[Ravi/Anais] - Blackout

[healspec]

Who: Ravindra & Anais
When: June 11th, during the blackout
Where: LSR clinic
What: Ravi & Anais get caught in the blackout just before the clinic closes for the night.



The clinic was slow tonight. Only one patient in the past hour, and now half an hour 'til close. Aaron had gone home early to take care of something, assured by Ravi that he had things covered. On a night as slow as this, Ravi didn't think anything worth Aaron's time was going to happen. So it was just him and Anais right now, alone in the empty clinic, waiting out the clock until they could lock up and go home. Ravi would've sent her home too, if not for how late it was and the part of town they were in. He fully intended to escort her home, or at least as far as the decent side of the city.

None of this was particularly unusual. Ravi was sitting at the front desk, keeping an ear out for the door while reading through one of the books he'd echoed back. (The clean one. Surprisingly clean for what was obviously a religious text, actually.) It was quiet. Routine. Peaceful, really.

And then the lights flickered, and the telltale hum of electricity faded as the clinic went dark.

This wasn't a hospital. They didn't have life support systems that needed to be hooked up to a backup generator. Hell, they couldn't afford a backup generator. When the lights went out, the place stayed dark. No illumination from the streetlights outside, only the faintest sliver of moonlight through the windows, barely enough to cast the waiting room chairs into silhouette and definitely not anywhere near enough to illuminate anything past the front desk.

Ravi looked up, and immediately cast around for Anais, not that he'd be able to see her anyway. "Anais?" he called out, surprisingly strong and clear considering the usual low mumble he spoke at. He was ex-Army, he could muster up a sergeant-grade voice when he needed to. Ensuring the safety of your charge, that qualified.

Comments

[phoenix_temple]

Without homework, Anais has realized exactly how little there is to do on dead nights like these. A distraction was easy enough at least. Double and triple checking everything was ready to go for when they left. Unfortunately this means she almost trips over her own two feet in the sudden pitch black. She catches herself on the wall, thankfully, before she's alert as ever. Why, oh why, she thinks, does she not carry that armor with her everywhere. Blackouts are never good signs, and she's absolutely 100% unarmed and that's uncomfortable. She's done that once, it didn't turn out too great.

"I'm here. I'm coming." She's not too far from the front desk at least, and the hallways aren't cluttered so there's nothing in her way, so long as she feels her way along the wall.

"Think someone hit a pole...?" She's sure that's not the deal, but it's worth it to ask.

[healspec]

It was back to the characteristic mumble with a hesitant, "Ah--" He hadn't meant for her to come to him, only for a response that would let him know where she was and if she was all right. So he could go find her. You know, because he's the adult here.

Should he go get her? Was she already close enough that it didn't matter? No, he should go get her. He pushed himself up from the desk, but paused as the familiar sensation of an Echo hit him. It was accompanied by a feeling of dread, as most of them were these days, and then relief as it faded and he knew exactly what he'd gotten from it. It was the ones where he couldn't tell that frightened him; he didn't want any more surprise personality adjustments. But this was just a new offensive spell, nothing worrisome.

He pushed it out of mind and reached for the pen-light in his breast pocket, taking it out and clicking it on. It was bright, but focused; the light didn't cast nearly as wide a net as a proper flashlight, but it was better than nothing. "Wait, stay--" Oh. The five-inch circle of light hit her shoulder, about five feet away from him. "...Never mind," he mumbled, lowering the light toward the wall behind her.

"Did you feel a pulse?" Because if it wasn't just him, then it probably wasn't just someone hitting a pole.

[phoenix_temple]

Oh thank god for some light. She'd left her phone in her bag and her bag at the desk and she smiles at him. See? 100% fine. He's not alone, though. The pulse terrified her because absolutely nothing came with it. No memories, no spells on the tip of her tongue, no items. For all she knows, she's got scales all over her face now.

"Yeah... I was hoping it was a coincidence..." Her shoulders sag and her smile fades and she wishes that there was such a thing as coincidence anymore.

[healspec]

The smile would be a nice gesture, but he couldn't see it. The pen-light wasn't nearly enough illumination to notice that level of detail when he wasn't shining it directly at her face, especially since his eyes were still adjusting to the sudden dark.

He shook his head, and then realized she probably couldn't see that either, and added, "I guess not." It was part of this, then. Part of the network, the aliens, the fight. They couldn't just ignore it and go about their business, because if they'd gotten Echoes here, then it wasn't just a run-of-the-mill blackout. They needed to be on their guard, but he didn't know what to expect, and that was scary.

"Come here," he said, holding an arm out to her as a gesture of invitation for her to close the distance between them. He wanted to keep her within arm's reach, just in case.

But immediately after saying that, he heard what sounded like a soft whisper from the hallway behind Anais. It was unintelligible and brief, but the cadence of speech was unmistakable.

It was gone so fast that he thought he might've imagined it, but he still tensed and his heart rate still spiked. He wasn't thinking ghosts. There were plenty of mundane threats that could've snuck into the clinic in the dark, especially in this part of town.

[phoenix_temple]

She feels the hair on the back of her neck go up and Anais completely tenses. Doesn't matter who or what it is, someone is in the clinic with them and there wasn't anyone in there before.

This is the set up of half a dozen horror movies she can think of without even trying. She is going to gladly close that distance between them, imagining all sorts of horrors hiding behind her waiting to grab at her ankles in the dark. Serial killers, monsters, ghosts, zombies, you name it she's seen at least four movies about it and in the dark it's easy for her imagination to run wild.

Ravi's a sensible adult. He'll know what to do, right? "S-should we leave? Or call the police?"

[healspec]

Oh god. Nope, definitely hadn't imagined it, Anais's quick response is confirmation enough of that. As soon as she's close enough, his hand is on her shoulder, sliding around her back, pulling her close. It's a protective gesture, but it's as much for him as it is for her. She's got someone to protect her, and he's not alone.

But come on, Anais. He's an adult, not a fucking wizard. He doesn't know what to do in every situation. "Yyyes," he answers, drawn out and hesitant. "We should leave. Grab your things." The arm around her shoulders eases up a bit, allowing her to pull away so she can find her purse.

It takes him a minute to remember to give her some light, though. Too busy staring down the empty hallway waiting anxiously for something to come around the corner.

But then there's that unintelligible whispering again, and the light is immediately back on the wall at the end of the hallway instead of on whatever Anais is doing. This time he thinks he saw a flicker of motion around the corner just as he turned, but he can't be sure it wasn't just a trick of the shifting light.

[phoenix_temple]

Anais is still too young to understand that there is a difference between adult and wizard, thank you. She's thankfully already grabbed her bag when he turns the light away and she shuffles around for her keys. She's got one of those little flashlight keychains that companies love to give away. She never thought she'd actually use it though, and she thanks god for cheap advertising when she turns back with it on, trying to stop her keys from jingling in her hand.

"Are we going?" Please say we're going, she doesn't want to stay here, she's absolutely terrified and there's something in there with them and what if it comes after them? (Disregarding the fact, of course, that they both have some form of magic and Anais has a ton of protective magic...)

[healspec]

Yes, he would like to say. They are going. They are slowly backing out of the clinic right now, locking up, calling the police, going home. That is what he'd like to say. It isn't what he says.

Instead, he's quiet for what feels like entirely too long. There's an awful lot of expensive equipment in this clinic, not to mention a supply of medication, however meager, locked in the drug cabinet which could make a particularly dedicated thief a fair chunk of money. The clinic cannot afford to replace these things. They barely make enough money to keep running as it is, and Ravi hasn't been able to contribute financially since Alex lost his job and Ravi had to pick up full rent on his apartment again. If someone were to, say, rob the place blind while Ravi and Anais bailed and left them to it, the clinic would probably be forced to shut down.

He doesn't really care what that means for the people on the network who depend on this place. What he does care about is that if he were to let that happen, he would be letting Aaron and Mordin down. He is responsible for this place when they're not here. They trust him. He can't ruin that.

So instead of reassuring Anais that they are leaving, he edges toward the hallway, slipping easily back into Army mode. Like this is Baghdad again and he's clearing a dark building, creeping along the wall, peering around corners for insurgents with weapons. "In a minute," is what he says.

[phoenix_temple]

Goddamn responsibilities. Anais waits for half a second behind the front desk. She swallows, glancing at the shadows, weighing the pros and cons of whether to stay here or follow him. Following him could lead to danger. Splitting up will lead to danger no matter what. So, slinging her bag over her shoulder, she follows right behind him.

She wants to ask what she's looking for, but her heart is too far in her throat to get any noise out, and she doesn't want to call attention to them, either. After a few steps, though, she has to grasp the wall as she feels... off. Really off. Kind of sick...

"Is this a good idea...?"

[healspec]

Oh god, is she following him? He stops, whips around to look at her, ready to order her to stay here and wait for him to come back, but instead he just stares at her for a moment before answering, "Of course it isn't."

A pause, and then, "Keep close," before he continues creeping down the hallway, back against the wall.

In theory, it might be safer if she stayed behind and waited at the desk. In reality, he can't guarantee something won't barrel over the divide from the waiting room and get her, or that whatever they're looking for can't walk through walls, or whatever other bullshit thing might happen while she's waiting alone there. Plus, he's not a wizard, as we've established. He's scared, and he would rather not send her away and leave himself alone.

As they proceed down the hallway, the whispering exchanges itself for what sounds like soft crying. The quiet sniffling kind that you do when you know there are people in earshot and you're trying as hard as you can to keep them from hearing. On top of the anxious tension of perfectly reasonable apprehension, Ravi suddenly feels stricken by a vague sense of sadness.

[phoenix_temple]

Of course she's following him, he's her designated adult. She shivers more with every step, and every bone in her body is telling her to go back. Still, she's following him with a heavy heart.

That's a kind of crying she recognizes, though, and she wonders if it's really a person or a ghost or whatever. She reaches for his sleeve. "It could be dangerous."

[healspec]

designated adult omg He's so tense that he starts when she touches his sleeve. His head snaps around to see her and he feels like an idiot for jumping like that. Of course it was just Anais. Fuck, she probably lost all faith in him for letting himself be startled by something so simple. Ugh. (It was such a tiny jump she probably didn't even notice in the first place. Thanks anxiety.)

Distract. He tries to play it off like it didn't happen. "I know," he says, looking ahead again as he switches the light to his non-dominant left hand so he can reach under his shirt and pull out a throwing knife with the right.

That feeling of vague directionless sorrow, while not smothering, is omnipresent. The fact that it seems to have no source, that he feels it pressing in on him without calling up any personal associations, makes him think it's external. And that brings on another pulse, which happens to be a rather unpleasant memory, and he shakes it off and moves forward again, even more wary now.

The first open exam room is where the crying sound seems to be coming from. He seems collected, but he's nervous as hell and he doesn't want to look around that corner for fear of what he might find. The term "Astral beast" rings from his memory, and he doesn't know what that is exactly, but he's really not in a hurry to find out. But Anais, and the clinic, and his responsibility to Mordin and Aaron... He takes a deep breath and turns the corner, knife up and ready to throw, light flashing across the room.

He thought he was ready for it, whatever 'it' was, but he was definitely not. A ball of light, glowing softly, coalesces into the faint shape of a woman crying, sitting on the exam table. It's not a solid shape, more an impression through curves and posture, and it is definitely the creepiest damn thing he's ever seen. He immediately backpedals, pressing his back up against the opposite wall, but stays at an angle where he can see clearly into the room and keep his eyes on the...whatever that is.