"Yeah, her aunt says she gets headaches if she's overstimulated, I'm going to get her lunch and earplugs and hopefully that'll help. You can go on giving her a backrub if you want, that's a perfectly good guiding activity, but no more vibrators."

“Huh? Why?”

"We did not pack them, it will work less well at guiding than your bare hands will, and it may embarrass you when you're more fully lucid."

She worries at her lip and nods. “We didn’t pack them” is kind of overriding, but—pain is bad. Backlash is also bad but she doesn’t have that as a cached certainty the way she does with “pain is bad,” so she’s not 100% sold on trading off pain relief for guiding.

But she doesn’t have them so it’s kind of moot.

"Lucy, what's your Indian order, do you have one?"

She understands what she's supposed to do! Stay attached to Lucy and stay with the group.

However, her body... isn't quite cooperating. She stumbles a few times in the hallway, and then - trips - 

- Haru catches her. "Whoa there."

Oh no that's embarrassing. "Sorry!" 

Lucy is distracted from food by tripping! Pain is still bad, did Cara bruise anything.

Nope, he's got her. He'll just carry her over to the sofa. "Food soon, that should help if you're faint. Lucy, your order or should I guess?"

“Oh—curry. I’m not a spice freak but my tongue is less white than I am. Do they have mango lassi?”

being carried is embarrassing but it's also soooo much nicer than walking... 

"...oh, can I get one too?" 

"Mango lassis for all. Butter chicken good, Lucy? Cara, your aunt suggested malai kofta so that's what you're getting if you don't have a better idea."

"- can I get a Paneer Tikka masala? as spicy as they make it." 

"Sure thing!"

She wiggles happily.

“Butter chicken is great!”

Medium butter chicken, extra spicy paneer tikka, a tandoori salmon for Haru, three mango lassis and an order of gulab jamun, express delivery, finalize order. "That should be here soon."

Good. Lucy snuggles closer to Cara, petting her forehead as though that would fix the headache.

"I'm gonna go get you some earplugs, Cara, I have over-ear protection but it's meant for shooting and it'd be hard to hear a conversation."

She leans into the petting, making small happy noises.

"... don't think I need earplugs? if Aunt Rachel mentioned sounds, that's like - parties, big crowded areas with low ceilings..." she mumbles. 

"Makes sense, I'll grab them anyway but no need to put them in unless they'd help." He fetches a jar of earplugs and puts them on the end table.

Oh happy noises are good. Pet pet pet. 

mmmmmmmmmm

she'll cling happily to Lucy, breathing softly. 

"Either of you need anything else? Bathroom's over there, I'm going to stash your clothes in the guest room which is the one on the end of the hall to your right once you go up the stairs..."