September 13 2007

Who: Dean and Thia (guest appearance by Caleb on text)
Where: Osbourne residence
When: after dark

Who: Mathias and Caleb
Where: Their house
When: Afternoon

Who: Peyton and Geo
When: After school
Where: Geo's house

Who: Aiden and Delilah
When: mid afternoonish
Where: streets, coffee shop

The first day back at school had been rather quiet and depressing. Their classroom was almost empty, only three students had been there. They'd heard from the parents of others, most of them out of town or out of state altogether, and Delilah wasn't honestly sure if all of them were coming back or not. Not to stay, at least. Which made her sad. She loved them, but she was beginning to think that maybe they were better off elsewhere anyway. Marquette was getting to be not the place for children, especially disadvantaged ones.

She'd felt oddly restless upon returning home, and had decided to take Alexi out for a walk. She still didn't plan on being out after dark, despite the news -- confirmed by a message from Corwin on her machine -- that the vampires were gone. Maybe it was just a good policy in general. But it was still in the hours before sunset, and her dog needed to get out. So did she. The Dreamwalker strolled down the sidewalk, harness in hand, sunglasses in place, mind a thousand and one miles away.

Who: Herbert and Stacey
Where: Phone call
When: Thursday Afternoon

Stacey was rummaging through her closet looking for something nice to wear on her date on Friday; she was a believer in being prepared. Naturally she couldn't make up her mind, so she made sure everything was vaguely manageable before flopping on her bed with a sigh. School was deathly quiet, people walked about in a 'I just can't believe we survived that' haze. She couldn't really muster up the gumption to really talk to anyone, she might have startled them. She didn't get a chance to talk to Herbert either, but that could be easily rectified.

Stacey picked up her phone from her endtable and dialed Herbert. He might be home now.

Who: Sean and Joshua
When: middayish, right after scene with Dessi
Where: on the way home

Who: Herbert and Sammy
Where: Riding home from school
When: After school

Because he knew he'd forget if he didn't, Herbert had made a list of things he wanted to talk to Sammy about. It had wound up being a rather longer list than he'd expected, and as he came down the front steps after school, eyes, ears, and nose already questing for some sign of Sammy, he had it folded neatly in his pocket.

Geo.
Vampires.
Sign language.
Lunch meeting thing.
Ducklings.
Texting.
Spending the night.

Who: Kurt and Natalya
When: Evening
Where: Their place

Natalya was determined to keep her emotions from leaking through the house while Kurt was resting - or at all, for that matter, until she could work through the upset - and had found that fatigue was a good method of dampening every emotion. She felt strange... hollow, wrapped in wool, numb. It made it easy to focus her mind on taking care of Kurt and keeping the house clean. In fact, it had never been cleaner. It was only when he slept that she allowed herself to worry - in small increments, like probing a sore tooth with the tongue. What if he hadn't come home? What if the gunman had hit something vital? The thought terrified her more than she wanted to acknowledge; she nearly couldn't acknowledge it, shoving everything down and burying it under her desire to nurse Kurt back to health.

It was nearing the close of another long day; Natalya prepared Kurt's dinner after spending the day cleaning, organizing, making sure Kurt was entertained when he wasn't resting and making sure he got his medication on time. She'd bleached the bathroom again; it didn't seem clean enough, not with the memory of his blood staining the tub, the sink, the floors. Shoving that thought aside, she assembled a tray and carried it into the bedroom with a smile for the patient. "I've brought dinner, if you're feeling up to eating," she said with a soft smile.

Who: Peyton and Isaac
When: Just before last period
Where: Halls

Feeling a bit better after having spoken to Leija and making plans to get together, Peyton sort of coasted through the rest of the school day, her mind distracted, but not as heavy as before. She just needed to get through math and then she could head home and maybe call Geo about going over to see him again. At her locker, she sorted out her books and got her things to be able to leave right after class. Shutting her locker door, she sighed a bit, slipped her bag strap over her head to her shoulder and started off down the hall. It didn't take long before she spotted Isaac at his own locker and with his back to her. She smiled a tiny bit to herself and walked up behind him to slip her arms around his waist. "I've barely seen you all day," she murmured, pressing her cheek against his back just for the contact.

In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing. - Robert Ingersoll

Who: Claire and Thom
Where: English
When: Morning

For it being the first day back to class in what felt like forever, Claire knew she ought to be down and depressed like the atmosphere in school suggested. But she wasn't. She was, in fact, feeling pretty relieved and mildly happy that she didn't have to hang out at home anymore. The threat seemed to have left Marquette, things were getting cleaned up and people were beginning to cope. That's all anyone could really ask for. Trading in her calculus book for her Advanced English, she shoved it into her book bag, shut her locker and headed off toward class, adjusting her book bag on her shoulders and keeping an eye out for someone she knew who didn't look overly sullen. When she spotted the familiar mop of brown hair ahead of her, Claire quickened her pace a bit to catch up to him. Thom was rarely smiling but he was also very rarely actually sullen. From what she observed in class anyway. And given they were both placed in several advanced classes, they had more than a couple together, so Claire observed a lot. "Hey Thom," she said breathlessly, falling into step beside him and hoping he didn't mind. "Walk a girl to English? It's been so long I've kind of forgotten where the classroom is."

Who: Dean and Oz
Where: Outside their house / by the lake
When: After school

When Dean got home from school, Oz was sitting on the front porch, sort of half waiting for him, half absently playing his guitar. He hadn't gotten it out in ages, what with imminent death possibilities, which really killed any creative spirit he'd had going on. Either way, he was playing now. Which had gotten a couple of squees from the dead girl upstairs. He'd plugged in his amp for her earlier to play a little, apparently sometime after Sophie had gotten schooling squared away for her. He was back to acoustic by now though, playing Creep by Radiohead, one of the two pretty much default songs he always played when he was in thoughtful mode.

Dean headed up the driveway on his bike, half an eye on the weather, since he'd gotten wet riding in this morning in the drizzle. But so far, he was still dry - a fact of which he was definitely a fan. he slowed to a stop and dismounted, propping the bike up against the front porch as he took in Oz - he'd been able to hear the music from some distance away, but he hadn't realised what he'd been listening to. "Didn't know you played," he commented, not making a move to walk into the house, since he'd have to squeeze past the guy and, really, that seemed rude.

Who: Brian and Mya
Where: The diner
When: Shift change

Having the morning off to sleep in and relax would've been much more enjoyable if Brian had actually wound up getting any extra sleep. Or even if he'd just had Domino over and hadn't gotten extra sleep for a good reason. But no. When he came in to the diner for a couple hours of afternoon shift, even though he'd had a nap in the hopes of making up for the stupidly early morning, he was yawning and feeling vaguely strung out, even though he really had no reason to be. Stupid fucking dreams.

Who: Herbert and Jordan
Where: School!
When: Lunchtime

Herbert stood outside the cafeteria, hoping Jordan didn't mind eating outside. The rain had stopped, but it was still a little damp. Maybe they could sit on the front steps instead of the grass, or something. But sitting inside meant he probably wouldn't be able to hear a thing she said, so... outside.

Who: Peyton and Leija
Where: School
When: Before history class

Peyton had been on the lookout for her friends, people she hadn't seen in a couple of days, but she'd been unsuccessful in tracking them down. Texting was convenient to make sure everyone was okay for the last few nights, but there was something to be said for seeing in them in person and knowing they were all in one piece. It worried her now, after seeing Geo and the bandage on his eye. After hearing Sammy had been bitten, that Herbert had tussled with vampires... Peyton kept her eyes alert for Caleb or Leija all morning, though Peyton knew if Leija was back in town, she'd be in history class. Which was where Peyton was currently headed. She stifled a tired yawn behind her hand and tried to ignore the morbid atmosphere that seemed to fall over the school. People were quiet and depressed, or gossiping and depressed. She rarely saw any smiling, which sort of depressed her, even though she knew there was no real reason to be happy... except for being alive and everything.

Who: Brian
When: Early morning
Where: His room

Brian woke with a start and a little gasp to painful pinpricks in his arm. Ten of them. For a moment, still half-caught in nightmare of death and fire and guilt, and water, sucking at him and dragging him down, he tried to fling whatever had his arm away, flailing weakly. But whatever it was, was big, heavy, and not going anywhere, no matter what he did. Four sharp teeth added to the pain, and Brian finally realized he was awake, he was still in bed-- not in the lake, not fleeing from that-- and the only thing trying to hurt him was his familiar.

Who: Corwin
Time: 8:22AM

Hullo, Delilah, it's me. Corwin. I know you're probably at school, and all, since it's back in session. But I wanted you to know, the news is right. I was out hunting for them all last night, and I couldn't find any of them. The Acherus, I mean. So... we're safe. They're gone. Just thought you should know.

And about the other night... um. I just wanted to say... um. Sorry.

Bye.

Who: Isaac and Leija
When: afternoon, between classes
Where: MSHS

Marquette's high school was small. There were only so many lockers in it, and with the way Isaac knew the layout of the school, the redheaded junior's wasn't too hard to find. He'd been mulling over in his head for the better part of the day how to handle this, what to say to her. He'd wavered between attempting to be nice, and doing his best to intimidate her. Part of him was pissed off, very pissed off about what she'd done to his best friend, but slamming lockers and using Tones weren't usually the best tactics at getting information out of someone. And she was a girl. But still. She was an evil girl who'd fucked over Thom, so that put her firmly in the realm of dislike. And so, to start out, he just walked up on her as she was changing books out at her locker, hands in his pockets, jaw tight.

Who: Olivia and Mathias
Where: Mathias's House
When: Morning

After leaving Mya's, there was one more place Olivia had to stop before she took off. One more place she wanted to stop. With the bag she'd brought into Marquette on her shoulder, she hefted it along the sidewalk, remembering how easy it used to be, carrying it from city to city. It felt heavier now, somehow. When she reached his house, she dumped it on the bottom step of the porch and wiped her palms on her jeans before knocking at the door. She didn't think it would take very long, and really, she could have just called to leave a message, but she wanted to see him. At least to make sure he was okay, regardless of the message on her voice mail.

Mathias was in - it felt as if he were always in at the moment, though part of that was that he didn't roll out of bed til mid-morning. Olivia was lucky today - Caleb had gone back to school, which meant that Mathias was up earlier and he was actually up and dressed, though his hair was still damp as he opened the door. It took him until he noted who it was standing there before he smiled. "Hello," he greeted, standing back to let her come inside.

She stepped inside almost reluctantly, but wasn't sure quite how far to go. She didn't really want to stay too long. That would be... dangerous. Like him. Olivia gave him a tired smile once she was inside and stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "I was just... wanted to check on you and your brother, now that everything's... supposedly over."

Who: Olivia and Mya
Where: The diner
When: Early morning

Olivia was apprehensive to go to the diner, but felt like it was necessary. She couldn't just stop showing up for shifts, even though she had yesterday and today. She didn't know if Brian would have talked to Mya about it or not. But she couldn't put it off. Mya'd given her a job when she desperately needed one, so she at least deserved notice and an explanation. Tense, Olivia walked into the diner and headed directly for Mya's office, not bothering to look around at the staff, or the kitchen. If Brian was there, she'd probably bolt so she wanted to avoid seeing him if possible. She knocked quickly on Mya's door, deciding to give it five seconds before she turned and ran out.

Mya had given Brian the morning off, letting him soak up a bit of extra birthday, she had paperwork she'd been slacking on anyhow. She was sitting behind her desk, her hair pulled back and held up precariously with a pencil when the door knocked. "It's open." She said, which was obvious because the door didn't even lock.

Who: Herbert and Charlotte.
When: Third period gym class.
Where: Schooool.

Charlotte was relieved to be back at school, vampire apocalypse seemingly... well, maybe not over, but moved on to somewhere else. She felt kind of badly for being glad it had moved on, but... what could she do? She'd put her attention towards organizing the meetings they'd all talked about before things had gone crazier. She still had to text people, which she figured would be easiest to do at lunch. During gym, she headed over to Herbert to pair up so she could talk to him.

Spotting her on her way over, Herbert broke into a huge grin and waved happily. Yes, he was focusing on the "it's over! things can get back to normal!" aspect of things instead of the "normal for a while" aspect of things that Olivia had been so adamant about. He didn't even want to think about it, he just wanted to give Charlie a hug and be glad she was okay, and move on to something happier.

The hug he did, albeit briefly, when she reached him. No sense getting the teacher mad at them, but he just had to.

Who: Corwin
When: 7:19AM

Hullo. My name's Corwin Gardener, and I'm, er, looking to get a floor put in, in my basement. I'm not sure if you do that sort of thing, or if you have time or anything, but your ad in the phone book looked like the most likely one. If you could give me a call back some time after, I guess, four or so today? Or whenever you get the chance. That'd be great. Thanks.

...

Who: Corwin
When: 7:21AM

Um, sorry, it's Corwin again. Sorry about that, forgot to leave my number. Call me back at ###-####. Thanks. Sorry again.

Who: Eury and Ash
When: mid-day
Where: out and about, then the antique store

It wasn't until Ash was positive that the vampires had moved on that he went to see Eury. He'd called her a couple of times, just to check in, but hadn't gone over there for various reasons. She was potentially distracting, for one. No punches needed to be pulled with those bastards, and he needed his full mind in the right place. Plus, if they got him? Possibly less pain for her. But once he was sure the threat had passed, he wanted to see her. So it was late morning when he dragged his carcass out of bed, checked his bandages, and took the walk down to her shop. He flicked a cigarette away as he arrived and exhaled, trying the door. They'd broken out her windows, motherfuckers.

Eury was up early as well, mostly trying to get an estimate for her windows, and making sure nothing had been taken from her shop. Though really, it seemed to have been overlooked somewhat due to the fact that vampires really couldn't use old tea sets and or brass spoons. When she saw a shadow on the other side of the glass doors, through the small entryway, she at first felt a flash of anxiety--which was quickly replaced when she saw that it was Ash. Dropping her clip board down onto the nearest shelf, she ran over and opened up the door directly to her shop, then flipped the lock on the door to the street. She yanked it open, then grabbed one of his arms to pull him into a tight hug.

Who: Peyton and Dessicant
When: Early morning
Where: Lakeshore

With the news that the town was supposedly safe now... and that school was back in session, Peyton had gotten up early, as she'd been unable to sleep much the night before, regardless. She was tired, but she didn't want to just lay in bed until her alarm went off, so after a few moments of internal debating, she rolled out of bed and changed into a pair of jogging pants and a tank top. She took her iPod with her and after pulling her hair into a ponytail, took off down the quiet street for a jog. It'd been several days since she'd done so... actually she hadn't been out jogging since seeing David as a demon snake. She was telling herself that she wouldn't go near the lakeshore. That she'd just run through town, as depressing and hollow as it looked at the moment. But after a few minutes, she found herself in the direction of the lake, her usual routine. She wasn't planning on running into David. Isaac would kill her if he found out, but luckily, he wouldn't. Because she was just jogging. No intentions, no ulterior motives. Just exercise. Peyton focused on her breathing as she hit her three mile mark and turned to head back down the lake. Her eyes were alert, her heart picking up pace as she neared David's usual spot. She didn't see him yet. Maybe he wouldn't be there, which would be just fine with her. Though maybe she was just a tiny but curious - morbidly so - to see if he'd be there.

who: caleb and dean
where: MSHS
when: lunch

As agreed, Caleb headed out to the side lawn when lunchtime came around, to meet Dean. Talking during class wasn't the most adviseable thing to do, especially if you wanted to not talk around shit the entire time. And talking in code got tiring really fucking fast. Therefore, whatever. They'd talk where they'd be less likely to be overheard by the mundanes. He sat down, dropping his bookbag down and leaning back against it. He was tired, and wasn't necessarily that pleased about being back in school. Mostly because everyone seemed like walking wounded to him. Like they were all little shock-zombies. Or a lot of them were. It was just weird.

Dean wasn't far behind Caleb, having headed out straight from class and he joined his friend after a moment or two, glancing round to see if there was anyone else nearby - which, thankfully, there wasn't. School today seemed quieter then usual in any event, everyone fairly subdued, shellshocked, really. It wasn't really surprising. "Hey," Dean greeted, quietly, shifting his backpack to root around in it and pull out of bottle of water, taking a sip.

who: eris and open
where: babylon
when: evening

Who: Text messages from Charlotte to Kaysen, Dean, and Joshua.
When: Lunch time.
Where: School.

Charlotte felt better now that school had started, and fell back into the routine of it all with relief and ease. She was glad it looked like things could be getting back to normal, and with that... time to get back to the plans. First, she sent a message to Kaysen.

Who: Jovie & Marek
When: Early evening
Where: Kalos Jewelry/West Washington Street

Stupid. Smelly. Undead motherfuckers. Jovie fumed as she swept the broken glass and splinters of wood from the floor of her shop into a large pile. Both large windows looking out into the street were shattered still. The door was off the hinges, given the company she'd called to come bring a new door had yet to arrive. Two nights of relative peace and quiet in Marquette and her store seemed like a never ending mess. She was grumbling and sweeping the glass toward the front door with the other trash she'd gathered. Broken shelves, broken display cases. Her computer was still not fixed, but seeing as how Nerd Genius was the only one capable of helping, she resisted going to his apartment that morning and pounding on his door. She was getting tired of the thoughts of the oblivious and annoying who passed by. It hadn't been overzealous teenagers, or gangs on drugs. It had been vampires and if the majority of people in Marquette had no clue, they deserved to get their houses broken into or burned down. Not her.

Jovie reached up to brush her palm over her damp forehead before bending down to pick up one of the bigger pieces of glass stuck in the hinge of her shop's front door. She was momentarily distracted by the thoughts of someone coming down the sidewalk, and she grabbed the edge of the glass the wrong way. It sliced easily through her middle finger and she gasped, standing abruptly to drop her broom and grab her hand as blood began to seep and flow easily down her finger to her palm. Cursing loudly, she kicked the broken door with her shoe and thought twice about shoving her finger in her mouth. She was honestly beginning to hate this town.

Who: Joshua and Dessi
When: mid-day
Where: along the lakeshore

Drunk-sleeping away almost the entire day before made it hard to keep doing it, and Joshua had been up since early morning. He still felt kind of all over the place emotionally, but at least he hadn't cried since his sobby pity-party the day before, right before he passed out, so he was counting that as good. He was thinking about her obsessively, however, and that was not. He'd gotten his phone back from Sean at some point, and sat listlessly around the apartment until he just couldn't anymore, and had gone out for a walk.

In an attempt to distract himself, and to stop punching in long badly-spelled text messages to her only to delete them, Joshua rode his board down toward the lake and then stashed it to walk. It looked like the drizzle-rain was stopping, though that hadn't prevented him going out in it, and he was kind of damp. He didn't care. He paused to snag up another rock and hurl it out into the water, mind grinding on in that unstoppable way it had.