D A Y 0 8

[founds]

CHAPTER 2

NOV 7TH | 54℉☀(windy)

▸ Parka up for a cold an--*CHSKSSS--*- windy day in Blackwell folks! I sure do hope--*CHSKSSS--*-search team down at the lake won't--*CHSKSSS--*---*CHSSK--*-trouble out on the waters. Professional divers have been going in since dawn, let's give it up for the professional --*CHSKSSS--*-!!

▸ Old Lady Petunia has paid me to say DO NOT SEEK OUT THE ANGELS--*CHSKSSKK--SK--SSSH--*- In fact, there are no such thing as angels. See how easy that was? No angels, no problem.

▸ And now back to our --*CHSKSSS--*-regularly scheduled programming.

THE RISING IS NOT IN EFFECT

Comments

[eternalboy]

[ makes a face at Nicola and goes ahead. ]

[ reaches the end of the hallway and he's already forcing the hatch open when they get there. ]

It's the perfect size too.

[tralineate]

[ following along the most stupid detective issue ever. stops right next to ben and looks at the little elevator, turning her head to him with a frown ]

Perfect size to what?

[espish]

What she said.

[leans in and squints into the little platform, then cranes his neck up to see if there's a top or if he can see up the shaft. There's a top. Oh well.]

You know these things can't usually take much weight.

[eternalboy]

It's perfect for the boxes.

[peeks in after Sam. ]

But I was hoping there wouldnt be a top. We could have piled them on each other. Now it's one at a time, I'm afraid.

[tralineate]

[ she checks her watch while the two converse and when ben finishes his plan, she speaks up ]

Well, you two have fun. I need to check up on more areas for my homework, so-- good luck. [ she points at ben ] Don't forget about my invitation to the party.

[espish]

Boxes? You have more stuff? How much stuff did you bring?

[i thought you weren't going to stay for more than a week originally. straightens up to look back at nicola.]

What party?

[i have a bad feeling about this.]

[eternalboy]

[ WHAT PARTY DO YOU THINK. ]

Me and Moira originally planned to move to one of the houses in Blackwell. I brought all my stuff.

[ shrugs. that's how life goes. he still has some of Moira's boxes too. he isn't opening them or throwing them away. ]

I better get them, hold on.

[ disappears down the hallway for a moment. ]

[espish]

[you did not answer my question and i am not standing around here talking to the dumbwaiter, so hold up because i'm coming with you.]

Well the dumbwaiter's not going anywhere. I'll give you a hand. Who's Moira?

[i don't think you've mentioned her before, unless she's the local girl you're dating whose name i don't know yet.]

[eternalboy]

There's not that much left anymore, but thanks.

[ waves goodbye to Nicola as she takes the real elevator in the other end of the hallway. ]

My ex. Must be somewhere back in Chicago by now. Things didn't exactly work out.

[ (she wasn't a lesbian.) he doesn't appear to be bothered by the subject in the least considering he came to the hotel only few weeks ago. takes the room key out of his pocket. ]

[espish]

I see.

[at least she's alive, so there's that. and not here. here seems like a bad place to stay alive]

I guess the dumbwaiter's more for the dumbwaiter's sake than because you need it? You know, I'm not completely sure how it works.

[pockets his hands and looks down ben's hallway. it looks a lot like the second floor.]

[eternalboy]

[ stops by the right door and unlocks it. ]

Yeah, I changed my mind. We're not using the dumbwaiter anymore.

Let's do this the old-fashioned way.

[ Nicola left so he's not feeling it anymore. she was the one who made him come up with the idea. he opens the door to the boring hotel room with few boxes. ]

[espish]

I thought dumbwaiter was the old-fashioned way.

[being from the 30s and all. glances around ben's hotel room. looks like at least one of them isn't prone to taping weird stuff to the walls, which is probably a good thing for their security deposit. god. what the hell is he doing putting down a security deposit. this is such a bad idea.]

Not that I'm complaining. You probably have a much better chance of actually ending up with all your stuff intact if we just carry it.

[eternalboy]

These are mostly clothes so they might survive.

[ for a second he looks over the window but thankfully decides against it and piles a box on top of another. they're light enough to carry together. ]

[ he opens the lid to see what's inside since he has forgotten, but when it seems to contain mostly women's clothing he quickly closes the lid and picks up the boxes, pretending it wasn't anything worth seeing. ]

[espish]

I wouldn't risk it.

[it must've been something he said. it must've been the ex girlfriend. part of him wants to remember that in case he wants to depress ben into shutting the hell up later, and part of him feels really bad about thinking that way.

picks up one of the stragglers. fortunately, it's not too heavy. sam doesn't do heavy lifting.]

You leave a car back in Chicago, or is that bike really it for you?

[he's a bus, feet, taxi and subway person, and he can't fathom motorcycling everywhere through the midwest.]

[eternalboy]

[ depressed? who's depressed?? ]

Actually I bought the bike here since the car was Moira's. What, you wanna know the address?

[ they can go and buy you a leather jacket while they're at it. ]

[espish]

[mostly sam.

well, that didn't work.]

Of the apartment? Yeah, but it's not gonna help me get there on my own, so I wasn't even gonna try. I can barely find my own ass in this town with both hands and a map.

[shoulders through the door with the box in hands. this is all we're getting on this trip, right? this isn't so far. pauses at the doorway to look at the rest of the room.]

That it?

[eternalboy]

The address of place where I bought the bike, but I guess that makes sense too.

[ there's not much left. holds the door open with his foot. ]

You know West Park? It's right there. Easy to find, really.

[ kicks the door so it flings open long enough for him to slide through. ]

I'll get the rest of the boxes next trip and then we're done.

[espish]

Oh, no. I don't even have a motorcycle license. I never drive anway, and if I did it'd sure as hell be something waterproof.

[moves out of the way so Ben can slide past him. Lets the door swing shut and start down th hall to the elevator. ]

No offense.

[eternalboy]

None taken. It's not for everybody.

[ it's hard to imagine Sam driving anything in the first place. ]

You won't mind if we have a little house warming party, do you?

[ since it's settled already. ]

[espish]

[the last time he drove he wasn't even sam. think about that.]

Sounds kinda like something you've already decided.

[neutrally, but with raised eyebrows. it's kind of a judgmental neutral. studiedly neutral.]

[eternalboy]

[ i see. ]

Nicola wanted to come. What I was supposed to say?

[ shrugs. not his fault. he's not responsible. he doesn't even know what that word means. ]

[espish]

I see.

[doesn't raise his eyebrows so much as never put them back down. presses the elevator button with his elbow.]

Anybody else on the list or is it just Nicola?

[i wonder what salvi's doing. at all, in addition to whenever this bad idea is gonna go down.]

[eternalboy]

[ casually leans against the wall, unaware of the eyebrow raising. or he doesnt care. ]

So far, but I intend to ask others. Maybe she'll bring people too. We'll have a full house, hopefully.

You can bring whoever you want.

[ it didn't occur to him too late or anything. nope, he added it. ]

[espish]

Well you're pretty much the only friend I've got in this town. I guess I did run into that former neighbor last night, though we were never what you'd call close exactly.

[pretty sure I annoyed the hell out of her. not last night but before, in general.]

And there's the guy I was talking to before in the restaurant, but he seems even less like the party type than I am.

[eternalboy]

Or don't invite anyone, if you don't feel like it. It's worth a try though. A party is a great way to meet new people. Maybe you'll both make friends.

[ everything is possible in the world he lives in. ]

Being properly reunited with your old neighbor might turn you into friends too. Closer than you ever wanted.