( good, because she's out of the car and up the front steps in a matter of seconds, twisting the doorknob despite ettiquette dictation she still ought to knock, and pushing into the house with an aura of poorly contained emotions; it's like a bubble inside her chest that's waiting to pop, but for appearances sake, roxy just holds her chin up in greeting and pushes the door shut behind her. )
Sorry, ( is the first thing out of her mouth; but it's flat, and she doesn't sound all that sorry at all. ) I would have called earlier, but I was in the neighborhood.
[Etiquette be damned. Eggsy had hoped that Roxy would be able to put her manners to the side long enough to just take the hint and come inside, and thankfully she does. He's making his way down the stairs by the time that she comes inside, JB quick on his heels. As soon as the pup realizes who's come to visit, he lets out an excited bark and rushes past Eggsy's ankles in greeting.
But Eggsy senses what JB doesn't. That something is wrong. It's all in Roxy's voice, which is almost monotone. She's trying her best to keep a neutral expression, but she's drained somehow.
Mouth twisting downward, Eggsy takes the last few steps two at a time and then pauses right in front of Roxy to look her over. He works his jaw and peers at her face.]
( at least for a moment, at least out of societal propriety (true friends are a rarity; most ask you how you are and don't really care, so if you shake them off the first time, they'll stop asking, and so) — roxy lies. raises her chin and sounds huffy that he'd even ask. )
I was in the neighborhood, ( is the pointed repetition, then she kneels to briefly pet jb. )
[Sorry, but Eggsy doesn't buy it. Roxy may not have a lot of tells, but this isn't normal behavior for her and she must be here for something, even if she's having a hard time saying it. Company is what she needs, obviously, but there must be a reason behind the sudden visit, some problem that spurred Roxy here.
Eggsy drags his teeth over his bottom lip in thought and then glances toward the kitchen.] Want some tea?
( tea is a vice as much as platitudes and pleasantries are; a regular occurance in he morton househole and calming in the near-daily repetition if not the herbal blends themselves. eggsy offers tea and she nods with stiff enthusiasim — yes please god tea; anything — before forcing a little smile. )
That sounds lovely. Yes, please.
( and roxy will follow him into the kitchen; help so much as to bring down a pair of mugs from the cupboard before retiring to lean against the counter and watch eggsy busy himself with the kettle. it's not an uncomfortable silence betweeen them by any mean, but it's weighted with anticipation and she doesn't look directly at eggsy when she speaks — no, the tiled floor has suddenly become incredibly interesting. )
Percival is in the hospital.
( are those floral patterns? how cute. )
An A&E in Germany, specifically. Not our medical ward.
( and the grout was so clean — she must get the number of the cleaning company michelle employeed. )
He's alive, but in critical condition. Merlin notified me on a professional level, but then my mother called me too.
[Any English person worth their salt is of the belief that tea is a cure-all, an elixir that will patch up any wound. If nothing else, it should offer some kind of comfort after what appears to have been a long day for Roxy.
Eggsy doesn't ask for her help, and is relieved when she doesn't try beyond fetching the mugs. It's not like putting the kettle on is a particularly difficult task, but as Eggsy focuses it, he reflects on how relieved he is that his mum took Daisy out for a walk. Whatever is going on here, it's probably for the best that he and Roxy are alone.
She finally comes out with it. Percival -- in other words, the Knight who nominated Roxy to become Lancelot in the first place. Eggsy knows only enough to realize how serious this is. That Percival is a part of Roxy's family in some way, and that she's known him since she was a little girl. Which makes it seem kind of insane that he would have put her name in for the most dangerous job in the world, but that's not the point right now.
Someone Roxy cares about is in critical condition, and not even in a hospital that's within their control. Eggsy turns (and tries to make the action smooth instead of sharp) and looks Roxy over; endeavors to meet her gaze but fails, as she looks stalwartly at the floor.]
You gonna fly out, then? [It seems like the logical thing to do -- they have Kingsman's entire fleet of private jets on-hand.] If he's in Germany -- it's not that far.
[Eggsy could say he's sorry, or that he hopes that Percival would be all right, but those will just be empty words right now. It seems more productive to focus on what they can do, even if it's just Roxy being there to support Percival as he struggles to pull through.]
( that answer is simply, and quick to the tip of her tongue. her eyes are blessedly dry, but for some reason her nose is still clogged, and roxy has to fight the urge to sniffle pathetically and rub her upper lip. )
I figured it would be best — I shouldn't let emotion cloud my judgement. I could be needed here, and he'll probably be alright.
[Eggsy frowns at that and twists his mouth, because he has always let emotion cloud his judgment. He understands that it's a flaw by Kingsman standards, that Roxy had been able to point a gun at her dog and pull the trigger while he'd failed -- but he still thinks that had been a bullshit test. No offense to Roxy or anything, but the entire concept behind it was fucked up beyond belief.]
Roxy... [He leans himself up against the counter and crosses his arms, inclining his head toward her. He wants to reach out for her, but that might cause her to break down and she looks to be working hard at not doing that.]
There's a reason that there's so many of us Knights. We can be without you for a few days. Have you talked to Merlin 'bout it?
[Not that Eggsy's entirely sure what Merlin's opinion would be, but he also realizes that at the end of the day it's not up to him.]
( even as she says it, an ounce of embarassment creeps up her spine and spreads warmth in her cheeks. merlin is a hardass, but not an unreasonable sadist anymore. he's not their trainer anymore — just their handler, their coworker — he'd probably be understanding, especially if he thought her emotionally fraught enough to compromise her field integrity.
but that's an insulting insinuation. and while it's not (at all) exactly what eggsy was getting at, roxy's still bristling in defense of her morals and raw emotions. )
And I don't intend to.
( merlin is their coworker, but eggsy is her friend. and dammit, she'd just wanted tea and maybe a comforting squeeze of the shoulder. )
[Given that it involves another Knight being in hospital, Eggsy figures that this goes well beyond a personal issue. Merlin must already know the situation, had probably arranged the accommodations for Percival, so chances are that Roxy will be talking to him about it at one point or another.
Merlin had been a hardass toward them during training, but a lot of that has changed now that they've made the cut (in Eggsy's case, in an unorthodox way) and become Kingsmen. Even during that training, Merlin had been kind to Eggsy when Harry had been in his coma, and now that Harry is gone, he's done what he can to be supportive as Eggsy works through his grief.
Still, if Roxy wants to bury her head in the sand and be stubborn about this, then there's not much that Eggsy can do about it.] ... All right.
[She came to him for support and so he doesn't disappoint in the end, pushing away from the counter to stride over to her and wrap his arms tight around her shoulders.]
( the hug could undo her. could be the final bit of emotion that brought forth the — angry, scared, sad — tears that'd been a constant pressure behind her eyes for hours now; could be the breaking point if she allowd it.
but she won't. doesn't.
there's maybe one pitiful sniff, and all of the defensive fight goes out of her shoulders. but roxy holds herself together fairly well, all things considered. and after a brief pause, wraps her arms around his waist and squeezes back in turn; a silent thank you before she mumbles into his shoulder — )
[Whereas Eggsy has broken down into tears a few times since he's joined the Kingsman organization, he's always been the weaker of the two of them. It's why Roxy got the Lancelot spot fair and square while he'd been let in on a technicality (or rather, because no one was going to argue with Merlin on the decision when Eggsy had saved the world).
So while he'd been half expecting Roxy to cry when he'd offered her that physical support, he also isn't that surprised when she holds strong. Though Eggsy can't help but wonder if bottling it all up is going to do Roxy some serious harm someday. Maybe she waits until she's alone before she lets herself cry.
He moves his hand up to the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair, at least until she says those words.]
Shit! [He yanks away from her and rushes over to the stove, turning it off and then sliding on a glove so that he can grab the kettle's handle and pour out the steaming water into the two mugs.] All right, some steaming hot tea, it'll put you right as rain -- least that's what my mum always says.
( even dried eyed and trying to fake composure, she resents the loss of his hand in her hair when eggsy peels away to deal with the kettle and tea. there's the tiniest of sniffs when his back is turned to her, and roxy tosses social graces to the side, choosing to rub her hand under her nose instead of rooting around for the handkerchief she may or may not have on her person.
but the tea is poured and the hug — while she wishes it was a little longer — helped. roxy cautiously takes her cup when he offers it, mindful about how the heat has seeped through the ceramic. the steam rolling off the top smells good, comforting like familiar smells and routine are, and she nods at eggsy after a deep inhale. )
[It's not as if he'd really wanted to pull away, but the kettle overflowing would have been a bit of a disaster. Unfortunately, the moment is already gone, so they'll just have to find warmth in their mugs of tea instead.
Eggsy cradles his with both hands. It's a bit hot, but not so much that it's going to burn him, and so he lifts it to his mouth and takes a careful sip, closing his eyes for a moment as he savors the warmth traveling down his chest.
He doesn't think that bringing up Percival again will do any good. For now, it might be best to take Roxy's mind off of it.]
Wanna watch something, maybe? [He starts off for the living area, expecting Roxy to follow.] I missed out on a few big releases when I was overseas, still tryin' to catch up.
Which blockbusters? ( she asks, voice steady and wellbred composure slipping back into place, this time to stay. the promise of distraction helps quite a lot as well; where the hug had grounded her, the quiet retreat they make into his living area helps keep her grounded. and when eggsy sits, roxy sits to his right — close, as if comfort and resilience were somehow transmitted through proximity. )
The new Hunger Games, for one. Also that new Nolan film -- Interstellar or something?
[Eggsy sets down his mug and then snatches up the remote, turning on the telly and navigating through his souped up cable system until he reaches the pay-per-view section.
There's a time when he would have considered this an unnecessary luxury, but Kingsman pays well and he's found small ways to enjoy that. Like being able to watch any film he wants whenever he wants.]
In the mood for post-apocalyptic shit or space travel? [He could go either way, really.]
Let's do space travel, ( roxy muses gently after a moments consideration. it wasn't as if they were launching rebellions or waging wars, but they'd been in a few proverbial war zones since v-day and she wasn't interested in fake violence and even faker romance.
(and maybe she doesn't want to tempt those oh so successfully repressed tears; everyone cries at the hunger games.)
though it turns out intersteller doesn't pull any emotional punches either. )
Fucking Matt Damon, ( she swears about two hours in as the newly revealed antagonist and protagonist roll down space hills and grapple for dominance and, essentially, survival. it's a nice couch they're seated on, but doesn't have to sag in the middle for the two of them to sink towards each other as the movie progressed.
now roxy's leaning rather firmly against eggsy's side, loosely clutching her mostly empty mug of cold tea dregs with one hand and gesturing at the screen with the other. ) I knew he was lying.
[It's fine, Eggsy can always watch Mockingjay later when he's on his own. He happens to know what happens, having read the books over the course of a few flights he'd taken for various overseas missions. At least Interstellar will be brand new to him.
He certainly doesn't mind the way that they end up curled up next to each other, his arm looping around Roxy's shoulders to support her, though he thinks it's still in a mainly friendly way. They've managed to blur a lot of lines with their friendship and he doesn't actually think there's anything wrong with that.
It's always fun to watch Roxy get worked up at movies, though Eggsy's right with her this time around.]
What a selfish piece of shit. There's no way he's living through this, right?
[Sometimes the best part of a film is the creative ways they come up with to kill off characters, especially those who deserve it.]
Unlikely. ( and she narrows her eyes at the television screen, intensely critical of the suspense movie tropes the film had already gone about fulfilling. it was only fitting, after violating the audience (and matthew mcconaughey's) trust, the only divine retribution would be for him to die. alone. on the planet. like he had feared.
that's what she was (rather unkindly) rooting for anyway. )
I'm not entirely optimistic about anyones chances of survival at this point, though.
( but again, movie tropes-and-or-magic prove her wrong, and a couple minutes later, when cooper and murph are communicating through the piano wires of the space-time continuum, roxy yawns. holds a hand to her mouth to suppress it, and ends up catching sight of where the hands of her watch are currently resting. )
Your mother and sister are out quite late, ( she remarks idly, shifting a little upright and ready to use the time as a testament to why she should not stay to cry over the touching father-daughter reunion. )
[Had Eggsy known what direction the film would go in, or what kind of relationship it would revolve around, he might not have suggested it. Now that they're this far into it, though, there's nothing to be done. Turning it off before it's over would only emphasize the parallels that both of them have started to draw.
The visuals of this scene are enough to keep Eggsy's attention all on their own, but when Roxy shifts and speaks up, he can tell that she's actively looking for an out.
As soon as Roxy mentions his mum and Daisy, Eggsy straightens up from the way he'd slumped over on the couch and grabs for the remote control so that he can pause the movie. She does have a point, though. They should have gotten back hours ago.]
Let me give her a ring.
[He stands up from the sofa before he quite realizes that he's got nowhere to go, but then fishes for his mobile and sends out a call to his mum. As it rings, he glances back to Roxy and offers a tight smile.
They don't have to un-pause it, if she doesn't want to.]
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Because I'm outside.
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Sorry, ( is the first thing out of her mouth; but it's flat, and she doesn't sound all that sorry at all. ) I would have called earlier, but I was in the neighborhood.
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But Eggsy senses what JB doesn't. That something is wrong. It's all in Roxy's voice, which is almost monotone. She's trying her best to keep a neutral expression, but she's drained somehow.
Mouth twisting downward, Eggsy takes the last few steps two at a time and then pauses right in front of Roxy to look her over. He works his jaw and peers at her face.]
What is it?
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I was in the neighborhood, ( is the pointed repetition, then she kneels to briefly pet jb. )
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[Sorry, but Eggsy doesn't buy it. Roxy may not have a lot of tells, but this isn't normal behavior for her and she must be here for something, even if she's having a hard time saying it. Company is what she needs, obviously, but there must be a reason behind the sudden visit, some problem that spurred Roxy here.
Eggsy drags his teeth over his bottom lip in thought and then glances toward the kitchen.] Want some tea?
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That sounds lovely. Yes, please.
( and roxy will follow him into the kitchen; help so much as to bring down a pair of mugs from the cupboard before retiring to lean against the counter and watch eggsy busy himself with the kettle. it's not an uncomfortable silence betweeen them by any mean, but it's weighted with anticipation and she doesn't look directly at eggsy when she speaks — no, the tiled floor has suddenly become incredibly interesting. )
Percival is in the hospital.
( are those floral patterns? how cute. )
An A&E in Germany, specifically. Not our medical ward.
( and the grout was so clean — she must get the number of the cleaning company michelle employeed. )
He's alive, but in critical condition. Merlin notified me on a professional level, but then my mother called me too.
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Eggsy doesn't ask for her help, and is relieved when she doesn't try beyond fetching the mugs. It's not like putting the kettle on is a particularly difficult task, but as Eggsy focuses it, he reflects on how relieved he is that his mum took Daisy out for a walk. Whatever is going on here, it's probably for the best that he and Roxy are alone.
She finally comes out with it. Percival -- in other words, the Knight who nominated Roxy to become Lancelot in the first place. Eggsy knows only enough to realize how serious this is. That Percival is a part of Roxy's family in some way, and that she's known him since she was a little girl. Which makes it seem kind of insane that he would have put her name in for the most dangerous job in the world, but that's not the point right now.
Someone Roxy cares about is in critical condition, and not even in a hospital that's within their control. Eggsy turns (and tries to make the action smooth instead of sharp) and looks Roxy over; endeavors to meet her gaze but fails, as she looks stalwartly at the floor.]
You gonna fly out, then? [It seems like the logical thing to do -- they have Kingsman's entire fleet of private jets on-hand.] If he's in Germany -- it's not that far.
[Eggsy could say he's sorry, or that he hopes that Percival would be all right, but those will just be empty words right now. It seems more productive to focus on what they can do, even if it's just Roxy being there to support Percival as he struggles to pull through.]
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( that answer is simply, and quick to the tip of her tongue. her eyes are blessedly dry, but for some reason her nose is still clogged, and roxy has to fight the urge to sniffle pathetically and rub her upper lip. )
I figured it would be best — I shouldn't let emotion cloud my judgement. I could be needed here, and he'll probably be alright.
( right?
right? )
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Roxy... [He leans himself up against the counter and crosses his arms, inclining his head toward her. He wants to reach out for her, but that might cause her to break down and she looks to be working hard at not doing that.]
There's a reason that there's so many of us Knights. We can be without you for a few days. Have you talked to Merlin 'bout it?
[Not that Eggsy's entirely sure what Merlin's opinion would be, but he also realizes that at the end of the day it's not up to him.]
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( even as she says it, an ounce of embarassment creeps up her spine and spreads warmth in her cheeks. merlin is a hardass, but not an unreasonable sadist anymore. he's not their trainer anymore — just their handler, their coworker — he'd probably be understanding, especially if he thought her emotionally fraught enough to compromise her field integrity.
but that's an insulting insinuation. and while it's not (at all) exactly what eggsy was getting at, roxy's still bristling in defense of her morals and raw emotions. )
And I don't intend to.
( merlin is their coworker, but eggsy is her friend. and dammit, she'd just wanted tea and maybe a comforting squeeze of the shoulder. )
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Merlin had been a hardass toward them during training, but a lot of that has changed now that they've made the cut (in Eggsy's case, in an unorthodox way) and become Kingsmen. Even during that training, Merlin had been kind to Eggsy when Harry had been in his coma, and now that Harry is gone, he's done what he can to be supportive as Eggsy works through his grief.
Still, if Roxy wants to bury her head in the sand and be stubborn about this, then there's not much that Eggsy can do about it.] ... All right.
[She came to him for support and so he doesn't disappoint in the end, pushing away from the counter to stride over to her and wrap his arms tight around her shoulders.]
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but she won't. doesn't.
there's maybe one pitiful sniff, and all of the defensive fight goes out of her shoulders. but roxy holds herself together fairly well, all things considered. and after a brief pause, wraps her arms around his waist and squeezes back in turn; a silent thank you before she mumbles into his shoulder — )
Your water is boiling.
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So while he'd been half expecting Roxy to cry when he'd offered her that physical support, he also isn't that surprised when she holds strong. Though Eggsy can't help but wonder if bottling it all up is going to do Roxy some serious harm someday. Maybe she waits until she's alone before she lets herself cry.
He moves his hand up to the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair, at least until she says those words.]
Shit! [He yanks away from her and rushes over to the stove, turning it off and then sliding on a glove so that he can grab the kettle's handle and pour out the steaming water into the two mugs.] All right, some steaming hot tea, it'll put you right as rain -- least that's what my mum always says.
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but the tea is poured and the hug — while she wishes it was a little longer — helped. roxy cautiously takes her cup when he offers it, mindful about how the heat has seeped through the ceramic. the steam rolling off the top smells good, comforting like familiar smells and routine are, and she nods at eggsy after a deep inhale. )
Your mother is a very intelligent woman.
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Eggsy cradles his with both hands. It's a bit hot, but not so much that it's going to burn him, and so he lifts it to his mouth and takes a careful sip, closing his eyes for a moment as he savors the warmth traveling down his chest.
He doesn't think that bringing up Percival again will do any good. For now, it might be best to take Roxy's mind off of it.]
Wanna watch something, maybe? [He starts off for the living area, expecting Roxy to follow.] I missed out on a few big releases when I was overseas, still tryin' to catch up.
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[Eggsy sets down his mug and then snatches up the remote, turning on the telly and navigating through his souped up cable system until he reaches the pay-per-view section.
There's a time when he would have considered this an unnecessary luxury, but Kingsman pays well and he's found small ways to enjoy that. Like being able to watch any film he wants whenever he wants.]
In the mood for post-apocalyptic shit or space travel? [He could go either way, really.]
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(and maybe she doesn't want to tempt those oh so successfully repressed tears; everyone cries at the hunger games.)
though it turns out intersteller doesn't pull any emotional punches either. )
Fucking Matt Damon, ( she swears about two hours in as the newly revealed antagonist and protagonist roll down space hills and grapple for dominance and, essentially, survival. it's a nice couch they're seated on, but doesn't have to sag in the middle for the two of them to sink towards each other as the movie progressed.
now roxy's leaning rather firmly against eggsy's side, loosely clutching her mostly empty mug of cold tea dregs with one hand and gesturing at the screen with the other. ) I knew he was lying.
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He certainly doesn't mind the way that they end up curled up next to each other, his arm looping around Roxy's shoulders to support her, though he thinks it's still in a mainly friendly way. They've managed to blur a lot of lines with their friendship and he doesn't actually think there's anything wrong with that.
It's always fun to watch Roxy get worked up at movies, though Eggsy's right with her this time around.]
What a selfish piece of shit. There's no way he's living through this, right?
[Sometimes the best part of a film is the creative ways they come up with to kill off characters, especially those who deserve it.]
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that's what she was (rather unkindly) rooting for anyway. )
I'm not entirely optimistic about anyones chances of survival at this point, though.
( but again, movie tropes-and-or-magic prove her wrong, and a couple minutes later, when cooper and murph are communicating through the piano wires of the space-time continuum, roxy yawns. holds a hand to her mouth to suppress it, and ends up catching sight of where the hands of her watch are currently resting. )
Your mother and sister are out quite late, ( she remarks idly, shifting a little upright and ready to use the time as a testament to why she should not stay to cry over the touching father-daughter reunion. )
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The visuals of this scene are enough to keep Eggsy's attention all on their own, but when Roxy shifts and speaks up, he can tell that she's actively looking for an out.
As soon as Roxy mentions his mum and Daisy, Eggsy straightens up from the way he'd slumped over on the couch and grabs for the remote control so that he can pause the movie. She does have a point, though. They should have gotten back hours ago.]
Let me give her a ring.
[He stands up from the sofa before he quite realizes that he's got nowhere to go, but then fishes for his mobile and sends out a call to his mum. As it rings, he glances back to Roxy and offers a tight smile.
They don't have to un-pause it, if she doesn't want to.]