Violet dialled Dave's number, hesitating between each button as new doubts cropped up. What if he wouldn't answer? What if he hung up once he knew it was her? ... Well, those were just risks she had to take. As she finished dialling in the number and waited for him to pick up, she reflected on the events leading up to this phone call.
-----
Wick had been waiting for her in her dorm room when she got back from a trip to the bookstore. He looked up at her, and the second she noticed him, he blurted, "I'm sorry."
"Wick? You... For what?" she asked, moving closer and kneeling on the floor to be a closer to eye-level with the small fae. He backed away, unsure if her neutral tone could be considered ominous or not. He scratched his head, looking guilty.
"Well,... 'cause I didn't tell you I was leaving. And 'cause I made you and that guy-" 'That guy' being Dave', "-have a fight. I'm not sorry for him, - just you.Okay?... You can stay mad if you want. I just wanted to 'pologize."
Smirking faintly, Violet leaned forward and tousled his hair. She hadn't known it, but that was really all she'd wanted to hear.
"It's okay," she said, "That mess has been cleared up. I'm sorry, too,... I shouldn't've yelled at you. I was just so worried when you vanished like that. I thought you must have gotten yourself hurt again. But,.. um,... speaking of Dave..."
The warm-fuzzy atmosphere faded away. Her smirk disappeared. "You were in the soundbooth the other day, pestering him. What was that about? I need to know, Wick. What happened?"
Squirming guiltily, he recounted the sequence of events exactly as it had been - remarkably with very little bias, except where he referred to Dave as ' the stupid human'. Violet frowned throughout the story, not liking to hear what either one of them had been up to. A darker frown crossed her face when he mentioned making Dave see nightmares. She cut him off.
"I don't see how that was justified," she said sharply.
".. Well, he... I,..." he faltered, then hung his head. "I.. guess it wasn't, was it..."

---
Vioet drummed her fingers on her knee, listening to the phone ring.

"'lo?"

Dave sounded tired... No. He sounded exhausted. There's a reason for that. Besides staying at the theatre past four in the morning, after that little episode with Wick, trying to fix everything--as well as work off some of that anger--he hasn't been sleeping too well, lately.

The nightmares haven't been nearly as strong as they were when Wick actually cast the spell, but he has yet to have a full, uninterrupted night of sleep since. It's not clear whether that's due to Wick or to his own memories of the experience.

"This's Dave."

"Hi. 'S me. Violet," she said, her voice almost as timid as it had been when they'd first met in the bookshop. She chewed on her lip a moment before continuing, "I called because,... we have to talk about a couple of things."
That sounded wayyy more ominous than it should have.

A brief pause on the other end.

"'m sure we do, but listen, Vi? Can it wait?"

He's not sure he has enough energy to deal with the lecture--or maybe the break up--that he expects is coming.

You're right, Violet, it does sound ominous.

"No. No it can't," she said, the timidity vanishing. She didn't sound angry, just troubled.

"Listen, I... I'm really sorry. I must've come across as a complete bitch the other day, I just..." she sighed. "He's my friend, too. There's been a big misunderstanding here. I should never've doubted you."
Because she had, you know. In that fraction of a section before he denied threatening Wick with death,... and it had lasted as a nagging bit of fear all the while after the fight.

Another pause.

"... thanks. 'm not really mad anymore... It was just..." Pause. How to phrase this without sounding like he's accusing her of insensitivity? Or at least so that he's accusing her of the least amount of insensitivity possible under the circumstances.

"I just wish... Oh never mind."

She couldn't see it, of course, but he was massaging his temple with his free hand.

"My brain's all twisted up; I can't think or talk right."

"...Wish what?" Violet leaned her elbows on her knees - she was sitting on her bed, speaking to him on the cordless phone. A slight, worried frown creased her brow. "...What's the matter?.. You wouldn't want to talk about it, maybe...?"
The last question was almost a statement rather than a question,- part of her had been hoping she could just say sorry and it would all be over, and when that hadn't happened, that part of her had lost hope of their ever being alright again. In fact, it was secretly murmuring, Well, it's not like you were even really together in the first place. It wouldn't have lasted.

Now, now, Violet, let's not be pessimistic.

"Not that, 'zactly," he answered quickly. "'m just really damn tired, 's all. 's hard to think straight."

What did he wish? Well, that instead of interrogating him, she would have comforted him. Oh, of course she wanted to know what happened, but what he'd needed and wanted then had been comfort. (Not that he's really capable of admitting this. Though the fact that he's tired might relax his controls on his mouth.)

"Tired, huh...?" she grimaced, sounding sympathetic, "...Been working late on the,.. what d'you call the damn thing, - ...whatever it was that Wick messed up? I remember you saying that would take a while to set up. That time you showed me around the soundbooth, remember?."

"Soundboard, switchboard... yeah... Got most of it that first night, but I stayed until four-thirty to do it." He doesn't want to mention the nightmares that have been bugging him, but... "And I just haven't been sleeping well, lately. Dunno why, either."

Violet was already aware that getting Dave out of his nightmares had taken longer than it should have - it came up in the little discussion she'd had with Wick, and she'd figured out that it had lasted far too long to be normal. Wick denied doing anything different than he usually would,... Maybe Dave's sleeping problems were related to that somehow?

"...Nightmares?" she guessed.

A surprised pause.

"... yeah. Same ones, every night. How'd you know...?"

He's not suspicious, just surprised, and really, since she knew that Wick had cast some kind of spell on him, he figures she knows this stuff. He also has no idea that he reacted abnormally to it.

"A good guess," she said, frowning at the floor. "You remember what happened when Wick put that spell on you, right? ... Makes you see your worst nightmares. It doesn't make sense that you'd still be getting them, it's supposed to be a one-shot thing. It could just be your subconscious, though... God, you must have been scared..."
She didn't expect him to admit it - but she said it anyway.

Like I said. When he's this tired, whatever pops into his head pops out of his mouth. He's not very good at dissembling on three hours of sleep.

"... yeah."

Flush. Oops. He didn't mean to say that.

Wow, he must have been really scared - he'd gone and admitted it.

"No wonder. God,... you poor guy..." she said earnestly. She wanted to go find him now, and hug him. "I'm sorry, I would've stopped him if I'd known he was going to the theatre. He just... really doesn't like you."

A tired and barely amused laugh.

"I kinda figured that part out." Dave is certain that if Wick ever managed to get Dave fired, he'd throw a party for all the insects and small animals in Bayfield--seeing as those are the only creatures his size around--and celebrate it.

(Besides the party, he would probably also celebrate by teaching said small animals and insects to attack Dave).

"Well, yeah, it's obvious,... playing a trick on you he usually only reserves for people who try to kill him, and all that," she said. Her hand drifted to her mouth, but she quickly took it away as she remembered she should really stop chewing her fingernails.

"Can I come see you?" she asked, out of the blue.

"Yeah, sure. Why not."

Of course he wouldn't mind having her come over. Maybe she'll give him that hug that he wanted the other day... (Nothing like guilt, hey? Not that Dave would ever intentionally use it to get his way...)

"Okay." Violet smiled faintly at the phone. "Is now okay? Or are you in the middle of something...?"

Because earlier, he'd asked if the phone conversation could wait, and she'd taken that to mean that he was busy. She wouldn't be at all surprised if he was. As much as she wanted to see him, she wouldn't want to be a waste of his time.

"Now's fine."

He hadn't meant he was busy. He'd meant that if she wanted to yell at him some more, or lecture him, or maybe even break up with him, he would rather it wait until he was not so tired. That was all.

"I don't have to go in to the theatre today."

That's mainly because someone took pity on him, after the long hours he's been spending at work, and gave him the day off. He still has to go in for the performances this weekend, though.

She nodded, though he couldn't see her.
"Right, then... I'll see you soon."
She was going to add a casual , 'Love ya', at the end of the call, but decided that maybe now wasn't the best time, even if it wouldn't mean anything.

"See you soon."

He's definitely looking forward to seeing her--and not being yelled at--and it's clear in his voice.

He probably would have been grinning like an idiot if she did add that casual 'Love ya.'