logsinthenight | skittering in the dark [open]

Entry tags:

skittering in the dark [open]

characters: Ellever Brandt and you!
location: The library, the Invincible, etc.
date/time: The beginning to the middle of the month.
content: People are going missing, people are dying — Ellever is being less homebound as she tries to wrestle with it.
warnings: Language. Will update as necessary.

library;

[ One would think that a month as turbulent as it's been (thus far) for Ellever would have her staying mostly indoors, but instead, she feels restless. Beacon and its surroundings have been taking more than they've been giving, and Ellever desperately wants — needs — to see something new. Visiting the library always gives her this feeling, so she arrives fairly early in the morning on a few occasions. She doesn't keep to herself, either; she'll briefly smile at anyone else who's here to read, even if she doesn't recognize them.

On one of these occasions, the first book she pulls from the shelf is a tattered-looking copy of The Worm Farmer's Handbook. Ellever stares at it, first in confusion and then in vague curiosity. ]

There'd better be a picture of a worm with a cowbell around its neck in here.

invincible;

[ More toward the middle of the month, Ellever makes her way into the tavern and sits down at the bar with her shoulders slumped. This is out of the ordinary for her — she isn't much of a drinker and rarely partakes in the Invincible's passable fare. But today, she raises a hand to get the attention of the bartender, eyes dark. ]

Something strong. Whatever you've got. [ Ellever rubs at her forehead and face until the glass arrives. ] Thanks. Fuck. [ She glances at the person she'd sat right next to, instead of giving them a few stools of distance as is courteous. ] ...Not you. Sorry.

town hall;

[ Likely not too long after one or more trips to the Invincible, Ellever can be found in the archives of the town hall, rooting around restlessly. There's an abundance of information here and yet, also nothing. It drives her up the wall. Finding something she hasn't looked at recently, or perhaps at all, Ellever sits down with her back against a shelf and starts reading. If she fills her head with this information, maybe it'll keep out all of the other thoughts that are trying to bother her. ...maybe.

She lets out the world's biggest yawn right after, but shakes her head to try and pull herself out of her boozy lull before going back to reading. With her legs stuck out at angles, it might be hard for someone else to get by her. Ellever glances up, the movement taking her longer than usual, if anyone approaches. ]

Oh, sorry. Uh. [ She squints. Even sitting up is clearly a lot of effort. ] Here.

[ It's a small shift, but... she tried. ]

[ ooc: If you'd like to plot out something specific, send me a message and we can hash it out! Either through this account or on

crowskyler! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[That person she sat next to is not Soldat. She probably would have noticed, if it were them. Soldat is coming out of the kitchen juggling a plate, bowl, and mug, as well as the notebook tucked under one arm, and they pause to look at her. Look vaguely concerned.]

Ellever. Are you drunk?

[This being the first thing they've said to her since coming back from being dead for two days. Oops.]

Edited 2020-03-12 05:12 (UTC)

[ She's two drinks in at this point, gulping to get herself to that pleasant buzz faster even if it burns her throat fiercely. But staring at her third, she's going a bit slower. Hasn't even touched it yet, in fact. Ellever didn't make a habit of drinking when she was alive, and she doesn't plan to now.

But the buzz. It's so welcome, after so many death reports. She sighs, before glancing up at Soldat. It takes her a second to process him standing there. ]

No. [ She makes a noise that's a cross between a laugh and a snort. But it's true. She's still closer to sober than drunk. ] Not yet.

[Soldat... can't really deny her the desire. If they could get drunk, they would be so drunk right now.

But they can keep an eye on her while she drinks.]

Take the bottle. Come sit with me.

[They have... mostly... given up on Crowley and Aziraphale. But they're not quite ready to give up on the vigil. That'll be tomorrow. Today, it's the church for a last few hours, and this way they can have company.]

[ Ellever raises both brows for a moment before glancing at the bartender with the same face, wordlessly asking permission. It's not great alcohol, of course, but it fulfills all the basic requirements. One sour expression later, she's following Soldat back to wherever he's going to load up. ]

Okay, you asked for it.

[ A brief grin. She doesn't make a habit of drinking, but she knows enough to anticipate either falling asleep or getting angry. Getting drunk had seemed risky, back home. What if she'd lost control of whatever-it-was that made it possible for her to jumpstart the end of the world?

Now that doesn't matter anymore, and she just wants to think a lot less. ]

How're you holding up?

By eating a lot. Mostly.

[Because while they're pretty sure the constant hunger isn't actually their metabolism being stupider than usual, anymore, it's still comforting to eat. (~~Food. Eat. Yes.~~ Shut up, you bastard.) Hence the plate piled high with sandwiches and the bowl full of pasta with beef and veggies and the mug of something that smells like both chocolate and coffee at the same time.

They let Elle get the door heading back out into the depressing drizzle, because their hands are quite full.]

Going back to the church. So you can be drunk and disorderly in there with me.

Oh. Shit. [ She lets out an amused little laugh, the sound extended by the nice buzz she's feeling. ] I've never been to church before but isn't that usually a wine establishment?

[ Not that she really cares, and the words are more of a joke than anything else. Ellever wasn't raised religious. Her father sheltered her from it, on account of most religions having some sort of doomsday prophecy.

She holds the door open, eyes passing over the carbs. Well, at least he's eating. ]

Let's go scandalize someone, then.

[Joke's on you, Elle, the church is usually pretty empty, except apparently when people are waiting for Soldat, since there were like four people who kept checking then. The worse they'll find is maybe Sora and Fjord, waiting for Alisaie, or maybe Jo, waiting for Castiel and Dean. Those people are hard to scandalize.

Soldat steps outside and down the path to the church.]

I don't remember ever going to church either, though I'm pretty sure I did it. I. My. Mother. She was Jewish. But Pa wasn't.

[ It'll be a disappointment, but for now, she follows along with her bottle of booze. And it occurs to her, then, that she took the bottle and not her glass, but she shrugs and takes a small sip from the lip of the bottle. The burn would normally be unpleasant — and is the reason she rarely drinks — but, in her current mood, Ellever doesn't care.

She sucks in a long breath. ]

Yeah? I think my dad was raised Catholic. He didn't like religion except to talk about it like... a piece of history. [ Ellever snorts, derisive of her next thought. ] And then there's my real dad, making religions by freaking people out. Or however they saw him. Still not sure what all his names are.

[ That's a lot to mention, but still, she plows onward. ]

I don't think we're missing much, my dad said something about all of the bowing and scraping making his knees hurt.

Is there a lot of bowing and scraping in church?

[Yuck. Soldat has done so much metaphorical bowing and scraping that doing so physically sounds pretty terrible. They're not sure how much about religion they could even properly believe in, given everthing... but they live(d) with an angel and a demon, and has even viewed a memory about a real Christian(-ish?) god.

And yes, it's a lot, but they're gonna let it percolate a minute.]

[ Ellever wrinkles her nose, going ahead and having another sip as she thinks about it. ]

Catholics, yeah. They kneel down and then get up and kneel and... there's a lot of ceremony and shit to it, basically. Lots of Latin chants, superstitious stuff. [ She shakes her head. ] I'm so glad he fell out of those beliefs.

[ Ellever has been over many church thresholds while investigating things, or on a job or two, and she's never felt different. But she still has to imagine that bringing a Child of Nine — or herself, specifically — to one is still kind of insulting. Especially to a sect of Christianity that puts more stock into the whole antichrist thing. ]

Not that I know that much about it. I just know his complaints and what I've read while researching.

[That sounds vaguely familiar, in a "bored child" kind of way. There's an echo of something, like they can hear a voice in the distance doing the chant. (~~Boring. Why aren't you eating.~~ Gotta get to the church first. ~~Boring.~~ No.)]

Might have. Done that? Before? Been in a church where we had to do that.

[A pause, then the further knowledge, even more devoid of context than the first:]

Steve was definitely Catholic.

[ She glances at him appraisingly when he hazards that he's been in an experience like that before. Church for religious people is either a moment of bliss or a moment of dread. It's interesting, really. When she'd been ten or so, she'd wondered if crossing the threshold of a church would light her on fire. Or light the church on fire. But nothing so exciting's ever happened.

Then he offers that other name. ]

Steve?

Have I not told you about Steve?

[Even despite everything, the name can still make them smile a little bit.]

He was my friend. Before HYDRA. He was the first happy memory I got back, the first memory I got back that wasn't the war or torture or some shit like that. Most of the happy memories I've got back since had him in them, actually.

[ Ellever takes another long sip and then smiles, both at what Soldat tells her and at the burn down her throat. ]

You guys were close, then?

[ Just a hazard of a guess. What he'd gone through had been dark and harrowing, to say the least; for a good memory to come through, it probably has to be a strong one. Elle has no practical experience, just a gut feeling and a knowledge of how much happy memories can make a difference. ]

[They make such a difference. Having at least one happy memory to hold onto really helped Soldat be less afraid to get new memories, feel less like they were malfunctions and they actually belonged to him. That memory was so important they put it into a jar, from the woman at the Night Market.]

Yes. Yes, we were. Shared an apartment. Were kids together, before that. Brought him home for holidays and shit.

[They pause outside the church, and nod at it. Their hands are still full (~~Hurry up and EAT.~~ We're getting there, hold you damn horses. ~~I will eat those too!~~) so Elle has to get the door again.]

It's cool, it's - it's Elle, is what it is. [ And that'll be Sora, hands in the pockets of his jacket, looking at Elle closely. What's he doing here? Well... Sora has some research to do as well, surprisingly. He's got his usual backpack on, but there's also a notebook under his elbow with some loose sheets of paper sticking out. Research, man. Despite the no-thinking policy, he's a guy with a geas.

He looks over at the other end of the aisle, thinking for a moment... then pops down into right next to her. Hey, he's on a mission, but no one's giving out deadlines from him. Today can wait. ]

Heya. Long time no see. What'cha up to? Just reading? [ Light reading, he wants to joke, but the moment gets away from him. He doesn't really catch the inebriation, but give it some time. ]

[ She isn't so far gone that she's not cradling the very old stack of papers in her hands with extreme care, and that apparently takes precedence over a lot of movement. Precious resources need to be protected. Blinking, she glances up at the shadow that's spilled over her, but before she can focus, the shadow's sitting next to her on the floor.

Oh. Sora. A slow but warm smile slips onto her face. ]

Just... going over things for the thousandth time. Seeing if I missed anything. No luck so far. [ Ellever's head tilts, inquisitively, to the side. ] You?

[ Sora smiles back, sitting crosslegged. It's warmer now, warm enough that he has his jacket open, its tail flopping out behind him. T-shirt, athletic sweats, sneakers. Normal. If it weren't for the keyhole eyes, he'd look like a regular college student cramming at the library. Still does, really. ]

Just needed some details on the portals. [ Perfectly normal personal project things. (She looks a little sleepy. Should she still be here?) ] What did you miss? Is this about the project you were talking about? The one thing you do.

Ah.

[ She decides not to pry, at least for now; having more questions about the portals just makes good sense. A second later, his question makes Ellever snort. Not at him, though. Her expression briefly dips into self-deprecation, almost rolling her eyes at herself. Her project hasn't yielded that much. Then again, she hasn't had much luck finding better instruments than the ocarinas. The piano has a great, clear sound but it's not portable. A problem.

What she needs is a spirit who's bored and doesn't mind her metaphorically poking at it for hours about its language. ]

Uh, no, I'm just... restless. Combing stuff. Trying to see if it makes any more sense this time than the last time I read it. [ She shrugs. ] I miss research.

[ Yep! If she needs details, he'll give them. For right now, though...

Sora puts a cheek on his hand and rests an elbow on his knee. She clearly needs something if she's here, a little sleepy, but still working. He's gonna find out what it is. ]

Braver than me, is what I'd say. I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to be. [ He guesses that's what she's used to, though, after being cooped up for such a long time. ] Anything new, or still combing? Which section are you in?

Earliest shit I can find.

[ Ellever wiggles the papers just enough to make that comforting, rustling noise that she loves. The sound of pages turning and paper sliding together is one of the things she finds so nice about the act of research. Before it all turned to computers — but she likes the sound of keyboard keys clacking away, too, and mouse clicks. Beacon is so quiet. ]

But nothin' yet. [ She rubs at her forehead, raising an eyebrow at Sora. ] You wouldn't be here, huh? What don't you like about the place?

[ Hm. Sora's mouth doesn't smile at the way she leafs through the sheaves in front of her, but his eyes certainly do. Reminds him of a princess he knew. ]

Never was good at school or anything. Guess being around all of this - [ A hand waved at the shelves ] - reminds me that there are some things that I can't do.

[ He laughs. ] Well, the first month I was here, I camped out at the library, so I like the Librarian. And the library's nice. Quiet. [ Still goes back every Monday to clean a little and chat with them, even if they aren't the most coherent conversationalist. ] But, uh. People like you should be handling actual books. Get some mileage out of them. [ There are very few places where Sora doesn't feel like he belongs, but surrounded by books he doesn't really get is one of them. ]

I do like my books. [ There were three giant bookcases back home that said as much, and three others full of just her notes and research. ] It probably helps that I never went to school and got to learn at my own pace. Or learn on the go, when I got promoted into the research team.

[ Ellever isn't sure that she'd like the American education system, from what she knows of it. She probably would have been bored out of her mind at any attempt to make her stop reading and pay attention to a lecture. ]

Books are what you make of 'em, though. [ She smiles at Sora. ] If you need the information, they're there. If you don't, there's no shame in doing other stuff.

I wish I coulda done school like that. Traveling around. Must've learned a lot if you got to stick with everything you were interested in. [ He did some learning on the go, but... nah. He'd left school behind because he didn't have the willpower for it anymore, lectures and books alike. He was too busy daydreaming and never really had motivation to study. And, uh, well, there was the survival stuff, but that was more of an unhappy accident.

He looks at her, surprised at the commentary, then grins. ]

Thanks. Gonna be real, though, it'd be easier to be the type who liked books. I can take a punch, but there are a lot of fights you could stop just by being smart about it. And... if I understood more about, you know, the world, it'd be harder for people to trick me into thinking that they're right. [ He pauses for a second. ] Does reading do that? Make you more confident?

[ As she thinks about it, her eyes drift briefly to the ceiling, biting her lower lip before she shrugs. The shift makes her dizzy and she looks down, quickly, at Sora. Just a nice little reminder of all the alcohol rattling around in her system still. ]

Maybe some people. But I think books open you up to new information, and the revelation that we just— don't know a lot of shit. [ She snorts. ] I think that's the good takeaway, personally. It's okay not to know everything because no one knows everything.

[ Ellever rubs briefly at her face, pausing and taking a deep breath so that she doesn't devolve into slurring. ]

Confidence is getting out there and doing the research with your own eyes and ears.

[ Okay, Sora's starting to suspect something's up. He'd chalked up the languid way she was talking to just plain sleepiness, but at this level of wooziness, she'd either have enough sense to be at home getting ready for bed, or... Hm.

He leans in a little. Not to snoop, but he is going to check her eyes and make sure everything's on the up and up. ]

Yeah? Hm. [ Maybe that's why he's full of it. He doesn't know anything at all. A bit of a headtilt, both thinking on what she's saying and how she's saying it. ] Getting out there is really hard too. There really is no way to know if you're one hundred percent wrong or one hundred percent right going into something, huh? You just gotta leap sometimes. [ He hums. ] Maybe that's what I was looking for. Reasons to be less scared of the unknown.

[ While her eyes might be a shade more red than usual, the alcohol in her body manifests mostly in the way her head remains, slowly, in motion, and in the way her eyes take longer to focus. Ellever smiles at him, perhaps just a shade too chipper — for her — for the conversation they're having. ]

I don't really like the phrase leap of faith, but sometimes you just have to go and see what's up. Books can only teach you so much.

[ She shrugs. ]

M' a visual learner, though, so that's part of it. I like getting out and seeings for myself. And... [ A snort. ] This is going to sound weird, but I like to smell it? What the markets smell like, the forests, the roads, everything. I like when it fills my lungs.

[ Chipper, huh. Well, Sora sees no reason to discourage someone from being chipper, drunk or not, so he's content to keep an eye on her for now. No need to go emergency mode unless she falls asleep here or starts feeling sick something. ]

What the world smells like. Elle, you're making me miss places I've never been to. [ He smiles at that, though. He likes that she's seen the world, gotten to travel it in the name of her research. She's very lucky! ]

I don't think that's weird. Or maybe I'm weird too, and this is a normal conversation for weird people. [ He doesn't seem all that bothered by the idea. ] I like being able to explore. I miss traveling a lot. [ Doesn't everyone in Beacon, though? The ones who were explorers, anyway. ]

Seeing a new world with my own eyes... [ Sora pauses in the middle of the statement, thinking about it quietly, then changes tacks. ] You think you could tell if someone sent you to Scotland if you were there blindfolded?

Edited 2020-03-19 12:49 (UTC)

[ Though she was the one to bring it up, tangentially, Ellever doesn't want to think about why she feels so connected to the lived-in smells of the world. Especially if it has something to do with her other heritage. So Sora's question is a good distraction.

She squints up at the ceiling thoughtfully. ]

Ummm. [ Her brain is slush; slush she has to paw through in order to assemble the various other sets of smells she can remember in other parts of the world. The earthy forests of the Midwest, the almost sweet winds of China... ] You know what? I think I could. Or I could narrow it down to two places if I was really out of it. There weren't a ton of trees, so that makes it pretty different.

[ Ellever glances over at him. ]

I miss exploring, too. The fun kind. Not... y'know. What people do around here, with spirits breathing down their necks.

[ Sora starts swaying from side to side a little as she thinks, mostly to give himself something to do, but uncurls a little bit in pleasant surprise. She could, huh? Nice. That's very impressive. Sora isn't nearly that observant or connected to his senses like that, or if he is, it's for places that are immensely important to him. ]

I, um. [ Pause. He spoke without thinking again. ] I remember exploring like that too. Monsters all the way down and all. [ ... He doesn't know how to phrase this properly, but makes up his mind to keep going without overthinking it. It's not like Elle's sober enough to understand the fine differences at this point. ]

I was stronger back then. So, like... it was always dangerous, but eventually, it was the fun kind because I knew... We knew we could take care of ourselves. We could go places just to go. To see things that other people probably can't, spend time in the world and meeting new friends. That's... the fun kind, to me. Was it the same for you?

[At some point in the early morning, after Sam and Jo have stumbled back into town and she had hidden in her own room for a while to make her network post, Jo walks into the cabin next door and claims the couch.

She doesn't know who is home, but she doesn't want to disturb anyone. She just doesn't want to be alone in her A-frame right now.

Her bag gets dropped to the floor and she curls up on the couch, shifting to use her own jacket as a bit of a blanket. Anything more feels like too much work.]

[ For whatever it means in Beacon, without sunlight, Ellever is still a night owl. Most of her security gigs had been at night, and she'd also done most of her research at night. Coming here hadn't really changed much, other than getting used to seeing nothing filtering in through the windows when she wakes up.

She's eyeing Jo's post and trying to figure out what emotions to have about it when she hears the door open. Part of her itches to grab the large knife she'd gotten as a present from Crowley, but she holds off to poke her head around the doorway.

Seeing the blonde hair draped over the couch arm makes her relax immediately. But she still isn't sure what to do or how to feel. Instead, she remains in the doorway and offers a, ]

Hi.

[Jo twists on the couch to look in the voice's direction, offering a tired nod when she sees Elle in the doorway. And then she quickly looks a little guilty. It is late, or. Something.]

Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. [It hadn't even occurred to her.

It's been a while since she shared a room with anyone. Sorry, Elle.]

It's okay.

[ Ellever's quick to offer the quiet comment, taking a few more steps in. The urge to leave her to rest loses out to the urge to make sure she seems all right, physically. Mentally is a different story, something she isn't sure she can help. ]

I'm still up. For... whatever that means, with the time here. [ A quick pause, and then, ] Let me get you a blanket.

[ With just the two of them in the cabin, the faded quilt in one of the other rooms is fair game. ]

[Jo stands quickly at the suggestion from Elle, catching her jacket before it falls to the floor.]

I can get it. [She doesn't know if Sam is going to come back, but she doesn't want to take his blankets. Just in case.

She also doesn't want to make Elle do everything. She's the one who invaded.]

Which room is Dean's?

Edited 2020-04-05 16:25 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

skittering in the dark [open]

Invincible, after returning from the death

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

town hall;

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

early on march 13th, at Elle's house

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject