eyes of gold

who: layla and jen
where: MGH
when: late morning

Pneumonia. The doctor were worried about pneumonia since the bronchitis had gotten so bad and Layla was stuck in the stupid hospital while they monitored her. The mold allergy had aggravated the chest cold and that was their reasoning and Layla was no stranger to hospitals, but it didn’t mean she liked them. Foster wasn’t there to occupy her which left her having to find her own amusement and she shuffled down the hallway in her pajama pants and hoodie, inhaler in hand. Ridiculous. This was ridiculous. There had to be some kind of charm that could keep this from happening but she had yet to figure it out. Her irises were a dull yellow and that had been looked at curiously but no one had bothered her about it yet.

Jen was ostensibly at the hospital to visit Michael and Amy but that didn’t stop her from heading to the psych ward first; her feelings about Caleb might have been all over the place but she still worried. She hadn’t actually gone in not yet feeling up to another conversation with him, unsure of what exactly they even had to say to each other, but had managed to catch hold of one of the nurses who recognised her and had gotten an update. Feeling marginally better, she set off towards the wards that were being used as living quarters but got distracted when she passed a girl with honest to god yellow eyes and actually stopped short, her boots squeaking on the linoleum as she turned and glanced back.

Layla had glanced at the girl who’d passed her out of sheer curiosity. It was easy to see that she was stressed and upset by the look on her face and Layla had turned her head to see what direction she was headed in when the girl stopped. Right before she turned her head, Layla muttered the spell under her breath and her eyes turned from yellow to brown. Along with that, her eyes went a bit bloodshot and she blinked a little. “Are you alright?” she asked innocently before coughing into her sleeve. The coughing was genuine and she hunched over as she coughed, feeling lightheaded from the exertion and leaned against the wall. “Sorry,” she gasped out as she fumbled with the inhaler. Weak. This body was weak and she hated it.

Jen blinked a couple of times in confusion as now the girl’s eyes looked completely normal and she gave her own her cursory rub, she definitely needed to try and get some more sleep. “I’m fine,” she replied sounding vaguely distracted but the girl’s coughing drew in all her focus and her eyes narrowed a little with concern. “Hey no need to apologise, are you alright?” Which he realised was a pretty stupid thing to ask as, given the fact the girl was padding around the hospital in pajama bottoms, she was most likely a patient.

A few puffs on the inhaler and her throat stopped spasming and she nodded, giving Jen a weak smile. “I’m not contagious, no need to worry. Just a respiratory infection.” She waved it off like it was nothing and shoved the inhaler back in her hoodie pocket. “Are you alright though? You look upset.” As if Layla was the friendliest girl in the world. This one was do-gooder and do-gooders were always fun.

Glad Layla seemed a little better, if not exactly okay, Jen relaxed only for the feeling to quickly disappear at the girl’s enquiry and she glanced down at the ground, faintly embarrassed at her feelings being so obvious that a complete stranger could pick up on them. “Got a lot going on,” she said levelly, “But I’m dealing with it.” Which was, quite frankly, a lie but Layla wasn’t to know that.

It was a familiar line to Layla, who had spent her life watching all sorts of people and she didn’t buy it for an instant but she gave the girl a comforting sort of smile. “I’m not from around here either,” Layla confided. The girl’s accent was obvious and as far as Layla knew, this was Michigan. She didn’t know much about the doors, but Layla was figuring there were more and that could be why this girl was worried. And if she was wrong, then she was wrong.

That caught Jen by surprise and she looked back up at the other girl. “You aren’t?” she asked curiously, wondering where the girl might’ve come from as she tried to remember where Caleb had told her the other doors led.

That hit one of the nails and Layla nodded. “I’m from Manhattan. I got sick, my friend knew of a hospital here so…” she gestured to the surroundings. “We’ll probably be staying here. Things were pretty bad back in New York. I’m Layla, by the way. I would extend a hand but I don’t want to gross you out.”

Smiling sympathetically, albeit a thin one, Jen moved to lean against the wall next to her. “Jen,” she replied, bobbing her head in lieu of a handshake. “Formerly of the hell hole that is Manchester city centre so believe when I say I get it.” There was no bragging in her tone, no demand for a reaction but rather just sad resignation - after all she was hardly unique in what had happened to her.

Layla had no idea what had happened to Manchester so she really couldn’t see any comparison. However something had definitely gone bad judging by the resigned tone and she offered her own sympathetic look. “This place seems pretty safe though. I would’ve thought little towns like this would’ve been wiped out by now. Or everyone would be nuts. How long have you been here?” Foster had talked about how Marquette had everything they needed, but after awhile she’d toned him out in frustration so getting some information from someone who’d been around for a bit was advantageous.

“It’s a good town,” Jen replied, smile growing a little brighter at the thought of the people she’d met there, of Dean and Thia, how safe she’d felt since getting there. “And I’m not sure actually, I don’t have normal sleeping habits so the days can blur together a bit.” She shrugged her shoulders a little. “A couple of weeks maybe? Feels like longer I know that much.”

Post traumatic stress maybe? Whatever Jen had come from certainly had done wonders if she could no longer keep track of time. “They certainly seem nice here. They haven’t even asked me about health insurance,” she joked and she wondered if the town had moved to some kind of communal way of life. Surely it could no longer sustain itself on money. “Are you staying with family?”

Not really understanding the deal with health insurance, Jen smiled anyway, Layla’s tone making it clear she’d made a joke. “No, friends” she replied, her smile waning a little. “All my family’s back in England and since the loops went up...” Needless to say, her situation wasn’t unique but that didn’t back being separated from them any easier.

“I heard they’d gone not so long ago,” Layla said, recalling the strange scramble that had happened as people tried to escape the city. “Perhaps they’ll go down again and you’ll be able to get back to them.” Would she leave the loops? Venture into the world? Maybe. She’d be forewarned anyway, what with Foster’s visions. “One of your friends here? You were looking a little panicked.” The smile she gave Jen was open and sympathetic and she took a step closer, as if wanting to offer support and comfort.

“Maybe,” Jen said with a small smile. “I hope so anyway.” It wouldn’t be easy getting back to Manchester even with the loops down and there was no way of telling what was going on in the world outside of the bubbles that had been created but still she hoped. She blushed a little at Layla’s observation and shook her head. “Not panicked, it’s just been a bit complicated,” she explained. “But yeah friends here.”

Layla caught the blush and latched onto it. “More than friend?” she asked with a knowing look and an eyebrow raise.

It would have to have been that assumption that Layla had jumped on and Jen flushed a little deeper as a surge of feelings rose up in her chest. “Let’s just say that’s a part of what makes it complicated,” she said quietly, trying to get her emotions in check. “But I’m now staying with this couple I’m friends with. They had the space to spare.” And she really didn’t want to get into a conversation about that so she turned the focus onto Layla. “What about you? You staying with a friend or you just in town for the hospital.” Which seemed kind of weird if that was the case but then she really didn’t know what things were like in Manhattan so maybe it wasn’t.

The subject change was expected and Layla filed it away for the moment. ‘Now Staying’ seemed like it could imply that those arrangements weren’t always how it was. “In town for the hospital but I might decide to stay. It’s nicer here than the city. Safe. Things aren’t crawling out of the subway.” She smiled a touch and rubbed at her eye. The magic made them burn and she hoped that they were still brown. They were definitely becoming bloodshot though.

“Definitely a plus,” Jen agreed, happy to be moving away from the what and the why of her living arrangements. She couldn’t help but frown again though as Layla rubbed her eyes which were looking really red now. “Are you sure you’re alright? Cause if I’m keeping you from your doctor I can go, it’s just your eyes look really painful.” She had conjunctivitis before and it looked a little like that but without the excess of eye gunk which she supposed was a plus.

“Oh no, just allergies,” Layla waved away with a depreciating little smile. She blinked rapidly and turned to look at her reflection in the window. “Or an eyelash. Hard to tell sometimes.” Her vision went spotty for a moment and her eyes returned to their golden color. Cursing inwardly she rubbed them again, irritating them more so they watered and she could explain away if needed. Looking back at Jen, she smiled it all away. “I’m keeping you from your friend. Sorry.”

“There’s really nothing to apologise for,” Jen assured her, digging a pack of tissues from her pocket and tugging one free, carrying them having become a useful habit given the amount she seemed to be crying these days. Handing it over. she was positive she saw a flash of gold in Layla’s eyes again and a wave of apprehension crashed over her taking her by surprise and forcing her to take an involuntary step back.

Layla took the pack of tissues and she saw Jen take a step back before another coughing fit overtook her and she leaned back against the wall, her body wracked with hacking. She’d been talking entirely too much for this and it was a natural reaction this time as tears pricked her eyes from the effort. She was getting better certainly but it didn’t make the fits any better. Gasping for air just lent itself to another fit and she used her inhaler and relaxed against the wall, panting and red faced. “Thanks,” she said shakily, waving the pack.

Watching as the other girl battled a fit of coughing, Jen wanted to dart forward and help her in some way but she just couldn’t shake that uncomfortable feeling that Layla had stirred up and if the past few months and taught her anything, it was to listen to those feelings so she kept her distance. It didn’t lessen her sense of relief though when she finally stopped coughing, regardless of whether or not Layla set off some kind of alarm in her head it didn’t stop Jen from being concerned. “No problem,” she replied. “You can keep ‘em. I’ve got a stash.” She fidgeted a little unsure of what to do with herself and she looked around, hoping to spot a doctor or nurse; yes she was planning to bail but she didn’t want to leave Layla alone when she was clearly not alright.

She noticed the fidgeting and with the lack of stinging in her eyes, knew that the illusion had worn off. “They’re natural, I promise,” Layla said with all sincerity, as it was true. “It’s caused by lipochrome. I happen to have it on the lighter scale so the light makes them look weird.” She rubbed her eye a bit, clearly not bothered by Jen’s nervousness. “Amber eyes tend to be mistaken for hazel, so people like me…” she waved at her face with a little sigh and shook her head. “I’m sure you have somewhere to be. I don’t mean to keep you.”

"We've all got our little oddities, there's nothing wrong with that," Jen replied, managing to summon a smile, albeit a small one. She was greatful though for the out Layla gave her, wanting to be rid of the apprehension that'd had been dogging her since seeing the yellow of the other girl's eyes - natural they might've been but that didn't mean they sat right with the psychic. "If you're sure you're alright then yeah, I should probably make a move," she said, taking a small step back.

Just because Layla had excuses for her eye color didn’t mean she wasn’t annoyed or hurt by people who were unnerved by them and she had a sudden, vicious urge to lash out but charms and illusion would be useless to her at the moment. “I hope your friend is feeling better,” she said with a welcoming smile, none of her violent feelings coming to the surface. “I hope we see each other soon.”

It wasn't the colour of Layla's eyes that had Jen itching to leave but she could hardly explain that to the other girl; that she clairvoyant and Layla was setting off alarm bells that Jen barely understood herself. Instead she found herself nodding, even though she wasn't actually visiting a sick friend, and smiling politely. "I hope you feel better soon too," she said, her voice sounding far more genuine than she felt as she shoved her hands back in her pockets.