DI Alex Drake ([info]neveraffordme) wrote in [info]the_blank_slate,
@ 2008-10-03 17:40:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Current mood: cold
Current music:Cat Power - Lived in Bars
Entry tags:alex drake, dani reese, john amsterdam

and fly with aeroplanes out of here
It's been raining for three days straight, and Alex has been inside for two of them. She's been strangely listless, disconnected, ever since the bomb on the beach -- too much to think about, too much to remember, with no leads and no cases to distract her.

It's October here, and the little clock in back of her mind is ticking. She'd assumed based on evidence that time ran differently, faster, in her construct-world than in the real one, but nothing ever prepared her for constructs inside constructs; the rules have changed, and she's got no idea where she stands. One week until the day and nothing learned, no way back, no guarantee of ever seeing a familiar world again.

And two days of being cooped up indoors with those thoughts and Sam's awful orange cat for company have been just about enough.

Alex, wrapped up warmish and relatively dry in a bright-pink plastic raincoat, makes her way carefully down a path to the beach: it's not storming just now, only dripping unpleasantly, and she can bear it, even with the water trickling down her neck. The beach is deserted (a different stretch of it than the one she found her way to last time, thank God), and she wanders down as far as the tideline, staring out over the water. The horizon, hidden behind clouds, barely visible for a grey second at a time; full marks for detail, she thinks, even if the subjects leaves something to be desired.



(Post a new comment)


[info]andsadofeye
2008-10-03 10:10 pm UTC (link)
Rain or not, when 37 starts whining like he's got to go, John was taking him for a walk, rain or not. The little puppy roamed across the damp sand on his makeshift leash and John trudged after him, the collar of the bomber jacket he'd dragged out of the box turned up around his ears.

When he saw Alex, he moved down the sand towards her.

"Nice coat, Detective."

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-04 12:44 am UTC (link)
She hears the dog before she sees either of them, but doesn't turn until John calls to her; there's the tiniest stab of irritation underlying her pleasure at seeing him, the decidedly mixed blessing of being torn away from her thoughts.

"We do seem to keep meeting like this." Her voice is consciously light.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]andsadofeye
2008-10-04 02:29 am UTC (link)
"Small island," John pointed out, as 37 padded over to sniff at Alex's ankles.

"I could try harder not to run into you, but I worry that you'd miss me."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-04 02:57 am UTC (link)
"It does seem like a futile enterprise."

She crouches down to scratch the puppy behind his ears, laughs out loud as he jumps up, trying to lick her hand. "Hello. Someone's getting bigger, though, aren't you?"

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]andsadofeye
2008-10-04 05:06 pm UTC (link)
"No point then, really, is there?"

John stood back, holding on to the leash loosely as he watched 37 jump up against Alex, his little paws against her knee.

"The more you encourage him, the more difficult it's going to be to train him out of this sort of behaviour."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-04 07:39 pm UTC (link)
"Can't have that, then, can we?" Alex murmurs, giving the dog a final scratch and standing up.

She pulls together a smile, small and crooked but there, as warm as she can make it.

"And there really isn't. How are you?"

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]andsadofeye
2008-10-04 08:42 pm UTC (link)
37 whines and then goes back to digging and snuffling in the wet sand as John drops the leash and lets him wander where he will.

"I'm okay." He showed her his hands, a bloody cut on one side of his finger. "I slipped, earlier."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-04 09:52 pm UTC (link)
Alex winces. "You should get that cleaned up," she says softly. "Looks a bit messy."

She takes his hand between hers, stroking her thumb gently across the back of his knuckles; his hand's cold, and she's sure hers are freezing, but there's something comforting about it all the same.

"Or I could kiss it better for you, but I'm not sure that's medically recommended."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]andsadofeye
2008-10-04 11:14 pm UTC (link)
John raised an eyebrow, his fingers curling around hers. The cut smarted and he got a flash of Kara's face, but that didn't matter. He had yet to work out exactly what was going on there.

"Why? Are you catching?"

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-04 11:38 pm UTC (link)
"If it rains much longer, probably."

She ducks her head, brushes her lips against the side of his hand, tasting rainwater and salt on his skin.

"There. Slightly better now."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]andsadofeye
2008-10-05 12:18 am UTC (link)
"You need someone to keep you warm."

He tilted his head, watching as she ducked her head. Her lips were unbelievably warm against the chill skin of his hand.

"Feels better already."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-05 12:53 am UTC (link)
"I always have." She looks up, not letting go of his hand; her fingers tangle bruising-tight around his, clinging for dear life. "Do I hear the sound of volunteering?"

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]andsadofeye
2008-10-05 01:20 am UTC (link)
He considered it for a moment. He considered making his excuses, and then he realised that he didn't know where the lines were with Kara, which made them goddamn hard to cross.

"Always."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-05 01:33 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]andsadofeye, 2008-10-05 01:44 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-05 02:00 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]andsadofeye, 2008-10-05 02:31 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-05 03:19 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]andsadofeye, 2008-10-05 03:28 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-05 06:19 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]andsadofeye, 2008-10-05 07:20 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-05 07:59 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]andsadofeye, 2008-10-05 09:11 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-05 09:34 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]andsadofeye, 2008-10-05 11:06 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-05 11:50 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]andsadofeye, 2008-10-06 12:13 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-06 12:42 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]andsadofeye, 2008-10-06 01:00 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-06 01:42 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]andsadofeye, 2008-10-06 01:54 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-06 02:29 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]andsadofeye, 2008-10-06 03:17 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-06 03:34 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]andsadofeye, 2008-10-06 07:33 pm UTC (Expand)

[info]9mmshotglass
2008-10-04 12:53 am UTC (link)
Reese had found it impossible to stay indoors even with Austin, and finally started roaming the beaches when she couldn't take the inactivity anymore. It lead her here, to the tidepools brimming over and crammed with creatures looking as trapped as everyone else. She'd been hidden by the odd outcropping of rocks and almost didn't notice she wasn't alone.

It was the sound of spatter that finally did it. It wasn't the same as the sound off her umbrella or off the rock or the wet pelting of sand. She frowned and stepped, barefoot, around the sheltering rocks.

"It just goes on like that for forever," she said without preamble and then winced at the raincoat. "The Box has a sense of humor," she said dryly and twirled her massive umbrella. The lizards with their absurdly happy expressions appeared to leap and dance as the rain slid off the waterproof fabric. She offered a slightly wry smile.

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-04 01:46 am UTC (link)
Alex smiles, a bit sharply. "One could probably call it that."

She winces theatrically at the smaller woman's umbrella, the drops of water flying from it, and shifts a bit to the side to make room for her and it.

"I thought I'd be the only one out on a day like this."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]9mmshotglass
2008-10-04 02:23 am UTC (link)
"Can't stay in," Reese admitted. "I get restless. If I don't keep moving somehow, I think I might go completely crazy." She glanced out at the waves and the long stretch of water that went on forever. "Easy to do here. There a rock with a crack in it deep enough to put the handle in. Keeps it steady, if you wanna sit and not worry about the rain. This damn thing is big enough for three people. I'm surprised I haven't done a Mary Poppins yet."

Reese made a face.

Edited at 2008-10-04 02:23 am UTC

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-04 03:06 am UTC (link)
"I know the feeling. After three days, either my roommate's cat went or I did, and he's rather attached to the thing."

She pulls her hands up inside her sleeves, staring out over the water; even in this weather it's hardly rougher than usual, but there's something long and empty about it with the sun hidden and no one out swimming. She's barely used to the sea at all, and never on days like this.

"You know, I bet no one's tried that one yet. Escape by umbrella -- might work, actually."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]9mmshotglass
2008-10-04 03:16 am UTC (link)
"I'd expect a well placed punch from the wind would fix that really quick," Reese said dryly. "And I'd break a few limbs. I'd rather not end up in the clinic any more this year. I seem prone to landing myself in trouble...sometimes literally." Fuck this. Reese shoved the handle into the aforementioned crack, where it held tight, and curled easily under it's broad shelter. It was high enough that it was nearly like being in a bus shelter on one of those rain but horrible days in L.A. when the rain came and kicked all their asses.

Edited at 2008-10-04 03:16 am UTC

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-04 03:41 am UTC (link)
"Maybe not a good idea, then."

She shivers, cold rain streaming from her hair and down the back of her neck, and hugs herself through the horrible raincoat.

Waves at the umbrella: "Do you mind if I --?"

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]9mmshotglass
2008-10-04 03:53 am UTC (link)
"I'm not charging. Come on in," Reese said with a grin, scooting over easily as if to make more room when there was quite a bit to begin with. "Too bad I don't have tea, though I've got plenty back at my place. The rock's a bit damp, but at least we haven't sprung any leaks. The lizards seem to do a good job of keeping the water out."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-04 04:31 am UTC (link)
Alex ducks down under the umbrella, managing to pull the hem of her raincoat down far enough to sit on; she hugs her knees, crouching to keep her hair from getting snagged by the metal strats.

"God, it's like being a kid again. I used to throw a blanket over the dining-room chairs and play houses."

And Evan had shown her how, but she's not thinking about him; she's got too much on her mind already, and she'd rather be able to get through the day.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]9mmshotglass
2008-10-04 04:47 am UTC (link)
"We get huts and compounds," Reese murmured in a somewhat amused voice. "And dead people on other Islands. Bodyswitching. No forts...or houses. Or tipped over furniture. Just an umbrella on the rocks in some weird place that kidnapped us from life. I can't tell if I'm getting used to it or just hating it more."

There were parts she liked.

There were always parts she liked.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-04 09:23 pm UTC (link)
"I know the feeling." Alex half-laughs. "I'm not even sure I know where my life is anymore. Or what it is, come to think of that."

It's not, she's not, the thing it's become here, that's for certain; this isn't real, and it shouldn't matter, not half as much as it does.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]9mmshotglass
2008-10-04 09:44 pm UTC (link)
"No shit," Reese muttered bluntly. "Everything about me has changed in some way since I got here. It's been especially tough when you keep thinking you're gonna be back in your own bed...or getting shot," she frowned at her leg for a moment, "any second. I mean, what if this place is some screwed up waystation? And what if when we go back, we...die? Or find ourselves somewhere completely different. God, I mean, we could be anywhere."

She scowled at her leg as if it was the cause of all her problems.

That was great.

"Or maybe we're nowhere and this is just our heads filling in the gaps."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]neveraffordme
2008-10-04 11:09 pm UTC (link)
"I don't believe that." In the face of all the evidence, even, in the knowledge of what's going to happen to her if she can't. "I know there's some way to get back there. Alive and in one piece. I've got too many people needing me to believe anything else."

She stares down at the rock between her feet, thinking about the first thing Sam ever told her -- grit on a girl's hand, and why would any of them imagine this?

"I just can't find my place to stand."

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - [info]9mmshotglass, 2008-10-05 12:10 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-05 01:24 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]9mmshotglass, 2008-10-05 02:22 am UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]neveraffordme, 2008-10-05 07:42 pm UTC (Expand)
(no subject) - [info]9mmshotglass, 2008-10-05 08:50 pm UTC (Expand)

Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…