irl meetups & phone

[dissimulative]

Time to touch some grass.

There is nsfw in here. Shhh.

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[dissimulative]

You're doing great.

[ Oria will sternly insist on this. ]

Instead of sneaking out when told to go for a walk, you're doing what they told you to do. You're exercising restraint. You're doing a good job.

[insinning]

[ That gets a shaky laugh. Oria always knows how to keep him steady]

I don't know if everyone else would agree though. I'm pretty sure I threw something back there...

[ A stapler? At Nagel's manager? Yeah.]

[dissimulative]

I'm very good at sticking with my beliefs no matter what anyone says about them.

[ He's been through the trial by fire about it after all. ]

Besides, they probably deserved it.

[insinning]

That's what I like about you.

[ That's the first thing Sinclair ever noticed about Oria. His voice manages not to waver this time]

Maybe...I don't know. I wasn't thinking. I didn't really feel good about it after though.

[In the background "hey kiddo, where are we going anyway? Town centre is the opposite direction."]

[dissimulative]

[ Sinclair isn't so vindictive like he is—Oria knows that. Of course it wouldn't feel good. Sure, there's the revenge plot, but you don't have to be vindictive to be angry at your family's killer and wanting revenge.

Oria's about to say something but then he catches the background sounds. ]

Emil, where are you going?

[insinning]

[ Where is he going? Does he really want to go this way? He's not sure who he's speaking to when he finally replies:]

...my family's home is this way. I need to check on it.

[ There's the sound of crunching gravel as Sinclair steps off the main footpath and towards the short cuts he used to take. This is fine]

[dissimulative]

[ ... ]

Emil.

[ MMMMMMmmmmm he has a bad feeling about this... ]

[insinning]

... it's fine. I need to see it for myself. My family's resting there.

[ He had hired a groundskeeper specifically to keep people away, keep everything neat.

It was hard finding someone, considering everyone was insisting it was haunted now but]

[dissimulative]

... You should tell them what you've been up to lately.

[ You know. As a proper grave visit and all. ]

I'm sure they'd like to hear it.

[insinning]

Yeah? [ There's warmth there, his voice steadier than it has been all conversation] I was going to rat out Tylor's tamagotchi neglect. Talk about everyone I've met since starting the beta, you...

[ You talk about your boyfriend to your family, don't you? It seems fitting]

[dissimulative]

Leave a good word in for me! Like "my sweetie oria is such a handsome young man that makes me swoooooon alll the time"—

[ Okay, he's stifling his laughter. ]

[insinning]

Wha--

[Sinclair laughs too, shaky but a little brighter than before. It's okay. Everything will be okay]

Since when do I talk like that? I'll tell them you like peeps, so I can finally get rid of all the halloween ones people keep giving me without feeling guilty.

[ Up and up the hill he goes, making his way to the end of the gravel path]

[dissimulative]

I better see a box full of them next Halloween!

[ This is nice too, with the way how Oria can keep Sinclair company as he goes to visit his family. Visiting graves can be daunting, especially when they're on a property where the last thing you remember was brutal slaughter associated with it. ]

Oh, and tell them about the boats too. And the time when you flew in Fragment!

1/2

[insinning]

That was actually scarier than using my own wings. But they'll probably find it--

[The sound of crunching gravel comes to an abrupt stop

Suddenly there's silence on the other end, broken by:

"Sinclair, what's wrong?"]

2/2

[insinning]

M-my family...

[ The phone drops to the ground.

and then from a distance, there's primal anguished scream and then a deeper voice in the background

"Fuck, is that--"]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria feels his blood run cold. Something happened. Something terrible. ]

Emil? Emil!! Hey!!

[ Oria knows yelling into the phone won't do anything, which is why he feels even more frustrated right now. Ugh, he'll book a quick flight to where Sinclair should be and--

--he's blocked by his mother. Fuck. ]

[insinning]

[ "Kid, don't look. Don't look. Hey, Gregor, call the cops--"

"Let me go, Rodya, let me--my mom, dad, Beatrice--"

There are more incoherent noises on the other end as they grow more and more distant.

Oria might be able to pick up in the sounds of distant screaming, broken sobs and then a deeper male voice saying

"What kind of messed up psychopath..."

Then the phone abruptly cuts off]

[dissimulative]

[ HE IS CALLING AGAIN

DAMN IT ]

[insinning]

[ And that gets cut off.

And after that it'll keep ringing out.

Again. And again.

Maybe it's half an hour. Maybe it's an hour.

But if Oria keeps trying, someone does pick up eventually]

[dissimulative]

[ He's been waiting... and waiting... If Oria wasn't allowed to go fly out to see Sinclair, he tore through websites on any news in Sinclair's hometown. Over and over. He uses a second phone to contact any news places to shut them down (thanks dad, for buying so many news networks) while the first phone keeps ringing... and ringing...

Then the call finally connects. Oria immediately grabs the phone and puts it off speakerphone. ]

Emil?!

[insinning]

[ There's a longer pause on the other end and:

"You're the boyfriend, aren't you?" The voice that speaks is decidedly feminine. Not Sinclair at all.

"It's Rodion, one of Sinclair's co-workers. Listen, it's probably best if you save your calls for tomorrow. The kid's not in a good state."]

[dissimulative]

[ Since Rodya answered his question about "how is Sinclair doing" without it ever being asked-- ]

Could you at least tell me what happened? Did something happen to his family's graves? Are there news stations flocking over there--anything. I just need to know something. Please.

[insinning]

[ "It's pretty bad out here," Rodion says. "No news stations yet, but a hell lot of people with their phones out. Some psycho dug up the graves."]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria can feel a migraine coming on. Great. Perfect. (no. everything sucks) ]

... I see.

[ goddddd. The thing is, he could proooobably point to Kromer, but he knows some people are just insane enough to do it when they're not even related to the case. ]

I'm Oria Severine.

[ He gets this out of the way so that they know who he is because-- ]

Please let me know if there are any developments or anything you need shut down regarding this event.

... And let me know when he's better enough to have a conversation on the phone.

[insinning]

["Severine?" There's a pause as Rodion processes that. Damn, kid. Rodion has enough tact to not say anything aloud though. "I'll text you my details. It's better I let you know what's happening directly."

And hanging up. Oria will get Rodion's number through Sinclair's number and then, once Oria confirms, he'll get another message in a few hours in Russian.

We're back home. Kid's still groggy from being sedated but he's awake now]