sixwordstories | (no subject)

Complicated is something I've already got plenty of, don't worry.

[ There's a string on her jacket and it distracts him for the briefest of moments because it's bright red against the white of her shirt. Adam presses his fingertips to his palms. ]

I'm sorry to hear that.

(That moment of silence, brief as it may be, is enough to have one perfectly manicured eyebrow arching. Though lately it isn't as if she can call anybody out for acting strangely. She's well aware that, to anybody who doesn't know her, she hasn't exactly seemed like the picture of mental health lately)

Don't be. Everyone has their own problems. Are you alright, though?

[ They say grief has a way of manifesting in strange ways, but Adam isn't prepared for that part yet, he's still very firmly planted in the 'denial' portion of his diagnosis and not moving anywhere anytime soon. Thus, his mouth goes for a smile and falls short somewhere around a shrug. ]

Depends on your definition of alright, I guess.

(Quinn may not be grieving, but she's no stranger to denial, though hers generally manifests in anger and causes her to lash out at whoever is closest. Right now though, anger is the furthest thing from her mind as the statement is turned over in her mind. Alright for her probably isn't what most people would call normal)

You're not going to have a breakdown or anything, are you?

Not if I can at all help it. [ Which doesn't come out the way he intended it: joking, light. If anything, it comes out like a question aimed at himself. Can you help it? Because as of right now, all bets point to no. Adam is quick to assure her (himself) with a wave of his hand. ] At least, not here at the bus stop. I'm not that embarrassing.

(While Quinn doesn't know what his situation is, she knows her own all too well, and silence that marks his internal struggle is easily recognized) If you were really alright, I'm not sure you'd have to think about it so much.

Try me.

[ He can't keep his eyebrow from climbing up his forehead. She looks way too young to be any kind of medical professional-- but then again, Katherine looks all of seventeen on her best day. ]

Unless you understand a bunch of medical jargon I really think it'll bore you.

Like I said, try me. [She may look young, but as her mother always said, she was wise beyond her years.]