Not so long

Rick sighs and nods, giving Katie's shoulder a pat. He wasn't surprised Jason wasn't talking about it, whether he felt fine or not. He never was one to express himself very well.

"I know you don't like it. And to be honest, I hated to do this to you two. But you and I both knew that there would be some kind of after affects that we couldn't predict." He didn't like making promises with something like this - something so intangible and medically impossible. But there were a few things he was certain of. And right now, Katie needed reassurance.

"It'll get better, Katie. That emptiness will eventually go away. It's just a shock to your system. From what I can tell without actually having experienced it myself, is that you and Jason both have been living in separate rooms full of television sets - all blaring loud and all on different stations. You both adapted and learned how to sort through the noise to understand it, accept it, and communicate. Now all of a sudden, all plugs have been pulled. There is a dead silence in your rooms now and a wall between both of you. It's empty. But... here's the thing..."

He cocks his head a little, trying to see her face. "The room isn't really empty. It's still got you in it. And nobody can steal your own emotions - I don't care what kind of Agency cocktail made it go haywire to begin with, but the origin is still there - you. It's going to take a while to remember how to feel everything again on such a small scale. But you will. There's nothing wrong with you... this is how it's supposed to be."


Dylan looks up groggily as Stacy comes to him, his eyes glossy. Reaching numbly for the water, he accepts it to rinse his mouth and just stays on the floor, leaning against the toilet. He shakes his head slowly and sniffs before wiping some sweat from his eyes.

"I'll just.... lose it," he mumbles. Yes, he was hungry. But the thought of food repulsed him at the same time.

He hands the glass of water back to her shakily, fearing he'd drop it if he didn't. Closing his eyes, he didn't care that he was on the bathroom floor. He couldn't sink much lower than he already had anyway. "What're you... you doin' here anyway?"


Ariel chuckles. "I like almost anything on my pizza, so we should be good. And... too much just means leftovers."

Sitting next to Pete across from Trey, her eyes roam the restaurant. She felt awkward. She really wasn't sure why, unless it was just that things were okay but not quite settled yet. She didn't know. But it didn't do much to help the atmosphere.

A prick to her neck makes her turn quickly and she realizes that Pete had just blown his straw wrapper at her. She smirks and gives his arm a whack. "Behave yourself."

The bell at the door turns her attention, and her eyebrows rise. "Well, well, well, look who the cat dragged in."

Colt immediately sees their table and is equally surprised. "Hey, gang." He approaches and offers his hand to Pete. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, man." Pete gives his hand a hearty shake. "What's happening?"

"Not much." Colt shrugs. He glances over to Trey. "And... not so long time no see." He grins a little, not trying to be mean, but finding this scene rather ironic.

Ariel cocks her head. "So what are you doing here?"

"Hello. Food." Colt grins. "This is my ritual you know. It's my pizza night."

"Hey, Colt!" Carson calls from the kitchen. "Same as always?"

Colt turns and waves at him, hollering back. "You got it!"

Ariel rolls her eyes and looks at Trey. "He needs to get out of his rut."