I Remember Better Days

@robyn-byrd

Robyn Byrd || 24 || Magi Lunar Manipulation

5,010 posts

{He doesn’t argue her. Part of him thinks maybe he should, that he was used to working alone before and if anything that feeling’s just intensified now. But he closes his mouth on the words and then slams the trunk shut for her. The noise isn’t loud, not by any means, but it’s loud enough and he can hear the scraping growing closer. The second he sees movement, everything else is forgotten. He’s pulling on the power in his blood and on his skin, stepping through shadows and putting him close enough to put a bullet straight through it’s skull. He can’t tell if it’s a shambler that’s had a bad time or one of the mutants, but either way it collapses in a heap, brain matter and dark blood blown out across the asphalt. It might be a waste of bullets, but at this point he doesn’t care. He knows how to survive without a gun, it’s just the closest thing at hand now. The scraping doesn’t stop though, and it has his head lifting to try and find whatever else is out there.}

[Robyn stands still as Eli disappears into the shadows. She can barely make out his figure in the fog, but she catches the flash from his gun and hears the resounding thump afterwards. It doesn't keep the scratching from coming back and the noise draws her attention to a different part of the parking lot. Her gun stays held out, but the runes on her skin light up and over either side of her shoulders, shards of a shield, like fractured pieces of glass, appear and float where they are for a moment. It appears through the fog, leaping towards her and she lets loose the shrapnel of energy. The four shards pierce into the creature, catching it in mid air and it snaps backwards, landing on the ground on it's back, howling loudly. Robyn sneers at it, another carefully crafted shield appearing over it's body before she slices it downward, effectively severing it's head from it's body.]

(Mara’s been quiet most of the day. A police station. Of course. It’s probably fortified and safe, cleared out of any dangers, but there’s still an unease in Mara’s spine that comes from too many bad memories inside walls like these. Cheaper, dirtier, more poorly funded walls on the wrong side of town, but walls still that held handcuffs, lawyers, and assholes. And Mara can’t decide between turning up her lips and wanting to get out, so she settles for the satisfaction of rummaging through some of the desks and drawers, until she’s perched in an office with the bounty of handcuffs and a handful of candy bars, parsing through the latter and deciding which to eat first.)

[Robyn's been looking for things to loot from the police station since they'd gotten there. She'd gotten her things set up for where she wanted to get settled, but beyond that, the only thing of interest she'd really found was a box of shotgun shells and some raid gear that she'd managed to get into the trunk of the Lincoln. When she opens one of the rooms and spots the woman inside, she gives a small smile.] Did you find all that candy in here?

jennifer-sloane-blog

[Jen doesn’t glance back, just in case when she does the thing in front of them decides to move and catches her off guard,] You do whatever you need to, but don’t put anything around me. [Jen says quietly, but not meanly. If the woman’s power lay in a shield that was fine, but Jen didn’t want anything between her and the monsters.] Fuck, did this shit get thicker? [She grumbles, more to herself than to Robyn, but it’s loud enough that it hardly matters.]

[Robyn nods her head. She'll use the shield if needed, but she has a few new tricks she hasn't shown anyone yet but Mason. Her power no longer lies solely in the defensive and she'd been morphing what she could do because she thought she'd have to be alone in this world.] I won't get in your way.

Always. {It used to be a glib answer, but it’s truer than it ever used to be. The only way to never be caught off guard is to always be on it, and it keeps his grip tight around his gun, even if he doesn’t think anything out there is something he can’t kill. There wasn’t much he couldn’t deal with before he fell through a hole in the world, there’s even less now. The fog only serves to irritate him, to mask however close something out there might be, and if she’s hesitating because of noise he almost hopes it draws it closer. It has him glancing back at her briefly before his gaze shifts back down the barrel of his gun.} Go ahead and head back inside babe.

[She believes him when he says he's ready for whatever is moving around inside the fog. It moans again, only this time it morphs into something more like a growl. It's more frightening in the fact that she can't see it. She can't pinpoint what it is and that means she can't trap it. He tells her to go back inside and she turns to look at the back of his head. Maybe she should. Maybe she would have before he'd gone and disappeared on her for a couple of weeks. But the last time he'd fought something while she'd been standing back and watching, she'd nearly gotten him killed. Taking a deep breath, she steps up to his side and lifts her gun to aim at the noise as well, tightening her grip when she hears scratches against metal as it draws closer. She says the next words with confidence, because she won't ever let him down like that again.] I'm alright here.

jennifer-sloane-blog

[Jen frowns because there was always noise in the fog, but she pauses and listens harder. Turning her body in the direction of the noise he pulls out her knife and takes a few steps towards it.] Mhmm. [Is the only reply she gives as she slowly moves, her focus off the woman completely.]

[Robyn glances at Jen as she starts to move towards the noise and she follows behind, standing behind her shoulder. She's not helpless these days anymore, at least she's trying not to be and there's still a scar on her side that reminds her what happens when she is.] I can shield us if we need.

{There was a point where the police station behind him would’ve been some kind of temptation, when the promise of whatever’s locked away in evidence would’ve made his skin crawl. It doesn’t have the same hold over him that it used to, but it’s still enough to make him prefer outside to inside. That Robyn’s out there is just a good excuse, and he’s already walking across the pavement when he hears the noise. It doesn’t matter that he can’t see anything, his first assumption is automatically that it’s something that needs killing. His hand settles on her lower back, gun up and pointed into the fog in case anything makes itself visible. That guns haven’t been his weapon of choice in a while doesn’t matter, it’s a tool, he’ll use it if he has to.} You almost done?

[Robyn feels the hand on her back before she knows he's behind her. She manages not to jump, but she leans closer to him despite it all. The hold she has on her gun tightens, because his is aimed at whatever is making the noise in front of them. He asks if she's done and she is, she hadn't been out here doing anything important really, just organizing and confiscating shotgun shells. She nods, hand reaching up to settle on the trunk, but she's almost afraid to close it in case whatever is out there in the fog might come their way. Not that she doesn't trust Eli, or even herself these days, to take care of it, it doesn't mean she's entirely brave in the face of all of it.] Yeah. Ready?

jennifer-sloane-blog

[Jen has walked around the building six times already and is about to start the seventh lap when she sees a familiar blonde by the trunk of a car. Jen groans slightly as she stretches her arms above her head and approaches the woman.] Hey. How’s it goin’? [She asks with a nod.]

[Robyn turns her head slightly to acknowledge the woman, but her hand stays tightly on the gun and her focus on the noise shifting between the cars in front of her. She nods her head in that direction.] Do you hear that?

[The move to the police station had been an unadventurous one. Robyn stands near the Lincoln outside, having found a box of shotgun shells that she's trying to fit into the arrangement inside the trunk. A noise to her right has her lifting her head to turn and look out into the fog. There are several police cruisers parked near her, some of them with their windows smashed like someone had gone through them. She stays quiet for a moment, trying to see what had made the noise. It sounds again, a slow grinding or low moan and she swallows thickly, reaching into the trunk for her gun as she pulls it to her side, waiting for something to make an appearance.]

{He believes her on that too, but he still doesn’t give her an answer. There are a thousand things he could tell her and not one of them’s nice or pleasant. And while he doesn’t think telling her unpleasant things is a dealbreaker at this point, it doesn’t mean she needs to hear it. He watches her steal his soup with a playful smile, but she’s not getting mad and she’s not pushing. It has his arm looping her waist, dragging her over to him.} Why are you so nice to me?

[His arm is snagging around her waist and he's pulling her towards him. She goes easily, holding the can to prevent it from spilling. She settles in at his side and turns to give him a look. This is something he's asked her before and the answer hasn't changed, ever. She pretends like it doesn't matter he's pulled her close and is threatening to love on her. She just keeps eating, attention turning to the room around them and even if her tone is playfully flippant, the words are still as honest now as they've ever been.] Because you're my man.

{He believes her when she says it, believes she’ll listen to whatever he wants to say about it even if some of it he thinks might give her nightmares. Or at least it would’ve before. Now he can’t tell, because he thinks she can imagine all kinds of things to fill in the spaces, but she’s not the one who can’t sleep through the night. He wants to keep it that way.} I don’t want you to know. {He shifts easily back and forth between that and the mundane, because what he used to like doesn’t matter when this is what they have.} You know I never even really liked soup?

[Robyn looks back over at him when he says that he doesn't want her to know. There are a couple ways she could take it, but there's no question how she should take it now. He's protecting her. He's keeping it away from her. It has her scooting closer, just a loving smile on her face as she watches him.] I'd be willing to know if you ever need me to. [She reaches her fork over to steal some of the soup from his can.] I lived off soup for a week once.

No. {The question has his expression going blank, already his attention shifting anywhere else. He looks down at the can after he says it, staring almost blankly before he finally takes a bite. He doesn’t say anything else and he doesn’t snap, but he doesn’t want to talk about it and he wants to keep her as far away from what happened as possible. Instead he just points his fork at the food in hand.} This doesn’t suck. What did you bring me?

[He answers quickly and closes up after that. It has her pausing in what she's doing to watch his face. With gentle motions, she reaches out to run her hand across his shoulders, along his back. Her voice is lower, understanding.] If you ever need to, I'm here. [She follows it up by leaning forward to press her lips to his shoulder before she leans back, withdrawing her hand and going back to the can in her hands. She points her fork at his, in answer to his question.] Minestrone soup concentrate.

Because climbing out of a fucking rift wasn’t proof enough? {He shifts, pressing his back against the wall next to her as he glares down at his food. It bothers him today, and whether it’s just the restlessness already eating away at him or just this quiet he can’t take, it still leaves him frustrated. He doesn’t push her away, doesn’t try to shrug off the hand on his shoulder, but he doesn’t know what kind of words she expects him to offer his brother to make it easier for him.} I always come back.

I know you do. [It's all she says about it, pulling her hand away from his shoulder and just sitting there with the can in her hand. She takes another bite before crossing her legs and sitting quietly. She keeps the smile on her face as she looks out at the winery behind them. The question has been on the tip of her tongue since he'd come back through the rift.] Do you want to talk about what happened to you, with me?

Probably. {The answer’s noncommittal, but he probably would’ve left two days ago if she hadn’t distracted him. Not that he’s complaining. He watches her for a moment because he doesn’t take the words as anything else than how she means them, but the mere fact that she’s not pushing makes him shift a little uncomfortably. He asked permission after the last demon, but the circumstances aren’t the same now. He’d been fractured in ways he wasn’t now, and it’s an effort to remember that the act of asking isn’t really about what makes him comfortable at all.} What else am I supposed to say about it?

[She looks up at the question, watching his face. She can't tell if he's getting defensive or just honestly asking. Giving a smile and finishing the food she has in her mouth, she reaches over to rub his shoulder because she's not going to doubt what she has to say to him and she's not going to be offended when he gives her a hard time over it.] Just remind him that you'll come back.

{He toys with the can for a moment but he doesn’t move to eat any of it yet. She doesn’t say anything about it, and if it bothers her she’s not showing it, not to him at least, but it’s hard not to keep certain facts in mind. She was scared, Samson was angry, Devin lost his mind. If scouting means nothing to him he wonders if it doesn’t mean similar things to them, and the question just has him frowning, has that thought burrowing deeper.} What’s to talk about? I tell him I’m going, then I go. Five minutes, tops.

[Robyn gives a chuckle, not calling him on not eating his food yet. She takes another bite of her own and he's just kind of looking at her like she's talking about something foreign. She gives a small shrug at the comment because she didn't really except him to talk about it with Sam. Just that he'd go and run it by him again. They'd both thought he'd be dead, she wasn't sure how Sam was going to take him scouting again.] I guess that's talking about it. Are you going to go soon then?

{He looks over at her at the question, but he doesn’t answer right away. Both because the phrasing strikes him as odd, and because she’s offering food out for him. He takes it without comment, sniffing at the can before he looks back up at her. He’s aware that before all this happened she was never completely okay with him leaving, no matter what she said, so he’s not sure how she’ll take his answer.} Always ready.

[She smirks as he takes the can and turns to hop up and sit on the windowsill. She opens her own can and starts eating. There's always going to be a nervousness when he leaves that this will be the time he doesn't come back. Especially after what had happened with the rift. But she knows that it's something Eli needs to do. And she trusts him enough that when it comes to scouting, he'll come back.] When are you going to talk to Sam about it?

{He starts looking out the window, because he never rested easily at night to begin with and now even less so. He’d almost rather be out there than in here, because here he doesn’t know what to do with himself anymore. It’s the sight of blood on his lip that distracts him from the window, fixating briefly on the mirror next to him. He pokes at the split with idle fascination, but all it does is increase the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. That his reflection is a barely recognizable thing at this point isn’t worth noting, because he figures most people could say the same.} Huh.

[Robyn's got a can in each hand as she walks up next to Eli. She glances out the window to see what he's looking at, but she doesn't see anything too interesting other than fog. She smiles, holding out the can for him because she doesn't think he's eating properly again yet. At least she hasn't seen him do it herself and she wants to just make sure. He came back too skinny. She knows what he wants. She knows that he's probably starting to get restless again. She nods her head towards the window.] Ready to get back out there?

No. {It’s the only answer she gets, though despite the stubbornness of it he’s nothing but playful. He stays where he is, fingers splaying across her stomach as he pulls her back into him. And while it’s comfortable and familiar in the best ways, he wonders if it shouldn’t be. He’s not big on talking about anything that matters and if anything that’s only intensified. But she’s not, and he wonders if he should be braced for questions still, or if the fact that he’s back will be good enough. It has his train of thought shifting abruptly, even if it doesn’t move his mouth from the side of her neck.} Who scouted this place?

Yes. [She shoots back at him, matching his playfulness and stubbornness. He pulls her closer and she goes easily, going wherever he's going to guide her. She's not sure if he's being playful and affectionate to try and keep himself occupied or not. She doesn't doubt that he means it, just wonders if she should be pushing and asking if he's alright or not. At the question, she gives a shrug.] I don't know. I don't think anyone did. I think we just went.

I Remember Better Days @robyn-byrd - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag