tearmeanewone | neuf + action/audio

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neuf + action/audio

[Action - Backdated to the 18th]

[It had been an emotionally charged week for Elizabeth, but in the end she was grateful for it. She had the opportunity to see old friends, be honest with Booker and Rosalind and Robert, and see Gai one last time. It was strange, she felt almost at peace about returning and continuing on the path she knew she had to walk. When her younger self was returned, she would be happy in Elizabeth's stead, and safe from the unraveling that was about to occur.]

[After writing a few notes, Elizabeth methodically removes her more modern-looking clothes and changes into one of the many outfits hanging in her closet. Heavy winter jacket for the chill, gloves, scarf, boots... And she removes her makeup and brushes the curl out of her hair. For all intents and purposes, aside from a distinctly cold cast to her gaze, she looks like she always did in Luceti.]

[She contemplates saying goodbye in person, but there isn't time. She didn't want a scene, and if the effects of the experiment were reversed when she was in the middle of crying on Booker's shoulder, things would be hard to explain. So she leaves the house quietly and walks into the forest. She walks a good distance in, then sits down to wait. Her eyes drift shut and she appears to fall asleep against a tree trunk...]

[A few hours later, Elizabeth comes stumbling out of the forest, half-frozen and looking confused and scared. The last thing she remembers is being kidnapped by droids, and now she's freezing to death in a forest and she can't remember anything between now and then. She hurries through the village, repeatedly blowing into her hands to try and warm them as she heads home. Everyone must have been worried sick about her.]

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I looked back at my journal, and I realized that my fight with the droids was recorded. I'm sorry, that must have been a real shock for some of you.

But I'm back now--I don't remember what happened, but I think I have all of my limbs attached where they're supposed to go and as far as I can tell there's nothing strange about my behavior (though let me know if there is something I'm not seeing, of course...).

I don't know, do people sometimes come back from being kidnapped without anything strange having happened to them?

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[Gai knew exactly what had happened the moment he'd gone over to the house and found those notes and that envelope. If what she'd told him was true (or even if it wasn't), the droids would be back to pick her up and return the old Elizabeth, and she likely wouldn't have any memories of this past week. He knows that's how it's going to go.

But that doesn't make him worry any less, nor does it allow him to just sit quietly by and wait for her to return. Instead, he bundles himself back up and heads out on a silent patrol of the village and the forest just outside, intending to keep it up until she's returned, whenever that may be. The cold doesn't bother him; he'll just continue searching until he finds her.

And so he just doggedly circles through the snow, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of Elizabeth and occasionally stopping to ask passers-by if they've seen her...]

[It's cold and bleak, and almost dark when Elizabeth comes walking out of the forest. But Gai's blonde hair against his dark coat is a beacon for her, and she pulls her coat closer around her and runs.]

Gai!

Elizabeth!

[He's turning around the moment he hears her voice, eyes scanning the dark shadows of the forest's edge for her. Once he spots her, he's running too-- straight towards her at top speed, only slowing down enough to pull her into his arms once he's close enough.

It's less a hug and more of an all-encompassing embrace, as if by holding her tightly he can keep her there, make sure that she's real, unharmed and in one piece. Finally, after nearly two weeks, he feels like he can breathe properly again.]

[Elizabeth throws her arms around Gai and squeezes him too. She had been kidnapped, yes, and it made her anxious that she couldn't remember any of it. But the unease she's feeling now stems mostly from how Gai is holding her as though she had been gone either for a few hours or weeks.]

I'm okay, I'm alright I think. [She tries to pull back so she can look him in the eyes.] How long have I been gone? [Elizabeth looks uneasily around at the snow.]

Almost two weeks.

[Which is, technically, the truth. The Elizabeth who is here in his arms now has been gone for nearly two weeks; she doesn't need to know about the other Elizabeth who was returned, and he doesn't plan on telling her until he gives her that envelope.

Reluctantly he allows her to pull back, but he reaches up one hand to smooth her hair before placing a kiss on the top of her head. That's about all the lack of full contact he can stand before he pulls her right back into his arms, to reassure himself as much as her.]

I was so worried about you.

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[Robert is waiting. Both of them are, really. With warm tea and less than certain understanding of what will happen. Will the young Elizabeth remember her older self? Will she know the things that came to pass? It's easy to sit in silence with Rosalind, and he does it.

When Robert hears the front door, though, he pulls himself to his feet, looks out into the hall... and sees her. The young woman, coated in snow and freezing.

It is, perhaps, the most paternal thing he's ever done. He goes down the hall, straight to her, and wraps his arms around her, mindless of the chill or dampness of her clothes. It's a tight hug, and his voice is low as he mutters just one phrase:]

Welcome back.

[As Elizabeth walks in the door, she shuts it after her and does a full body shudder as she tries to get some warmth back in her skin. She's trying to figure out what to do about her slowly dampening clothes when Robert comes down the hall and engulfs her.]

[It's a little startling, but Elizabeth falls into it easily and wraps her arms around his back too.]

I'm sorry, I tried to fight them off.

[Rosalind's close behind, a businesslike rapid click-click of shoes against hardwood for a handful of strides, delayed only by the business of taking up one of the roomy, plush towels they'd had waiting in front of the fire. She is curious as well, but there are priorities, and the girl not coming down with pneumonia is certainly one of them.]

Nonsense. [She's behind Elizabeth in a moment, shaking out the warm fabric and tucking it over her head, ruching the water and ice out of her hair.] To say the deck was stacked against you would incorrectly imply you were even dealt a hand.

No need to apologize.

[It's still strange to know that another version of this girl becomes the Elizabeth who traveled the Infinite with Rosalind and him, who tried everything she could think of to destroy Comstock before she finally understood what she had to do.

It woudln't be this girl. He'd made that promise.

Instead, he hugs her a bit tighter and kisses the top on her head.]

You probably want to get changed into something dry. [Something warmer.]

Yeah, I suppose you both would know. [Elizabeth smiles gratefully as Rosalind drops the towel over her head. The gesture keeps Elizabeth from making a pointed comment about how effective the siphon had been and where the Malnosso could have possibly procured that technology, because there was something very soothing about Rosalind taking care of her hair.]

[Robert kissing the top of her head, though, is a little unexpected. Elizabeth has a feeling more happened while she was gone, but for the most part she's putting Robert and Rosalind's reactions down as a result of her being gone for nearly two weeks. She probably should change into something dry, but the edge of wondering what happened to her in the time she was gone is being dulled by Robert holding her and Rosalind preventing her from getting too much of a chill.]

In a minute. [She swallows.] I don't remember what happened to me. Whatever they did. Everything seems normal, but I feel strangely sad. And tired. Maybe you two could make certain I'm alright...? [Even though the two of them were physicists, she still trusted their scientific opinion on whether something strange was happening to her. She didn't trust herself when the Malnosso and their experiments were involved.]

Elizabeth.

[It's obvious what happened, really. She can practically hear the different tone in the voice. So after a moment, Eleanor hurries on.]

Welcome back. How do you feel?

Tired, a little cold. Otherwise I feel fine.

Thank you, though.

[...she feels like there's more to say, but Elizabeth can't quite figure out what that is.]

I'm glad.

...You do not remember anything? From while you were a...gone, I mean?

No... [And clearly that realization bothers her. Anything could have happened, after all.] I remember the droids carrying me off. They had something that completely cut off my ability to fight back. And then I woke up in the forest and it was snowing.

Well. It could've been worse. [What was she supposed to say?]

It's probably better not to remember anyway.

[After she disappeared - the other Elizabeth - Booker didn't react so poorly as he did when she been taken the first time. Maybe it was how quietly she had slipped away, or maybe it was the note and the thick envelope he didn't dare open that gave him a little peace of mind.

He still was in danger of worrying holes into the carpet he paced over, but he didn't drink. Not much at least.

Booker had a lot of thinking to do - with the knowledge that he needed to tell Elizabeth everything. It wasn't as if he hadn't known he should do it before, it was only that now he knew that he needed to do it.

But how? And when? It was just another secret piled onto many other he needed to tell and he wondered if it would do more harm than good.

When she returns, Booker hangs back - lets the 'twins' fuss over her and welcome her back before he even approaches her. He stares at the letter she left...the other version...and wonders if maybe he should just slip it under her door and wait.

It stinks of cowardliness though, in such a way that Booker picks a random book from a shelf and hides it inside the middle before stuffing it in a drawer in the desk he had in his room.

There isn't much time between that and a knock on her door with a cup of poorly made hot chocolate. He could make better coffee but he didn't think she'd want any of that.]

[When Booker knocks, Elizabeth is looking curiously at her room. Something feels off about it, like someone had picked everything up and put it back. And she could have sworn there was less laundry when she'd left... But maybe she was remembering things wrong, it had been a strange jump.]

[The interruption is welcome, and Elizabeth opens the door hoping to find Booker there. She isn't disappointed--she had been hoping he would come see her once Robert and Rosalind had cleared the area.]

Booker... [She smiles, putting on her brave face again and opening the door wider so he could come in if he liked.] I'm sorry, I tried to get away from them, but...

[Siphons.]

[Booker smiles - actually full-blown smiles - when he sees her. She looks younger, her shoulders aren't as heavy, and she's back. That's all he cares about at that moment and he forgets about the heavy letter he hid away - just for a moment.]

Don't apologize. [It's gruff and he holds the mug out to her instead of saying 'Welcome back, I was worried, I missed you, everyone missed you.' like he wanted to. Maybe later.]

They're rough customers.

[It was a bit disturbing to know that they had siphons though, but then again - there had to be some reason why Elizabeth couldn't use her powers as easily as she could before Luceti.]

Are...are you alright?

[He stumbles on the question.]

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I think I'm okay. I seem okay. Don't I? [She smiles faintly and takes the offered mug. It's just the thing to warm her up on the inside, aside from Booker's smile.]

How are you? Crazy from spending more quality time with Robert and Miss Lutece?

You're fine.

[Said firmly but with kindness. He was happy to have her back and didn't want Elizabeth wondering what was wrong now when from what he could see, she was just the same as she had been when she left.]

Well, they're still in one piece. I think I did alright without you supervising.

[He didn't punch Robert, at least.]

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Elizabeth? I...[Shu cries as he says her name. He's been worried about her for the past few days.]

I can't speak here. Do you have a moment? [It's a little awkward for him to cry over the journals. He'd prefer to see her in person.]

[Ah, Shu. Elizabeth smiles fondly at the journal, a little exasperated by Shu's predictability, but it was a little cute in a way.]

Of course Shu. Where do you want to talk?

Anywhere but here. [He's trying his best not to sound so pathetic over the journal. It's hard.]

Are you home?

I am, but if you want your privacy my house isn't the place to be at all.

Then how about at the cherry blossom tree?

[That seemed like a good enough place.]

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wowza i'm just on fire with these late replies.

GO KIM GO! /o/

Re: GO KIM GO! /o/

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audio, december 18th

audio, december 18th

audio, december 18th

audio, december 18th

audio, december 18th