[log] a couple of setbacks later [closed]

[bywolves]

Characters: Royce Melborn, Alfie Solomons, Tifa Lockhart, Emily Kaldwin
Location: Building 50 (bonus Building 44)
Date: night of Day 142 (plus, bonus Day 144)
Summary: Reunion log!
Warnings: Will update as necessary!

A standard two-story house with an attic. The first floor has a kitchen, living room, and dining room, while the second floor has two bedrooms and a bathroom. The entire house has been done up inside in Victorian style--it probably cost quite a lot of money, and no detail is spared. The color scheme is a bit dark, though, and it's difficult to see in here during the night. "ALPHONSE ELRIC, DAY EIGHT, TRAVELLING EAST" and "ALPHONSE ELRIC, STEPH BROWN, MAMI TOMOE, FREYA CRESCENT, EDWARD ELRIC, DAY TWENTY-FOUR, TRAVELLING WEST" have been carved into the hallway wall. "ALPHONSE ELRIC, EDWARD ELRIC, GREED, DAY SEVENTY-FIVE, TRAVELLING SOUTH-WEST. DEAR FORMER RESIDENT, WE ARE FRIENDS, PLEASE DO NOT FEEL YOU NEED TO HIDE FROM US. CONTACT LELRIC." has been written on the wall. Written on the wall in blue ink is the following: "This is Building 80 on the composite map. Contact @CaptSteveRogers for details." Underneath is a pretty accurate map showing the house in relation to the south and west snow walls, the school and athletic shed, the funeral home, and buildings 34, 35, 37, 39, 40, 41, 46, 47, 48, 49, 53, 57, 58, and 59. The snow wall is labeled "Snow wall." House 58 is labeled "Entrance to ice tunnels." The school is labeled "School. Food available in cafeteria; DO NOT STAY HERE OVERNIGHT." The athletic shed is labeled "Shed". The funeral home is labeled "UNSAFE; DO NOT STAY HERE OVERNIGHT." House 34 is labeled "Medical assistance; hot, clean water. Contact Dr. Epps @claytonator".

Comments

[bywolves]

[ Emily is a big help, as much as Royce hates to admit it.

She doesn't much complain, and she talks, and it's - comforting, in it's own way. Royce has always been better at listening than he has been at responding, and so their trips aren't uncomfortable. He's not a big fan of the trapdoor room they have to stay in, but it's better than freezing to death, and they make it out fine. Just one more day of travel and then it'll be easier. Royce wonders when it became easier to be in a group than be on his own, and quietly pushes that out of his head. If he thinks too much, he's going to scare himself away, and he knows it.

Thankfully, they reach the house before lockdown. Royce tries the last few steps by himself, stubborn as always, but the world wavers and rocks underneath him, and he really only makes it one or two before he staggers. He catches himself against the wall outside, resting his forehead against the wall with his palms pressed flat to the wall on either side of his head, and tries to steady himself again. One deep breath. And then he moves again, this time leaning heavily on his broom.

He makes it! Barely. But he does make it in, with Emily (who is wearing his mittens) in tow. ]

[empireofrats]

[It's weird and sad to leave Natasha and Tony behind, but Emily has set up with Royce from the beginning, so she thinks she ought to see him through to the end. At least until he's back with his 'friends.'

Plus, Mister Solomons is there, and Tifa, too! Neither of which she has yet to meet.

Luckily for Royce, when it's time to sleep, the talkative girl shuts off completely. She's gone. A rock. Having Royce's presence isn't unlike having Corvo's presence, and she goes from 100 to 0 in a couple of minutes, sparing Royce a whole night full of endless chatter.

But in the morning, the energy is back, and better than previously when it had only been her. Now she has someone else, a companion. She talks about mundane and useless things to fill the silence, comments on the environment, comments on Royce. Occasionally, she'll mention death or despair with a strange sort of distance.

Near the house, she's still talking. --and Mister Samuel said the whale was as tall as a building! Four stories! It had long-- with mittened hands up to bend and dangle in front of her throat, flapping away, --waving tentacles, like the whales in the slaughter-houses, but bigger than those--! Oh...]

Mister--um! Duster! [She got a little carried away with her story. Worst babysitter. Hurrying after, she leans around and peers at him scrutinizingly.

Then she turns and sprints ahead for the door.] Mister Solomons! Miss Tifa! [In a voice that's like calling for help.]

[devoutish]

[Alfie is upstairs when they arrive, but he hears them. He comes clomping down the stairs immediately, and heads straight for the front door.]

Yeah.

Come on, mate; the couch is over here. Come on.

[He'll steer him, if Royce will let him. He'll grumble if he won't.]

[powersouls]

[Tifa comes rushing out after Alfie, practically vibrating with... something. Happiness, excitement, relief, she's not sure. She has a feeling she knows exactly how Royce will react if she fusses, though, so she holds back, following the two men inside as she glances back at Emily. Chill, Tifa.]

Thank you for helping him all this way. He appreciates it even if he didn't say so.

[devoutish]

[Alfie is in a pretty good mood - by Norfinbury standards, anyway. Once they have Royce in and settled, he starts in on his personal routine (changing into his robe and slippers, wiping the sweat off of his skin and putting lotion on, making sure everything wet is set out to dry), and then he parks himself on the couch to rest. He'll look up and greet any of his companions when they approach him, and is pretty friendly overall. Royce and Tifa are his people. They usually get more than mild aloofness, these days.

After relaxing for a while, he wanders the house, searching for useful items and making his daily recordings - speaking out loud into his tablet, for it to translate into text. Next comes his prayers in the dining room, which he tells everyone about ahead of time so that they'll know to leave the room quiet and clear for him. They take him about half an hour, and he's quiet and unobtrusive about it, standing and facing the back wall. As usual, he doesn't allow himself to be interrupted; anyone who tries to talk to him during this time will need to wait until he's finished. Lastly, he slips into an empty bedroom to make a couple of calls - first to Kesara, and then to Fiona.

When all that's done, he settles back down on the couch with a groan, closing his eyes. He doesn't plan to spend the entire night here - there are two beds in the house, after all - but he's tired, and he likes the company. He'll stay for at least a while... or longer, if he does end up falling asleep.]

[powersouls]

[Well, Alfie is probably going to get sick of Tifa's company, honestly. Not long after he sits down, she joins him, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders as she settles back into the couch. She's obviously in a better mood, because Royce is back and Emily is adorable. Plus, this is giving her renewed hope that Cloud and Steve could come back, too.]

Tired? Am I bothering you?

[devoutish]

Nah.

[She looks chilly, so he tosses her his throw blanket; it's thin, but he's already wearing his thicker one.]

Good to be back together, innit.

[powersouls]

Yes.

[She grins when he tosses her the blanket and pulls it up to her chin, cocooning herself in them.]

You really missed him, didn't you?

[bywolves]

[ It takes far, far longer for Royce to settle than usual. He absolutely refuses to accept any sort of help in doing his usual routine, which means he has to slowly remove his wet things and pull on his not wet things, wipe himself down with his washcloths, and wrap up in his blanket. He does this in the kitchen, away from everybody, and if he's interrupted, he'll absolutely snap at said interruption. He can do this. It's important that he does this on his own.

But once he's got that, he doesn't move much. He practically crawls into the living room and curls up on the couch, wrapped up several times in his blanket. He can't do a whole lot. Can't try to make his lockpicks, can't try to make another shiv with the scissors he found in the hospital, can barely read his tablet - he's dizzy and feels like he's floating even when he's sitting still. It's annoying, but... he's actually in a much better mood here. Being back with Tifa and Alfie makes him feel safer, and he's easier to joke around with. Easier to coax stories out of too, Emily.

He's restless, though. Even after walking all day. Whoever sits on the couch with him most likely will be annoyed by how much he shifts around.

And at some point during the night, possibly while everybody is still downstairs, even, he'll fall asleep on the couch. He's not going to try the stairs. Fuck stairs. But he's restless there too, twitching, and what can be seen of his expression is twisted or pained.

He doesn't sleep through the whole night, though. He's been sleeping less in general, lately, and he's not sure why. ]

[powersouls]

[Tifa absolutely gets snapped at, because she offers Royce help almost immediately. She isn't offended, though. She's getting more and more used to him, and she understands that this is something he needs to do himself, so she doesn't take it personally.

Once he settles down on the couch, though, she joins him again. She's got this urge to stick close to him, to make sure he's okay, but she's trying very, very hard not to be smothering or too fussy. She missed him. It's instinctive, and soon enough she dozes off, too, but it doesn't take long for her to be woken up again by his twitching. It takes her a moment to come to again, and for a second, she thinks it's just general restlessness until she sees the expression on his face. Tifa hesitates, then leans over, touching his shoulder lightly.]

Duster?

cw: knives and blood

[bywolves]

[ He doesn't wake up immediately, which might be concerning in itself.

He's tied up. His hands are behind his back and they hurt, they ache, deep down in his bones. There's no way to escape, and he knows, without a doubt, that this is the end. He's going to die here, and there won't be a convenient way out. No princess to strike a deal with, no partner to rely on, no tower to jump from. It's too late. It's far too late. Everywhere he looks is dark, the sound of water dripping quietly behind him, steady and relentless, just out of reach. He's thirsty. He just wants water, he just wants his heart to stop thudding as hard as it is but at the same time, he doesn't. Because if it stops beating then he'll stop living, and he doesn't want to know what comes next.

The touch translates as being pushed. He falls forward, hits the ground and can't catch himself, lets out a cut off noise as his jaw bashes painfully into the wood floor. This is it. This is the end, this is where the knife comes down and glimmers at his throat and he watches it, he watches as patchwork fingers slowly, painfully drag the knife across and he watches as his blood drips out, drains from him and he can't breathe, he can't --

Royce wakes up with a sharp gasp, and he moves like he's going to bolt, like he'd get up if he didn't feel like he was floating. For a split second he doesn't look like he knows where he is, eyes shut and hand covering his throat, his neck, breaths coming harsh, and then he's inching closer to the edge of the couch, like he's getting away, like he'll just crawl away if he has to. ]

[powersouls]

[She's used to this, at least, used to waking people up from nightmares. Barret and Cloud, mostly, but she thinks she can translate her methods with them into something that will work with him. She starts a bit when he gasps, but then she's reaching for him again, fingertips just barely brushing against his arm. Something twists in her chest at the sight of him, so obviously terrified, and she fights the urge to hug him. It's a terrible idea, so she just keeps her voice soft and soothing.]

Duster, it's okay. It's me. Tifa. You're safe, it's just a dream.

[devoutish]

[Alfie is very glad to have his partner in crime back. Unlike Tifa, he doesn't offer to help him with anything - they're inside, and there's no urgency to the situation, or a need to be quick and efficient. But he does seek him out often, either to chat or to sit in companionable silence.

He comes back to the couch after his search but before his prayers, sitting down on the opposite end from Royce and pulling a couple food items from his backpack - half an apple, a little bag of Cheez-Its, and a can of green beans.]

How are you doing, mate?

[bywolves]

[ There's something nice about being able to sit in silence. Emily is a chatterbox, which Royce honestly doesn't mind, but Tifa and Alfie are good about leaving him to his own devices. Alfie, especially, is good at silence. Royce dozes here and there with Alfie next to him, comfortable enough to do so.

When Alfie finally asks, though, Royce glances over at him, pausing in his attempt to read through everything that happened on the tablets during the day. He keeps having to take breaks anyway. ]

I feel drunk without being intoxicated. [ Royce says, but it's mild. ] ... Or like I'm on a ship. Definitely like I'm on a ship.

[devoutish]

I've never been on a ship. Don't get drunk often, either.

[But he can imagine.]

Think you'll be able to sleep?

[empireofrats]

[Glad to be out of the snow and glad to not be walking, Emily is content to settle somewhere quiet and still and do what she enjoys best: draw. The daily planner she lifted from a house in the beginning is splattered here and there with all kinds of small, marginal doodles.

But now she has some sheets of larger scrap paper and her trusty pen. It's not wax crayons, and it's not a pencil or charcoal, but it'll do.

She's like this for a couple of hours; there's something therapeutic about drawing and coloring, however ugly and misshapen the end result is. Her current piece is a rendition of her and Royce's travels through the snow.

It seems Royce still has the sour scowling frown (white because there's a dark shadow in his hood) and tornado squiggle over his head from the planner. An appropriate continuity. Emily is in her white coat, snowshoes, and new mittens, mouth a little 'O' of speech. Above her is a bubble filled with talkative nonsensical wiggles and another one filled with the silhouette of a whale.

She's telling Royce a good story.]

[powersouls]

[After everyone is settled in for the night, Tifa goes and bugs Emily, of course. It's partially because she will always and forever have a weakness for kids, and partially because she's really impressed with Emily, even more so when she sees her drawing. She can't help but stifle a laugh at the rendition of Royce—it's painfully accurate.]

Is that a whale?

[empireofrats]

[Emily pauses long enough to smile at Tifa, delighted she recognized the whale. It would be a shame if her drawing was so bad she couldn't tell... Alfie.] Yes.

Fishermen in the Isles hunt whales for whale oil. It helps light our lamps and run other kinds of machines. But now they're harder to find.

I was telling Royce about the whales. The magical ones.

[devoutish]

[Alfie, ensconced in a blanket on the couch, leans forward a little to check out what she's drawing.]

What's that, there?

[He points vaguely at the speech bubble with the whale.]

[empireofrats]

[Emily's eyes follow Alfie's finger.] It's a whale. I was telling Royce about the whales.

Mister Samuel said he saw a lot of whales when he was a sailor. I was telling Royce about the big one that Mister Samuel said capsized his boat.

[bywolves]

[ She's close enough that Royce can see her drawing clearly. He's - torn. Because it is sort of amusing, the way she sees him. But it's annoying, in the same vein, because he doesn't need to get attached further. He really should cut this off.

Royce knows it won't happen, though. Alfie and Tifa won't send a little girl out on her own into the snow, and he figures he owes her after she dragged him all the way here. He doesn't know what he can do or what he's willing to do, but. He keeps it in mind.

As she's getting closer to the end of her drawing, he speaks up, low and tired. He's draped over the couch arm, and he hasn't moved in a while - would've been easy to assume he was asleep. ]

Is that me?

[empireofrats]

[Hi, Royce.

Like any non-Royce trained person, Emily assumed he had been sleeping. Which is all right. She knows he needed some rest, like Corvo after a mission. Besides, drawing keeps her focused and busy.

Pausing, she looks up, then smiles.] Yes. [She points to the hooded figure.] That's you. [Then to the small one.] That's me. I have the shoes and mittens. I'm telling you about the whales. Remember? [She probably said so much, though, Royce just slowly began to filter it out.]

You have a mad face because you're dizzy. But you have a mad face a lot. Do you always have a mad face? [She peers up at him expectantly.] Corvo doesn't have a mad face, but he has a serious one a lot. He would only have a happy face when he saw me or my mother.

Is there someone that gives you a happy face?

Day 144 - a quick detour

[bywolves]

44: This house is fully intact--the first floor has a kitchen, living room, and dining room, while the second floor has a master bedroom, child's bedroom (painted in faded yellow with pink flowers carefully stenciled onto the walls), and working bathroom. The fireplace here is a working, clean wood-burning fireplace, although you'll have to find wood for it. "T. HAMADA, DAY 24, EAST" has been carved into the doorframe above the door.

[devoutish]

[Soon after lockdown ends, and after talking with all three of them and explaining the situation, Alfie comes tromping through the snow towards house 44. He's pretty damn tired, but not so much that he's having trouble moving - he's just a little more weary-looking than usual. But if he sees anyone outside or poking their head out the door, he'll lift a hand in greeting.

He won't stay long once he's at the house - he's here to say hello and check up on everyone, and pass a few things on to Royce. Then he'll be off again, back to Fiona.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce is already anxious to move. He wants far away from the Joker. Wants Emily and Tifa far away from the Joker too, but mostly he just doesn't want to be anywhere close to something that unpredictable. Royce doesn't do unpredictable.

But he won't just leave when Alfie says he'll head over before moving on. Royce lingers inside, and sort of avoids Alfie at first, still sour. Still sore. He's been doing a lot of thinking with Alfie not here, and it's been a little damaging.

He hangs back, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, his cloak pulled close. Watches Alfie from under his hood, expression flat, and waits to see if Alfie will come to him. ]