alwayskayaking | Duplicity Inbox

[ She freezes. Not to say she just stops moving.

But like, in a second, she realises what she is doing. What has overcome her. One look at the terror on both their faces and her whole being stops. An ocean that snapped frozen and inside of her chest. Her mouth opens and language dies and the creatures in pain that live inside of her want to scream. But all motion ceases. To nothing, nothing, nothing as her eyes go wide.

Looking at them both. Her hands at her seize into claws at her side.

Then her hands cup her face and she begins to wail. Sobbing so violently the water spreads out. Creating a puddle as the black eyes that have opened on her eyes keep staring, unchanging, from her face. But she only cries harder, and harder, a sound that is not human. It is a whale song, groaning and vibrating deep inside of the chest before it is heard. It is the whistle of wind between rocks. That somewhere between all of it, is her words. The same, repeated words: ]

What have I done? What have I done? Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me-

[ Then she takes a step back -

She disappears. Straight into the pool of her own shadow, that swallows her down cannot be followed after. ]

[Charlotte's reaching over for Tim, moving to step in front of him because of the two of them? The vixen is probably the one who's better able to withstand what might come at them, and give Tim a chance to get the hell away. She's trying to back up and keep him behind her when Gilia practically folds in on herself, emitting sounds of anguish that Charlotte has never heard before in her life and apologizing profusely in the midst of it all. The vixen keeps her focus on what's happening before her, ready to grab Tim --

--and with a last plead of forgiveness, Gilia's gone.

Charlotte opens and closes her mouth a few times, trying to either catch her breath or find something to say that's sensible as she looks over at Tim.]

Holy fuck.

[Tim is trembling in terror and doing his best to pretend like he wasn't. The thought racing through his mind is that he didn't want to stand frozen again like before. When he had stood motionless and watched his brother killed in front of him.

Yet what can he do against a force like this? Even as Gilia wails she's still so terrifying to him. He grabs at Charlotte's shoulder and upper arm. Tugging at her and trying to pull her a bit further into the apartment. Get away! His natural flight instinct was screaming at him. Get away! Get away! GET AWAY!

Then suddenly she vanishes and he jumps as if to avoid an attack, but there is no attack to dodge.] Is it gone? [He had been trying to call those he say as monsters by their chosen pronouns lately, but in his fear he defaults back to an 'it' when talking about Gilia.] Maybe we should go out the fire escape just in case.

She's gone, Tim. [Charlotte swallows the lump in her throat that had built up out of that very real fear. She was the last person to know what the hell to do in this situation, but she was also, unfortunately, better situated than Tim had been.

She looks around at the mess of the place and into the hall, listening for the authorities to show up.]

I don't know where she went, but it's not here. And--[Dear Gaia, she wants so much to tell him to get rid of that stupid gun before he actually kills somebody, but Charlotte leaves it. It's not the time. Never is probably the time, and she'll talk to Jon later.

She sighs, rubbing her forehead. Tim's practically vibrating out of his skin.] The guards are on their way. Let's get you a drink and get them a statement.

How can you be so sure? [His eyes never leave the puddle she left behind.] She could be hiding in the water.

[Speaking of the gun, Tim pick it up off the floor and puts the safety back on it while they wait.] I should have called them sooner, I was really hoping she would have just left without breaking the door.

[She looks at Tim in much the same way Jim looks at the camera in 'The Office'.]

I'm ... kind of built to get an idea of this stuff? Senses... that whole thing? We can mop up the floor.

[Charlotte frowns at the gun and moves on.] I tried. I really, really tried. That was all I knew.

M-Maybe let's wait for the police to arrive. Just in case? [He still doesn't trust that puddle.]

And I know you did. [A beat as he swallows and takes a nervous breath.] Thanks. You know, for being there.

Sure. Of course. [Not like it was the first time, but Gilia's form and mindset had honestly scared the bejesus out of Charlotte. Granted, it's not the first time she'd faced off with something she'd never seen before, but there was a very different something about this time. A level of unknown she's not run into before.]

If it's worth anything? [She looks up from the puddle to Tim.] I was scared shitless, too.

I'm sorry you had to go through that. [Because of him.] I'm glad it mostly worked out.

[She brushes away some of her hair from her cheek before turning back to whatever the remnants were of the front door.]

Yeah. Something like that.

I'll get the mop. [Tim will do his share in working to clean up the mess that was left behind. That is until he hears the ding of the elevator and hands whatever cleaning item he was holding quickly over to Charlotte with a muttered apology. He still needed to act like a dominant when the city was watching.

The guards have several questions that Tim will answer honestly while also trying to insist that he thinks the danger has passed so they were no longer needed. No, he doesn't want to press charges anymore or have her arrested tonight, but they still request he show up tomorrow morning to make another statment about the events tonight. Also to call back should his neighbour threaten him again.

After that it's just arranging with the housing people to get a new door. A couple submissives are sent up and get to work right away on the replacement.]

[A little later on once shit's mostly calmed down, Charlotte will take a good hard look at that untouched bottle of bourbon. It's something she really hadn't wanted any part of, but tonight was a night of 'what the actual fuck?'. She'll call out in the apartment.]

Feel like getting drunk?

With me? [He sounds surprised.] I mean; I do, but do you mean the two of us drinking together? Or are you just finding a round about way to ask me to leave the apartment for a bit?

[She holds up the bottle.] Sucks to drink alone, and you spent a chunk of cash on this. Figure that you deserve to enjoy some of it.

It was for you, but if you really want to share it with me? I'm not going to say no. Especially tonight.

[She shrugs.] I know it was for me. I think sharing this with you tonight is what I want to do with it. [Good Gaia, tonight definitely calls for it.]

You need it. I need it. The door probably needed it, but we're what we got right now.

We'll drink for the door. In memory of how strong and... door like it was. Let us remember our fallen door.

I didn't think a door could actually do that in a particulate fashion, but here we are.

[Particle/particulate. Ah ha. Shut up, Charlotte.

She's wandered into the kitchen, glad to open up the bottle that she hadn't really wanted from Tim's guilt-ridden self, but figures tonight had been a shitshow all around. Bottle open. Glasses out. Drinks poured.]

Heh. [He gives a small laugh at the pun. Appreciating it even if he felt too tired to give it the laugh it deserves.]

You'd be surprised by what doors can do. Some can kill you. So best to show them a little respect. [He says it lightly as if he was joking, but there is something there that makes him sound serious about that.]

Edited (Decided to add a little more ) 2021-03-17 21:57 (UTC)

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