goldenclothes | IC contact post!

Volun... volunteering.

[ there's a pause, and her breath comes out in a laugh that's over as quickly as it begun. ]

Yeah... me too. I found Randall. A parrot helped me find Randall. [ another short laugh. ] And some guy with super strength called Jeffrey. We've been. We've been helping.

...but you're okay? No one's giving you any trouble?

[ Waaaaait a darn tootin' minute. ]

-- you're here?! Like, here-here? Oh, jeez. Cripes.

[ He rakes his fingers through his hair, half-turns around, and inhales. ]

A parrot, huh... Super strength... [ Trying to get his thoughts back in order. ] Yeah, I'm okay. I don't know if anything will happen, but right now, I'm okay. How's Randy?

Edited 2014-03-12 02:51 (UTC)

[ another laugh- she can't help herself. ] It's Sunday... I work Sundays... I told you that, that I'd be working today... do you even know where the library is?

[ she pauses and swallows. ] Was.

[ her shoulders hurt. even accelerated healing isn't helping with that. she can feel it up into her neck as she turns her head to look aside to where lyall and jeffrey are right now. ]

Okay. Dusty. If there's anything else, I- I haven't thought to ask in awhile.

[ He sighs. ] Of course I do. You've called 911 there before.

[ A few years ago. ]

Alright. Okay. I need to let you go now, but if anything pops up, let me know, yeah? Like-- send me updates or something, just so I know you got back home safely, okay?

Yeah... yeah, that's right. It feels like... a really long time ago. I forgot...

[ she trails off and almost misses him talking. she hums an acknowledgement. ]

Yeah. I'm going to get back to helping before I go home. Take a shower... [ then maybe come back out? she can decide later. she needs to eat. ] I'll let you know when I get back. I think my phone's almost dead.

Alright. Take care, Reilanin.

[ be careful. watch yourself. ]

You too, Alex. I'll see you later.

[ she turns her phone off after that, take another deep breath, then gets back to sifting through rubble. ]

[ As soon as Alex had returned from hours upon hours of rescue efforts to Reilanin's apartment, he 'ate', showered, and dropped off into a dreamless sleep as soon as he hit the couch. It was the sort of sleep that hardly feels like time passed at all once you wake up. He felt better all the same, neither quite so exhausted or thirsty.

With a great yawn, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and stretched his arms out. Though the yawn hadn't finished, he said, ] Reilanin?

[ Then he looked around to see if she was in the room. ]

...phoned last night, but no one- oh, sorry. Did I wake you?

[ she presses her hand over the receiver of the cordless phone that she'd taken into the kitchen with her and peers out into the living room. already dressed and showered, her hair left down- she never has her hair down, but it is still wet- she doesn't look as though she's been awake much longer than him.

there's a voice still audible on the phone. ] Sorry. [ that to alex, and then back to the phone ] Sorry, yes, Mrs. Ryerson, you were saying? ...they went out? I see. Would you-? Yes, if you could, just a quick knock. Thank you.

[ she pauses a moment, then pops back into the living room, hand over the receiver again. ] When did you get in last night?

Edited 2014-03-12 20:07 (UTC)

[ He watches her with half-lidded eyes, more awake then he looks. Confirmation of her presence was his primary concern and he's got it. He drops his elbows onto his thighs and scratches the top of his head.

At the question, he glances in her general direction. With the scratchy voice of waking up, he says, ] I don't even know. Before four, I think?

Before four? God. [ when did she get back?... she can't remember. late. late enough, anyway, but definitely not that late. called home from the landline, no answer... checked her cell phone in the morning, realized she had several notifications on it saying someone had tried to call her- had she missed them when she answered her phone? she must have. they're all from matthias. ]

I don't even know what I'm going to do... there were newscaster crawling around everywhere, I just kept slipping away when I cou- oh, yes, hello again.

[ she turns again slightly as though that might help with the conversation over the phone, her expression marred by a slight frown. ]

Not there? Well... it's a school day, but dad should... and you're sure the car's gone?

[ a pause to listen to the answer- the voice on the other end is muffled, just barely audible. she hums once, twice, acknowledging what the speaker is saying, but it isn't clearing up the confusion on her face at all ]

I see... I see. Yes, thank you for checking, Mrs. Ryerson... ah, yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking... ah, yesterday? You didn't... oh, well, that's all right. Matthias does have his license now...

[ arms crossed, she's gone to biting at her thumbnail in between questions, shooting a glance at alex to convey her desire for the phonecall to be done with. luckily, it seems to be wrapping up. ]

...yes, if you could keep an ear out... all right, thank you. Yes, thank you. G- yes, goodbye, Mrs. Ryerson. B... bye. Y... yes... yes. Thank you. Bye.

[ she quickly disengages the phone from her ear and ends the call, taking a deep breath. ]

I can't get a hold of my father... it's funny, it's all over the news, I'm sure most of the world knows about it now... [ so why can't she get a hold of her homebody father or her overly chatty brother? she puts the receiver back on the cradle. ] I'll check my cell phone again. Ah, if you... if you want to phone anyone, I've got long-distance.

[ He drops his hand, where it rests across the other between his thighs. There's a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach that grows as the phone call continues. All the same, it's distant -- not viscerally troubling, more of a concern, a wary anticipation.

Expect the worst, hope for the best. ]

Where do they live?

[ she heads back to her bedroom, giving a 'hm?' from inside. she heard him, but didn't pay attention to the words. unlocking the phone with a swipe, she comes back out, going through the messages. nothing new. ]

Ah... oh, about twenty minutes out of town... I worried it would still be in range, but I was fine when I went to visit last month...

[ she tries Matthias' number again. we're sorry, this number-

she frowns and disconnects the call. distracted a brief moment by the new length of her nails, she examines one had briefly before sighing and putting her phone down on the coffee table. a physical change this time, and she's unsure if it's better or worse than any of the others. at least she isn't semi-transparent, or a bug...

she sits across from him on one of the chairs, smoothing her hands on her knees. it only lasts about five seconds before she's up on her feet again. ]

Think I'll stay in today. Promises to be a bit of a gongshow outside...

A 'gongshow.'

[ From his tone, it's obvious he's never heard the term before.

He follows her movement with his eyes. ]

Are you hungry? I can make you breakfast.

Yes... you know, gongshow, like... like the show that used to be on ABC...

[ she doesn't seem like the type of person to know things like that, does she? she doesn't smile, shrugs a little helplessly. it's not important enough to explain any further.

she's playing with her phone again when he asks and she hums, not realizing right away that it was a question. ]

Mm... uh? Breakfast... oh, I suppose I ought to eat something...

[ a distraction. she flips the phone around in her hand a few times before she forces herself to sit again. ]

You were at the farmhouse too, weren't you? It's hard to believe the two things are related. But the explanation I got from Anthony didn't explain much.

[ He tilts his head. ]

The alien allegedly wanted the snake monster destroyed so its buddies could come to Earth, too. [ There's a bit of a weight shift between his arms. ] Are you hungry or are you looking for something to keep you busy?

[ that still makes no sense to her, but when has anything with the echoes?

his question makes her frown at him ] I just said-

[ she stops. stops, purses her lips and looks back towards the kitchen ]

...I'm not.

[ she leans back uneasily in the chair, rubbing the screen of her phone onto her pants ]

Sorry. It's just like... they've vanished. Dad's slow with answering the phone, but Matthias is practically attached by the ear to his.

It... nothing happened outside of the city, right? Our neighbour would have said something if anything happened out there.

Nnnnot that I'm aware of. [ He reaches down for his iPad, which is resting against the bottom of the couch, to look at local headlines on the internet. As he's searching, he speaks. ]

Do you think they could've been near the business district?

[ she'd been inching near the thought, but had refused to go near it.

a smile appears on her face, a funny sort of smile that clashes with the sudden paleness in her face, the stiff way she's suddenly sitting, as though the very suggestion froze her. ]

No, no... they wouldn't have had any reason to.

[ a short laugh and her eyes dart away. if they'd been watching the news-

she stands, still flipping her phone over in her hand restlessly as she makes for the kitchen. ] I'd have known if they'd be coming in. Do you want something to drink?

[ His lips draw tight and flat. Denial. She doesn't want to accept the possibility that they may have been caught in Wise Snake's rampage.

He doesn't blame her. ]

No, I'm good. I took care of that before bed. [ Skimming, skimming... He turns his eyes on her. ] There's no mention of your folks in the news.

Oh? That's good. [ her voice is lighter when she's nervous, losing some of its depth, tight and clipped.

if it's just for her, she just pours water into the one-cup coffee maker and boils the water that way. her head snaps towards him at his words, but not all the way- a short jerk of her chin to her shoulder and she stares at the floor a moment before back to the coffee machine. ]

Of course not.

[ ...but there had been so much rubble to go through...

teabag, cup, just as the machine starts to percolate. ]

Were you with anyone last n-

[ her cellphone rings. she nearly drops it, managing to make sure it lands on the counter and not on the floor. her eyes flicker towards him as she picks it up again, looking back to the phone, staring at the unfamiliar number.

she taps the screen and brings the phone up, turning away from him, her voice deceptively calm. ]

Hello?

Edited 2014-03-24 16:15 (UTC)

[ He's definitely looking at her when her phone rings, but respectfully averts his eyes as she takes the call, tapping the edge of his iPad with his finger. ]

Pardon me, is there a Ms. Reilanin Bainbridge available?

Yes, that would be me.

Ms. Bainbridge, my name is Harvey Swanson, I'm with the police. Tell me- were you downtown yesterday when the... the attack occured?

[ an uncertain hum. there's silence on her end, her body moving slowly, hand reaching out and picking up the cup of tea as the coffee machine sputters to a stop, listening to the voice on the other end.

there's another moment of silence before the cup slips through her fingers and slams onto the ground. three pieces- the cup in half and the handle skittering off under the refrigerator. the liquid's just barely stopped boiling, but she doesn't make a sound, even though she's spilled the majority of it on herself. ]

Ms. Bainbridge? Ms. Bainbridge, are you there?

[ a sound- a strange, soft sound, a whimper eeking its way out of her throat. there are more words, but they flow by without meaning. she stares at the puddle at her feet without seeing it.

ah... she knows this feeling. the world's stopped again.

the man is still talking. she reaches out blindly for the counter, and slowly slides to the floor. the phone comes away from her ear- she ends the call and lets the phone slip out of her hand. ]

[ The sharpness of the cup's fall makes Alex flinch. Startled, he whips his head to look at her, brows pinched together in concern and confusion, having already pushed himself up and off from the couch. ]

Reilanin?

[ Not paying attention.

Alex pads over to her, mindful of the pieces, and bends over her. Hand on her shoulder, he flicks a brief glance at the phone before looking at the side of her face. ]

Reilanin.

[ His voice is gentle, but steady. ]

Did you know?

[ hand still loosely clutching the counter, she sits more or less on her knees, hip leaning heavily against the cupboard door.

her voice is calm, her breathing slow, but careful. it isn't an accusation, though it might feel like one. she stares through him, some spot by his ribs, motionless with his hand on her shoulder. she doesn't feel like she's there, like his hand will pass right through her.

the phone rings again, but she ignores it. ]

Dad never comes into the city. And Matthias has school today.

[ they seemed like stronger arguments ten minutes ago. the phone stops and stays quiet. ]

Methods

People she has given her network number to

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

[action, march 10th, late morning/noon]

Re: [action, march 10th, late morning/noon]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject