful self. "Sure," she said, "Let's go somewhere where we can't be disturbed." She got out from behind the counter and pulled Dom out into the garden to her little flower bed. Miranda sat down on the bench beside it and patted the wood next to herself. "What is wrong, Dommie?"

"Gods, I don't know how to tell you this, but well, Elijah and I had a knock-down drag-out fight down in Intake. Hear me out, Mir! He was acting really weird, actually tried to punch me!"

"What?" Miranda gasped and looked at Dom in disbelief. "No, you must be wrong. I spoke to him only a few days ago, he was perfectly nice! He's been troubled by having his pass taken away, but otherwise he is... No, I can't believe that! How did that happen anyway?"

"I don't know. It happened so fast. I got down there where he had been left by Harry on the dock. So I just asked him why Harry hadn't gotten him a pass yet. And he went bonkers on me. Calling me names and stuff. So then I tried to ask him what was wrong. And he starts in with some bollocks story about a high level Lover in Palace and how Eric tried to beat him up. Just absolutely the most bizarre story and he was like hysterical about it."

Miranda listened intently to Dom's recount, but she could hardly believe her ears. "Well, he seems to have a love at Palace, he told me about it too. Obviously Lij cares very much for him." At the mention of Eric, she snorted. "Don't tell me you are on his side."

"But Mir, Eric's a really, really good guy. He would never hurt Elijah. And Miranda, I think you're wrong on that Palace love thing. Who on the upper levels would give him the time of day? I mean, c'mon, it's Elijah. You know, he's cute but really."

"Dommie, how long have you known Eric, and how long have you known Elijah?" Miranda waved him off, "You never know if Eric might snap or not, and Elijah is small, how should he defend himself? I know he's not always playing straight, but I do believe that he does have a special someone at Palace. And he's more than just cute, so don't be mean about the possibility that someone might find him lovable. The only thing that's bad about him is his love for this Angel."

"Mir, believe me I know Eric well enough to know that he wouldn't so much as touch a hair on Elijah's head even if he was as pissed off as I was today. And this can't be dumped off on Angel. It was just Elijah and me, his supposed friend." Dom's frustration came through in his voice. He could tell by her face that she wanted to believe that Elijah was innocent. He couldn't tell her everything about their fight and he had a sense of deepening dread that she wasn't going to believe him.

"Dom, you just can't hear anything bad about Eric. Why would Elijah lie about him, what would he have to gain? Maybe your crush on Eric made you snap when Elijah tried to explain what happened. And then Elijah just got frustrated that you were taking Eric's side over his own and who could blame him?"

"Oh, Miranda, it's not like that. Really. Oh gods, I'm not explaining this right. Please love, don't be mad at me, please. I'm trying to...I didn't snap first...I just, oh man, I just wanted to tell you that's all. To warn you, I guess, to be careful around Elijah that's all. Hell, if you can help him... can, I don't know, soothe things over, then do it. I have this really sick feeling in my stomach about all of this. I just don't know what to do."

"Dommie, I want to believe you, I really do, but, it's just so hard! I mean, I have known Elijah since he was still a little kid, long before you met him. I simply can't picture him like that." Miranda turned around and put her arm around Dom's shoulder. "I am thankful that you share your concerns with me though, but there is no need to warn me." She keeps it unsaid that something about the way Dom is behaving is really unsettling her, but Miranda simply can't bring herself to believe that Elijah had tried to punch his best friend. "But if this will help you feel easier, I'll be watching out for myself, I promise."

Dom kissed her cheek gently but sadly and snuggled close, needing to be comforted. He was so close to tears he couldn't believe it. "I think I'm going to go lay down. Just listen to some music for a while."

"You are trembling terribly", Miranda states softly and pulls Dom closer. She returns the kiss and presses her lips against his temples. "I am sorry Dommie. I shouldn't have said that about your crush on Eric. Are you sure about leaving right now? I just want to make sure you're okay. I can take off some more time from Reception, and then we can talk some more, if you like."

Subdued Dom whispers,"no, I'll be okay." Miranda nods. "Well, alright then." Dom replies softly. "Miranda? Just promise me one thing. No two." She nods, motioning him to continue. "First, give Eric a chance. You haven't met him and he really is a nice guy. And it's not just my crush saying that. 'Sides, he's got, well, there's someone else." When she hears that Eric is interested in another, she nods again. So she may really have been wrong about him. "Of course dear. I will wait with my final verdict until after I've met him." Struggling with his emotions, Dom begs "and the second," and now a tear escapes to trickle down his cheek. "Please, promise me if Elijah says something bad about me, don't assume it's the truth. Talk to me and I'll tell you honestly."

When a second tear rolls down his cheek, Miranda reaches up and brushes it gently away. She can hardly hide her unease about all this - Dom is not someone to cry quickly, that's Elijah's specialty. Could it be that there is truth in what her friend has just told her? "I still cannot imagine him saying anything bad about you at all, but I promise I will hear you out on whatever he accuses you of. Don't ask me to take everything he says about you as lies but I promise I won't take it for granted either."

Scrubbing his face hard, Dom sighs and rises slowly. "That's fair. Oh, Mir, if I could just go back in time and have this never happen. Thanks for listening, luv. I needed..." another tear fell and he looked away, swallowly with difficulty. Hugging her fiercely as she rose to join him, he kissed her again and walked away, his head hanging down.

Miranda watches Dom walk away and shakes her head. Slowly, she sets off to return to Reception, thinking hard. If she hasn't been worried before after talking to Elijah and hearing his half-truths (she knows they are), she definitely is worried now. Maybe Harry will be able to help her to finally understand all of this mess, but he sounded rather reluctant in his email so she can't count on it. She will have to talk to Elijah about it again. When she's back at her desk, she gets her com out and sends off a quick note to him.