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Post by Jaminx on Dec 10, 2016 16:21:31 GMT
Haley shifted away from the too intimate moment as she glanced at Jay and resisted her hunger. She had to get out of here, get back to work where she could blend in, and get a new shirt so that no one would see the bleeding gouges from her own hands.. Would the thing that came through be able to recognise her? Maybe she would need to tear her life apart again. Her alarm to get back to work suddenly cut through the quiet.
"I'm sorry Jay. I have to go. I don't want to leave you but I can't avoid work." Her words were a bit broken and bitter. She grabbed a napkin from above and used a pen from her pocket full of useful items for her job. She scribbled her number down leaving a tiny smear of blood she managed to wipe into looking like a less obvious stain.
"Call me to make sure you are safe later..."
She slipped it into his hand with a quick awkward worried half smile before walking at pace out the door resisting running and changing to something more defendable.
--
L was in the kitchen making relatively little mess where her bowl was. She focused hard on breaking the eggs. It was interesting to her to see how you had to get just the right pressure before it all splintered into a terrific mess of shell that would ruin the batter of the pancakes. She had mucked up on a couple before she got the hang of it. She was so focused she had no clue what the others were up to. The only thing breaking through her absolute focus was the nagging feeling that something was missing in what she did.
A missing ingredient that was not physically quantifiable. Still it was not as important as working out how to break eggs just the right way, so each fracture was as small as possible to create the greatest damage yet keep them whole as the shell was broken and the centre slipped out.
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Post by LHudson on Dec 12, 2016 0:13:13 GMT
- BRENDAN FOLEY -The Pit, still open all hours as a few people now sat within it's welcoming walls. Foley opened the door, and saw Deck turn and sport a smile. "Found him alright?"
Foley gave a light chuckle. "Gave him his gift."
"So you're back for real now." He quickly made lemonade in a glass that just got out of the freezer, giving a brief but sharp sting to the hand. "And judging by the radio silence it seems that it hasn't been called in yet."
"Made sure no eyes saw me."
"Is that so?"
"Well..." he took the lemonade and started to drink it. "...some guy out front, though the contact was very brief and to the point. Would be hard to suspect me."
"For your sake I hope that turns out to be the truth." Gin sling on ice for himself, good lime, good to use in conversations.
"Anything on the news yet."
Deck smiled and turned the television over. SCNN, good place to start.
"...Tree moments ago to discover several bodies connected to the Ambroke crime syndicate. While police are on the lookout for the perpetrators and any clues regarding the disappearance of a barmaid who worked at the establishment." Read the news anchor, with hair as high as a floor. "Their release statement described the scene as a scene from a one-sided-gunfight that was brief but deadly, and had thus have ruled it as a gang-related incident committed from within."
The channel was switched. "One sided, brief but deadly..."
"And with the hand print likely to make some headlines, I'll be getting some calls." Foley's smile widened before he continued drinking.
Another sip. "So, what's next for Mr Foley?"
"Spa, massage, night in a high-class hotel, would be relaxing if I wasn't aching for another job."
"And you got no other calls?"
Foley nodded, and Deck drank the rest of his drink. "Christ I need some better lime", he muttered to himself, before taking out a card from under the table.
"What's that?"
"Something has cropped up since you've been gone." He leaned closer to Foley. "Ever heard of the term 'Open Contract'?"
Foley leaned back, sipping his drink again. "Rings a bell."
"Well, since you've been gone more and more simple deals have cropped up, ranging from something petty to something more personal. It's open season, first person to have the balls to do it gets the payment."
"But it isn't sustainable business."
"It maybe low income, but considering your desire to continue working today, I'd suggest you give it a shot. Get the rust off you and earn some spending money."
Foley gave some time to think. "Alright, what's the story?"
"Some of the locals have been bothered by an armed presence, making their area less desirable and it's made them pretty fearful that whatever they are doing might be a slow burner."
"So...?"
"They want it over and done with. Should it resort to violence they want it done sooner rather than later." Deck gave Foley the card. "This is the address they're at. Once it is done, I'll contact them for payment."
Foley picked up and read the card. The address, simple, uncomplicated. He finished his drink, and started to set off.
'Warehouse 377, Eastern Dock.'
- DR ADRIAN COOPER - "Nice to hear your subtle god complex has expanded Killian." He lowered his weapon, still loaded, but now attached to his back under the cloak. "On it." He went down the nearby service ladder, and hid behind a nearby dumpster, waiting for the anomaly to make it's move.
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Post by iCaramelBird on Dec 13, 2016 16:27:38 GMT
- 5:17 PM -
“And there shall be three couples. One for power, one for love, and one for blood...”
Luke looked through the ashes and embers that cast themselves into the smoky air, the screams and panicked shouts of the people outside as he graced what little daylight was left to usher in a chaotic night, only after such a chaotic day. The fire continued to roar around him as he could feel the warmth invade his skin, he only tried his best to focus on the fire, not the numerous bodies that were still bleeding or fading all around him. It was only after that he saw the familiar body now beside him.
James collapsed at his feet, as Luke looked panicked, the others were simply silhouettes cast against the wind, rushing over and only blocked by the continued stream of black smoke that soiled their vision.
“James!” cried Luke as he bent over, only managing to hear a weak breath with a weaker heartbeat, slowly beginning to drag his body away from the largest fire of them all. It only took a few moments before part of the fire exploded and cast stone and rock down upon him.
Only small pebbles stung and scratched his skin as he continued to pull James away, coughing as the others soon surrounded the both of them. James was barely breathing as Luke looked up at the building, the fire producing smoky visages of the bodies that surrounded them all. As Luke clutched James, he gazed up into the fire, only one question on his mind.
How did we get here?
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Post by Adam on Dec 16, 2016 23:07:10 GMT
APOLLO | Jay Hearne Kathy's - Afternoon Time ticked by slowly as the world crawled by Jay, still laid out on the floor. He watched as Haley made her leave, mustering the most pathetic excuse of a smile as he scraped to a partial revival. With Haley gone, the red sky disappeared as if it had never existed, and the empty cafe now silent, Kathy poked up from her hideaway beneath her counter. She skittered over to Jay, watching the frightened patrons stared directly up out of the window, waiting for the red sky to return. She took a knee and addressed the young man. "Jarvis, what in the world just happened to you?" "U- Uh- I..." he finally happened upon speech once more, just too late to get his new friend to stay, "I don't know. It was like... I felt like I was being beaten. Like kicked to the ground? Hit while I'm down." "Looked like a seizure to me." "A seizure?" "No, in fact," Kathy corrected herself, "It looked like the Devil himself had come upon you. If I were a Catholic I'dda been runnin' to the nearest priest for an exorcism." "The-" her words resonated with Jay; some sort of holy truth, undeniable and all-encompassing," The Devil." In that moment Jay knew, as the voices; whispers just out of comfortable earshot began again. "The Devil. The Revenant Titan has risen."
PHOBOS Desolate Alley - Evening The man - who presumed his name must have been 'Phobos' - looked around once more, now clad in shadow. He watched as onlookers slowly filtered in, gazing at the anomalous man from the high street. His eyes panned slowly to and between each of them as some began to film him on their smartphones. He opened his mouth - not that any of them could see that past the black dome of a helmet he wore - as if to speak before finding himself without words. Did he speak? How did he speak? If so, what language? Spanish? French? English? What is language? How does one speak? "... Phobos." he finally spoke, his voice damp, rough and wistful. Nobody on the street would be anywhere near close enough to hear him, though perhaps someone hidden closer would.
EMMA FITZGERALD Emma's House, The Safe Zone - Evening Emma's first instinct was to look away from Luke's bare chest. It was one thing being a professional at the hospital or at the scene, but another to have a half-naked man in your living room. As she teased her way back to looking at him, she half-grimaced at the blood, gashes, bruises, scars and generally maltreated wounds. Emma smiled as his remark, her eyes only quickly glancing up - and then back down - to make eye contact, her attention mostly on his wounds. "I'd a- agree with you there," she teased him without enough confidence in her voice to quite carry it home, "I wouldn't trust you to patch up a stuffed toy, never mind yourself... or someone else." His ribs looked strained, but not broken; cuts and scratches littered Luke's chest, arms and neck, most of his suturing seeming rushed, and some having healed badly around said stitches, leaving permanent scarring. She then began to see the great burn scars that trailed down Luke's left arm. She was forced into remember the nights Tommy would come home - bloodied and beaten up after a night as Red Wonder - where she quickly learned not to ask the origin of such horrific injuries. However what really demanded Emma's attention was the gash across Luke's forehead, and the slashes down the sides of his torso, all of which where still bleeding. She looked down at the shirt Luke still clutched in his hand, now noticing the slashes that ran through it. What this someone with a sword? She shuddered to think. "Damn." she couldn't help herself but whisper under her breath. Quickly, Emma threw on some nitrile gloves and reached for a patch of cotton and soaked it in alcohol. With the dripping mass in hand, she placed her hand on Luke's forearm to stabilise herself, quickly leaping back as Luke winced in pain from the irritated scratches across his arms. "I'm sorry. I'll see to those too." Back to work. Emma, now supporting her weight instead on a nearby wall, mopped up the blood from Luke's forehead and torso with motherly care and concern, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration. For her it was an art, and she'd certainly gotten a lot of practice having started long before her nursing course began. With the wounds clean, she reached back to her bag and produced a needle and standard, white surgical thread. After having sanitised her needle Emma made quick and effortless work of stitching up the cuts on the side of Luke's torso, fortunately they were not very deep or wide. She then moved onto the cut on his forehead. It was shallower than the rest but as Emma had learned in her years of service the face seemed to much more sacred when it came to scarring. From the look of him Luke was a pretty boy, he was certainly attractive, and it would be a shame to ruin such a face. Emma smiled for a second as she thought and then reached across for something else; a new roll of thread. This thread looked peculiar, an obnoxious light blue colour that was almost luminescent. "Now..." she spoke, "I not strictly supposed to take this out of the hospital campus, but you might appreciate it." Emma stroke her hand behind Luke's ear, taking a delicate but firm grasp of his head to keep him still. Then with one hand Emma threaded the blue thread across and through the gash on his forehead. "Surgery... well medicine's come a long way in the last fifty years," she explained while continuing to suture, her eyes fixed on his forehead as she stood over the seated Luke "Forty years ago we were still worried about 'antibiotic resistance bacteria'!" she laughed to herself as she put on a comedic voice, before sensing the awkwardness and continuing, playing it off as if it hadn't happened, "My point is: it might not heal as quite fast but..." Emma pulled the thread tight slowly as she finished. It would have been enough force to make him wince, but he looked tough enough to handle it. "You don't get any zig-zags across your forehead." As she finished explaining the luminescent blue thread began to fade, effectively disappearing from view as it appeared to sink into Luke's very skin. And then in the next few seconds, the tension and folding of the skin caused by the suture too began to dissipate, Luke's skin returning to it's natural position. All that remained of the gash was a light pink line running across his brow. "And it's all biodegradable." Emma stepped back and, pleased with her handiwork, finally looked down to see Luke's face; his expression. "What do you think?"
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Post by iCaramelBird on Dec 17, 2016 18:06:16 GMT
- HUNTER -
Luke winced and struggled slightly against the stitching, suturing, and general medical practice he had to go through. He couldn’t help but be reminded of the many mistakes he made when it came to his own bandages and stitching, hoping at the very least that he didn’t cause anything too severe as he was subjected to the newfound nurse. At least one thing seemed to be going right for him today. He kept quiet however, almost withdrawn as whilst he could sense her movements as he was locked away in a mind of his own. He needed to think and the words seem to blur out as he looked down, particularly at his arm that was still grossly encased in burns that had stained the skin. Luke shivered slightly at the remembrance of the explosions on the battlefield, the grenade that came nearby and caused the burn, the feeling of nearly being beaten to death only to fall and flail through cold air onto frozen ice. It was all a blur, whether because of how fast it occurred or his mind simply trying to protect him, he didn’t know. He only came back into focus when he realised Emma finally seemed to be finishing. Nonetheless he was still tired, still hurt as he glanced up at the woman who only looked back expectantly.
“Yeah, thanks,” said Luke, he meant it, for the first time he was actually receiving some proper medical attention from someone he didn’t hate, and as he felt the once bleeding wound simply close itself, now simply nothing more than a mere cut against smooth skin. He nodded as he got up, it was somewhat less difficult than before but he tried to be slow, not moving around too much as he’d hate for the wounds to reopen now as he started to shrug on his shirt once more, wincing again at the pain. Before he knew it, his backpack was mounted on his shoulders as his weaponry was back in its right place. “I should probably get going but thank you, seriously. I could have died back there.” He felt like he was being too cynical, though at this rate death was around every corner in Heartania.
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Post by Adam on Dec 17, 2016 18:14:49 GMT
EMMA FITZGERALD Emma's House, The Safe Zone - Evening "Oh of course!" she jumped to life as Luke began to make his leave. Emma pushed towards him, grabbing a post-it note from the counter and pulling a pen from her pocket. She began to scrawl something down as she approached him, her eyes still locked on him. "And you're really welcome. It's just nice to meet a honest her-- a person like you, who doesn't have to be a threat to everyone around him." Emma smiled, passing him the note. It read her phone number. "If you get hurt again, or just fancy a chat, you can call me. Anytime. Preferably not a school night but..." she was digressing, "I mean, I could always do with a friend."
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Post by iCaramelBird on Dec 17, 2016 18:37:14 GMT
- HUNTER -
“Thanks, that’d be err nice,” started Luke as he took the post it note, making sure to quickly slip it in the tight pocket of his shorts as he gave one final glance at the woman before opening the unlocked door and closing it behind him. He watched, somewhat stirred by the people that continued to panic within the once entitled Safe Zone, now nothing more than a platitude of danger itself. He knew that people like Emma and everyone else who came here looking for safety didn’t deserve any of this, sensing that even in death, Acchilleus still plagued the world with the presence. Only this time it seemed to be with his own ideas as opposed to his physical presence, commanding and sending people to their death and doom through his own chaotic destruction. Luke was finally glad to get out of the place as he walked back onto the main Heartania streets.
The outskirts of the city itself was soon to be in sight, as he continued to venture through the crowds of people that were in the bustling city, many of them talking about the horrible attacks that had gone on yesterday and what was going to happen since then. The rumours, the whispers, all of it circulating through the city with one question on their minds; What’s going to happen? Luke wondered the same thing, but it wasn’t exactly about the city itself, what was going to happen to him or to James?
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Post by Jaminx on Dec 17, 2016 22:55:16 GMT
Haley was in an alleyway having a panic attack. It sounded simple if you said the sentence aloud. Not many words involved but her lungs and brain screamed at her. She had started back to work but being buffeted by the crowd her senses so open and hungry that she drew in so many desires like a noisy swarm, trying to catch her breath she had ended up here but the voices had followed her.
Looking at her hands they began to slowly shift the pale skin sliding into blue as her loose clothes began to tighten and claws grow.
"No.. No no." She muttered futilely until the change hit her eyes and she shook her now black hair loose. A sad smile crossed her lips as she took off from the ground into the air bouncing from building to building. She had to change back soon but in this form the voices weren't a problem, they were music. She could wait like this just a little longer, just a little sweeter.
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Post by LHudson on Dec 19, 2016 20:35:42 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON TIE-IN
- BRENDAN FOLEY - The ride was relatively long. The purring of the bike lessened as it slowly started to demand fuel from it's adoptive parent, but that would have to wait as another turn put him on the home stretch. Foley played some thought into what he was doing; unreliable at best and career killing at worst. Then again, he needed more visibility, and this was certainly one way to accomplish that. He pulled up on the sidewalk and looked around. Swaths of indistinguishable buildings covered the environment around him, and the chilling dark cold wasn't helping matters. Thankfully he was still wearing his cloak but he did have to fidget in order to get his phone out. Fairly annoying, but he was able to confirm his location. It was lifeless though, nothing coming from inside, could be a waste of time, but it would give him chance to think. He left his bike and crossed over to the lamppost, lighting a cigarette in the process. One puff, some thought. Silenced, can't alert anyone, too public, too open, and the city would be on edge after his work earlier. Another puff; in and out, maybe two minutes, depends on who is inside and their training. Another puff; the door opens, and someone comes out. Fairly smart, that was a surprise, but it was clear he was lightly loaded. He also lit up a cigarette, clearly for cover, he coughed. A small grin emerged from Foley's face as he saved the cigarette. Another one came out, more explicit armed, though he was a much better smoker. Headphones on, time to play the music. He walked down the path towards the doorway, hands in pockets, eyes on the door. The two suspicious men looked at him and said something. Inaudible, the music played. Their emotions ran high, and on the second their finally levelled their weapons, Foley played his card. Two quiet pops from each hand and they were down in an instant. He reached for his coat and took it off and threw it by the front door as he barged through. Three confused men were on the other side and also levelled their weapons, and three shots from the same weapon and they were also down, though not before one of them fired one loud shot. Think fast, the double doors into the lions nest, or take the left staff door that might put him on favourable terms. There was something strange about this place, it was oddly polished for such a filthy looking building, but needless to say he was committed to his work. He took the left door, and one shot took down the man who was running towards him on the other side.
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Post by LHudson on Dec 20, 2016 16:19:14 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON TIE-IN - BRENDAN FOLEY -
4987 become 4990, when three more men ran out of a lower level office door in front of him and were dealt with. One of the pistols was now out of ammo, and considering the speed everyone was coming towards him at, there wasn't much time to reload. Sparks showed up in front of him, he turned, and the idiot that swayed his assault rifle too much was quickly downed. The large glass window, separating the small set of offices from the main floor, shattered as a quick flurry of sniper rounds catapulted towards him. He turned and quickly hit the floor. Well, this is a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. He didn't know what they were doing here, but it was odd that out of all the people to order the clean up, it would be civilians who were just fed up of them. Amusing really, something you'd expect someone higher up on the salary ladder to order instead of a few disgruntled people. He fired his grappling hook at the door to the otherside, sliding across the floor as the sniper fire continued. Two men dived through the large opening and pulled their triggers, but the flick of Foley's feet put an end to their hopeful outcome. He got through the doorway, fairly protected, though he was backed into a corner. Upstairs or back where he came from. Three from upstairs started to pour down from the top of the stairs, and Foley quickly opted for his submachine guns. Upstairs it is then.He quickly reloaded his pistols as he ran up and opened the door to a completely different atmosphere. He couldn't hear it, but he could certainly see it. Looks like others have come to join the party. He quickly glanced the sniper on the otherside of the large room taking aim, and quick equiped the accurate and deadly weapon attached to his back. One loud bang that even penetrated through his headphones put an end to that. And then fire. Fire raged out of one of the more smartly dressed people towards of the out of place fighters. It took him down, but it was something that certainly caught his attention. "Oh this got really interesting", he said through the scarf, before charging across the long balcony. Three in front, two at back, a pistol and submachine gun put a stop to the two groups respectively. Some bullet sparks stopped his advancement quickly, and he put a stop to the one who caused them. Just below him on the main floor, got a bit reckless, and he paid for it. That was when he noticed the same suited man, dressed in orange, had made eye contact with him. This is going to hurt.
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Post by LHudson on Dec 21, 2016 21:19:19 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON TIE-IN - BRENDAN FOLEY -
The orange man few towards him, and Foley's eyes widened. OK, that's actually pretty cool. The fireballs came, and Foley ran to dive out of the way, but the impact behind him propelled him forward and threw him onto the ground. His teeth clenched and the exo-suit demonstrated why landing on them is a bad idea. It was hugely uncomfortable to the point of being painful. Unwanted, though it was a welcome change. The door opened just near him, and with a quick dash of bullets the three men who tried to take him on were felled before they could start. 5005 now? Certainly a dramatic milestone. He had a hard time standing up, but by the time he stood up he saw what was going on downstairs. Small boy, 12-16 maybe, clawing and what looked like screaming. What the hell is going on--And then the boy revealed what was going on. Fur, claws, sharp teeth, the boy's face was unrecognisable, animistic. What the hell have I gotten myself into? He wondered, before the man in orange landed near him. Suave, but slowly coming a literal eyesore due to the suit alone. He looked around, little attention paid to him. Excellent. He smile, flexed his arms and legs briefly to readjust the suit, then drew up the submachine guns. "Let's dance, pretty boy!" he muttered with a hidden grin under the scarf, before firing a flurry towards the man.
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Post by LHudson on Dec 24, 2016 13:33:38 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON TIE-IN
- BRENDAN FOLEY- Foley certainly wasn't prepared. The guy had made his bullets seem like a complete joke. He needed to act fast, and thus bolstered his two weapons. He crossed his arms, having the white hot flames collide with the exosuit rather than his skin. It worked, though it was painful feeling the unfamiliar burning sensation on both his arms. He lowered his arms, but one more came towards his head, and though his quick rotation saved his life, it didn't save the scarf that covered the lower half of his face. He held the burnt cloth in his hand and stuffed it down his sleeve. Two grenades, primed, and thrown. Two bullets fired towards the explosives, one in front of the orange man, one behind, both on the catwalk.
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Post by LHudson on Dec 25, 2016 1:23:55 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON TIE-IN
- BRENDAN FOLEY- He looked at the fallen enemy, taken down with basic explosives. The man of fire, the one who started to make Foley fear, was finished. Yet all Foley could say as he looked at the motionless man was "that's it?" as the song was finishing. The catwalk rocked violently as he struggled to regain his balance, uttering "ah bollocks," to himself as the structure underneath him gave way from the damage caused by the explosions. He thought fast, and fired the grappling hook to allow him to stay stationary in the air as the utter chaos continued down below. The whole situation reminded him why he normally turns on music when he does jobs. It lessens the story behind the contract to him; the feelings that may be associated with the act of killing could affect his emotional response. He tried to find something that wasn't jarring or too fitting. By the time he found a track, it was over. The beast was dead, and the group were in a horrible state. He jumped down onto the floor, silencers in hands as he looked around the room. Two men tried to reach for their weapons in a deranged, last ditch attempt to come out on top in such a fucked up situation. Two quick shots dealt with that, before his focus was on the man in the orange. Two fingers to the neck, he was fine. Back of the head? Back of the head should do. His silencer pressed against the back of his head, and he prepared to pull the trigger.
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Post by Jaminx on Dec 25, 2016 21:03:39 GMT
L sat at the table in the diner alone. She fussed with the napkin twisting it into the shape of a very floppy boned crane. It sat forlornly on the table top beside her hardly touched plate of food. If she had been human dark circles would sit like dark spectacles around her eyes.
She had not been able to rest properly in days. As soon as she began to close her eyes she panicked. The loneliness bringing her back screaming. The brief down times she had got were in public places where people were around, it had been made easier with the multitude of Christmas parades and parties she could sneak into but it was still awkward the number of people asking where her parents were. L had hardly been in that empty apartment alone, staying out late into the evening until it was unfeasible for someone as young looking as her to be outside especially in the cold. If they had been human by now she would be dead.
The vibrant space full of her art projects had become a mausoleum without the loving audience of Kay. It was clear to L that one of the terrible situations they had been warned about had happened and that was why they sat here. It was a last chance meet up spot. If Kay did not turn up then they were dead.
L was growing more agitated as she waited. If Kay was gone she wasn't sure what she would do. Sure she had planned for it because that had been what Kay wanted but she had never thought about the consequences especially now that the whole world seemed to have changed from a childhood of games to the worry of a world shouldered alone. It was going to happen someday but at two months old it was a bit of a shock.
"Hey there. Are you okay?"
L jumped in their seat as they quickly looked up hoping to see the familiar purple eyes but was only gifted with dull brown ones set in a plain female middle aged face.
"Ah..Not who you were waiting for I guess." The figure smiled sadly. They seemed to hesitate a second. "Look you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to but you've got the look of someone going through troubles."
"Me I'm fi... " L trailed off unable to finish the platitude. "I'm not fine and I could do with some company but.."
"You don't want to talk to a friend and it feels too much to ask a stranger."
"Pretty much." L smiled softly.
"Well if you don't mind I'll sit with you and you can tell me as much or as little as you want but at the very least you'll have someone to wait with. "
The older woman had a soft welcoming face.
"And you can call me Eve so I'm not as much of a stranger."
L nodded then, faster than she expected. Being alone was too much now.
"My name is Elle and I'm very glad to meet you Eve."
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Post by Jaminx on Dec 26, 2016 20:00:18 GMT
Haley was at the studio. The day was painfully bright and she had been suffering from a deluge of forced Merry Christmases as she made her way shaking along to the buffet to grab an early morning coffee. The thing was she was actually quite happy to be here. Being around all these happy people was like being in a warm bath, it helped her forget the pain for a while.
But soon they would wrap up the morning news items and she would say goodbye to work colleagues before spending the day alone. Alone and hungry.
--
Ali was back in her little house, she had got up early with her broken sleep still haunting her from those weeks ago but being awake she felt reassured by being surrounded by all her familiar items, from worn out books to garish paintings from her nieces and nephews. She quietly padded along to the kitchen wondering whether the kettle would be too loud when she caught the sound of a shower from her guest room. A small smile creased her face as she fired up the hob placing her big metal kettle on top with enough water for two cups of tea and began looking for the bacon.
She was kind of excited to have a guest over to her little house. A bit of strangeness mixed in with the old was a nice thing indeed. --
Valentine finished drying themselves off as they stepped out of the guest bathroom shower. They could hear some movement in the kitchen and eventually the high nasal whistle of a kettle. The sound brought a flicker of a grin to their cold face in the steamed up mirror. They had found a real gift for Christmas day this year. A big warm heart ripe for the picking.
-- L was quiet as Eve had ordered her own food, quiet too as Eve's coffee was brought over and she took her first long sip. It was only when those simple brown eyes looked across to her again she had built up a confidence to speak.
"The person I'm waiting for is.. Well they've been missing for over a week with no phone calls, no messages and even worse they left me a message before they disappeared that has me nervous."
L focused more on the hands of Eve, her fingers were those of someone who worked with a slight roughening and wrinkles, her ring finger showed a slight tan line but no ring. It was hard to guess what that meant with so many possibilities, most gloomy to ponder. But still easier to ponder than meeting those eyes.
"Have you called the police?" Eve asked gently after the silence stretched a little too long.
"No... They wouldn't understand."
Eve nodded slowly their glance said she had a good idea of exactly what L meant. Even if she really didn't have a clue about being an AI in human society.
"Why wait for them here?" Eve asked again that same steady tone.
"We made plans long ago. Just in case anything went wrong. Different places to meet, different things to do. Plans upon plans, all with their own signals and messages. And this plan was the simplest. Just a place to be if there was no signal. A place and a time limit on whether they were okay or.. Or dead."
The last word was hard to get out. But once it was out she needed to say more to feel that nasty void of worry.
"If they don't turn up I don't know what I can do. I haven't been able to rest at night. I'm terrified of being alone. Without them I'm scared I won't be able to do this. The world's so big and scary. They just made it feel a tiny bit more manageable if not safer."
"That's a lot to put on someone as young as you."
L smiled gently. "I don't think age makes this easier."
"No. It doesn't.. I think its time you stopped waiting and did something about it then." L's gaze snapped upwards as the tone of Eve's words caught them hard. They had not been soft or kind, they had been hard and powerful.
"Where should I begin?" She asked actually wanting an answer.
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