Who: Olivia and Herbert
When: Evening
Where: Phone

It had taken some time, but after wandering around the shopping center several blocks from her house, Olivia managed to track down a pay phone. It seemed like in these days of cell phones, pay phones were harder to come by. With the house phone disconnected, and her own cell phone still MIA - along with her necklace which constantly caused inward cringing whenever she thought about it - it was really her only option other than bugging a neighbor, which she really didn't feel like doing.

Picking up the handset, Olivia called collect, hoping Herbert would answer. And when he did, hoping he didn't get confused by the recording and prompts and hang up on her. She said her name clearly into the phone and then heard it connect and begin to ring. She really hadn't anticipated how eager she was to hear his voice.

Herbert had been fixing up dinner after a truly horrendous day. Macaroni and cheese was well within his range of cooking skills, but he didn't feel like making anything more complicated. It was comfort food, in a way. Especially when he melted some of the real cheese into it. He'd already bathed, fed, and played with Elda some before letting her wander around the living room while he cooked, and was "looking forward" to a quiet night, quite possibly knitting more. He'd almost gotten a new pattern down.

At the sound of the ringing phone he set down the spoon-- he'd been stirring the boiling macaroni-- and leaned over to pluck it from its cradle.

"Hallo?"

The recorded voice made him blink, but he knew how collect calls worked, given he'd made them before when calling home. That it was Olivia on the line made him smile for what felt like the first time all day. He accepted the call, and said, "Hallo, Olivia. It's been a while." Well, okay, not really... longer than she'd said she'd be gone, but he'd gone this long without talking to her before. Which was weird and a little sad, but she was a private person, after all, and it would be rude to pry.

Olivia smiled when he spoke and leaned lightly against the phone booth. "It's only been a couple of days," she pointed out. It felt like she had been gone longer, especially with no contact with anyone in Marquette. But that's what she had needed more than anything. Being on her own and dealing by herself without distraction. "How are things there? Everything okay?"

"Well, it feels like longer," Herbert countered, echoing her own thoughts without meaning to. "Things're okay, I... guess. Or actually," he corrected himself unhappily, "they're kind of not. I mean, I'm okay, but 'things' aren't." Wouldn't do for her to worry, after all. He finally got around to the explanation: "My friends Geo and Sammy's house burned down last night." And their parents died. And they weren't doing well at all. And he hadn't been able to focus on his homework or anything all day.

Of course she would call and get some more bad news. Why wasn't she surprised? Olivia frowned. "I'm sorry... are your friends okay?" She remembered that girl from the school died awhile back. And then those other two kids before then. She sincerely hoped none of Herbert's friends were hurt. "Do they know what happened?"

"They're alive," Herbert said heavily. That was something. "Relatively unhurt. They got out a window. Their parents didn't make it...." Which ought to explain the reason why he didn't say they were "okay"; nobody was "okay" when their parents died in a house fire. Or died, period. "They're saying it was a candle that got knocked over, or something. I didn't get much out of Geo. He was kind of... not really in a place to explain, I think." And Herbert had, wisely in his own opinion, not pressed him.

Her frown deepened and she felt a painful twinge in her chest at the mention of their parents. It kind of hit close to home. "That's horrible. I'm sorry, Herbert... do they need anything? Food? A place to stay...?" Not that they had much room. Three boys and a duck... but she certainly wouldn't let anyone go homeless after losing so much. She knew what that was like.

"I would've offered if they didn't," Herbert admitted. He couldn't have borne the idea that his friends had no place welcoming to stay. "They're staying with a sister right now. I'd assume that means they have food, too. But I'm probably going to be inviting them over a bit more, if that's okay with you...." Even if their sister turned out to be a wonderful person underneath-- which he doubted-- he didn't want them to feel unwelcome, and he'd already proven that dying spectacularly at video games cheered Geo up. Or at least distracted him.

"Of course it's okay." Olivia was barely home anyway, and even when she was home she knew she wouldn't mind. She sighed once, away from the receiver and turned to squint out into the sunlight. "Other than that, I hope everything is all right. I know I said I would be home by now, but I needed to take care of some things. I'm going to catch a flight back tomorrow." Hopefully. She knew she was going to be dead broke by the time she got home. There would be no more days off. "Will you be okay until then?" She nearly asked if he had seen Judiel but resisted.

"Yeah, I will," Herbert assured her, relieved to hear she'd be home soon. Not that he saw her that much, but even having her scent around the apartment, fresh and recent, helped it feel less empty. "How are you doing? Everything okay?" Since she'd been having to deal with her own father being dead, and all.... It all made Herbert want to write his own pa again and tell him everything, up to including how much he cared about him. Just in case. He hated thinking so dismally, but it was hard when people seemed to be dying left and right.

"Everything is fine," Olivia told him, and for once, more or less meant it. It had been therapeutic, being at home around her things and her father's things. She already had a few mementos in her bag to take home. She knew once she left, she probably wouldn't be back. That saddened her, but she reminded herself that she had made her decisions and now she just had to deal with them. She hesitated briefly. "I know it's a strange question, but have you seen Judiel? Is he okay?" A part of her half expected to go back to Marquette and find the town on fire or something equally as bad. And she wanted to make sure nothing overly terrible had happened since she left.

He wasn't terribly surprised she'd asked-- considering Judiel had asked. "Yeah, he came over the other night. Last night?" He paused to think. After today, which had felt like way too long, he needed the think. "Yeah, last night. We had pizza and talked. I told him what I am, just so you know you don't have to, rrrrm, lie or anything. I think he's doin' okay. Asked about you." He thought she might appreciate hearing that, as he gave the boiling macaroni a sniff. It seemed done, or nearly so, so he hunted down the strainer.

She did appreciate hearing it and it made her feel better somehow. She nearly asked if Judiel had told Herbert what he was, but resisted. Because if he hadn't, then Herbert would be aware Judiel was something and she wasn't sure how comfortable Judi was with that. Still, she hoped Judi took it all right that Herbert was a werebear. It was kind of jarring and maybe if Herbert was anyone but Herbert, it'd be a bit frightening. As it was, it wasn't at all. She smiled a tiny bit. "I'm glad you guys were able to talk. Was he okay with the bear thing?"

"Seemed so," Herbert said, then added wryly, "For some reason, he didn't seem terribly surprised." He was poking fun at bis own bear-ish tendencies, there; if one had to guess what kind of non-human person he was, he expected werebear to be the first one to come to anyone's mind. "I like him, Olivia," he continued a bit more seriously. "He's a good guy." Not that he figured his own two cents would really affect her choice any, but he felt he ought to say it.

No, she didn't think Judiel would be surprised. Herbert was epitome of a teddy bear. Who knitted. She reached up and rubbed at her forehead, brows drawn together briefly in thought. "I know he is." She didn't know if Herbert was just saying so, or if he meant it to be mean more than just a random observation. In the end, she was fairly certain Herbert would prefer she be with anyone but a man who smelled like demon. "I like him too," she sighed. "Look, I'll be home tomorrow okay? Stay out of trouble until then if you can manage it." Her tone took on a teasing note, given Herbert rarely set out to get into trouble. But he still managed to find it at times, and that unnerved her.

And the backing off. Really, he wasn't surprised, so he took it in stride. The tease at the end made him smile, anyway. "I'll do my best, promise. Lack of evil vampires running around helps, eh?" He set the strainer down in the sink, turned off the heat on the macaroni, and after a little pause said, "It'll be good to have you back."

"Yeah it helps, but it certainly doesn't mean everything is... well, you know." She stopped herself quickly. No lecturing. She was calling collect after all, and no doubt the phone bill wasn't going to be pleasant. And she had a feeling Herbert knew that things weren't exactly shiny and safe once again. She doubted they would be for awhile. "I'll be happy to be back, to tell you the truth. Be safe, okay? And I'll see you tomorrow."

It was a good thing Herbert found her attempts at lecturing sweet rather than annoying. He smiled some. "You, too, Olivia. Stay safe. See you tomorrow."