"True statement. You don't need to do anything, I need to sort things out in my own mind. How about just making sure I never drink again, it tastes so gross." She stuck out her tongue in disgust.

Raphael nodded some, resisting the urge to tell her an old saying he had followed before leaving the boarding school. Something along the lines of 'stick it out only if you intend to use it'. "Still have the taste?" He asked, though before she even had a chance to answer he set about getting a cup of milk, and crazy amounts of chocolate syrup creating a nice bit of chocolate milk which he presented to her. "Unless you have a better idea."

Tricity smirked at the two of them conversing back and forth. She wondered if there was something going on between the two she was unaware of, though, now that she was older and the Headmistress, affairs in the mansion were usually the last thing she'd hear about. Mostly because she was always busy. After squeezing the rag of excess cold water, she placed it on Fade's face abruptly before the young woman could protest. After a quick wipe, Tricity removed it from her face.

"Sorry, but a cold wash to the face usually helps for a good wake up call," she said to Fade as Raphael started pouring chocolate syrup into a cup. As he was about to hand it over, Tricity grabbed it and took a sip. "Milk and alcohol DON'T mix. Trust me..." She took another sip of the drink, happy to have something to help with her pregnant cravings, and took a bottle of water from the fridge, tossing it to Fade. "Water is best. Have a nice cold shower and a banana in the morning." Tricity grabbed her lower back in pain and then took her cup, giving a short exit bow and a wink to the two. "Try and get to bed soon, guys. If you find me sleeping on the stairs, it means I couldn't make it to my room. Just splash some water on me." She smiled and then left the kitchen to head to bed.

Raphael looked a little bit ashamed as the glass of freshly made chocolate milk was snatched from his hand. He often forgot that not everyong had the fortitude of stomach his mutation granted him. "Right..." he murmured softly in response to it. Things he could stomach, most others could not. He watched Tricity toss Fade a bottle of water, and then head for the door. "If we find you on the stairs Miss Tricity... I'll carry you up to your room." He said with a smile, then looked back to Fade.

"Feeling any better since the water?" He asked, meaning both the water on her hand and face, as well as the water from the bottle.

Fade jumped as the water was wiped on her face. It was freezing! Her eyes opened wide and she pulled her head back immediately, trying to wipe off the water, but it was still so cold. And trying to wipe off a wet face with wet hands is not all that great of an idea. As she continued to warm up her face, Tricity threw the water bottle at her. Fade didn't know that there was a water bottle coming at her, so it hit her stomach and fell in her lap.

Her hands shot down and grabbed her stomach in a quick reflex before realizing it was just a water bottle. She smiled and said "Thanks" before taking a gulp of the cold water. Why was there so much cold water?

"Yeah, thanks." She said, taking another gulp. She wiped off her mouth with the back of her hand and looked up. "The water is so cold." She said, shivering once, but it definately did wake her up.

He shrugged. He liked cold water... cold weather in general actually. "Dunno?" He shrugged some more. "Couldn't really say why the water has to be cold... I've slammed probably alot more than whatever you had, and walked away without the slightest stumble, then woken up the next day fit as can be."

He drew a slow breath. "That story likely doesn't help much does it?" He stood up and stretched some, then plucked off his overshirt and offered it to her. "Here, cover up a bit more with this..."

Fade took his shirt with a smile and gladly put it on. Underneath his shirt, she took off her stained one and set it next to her. Then she sucked her arms into the shirt and wrapped them around her body. That was so much better.

"So...um..." She had no idea what she wanted to say now. She wanted to ask about Victoria since she didn't know if maybe she was doing better, but she thought it was be just as hard of a question than if he was to ask about Jaguar, so she refrained and just repeated meaningless words, hoping that he had a conversation to speak of.

He nodded in response to her smile and watched her slip into his shirt, which was obviously far too large for her. Hell it was even large on him, and he was no small man.

He shrugged slightly uncomfortably, giving a glance about him as she gave the clear indication that she wanted him to strike up the conversation. The rest of the kitchen was silent, outside of the slight ‘plip-plop’ of the sink, a result of the tap not being shut completely off. The entire mansion seemed silent and empty except for just the two of them in the kitchen. Standing silent and merely watching one another. Almost like an old western stand off.

“Jenny…” He murmured casting his eyes downward for a moment. He might as well see if she were willing to let him get something off his chest. He did not know why he trusted her enough to ask, and even half expected a ‘no’ as his pessimistic side crept up on him. “Can I… um…” He began, lifting his eyes up. He had not really talked to anyone about the Whitmore attack. He had buried his feelings about the entire thing deep inside of himself. Covering it up with physical activities… just as it would seem Fade had tried to cover her’s up with alcohol. “Can I get something off my chest? Just talk with you about it?” He asked, sounding almost meek and small, despite his physical size, and obvious strength. He frowned for a moment, then met her eyes, waiting quietly, anxiously, for her response.

Fade cocked an eyebrow in confusion. <I wonder what he needs to talk about...is he willing to talk about what I spoke of when we first met? Maybe he needs some help with something? I dunno...just listen to him> She thought to herself. "Yeah, of course." She stated after a brief moment of thinking. <Great, that pause was probably too long, he might not want to talk about it now. Way to ruin it Jenny.> She thought.

He ran his tongue over his teeth for a moment, watching her think about his request. In that time he considered how best to begin, though his own silence after her answer likely was not entirely comforting. “I feel…” He began. “Deep in down at least, the portion that I can’t ignore, horrible. I’ve found that while I can drive the feeling away with physical distractions… equally horrible deeds like that which I was about to do when we met, and equally delightful acts such as my more recent training session with Cecelia.” He stopped for a moment. “Don’t get me wrong…” he frowned and looked down for a moment. “It may seem like I’m talking about a guilty conscience over having killed the men in the hallway.” He rubbed unconsciously at his arm where he had been shot. The bullet had carried clean through, and he had healed clean without even a scar, just as so many other times he had been hurt, but this time had been different. Being shot hurt a lot more than being scratched, or lightly cut, and certainly a lot more than any punch he had taken during his years in the ring.

“That was a situation I can justify… a kill or be killed situation.” He nodded to himself. “Its… In that hallway I did what I said I would do. I protected a friend. Kept her from danger.” He stressed the word ‘friend’ since that is all he and Victoria were, all they had had time to become. “But when we went outside, and she was hurt by the Sentinel…” He shook his head. He should have protected her then, he did not know how, but he should have. “I dunno… I should have kept her back… protected her. I failed in that… I couldn’t do it, and I feel horrible for it… and ‘cause I couldn’t she’s still in a coma.” He frowned. Victoria now reminded him of his brother. That was not entirely his fault either, but he had put his brother in the hospital for a long time. “And… No one seems to notice outside of myself… and the Doc of course… Nothin’ escapes his watchful eye in his infirmary.” He fell silent, giving her time to respond, and time for his mind to wander over what else he wanted to confide in her.

Raphael bit his lip a little bit, then drew a deep breath as Fade had yet to respond to his short speech. He wondered if this were the best time to bare his soul to her, and as the silence dragged on, he decided it was not. "Sorry Jenny... I didn't mean to dump on you... especially now, I mean... I can't say I know what its like right after having had too much to drink... but I..." He did not know what else to say.

"I dunno... maybe we can have this conversation later." He still wanted to talk about it, but had lost his nerve for now. He reached out and touched her shoulder gently, then headed for the kitchen door. "Keep the shirt, you can give it back next time we meet, 'kay? An' either way, get some rest." He offered a smile towards her, then disappeared out the door.