IC contact post!

[goldenclothes]

Methods

Network number
Landline phone number
E-mail address

People she has given her network number to

Alexander to help me with keeping this updated, if your character's stuff isn't in here, make a comment saying when and what method was exchanged!

Comments

[goldenclothes]

[ rational thought and further implication have dissolved into incoherency for now- this is enough to deal with, years of stoicism and delayed grieving thrown away in a single moment.

there's no one to hold back for.

the phone goes off again, but only a slight vibration heralds it now, unable to make itself heard above her wailing. as his hand settles over her back, she shifts, arms finding their way around him, clasping him to her.

it slows. flushed and exhausted, she settles, all the tension of crying gone out of her. her hands slip down his back to his waist, then slowly pull back to her face to wipe at it. a sniff, a cough. a moment of silence. a groan. ]

I have to go down. Don't I.

[ her voice is rough and she coughs again. her hands drop into her lap and she breathes, her head resting still against his shoulder.

he's next, she thinks.

she'll be alone without him.

all those echoed memories that had nothing to do with her now have her one stop closer to that thing. she shudders without saying anything more. ]

[amberhearted]

[ What's happened to her is a very real fear Alex has possessed since he became aware of what his inclusion in the "Numbers Club" meant -- that his family would somehow be drawn in as innocent bystanders, much in the same way Paul Ben's family had been murdered to cover up a singular death.

He sympathizes for Reilanin heavily, but he is also reminded to be so damn grateful that his family lives out of the state. That may not cut the risk of their involvement entirely, but it certainly lessens it.

As her sobbing slows down and her shoulders shift, he loosens his hold and brings a hand to lightly cup the back of her head again. ]

Eventually. Do you want me to go with you?

[goldenclothes]

...eventually.

[ it's all she can muster right now. the phone will ring again soon enough, she knows. everything sounds muffled, dampened by Alexander's closeness. she sniffs helplessly, torn between wiping her nose with her wrist or let it be. sleeve wins out.

there's a small pause, and she laughs. a short burst, a shaky 'ha!' that lifts her shoulders, and then nothing.

earlier's optimism- any of it- is long gone. already her mind is focusing on what's changed, what needs to happen next.

so many records. paperwork. clearing the house out- oh god, she thinks, selling the house. lawyers. family from overseas that she hasn't seen since her mother died.

and then what? ]

Ahhh, this can't be real...

[ another laugh, sharper than before. she clamps down on it. bitterness she can deal with. hysteria she will not allow. ]

Can you... can you get me some. Some tissue, or something. Please?

[amberhearted]

Sure. [ Barely more than a breath.

He retrieves the small box of tissues, but has a second thought and sets them back down. Instead, he tugs a few tissues out, then returns to Reilanin's side and holds one of down for her to grab. ]

Come.

[goldenclothes]

[ she's a little less hesitant in wiping her nose on her sleeve when he's walked away, and she continues to sit, only then noticing the sting from the hot water.

it's already healing. she holds on to the sensation, dull as it is.

when he comes back, she looks up, wiping her fingers under an eye, taking the tissues and balling them up unconsciously at the command.

her first instinct is to stay right there. then she nods, lips thinned out in a concerted effort to keep from making anymore sound, and reaches up unsteadily to the counter, to try and pull herself up. no more strength. but she keeps trying until she's on her feet. walking, though. maybe not. ]

[amberhearted]

[ He reaches out to hold her hand, then leads her to the couch. He doesn't bother pulling the cover away from the seat, but rather sits down and, releasing her hand, pats the space beside him -- an encouragement for her to do the same. ]

[goldenclothes]

[ she does. once she got up, all of her usual stubbornness bled out of her, any will to argue his kindness.

she sits, slow but accepting. she feels sluggish, unconsciously leaning against him, overwarm and tired. she presses her hands to her cheeks briefly, taking a breath through her mouth, wiping her hands away, pushing her hair back.

the motion slows over her ears and she sighs, letting her hands fall away. she'd forgotten that change. her worrying before had distracted her.

she'll feel ugly about it later. ]

[amberhearted]

[ He wraps an arm around her shoulders and lets her lean against him. If she feels overwarm, then perhaps she'll find some comfort, however small, in his coldness.

There is nothing he could say that would make this any better. He's been through this enough times to know when to speak through actions rather than words. ]

[goldenclothes]

[ it is welcome. she'll warm him up in no time but for now, the initial chill makes her feel a little better. she has the tissues now, and she sniffs, putting them to her nose and holding them there for a moment.

he still smells like sleep. still in his pajamas. she'd already gotten up and done things, the morning is almost all used up, but it doesn't even seem to matter now. she just wants to go back to bed and crawl under the covers again. maybe she'll wake up and things will be different.

another sniff. she's been thinking that for months now. ]

Thanks.

[ rough, barely audible. a hand slipped behind him to hold herself a little closer, but it bunches in his shirt briefly, a sudden fear of him moving away from her before she quells it. it'd be just her luck, she thinks. ]

[amberhearted]

[ Eyes closed, he reaffirms his presence with a brief squeeze and lets his head fall against hers. ]

Mmhm.

[goldenclothes]

[ fresh tears come, painful and burning. they don't lost long. she doesn't have the energy or the focus for them. ]

I'm... sorry. I have so much to do, but I- [ does she, really? she felt like she did when she woke up this morning. ]

...is it all right if I just... go back to sleep?...

[amberhearted]

Of course. Here or your bedroom?

[goldenclothes]

Bed. [ there's no hesitation there. ] I just- I just want to go back to bed.

[ out of the living room. too public, even with just him there. too exposed.

she hesitates, steeling herself to stand, a hand on his leg, the other on the arm of the couch, dragging herself up through the thick atmosphere. ]

[amberhearted]

[ He rises with her, supporting her with one arm, and walks her to her bedroom. Once she's in bed, he sits on the edge of it, palm flat on the mattress, torso twisted to face her. ]

Do you want to be left alone?