Duplicity IC Contact

[bothbarrels]

 I suppose if you've reached this message I'm not around to accept your contact.
So, you can just leave it here, and I'll be sure to contact you back as soon as I can.

Comments

[bothbarrels]

[ He nestles his head against her hair. ]

I missed you, too.

[ He doesn't know whether this is his South—the one who'd been taken by Bifrons into their headquarters and disappeared—but it's a true fact and something they evidently share. They can clarify their experiences later. ]

[ownperson]

[ The horrid thing is that it's him hugging her back like this, clinging to her as desperately as she's clinging to him, that starts to make it settle in that something's different. That this isn't the North she left behind.

Her fists ball tighter in his clothes and she buries the thought for a little while longer. She just— she needs this. ]

I— we should probably— actually get inside.

[ But she doesn't let go. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He chuckles a little, starting to pull back and realizing quickly that it wasn't happening. ]

[ownperson]

Oh— shush, asshole.

[ There's no venom, even comes with a little laugh under her breath at her own expensive. She buries her face a little deeper into his shoulder and breathes deep, steeling herself to actually let go. The last time she let him go was...

She gives him as tight a squeeze as she can, then finally lets go, pulling back to look him in the face. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He stands there, waiting a moment for her to get her fill of looking at him. Then he raises an eyebrow and motions into her place. ]

[ownperson]

[ She exhales, finally nods and steps back so he can follow her in. Once he's inside she shuts the door, takes another breath, then leads him through to the sitting area. ]

I barely know what the fuck to do with this place. Like— ugh, not complaining, I got the better end of the stick here, but it's just so...

[ She gestures vaguely. She's hardly used to nice, fancy living. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He follows her, taking a seat on the couch when she leads him there. ]

It's a fair sight from what we grew up with, huh?

[ownperson]

Sure fuckin' is. Couldn't be fucking further from it, really.

[ She sits down right next to him, rather than on one of the other seats. She wants to stick close, for now. ]

Watch me fuckin'— break something in a week just trying to do some basic housework.

[bothbarrels]

[ He chuckles softly. ]

That'd be their fault for having so many knick-knacks around in here.

[ownperson]

Oh, no, not even the fuckin' knick-knacks. I'm gonna try do the dishes or something and break the faucet, somehow, just watch.

[ There's things they need to talk about. She knows there are. But this— this is the most normal conversation she's had with him in months. ]

[bothbarrels]

Well, you know what they say. 'Sometimes things that are expensive are worse.'

[ownperson]

[ She snorts a little laugh, bumps him with her shoulder. ]

Y'know I was trying to drag myself there, but sure, let's blame their stupid expensive tastes anyway.

[ She pulls her legs up onto the chair, leans against his side. Casual closeness like she hasn't really leant into in years, no matter whose perspective you're looking from. ]

...I'd say I'm glad you're here, but that feels so fucking wrong to say in a place like this.

[bothbarrels]

...Yeah

[ He pauses. ]

You know we have to talk about the last thing we remember and all that.

[ He's done this song and dance before with her. ]

[ownperson]

[ She swallows, nods instead of speaking at first. She scrunches her eyes shut, breathes in, breathes out. ]

Yeah. I know. I don't think either of us are about to get the answer we expect, though.

[ He let her hug him. He's letting her lean against him. There's no way he's from the rig. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ That's already a bad sign. But all he can do is take the plunge. ]

Last thing I remember was being in a place called Proles, where the corporation in charge had taken you into their custody. I tried breaking into headquarters with some people to rescue you, but we got caught.

I never did see you again.

[ He looks down, fiddling with his fingernails. ]

That was months ago now.

[ownperson]

[ She sucks in a hissing breath between her teeth and digs her fingers into her calf so hard it actually hurts. She doesn't even know if she wanted to be right or wrong, but it's like a sucker punch either way. ]

...last thing I remember was being on a big old oil rig moving through a fucking dystopian nightmare world. We'd just broken free of the asshole corporation that enslaved us when we turned up. You were there.

[bothbarrels]

[ He speaks quietly: ]

I had a feeling we were from different places.

[ He sighs deeply. ]

Before you were taken into custody you told me what you'd done when I died, you know. And we weren't speaking.

[ownperson]

[ God. Fuck. She jolts away from where she's leaned against him, removes all points of contact, even though she wants nothing more than to stay right where she was. ]

...guess some things are a fuckin' constant, huh.

[ Couldn't she have this? Couldn't she just— couldn't something go her way? If he had to be from somewhere else, couldn't she have at least started over? ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He looks over at her. ]

You don't have to do that.

[ But something about the way she's acting now tells him more about what he needs to know about the whole thing. ]

I think about that every day, Anja. You were taken away, and we weren't speaking.

[ownperson]

I don't have to—

[ Of course she has to. She has to, because all she can think about is the way he just sat there, totally limp in her attempts to hug him, how this is the first time she's even heard her real name since.

Anger rises up like it always does, but it's weaker than it ever was before. It's more hurt than anything else and she hates it. She hates that she can't bury it, anymore. ]

T-That's what it takes, huh? Me— her— getting fucking disappeared.

[bothbarrels]

[ He frowns. ]

What what takes?

[ownperson]

[ Her mouth opens, then closes, her teeth gritting so hard they grind together. Her jaw tense. Now he's asked she doesn't even... she's not sure... ]

You regretting not fucking talking to me. You— You—

[ Considering forgiving her? No, she can't even say it. She still doesn't even believe it's possible. ]

I-I don't know, Drew. Okay? I don't even fucking know.

[bothbarrels]

[ He sighs. ]

Yes, apparently that's what it takes to regret not talking to you. 'Cause look, you know, what you did was awfully shitty. But that doesn't mean I cut you off forever. Not even half of forever.

[ownperson]

[ He sighs and her teeth grit harder, her knuckles go white from her balling her fists. She doesn't want to do this, not again. ]

The you from where I was? He told me he couldn't even fucking associate with me until he figured out how to forgive me. Sounds an awful fucking lot like forever to me.

[ She sounds... pained, more than anything. It still hurts. She understands it, maybe even believes it's what she deserves, but it still hurts. ]

What did she even say? That me? Because that— that wasn't me. I don't know how she explained any of it. I don't...

[ It hits her how hypocritical that is even as she says it, to condemn him to the words of another version of him as she asks for an explanation of her own. Fuck. She thought she was getting better. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He shrugs helplessly. He doesn't want to let it stand between them, but what else can he do? ]

Just that she found it more important to get rid of Theta than to safeguard my life. That it was easier to let the Meta do what she hadn't been able to do. That she was too selfish to step in when I really needed her help. Stuff like that.