xx2 ａｃｔｉｏｎ (backdated to yesterday [saturday] )

[withregret]

[ ( let's go with the pick your path route! pick ① or ② and let's do this :3c ) ]


① Saturday afternoon; the library

[ There has to be something.

That's what she keeps telling herself as she searches through each book, taking notes, trying to find some sort of instance of whatever was happening to her (to them) being mentioned somewhere. She would even take the ramblings of a madman at this point. A fiction story. Anything.

Look to history to understand the future.

Those words fall across her mind as she spreads out several books. Everything that was happening - the memories, the new skills, the strange network... why? How could she look to history to understand when she barely knew what was going on in the present? Her entire life had been turned upside down so suddenly, so terribly, and these days she no longer even felt like herself. The last time she had felt this way had been after the death of her father - a dark time, a time when she was forced to manage things a sixteen year old girl should never have to. Anger, depression, and the responsibility of caring for both herself and her mother. But even that was grounded, realistic. She had ran with it. She had overcome it. Being strong was something Rue was good at - and it was getting harder now, so much harder, that she was becoming desperate for some sort of grasp to reality.

Her hands are stained with black ink as she copies down anything that might be relevant. She searches the network, discreetly, looking back at old "posts". Some people were very forthcoming about what was happening to them. She wrote that down, too. Some were not.

She noted those who weren't.

The books pile up to an alarming amount. Taking a moment, she sits back, staring at the piles before her. What should she do next? She couldn't continue this way. After a few seconds she stands and begins to return the books to their proper places, balancing a stack in her hand as she returns to the shelves. Now, where do these go... ]




② Saturday night; local bar

[ She could go home to go over her findings but the emptiness and silence of the apartment was maddening. When she was left alone with her hatred, her anger, her bitterness, it began to creep up her spine and twist around her throat. The dull noises of the bar were enough to contain it for the moment. Laughter of people. The chime of a glass that wasn't her. It helped her feel human.

She sits at the bar, legs crossed, papers delicately placed before her. Her long blonde hair falls over her shoulders as she flexes her hands and looks at the black stains from earlier that day. Black smudges - almost like the smudges on her soul. How fitting.

She smiles a little ironically and leans forward, taking her drink in hand and sipping while looking at nothing in particular. Just lines of bottles against the wall, greens and browns. Once, she had turned toward violence to get out her anger. Violence that had been structured, but violence nonetheless. Would she have to return to that? She places the drink down once more to check out her hands again, but this time she curls her fingers until it feels like she's holding guns. There had been something so... natural, about the way the guns had fit into her palms. So right. And while she had a hobby of it before -- now it felt... different.

It unsettled her. ]

Comments

1 - the library

[testsonseashells]

[ Mordin's been taking advantage of his new eidetic memory, reading through as many biology and genetics journals as he can get his hands on. His own table is relatively clean compared to Rue's, but he does keep muttering to himself. As she gets up, he glances at her.]

Seem disappointed. Didn't find what you were looking for?

[withregret]

[ She glances over at him when he speaks, and after a very quick scan of the area to make sure that she's indeed the only other person in the direct area, she gives a nod. ]

Unfortunately.

[ With a finger tap to one of the covers of the books, she moves to create a new pile. Putting them back is going to take several trips but she's not exactly in a rush. ]

I suppose you really can't find everything in a book. It's too bad.

[testsonseashells]

Next step is generally internet research or direct experiment. Works fairly often for me.

[He glances at the books on her table.]

Should ask: topic? Might be able to assist you.

[withregret]

[ She almost smiles at the thought of a "direct experiment." It certainly felt like she was involved in one already. Whatever was happening to her -- to everyone -- seemed to be orchestrated in some way. It was all too much to be a coincidence.

Had nothing like this really happened before? While she hadn't done much digging on the internet she didn't have high hopes for finding any answers there either. ]

Parallelism. I was hoping to find the root of something through history, but it seems to be unprecedented. Though I'm considering checking old newspapers -- first hand accounts might be more useful in this case.

[ Anyone who would have mentioned something like this in the past probably would have been considered insane. There might be an article on that. ]

[testsonseashells]

[Mordin's interest is piqued - new discoveries! Who wouldn't want to take advantage of something like that? No one, that's who.]

Entirely unprecedented? Exciting. What can you tell me?

[withregret]

[ Indeed, discoveries! Discoveries that will, undoubtedly, make her sound like a total loon to anyone outside the network. But as she looks at him more he does look somewhat familiar. Had she seen him somewhere...? She pauses as she shifts some books back into place, not wanting to hog them for longer than necessary. If she hadn't been so distracted and uncharacteristically uncomposed and distracted she would have noticed sooner. ]

... Have we met before?

[ A glimpse, something... ]

[testsonseashells]

[Mordin blinks. That's an odd question.]

Don't believe so. Dr. Mordin Solus. You?

Let's bar this up

[consiliarius]

[With everything going on as of late - what with Sano discovering some new things about himself and fighting werewolves and taking on a friend as an actual roommate - he's needed some time for himself. And while things aren't exactly steady, they at least seem to have calmed down somewhat.

Therefore, it's the perfect time to wind down a little bit.

He frequents this particular bar probably more often than any other; the quieter atmosphere is preferable to the more clubby places he's been to and makes it easier for him to relax after a busy week. But when he walks in and takes a seat at the bar, quickly ordering a bottle of beer, he glances over at the woman next to him.

...Oh hey, he's pretty sure he knows her.]

You got a good read, there?

aw yeah o7

[withregret]

[ She glances up at the voice, fully prepared to rebuff a strange man who felt that he was entitled to know what she was reading for no reason whatsoever. But when she sees him his appearance clicks in her mind - while he wasn't someone she really knew she couldn't call him a stranger. And he hadn't seemed the type to creep on ladies at the bar when she had first encountered him (though admittedly those were under some stressful circumstances).

Needless to say, she recognizes him, so she sees no harm in some casual chat. They were kindred spirits at the very least - the network had accomplished that much in a more positive vein, even if everything else it had brought was confusion. ]

I wouldn't say that, exactly. Just a little research.

[ She uncurls her hands and lets them fall, one touching her glass lightly, preparing to take another drink. ]

But it's probably just as useful as fiction.

[consiliarius]

Shame. And here I was hoping someone might have actually made some sort of breakthrough.

[But with the way everyone involved with the network had only been able to agree that weird things were happening - and not even the same sorts of things between different people - that was a high hope.]

It feels like fiction, though, doesn't it? Like I'll wake up to find this was one hell of an elaborate dream.

[withregret]

[ That gets a small hum of laughter. ]

Or we'll find out that we're really all just characters in a young adult novel.

[ Those were the ones with the sparkly vampires and kids who were normal until they had to suddenly save the world, if she remembered right. Not exactly what she planned for when she was younger, but she supposed it was better than being in a terrible romance plot. The little things. ]

I'm not going to give up. There must be something.

... For now, though, these papers make a pretty decent coaster.

[consiliarius]

Let's hope the author goes for a happy ending. Maybe even throws in a little romantic plot on the side.

[Sano chuckles to himself, grabbing his beer for another sip. His life may not be particularly exciting, but the idea, however silly, of being in a story is both fun and a little unsettling. He just hopes with all these recent developments that his life won't get too crazy.]

There has to be some answer, but taking your focus off of it for a little bit can't hurt. You'll end up straining your eyes and mind, otherwise.

...I don't think we were introduced properly last time we met. I'm Sano Asahara.

[withregret]

[ He's not wrong. She had been going at it all day and was feeling it now, though being out was still infinitely better than being home. ]

Sano Asahara.

[ She repeats his name, so she'll remember it later. ]

I'm Rue. Rue Oslo.

Considering our previous circumstances, I'd say the fact that we weren't introduced sooner can slide.

How are you?

[ She knew the wolves incident had messed a lot of people up. It hadn't been a great experience. She was dealing all right because she knew it would be awful - it's why she went. ]

1- room for another?

[wastingtime]

[strange occurances aside, he /was/ here on business. and Elian intends to finish that business. part of it however involves some restructuring of notes, and for those he'll heed to read the books once more, and while this library doesn't have all the ones he needs...it has most.

so here he is, by the shelves, looking down at the card he'd written the locations on and back up- before pausing, noticing the young lady's armload.]

Is it Finals time already?

certainly!! :)

[withregret]

[ Finals? She looks up at him from golden bangs, suppressing a small smile. ]

I suppose it is, but I haven't been a student for some time.

[ She shifts the books and slips one into its proper place. ]

... I might have something you're looking for. The table over there --

[ She gestures off to the side with her chin. ]

-- has more of what I took.

[ She had been pretty merciless on this section. ]

[wastingtime]

Pleasure, then?

[but those titles seem - a little difficult. well, maybe he's making assumptions. Elian glances over at the table, but maybe he's just old fashioned in that he starts to reach for one of the ones off Rue's armload]

May I-?

[you look like you need another hand, miss]

[withregret]

[ And it looks like you already are, Sir. But she makes no move to stop him. ]

Thank you.

[ No point in refusing - it was an innocent enough deed, even if she was fine putting them back by herself. She muses on his first "question" for a moment. Pleasure? More like pain. But under the circumstances it fit well enough. ]

Yes, for pleasure. I like to keep up on my reading.

[ That's a tad bit of an understatement. ]

[wastingtime]

[in his defense, he'd assumed that she'd shoo him away if she didn't want help. and that /is/ a lot of books.] My pleasure. [a glance at the spine to identify the placing, and then, with the ease of someone who /knows/ libraries and their systems, he's finding the spot for it within a few seconds]

Well, you're certainly doing that here. I don't think my students read this many in a single semester.

[withregret]

You're a teacher, then.

[ She gives him another glance before checking the spine of a book herself and slipping it into the right spot. ]

Where do you teach?

[espigeonage]

[The bar is so quiet. Julien checks the time on his phone and shakes his head. Not all plans work out. He'll need to do some marathon texting - maybe in a bit, his friends are just passing through town and hadn't brought a working phone charger, so he has to mind their batteries. Normally he'd text everyone else to pass the time, but lately - with so many real things going on - that kind of thing has started to feel like more of a chore. Only one or two of his friends know anything.]

[...but hey, maybe he can write that a raincheck. He recognizes the woman at the bar, and goes to perch on a stool a couple seats away.]

Hey. Rue, right?

[withregret]

[ She looks up from her hands, letting her fingers uncurl, when he speaks. Ah, the young man from that time with the statue... she still has his phone number saved in her phone. ]

That's right. And you're Julien.

[ There's no question in her voice - he wasn't hard to recognize. ]

It's been a while.

[ Since, you know, the statue. ]

[espigeonage]

That's right! Ahaha, sorry. I thought about calling you, but I didn't have really a reason.

[She hadn't seemed like the kind of person to enjoy the aimless conversations he's so fond of, anyway.]

So, what's up?

[withregret]

There's no need to apologize. It's not as if I called you, either.

[ She picks up her glass and tilts it a little, moving the ice around inside. ]

Drinking. It's a pretty popular pastime, or so I've heard.

[ Is that a joke? Who knows. Her tone remains cool and casual as she speaks. ]

And yourself? Meeting friends?

[espigeonage]

[Undeterred, he grins and is chatty.]

So they tell me! I'm fonder of company than the drinks themselves, but I can't deny the appeal... only, if things turn out today like I hope, I'll probably be designated driver, so it's mocktails and soda.

That's right. A couple friends from college are passing through and staying the night, and they said they'd meet me here... Probably just late. Of course that's not all that's happening, but it's the thing of the moment, y'know?

[withregret]

[ She presses the rim of her glass against her lips as he speaks, taking a sip of her drink and watching him with steady eyes. A rather friendly young man, isn't he? Last time she met him he had been with friends as well - and she had been alone, again. Rue has never really had many friends in the first place so she can't really relate, she's always been someone to connect closely with a few and be pleasant to others out of respect. She can't deign to know what it's like. But she can't help but to wonder if he's close with those people - if he's happy. A weird thought, but she's been having those more and more lately, so it doesn't make her question herself.

It's a thing of the moment, after all. ]

I see. You sound like a very busy man.