ROMY

[romyowusu]

[appleciders]

[romyowusu]

ofdevburroughs​:

-

Devlin felt a small relief with Romy said she slept pretty well, though sparingly it sounded like. A slight smile tugging the corners of her lips, even a soft exhale of a chuckle through her nose when Romy mentioned the horse picture. “ Quite the conversationalist, I bet, ” She mused. She wasn’t feeling 100%, she wasn’t feeling anywhere close, but she could still try to be light. Crack a joke for the sake of making things feel a little less haunting. Her brows raised slightly to hear that Romy had put her back to bed. Or tried to. Not that it was surprising that Romy would, just that it was also news to her that she had been so determined in her sleep. “ Oh, weird. ” She commented first, she wasn’t sure if it was a common thing to have to be put back multiple times and unfortunately couldn’t google it right now either. “ But thank you. ” She added on, really that should have been the first thing but she too was distracted by her own actions. “ I hope it didn’t, like, freak you out or anything. I know it can be kinda weird to come across. ” Though admittedly not as weird as waking up to the person you thought had been put back to bed screaming in the basement with bloody hands.

 She was touched by what Romy said. It was borderline delusional, Devlin thought, but sweet. Very sweet. Warming the cool feeling in her chest as another soft smile tugged at her features. “ Yeah, I think that’s probably a good idea. ” She agreed, nodding her head a little.  It was weird, she felt as much of a call to try it again as she did to destroy the thing any way she could think of. She allowed a beat before she spoke again, speaking a question that came to mind. “ Do you think the board had, like, ” She hesitated, because the part of her that believed in logic and science and the things she could prove and record thought it was totally insane. But there was an ever present part of her that believed in things beyond explanation to encouraged her to push through. “ Do you think the board had something to do with me sleep walking? Maybe? ” She asked. It wouldn’t be much of an explanation but it was one which was more than she had without it. Amari had said taking their hands off was what let demons in and … well, Devlin had done that. 

"Not freaked out." Romy assured, only lying a little bit. "Just worried." It wasn't spooky then, just something odd she figured they could laugh about at breakfast, but then things got worse. "It'll be okay, maybe we'll all shack up in one bed or something, buddy system to the max." Romy looked around the room, biting her lower lip as she tried to decide just how honest she really should be to Dev about her her thoughts on Dev's state, and her beloved relative's cabin which Romy did think was beautiful, but the energy was something else. She took a few steps towards Dev and looked up at her, eyes and tone soft"I think, it's possible that being here, you know you're grief all around you like this, could be causing sleep disturbances, maybe it re-awakened some sleepwalking." It didn't feel good to try to analyze a friend to her face, but Romy really did want to help Dev face and overcome whatever she needed. "That being said...this cabin has this energy that's like..." There wasn't anyway Romy could describe it, but she wanted to figure it out so badly. "I was in my room, and this book fell and the pages turned and I can't really explain how or why but one of those names on the list, was circled and it was Mary." She let it sink in for a moment before she spoke again. "It just seems like too much to be coincidence, right?"

[romyowusu]

yanabortniks​:

.

“Yeah, I think that was his name,” Yana acknowledged, smiling a little at Romy’s joke about Tarzan. At the mention of Cruz, Yana busied herself fiddling with the flap of a cardboard box. It’d gone velvety with age; she ran the pad of her thumb over the material. “I invited Dev to share our room with us, so she and I took the bed, and Cruz was delegated to the floor. He was a good sport about it,” Yana explained. He was always a good sport, actually. He was kind and patient and funny and forgiving. She thought about how she half-hoped this weekend away would give them a moment to talk. And she’d actually been optimistic about it—even if all their previous ‘talks’ were less than productive. It seemed like they were destined just to keep going in circles. “We haven’t exactly had much, um. One-on-one time, I guess, and now my head’s all… messed up. I don’t know,” Yana trailed off vaguely, then dropped her hand from the box. She watched Romy for a second, still a little uneasy in the storage room after last night. Out of the blue, she continued: “You know, I came in here yesterday to grab those boardgames, and I—” She wet her lips, her gaze moving toward the ceiling, like the sounds of scurrying little feet would start as soon as she started talking about them. Proof of something sane and sensible. Her eyes dropped back to Romy. “I heard something weird.”

+++

Romy nodded, she had to give Cruz an extra point for being so willing to go with things. Romy didn't have the same urge to eyeroll at Cruz and Yana that she had caught Dev with, but always chalked it up to Yana's rough patch. Watching her friend struggle like that was hard, and seeing anyone take a little bit of that stress off was something Romy couldn't argue against. If only Dev had stayed in bed with Yana all night... "I get that..." She agreed that it was hard to get one on one time, it didn't feel right for Romy to keep Teddy up just because she couldn't sleep, but moments together were like flashes amongst the mayhem. She caught herself, almost giving the secret away, even if it felt like it was bound to come out sooner or later, after all Jo knew now. "It's hard to balance time here, I mean." She perked her head to the side as she listened to Yana begin, but the conversation didn't go where Romy had expected. "Weird? Like what?" She felt the box in her hand wobble a little, her own nerves shaking it about. Does she tell the others that the voice in the wall pointed her to the list of names, told her to find Mary? Or keep it to herself, try to help them first. "I think I did too." Her tone was quieter, her mind not totally made up on how much she felt like was worth sharing. "In my room."

[themickey]

closed starter @romyowusu​ where: kitchen when: midmorning

after a night of strange dreams and an even stranger morning, em wasn’t feeling quite like herself. though, it seemed like no one was feeling like themselves after everything that’s been going on. god, what the fuck was happening here? em couldn’t wrap her head around it but maybe that was because she felt like her head was full of fog. heading to the kitchen, she opened up a couple of the cupboards until she found what she was looking for. coffee. god bless. taking the container, she moved over to the coffee maker and started to make a pot of coffee for the group. she was sure they could use it after everything. once it was all set up, she turned around and leaned against the counter to see romy had joined her. “hey, you want a cup when it’s ready?” she asked, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder at the coffee maker. “were you able to get any sleep last night?”

[romyowusu]

-

Once things had quieted down to worried murmurs spread across the house, Romy really began to feel the affects lack of sleep had on her body. Uncharacterisictally sluggish, she stayed in her sleepwear and entered the kitchen rubbing at her eyes. "Yes, please." It wasn't like she usually drank coffee for the wake up affect, Romy was the last person who needed caffeine's assistance like that, it's because getting coffee for her friends during their study dates was a joy to her. the smell, the taste, all just reminded of good times. "Can I make you anyting to eat?", Romy asked, leaning against the counter. "Uh, not really. I did run into Dev though, sleepwalking. I took her back to bed but I guess she wandered off again.." It was the spooky, symbol drawing, blood soaked elephant in the room, that night before. "What about you?"

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[ashstfu]

i’m the kid at the party who walks around the house looking at family photos and goes through your bookshelves

[romyowusu]

[eliotwauh]

… That, and my hair.

[romyowusu]

ofdevburroughs​:

Similarly to Romy, Dev was’t really paying attention to her surroundings. Too lost in her own head with all the things that had happened. She fiddled with one of the bandaids around her fingertips, irritated that she couldn’t pick at the skin beneath. She tried pushing against the plaster with her another bandaged nail, hoping the pressure would satisfy where she would usually scratch in this sort of … worrying, anxiety inducing, weird, unexplainable situation. Though, nothing about this was usual. So maybe it was appropriate she couldn’t reach for her usual comfort. She looked up when she heard Romy speak, but she didn’t know how to answer. Her fingers were literally bandaged up from her night, she couldn’t say she was okay. “ Been better. ” She went with, a soft shrug and tired smile accompanying her words as she abandoned attempt to scratch at her cuticles and instead let hands fall back down to her sides. “ How are you? Did you sleep okay? ” She asked, completely unaware that Romy was someone who had guided her back to bed during the night.

Dev was a notoriously private person, so the second question wasn’t any easier than the first. She’d only told Yana about her previous sleep walking experience freshman year in case she did it again. Stress from the change or whatever. But, considering the night’s events, she didn’t want to freak anyone out any more. “ Um, when I was little I used to do it a lot. ” She admitted, though quickly realised a stark difference and added on, “ Not like, ” She held up her hands a little sheepishly. Meaning she didn’t scratch at walls until her fingers bled when she was little. “ I haven’t done that before. Just, like, walking around. ”

---

A nod, lips turned up into that sort of polite smile when trying to hide concern. The way the group rushed to her aid, a panic amidst the crises was an unwelcome reminder of the fire. People didn't mention how uneasy, how slow things were with the chaos rested. Now it seemed they could only wait for the heaviness of the events to ease up, or descend even further into mayhem. Sleep, Romy almost forgot about how she didn't get any when Dev asked. "Pretty good, I mean, a little tossing and turning, but that always happens when i'm in a new bed. It's cool, the horse kept me company." She smiled, hoping to downplay the fact that it was actually a sleepless night and the horse was a little weird. "I actually, I ran into you, in the hallway. I took you back to bed but, you're a stubborn sleepwalker I guess." Her tone was light, an attempt at a joke but mentally, Romy was annoyed that she didn't do better at getting Dev to stay in bed. If it happened again, she would do better, she swore it, maybe stopping at having to tie Dev in bed. "I'm just really glad we're here." It wasn't a popular sentiment at the moment, but it was much more of a nightmare to imagine Dev, scared, bloody and half asleep all by herself. "I'm glad we're all together and you're ok, maybe we'll just put the oujia board away closer to bedtime." Protecting Dev was priority one, but finding out the truth about Mary was a nagging one for Romy.

[romyowusu]

joxevans​:

Protect. That was a strong word, Jo thought. Protect from what? Did they even need protection from, well, anything? – Then she thought of the blood, of the way Dev’s fingers scratched through that wall. It was impossible to ignore. “Yeah. Yeah, maybe…” she exhales gently, her mind buzzing. She’d forgotten all about her petty jealousy and made-up beef with Romy and Teddy. At this point, nothing seemed to matter quite as much as getting to the bottom of this. 

“If this was a horror movie, Ro, we’d be dead by now. I mean, look at us, scattered around in complete denial, when we know…all of us, we can feel something’s fucked up.” she pushes her hair back, eyes narrow in thought as they absently search for hers. “I mean, Dev tried to scratch her way through a fucking wall Romy, that-that has to have some sort of explanation. Right? O-other than her just spontaneously losing her mind and drawing made-up symbols.” 

Jumping up to her feet, she’ll look down at Romy and for a second she’ll wonder if this is the right idea. “What if, what if we go back to the basement? Maybe there’s something there…I don’t, I mean, I don’t know but…maybe?”

---

"I don't think we can rule out Dev's stress..I mean, I'm not gonna lie the temptation to drag my ass down the road in the rain to google the signs of complex grief disorder is like, strong." It wasn't a theory she was convinced by, it would explain Dev's episode but not Mary or the whispers. "It's not the whole picture though." Go to the basement. Romy was nodding, and it diidn't really take much more convincing than that. "You're right, we should figure out if there's something there that Dev saw or left down there." Maybe a clue to Mary, even though Dev didn't seem familiar with her. "We should grab some light to bring with us." Romy stomach was tight, was it fear? anticipation? excitement? relief that jo was doing something with her? maybe all of them but they needed answers, and the rain wasn't giving them many options for it outside. She looked to make sure the smoke that Jo had was put out, habit since the fire. "Okay, you ready to potentially do some ghost hunting?" She teased, making sure to say it quietly before opening the bathroom door.

[romyowusu]

yanabortniks​:

Yana always appreciated Romy, some days more than others. And right then, standing back in the storage room after her strange experience in there the day before—and the series of strange, spine-chilling events that followed—Yana felt dizzy with relief that her friend was there with her. Her warm presence had always comforted her, and she needed it. Even if she was hesitant to leave Dev’s side, she knew she couldn’t smother her. They could spend a few moments apart. Just because Dev was out of her view didn’t mean anything worse was going to happen. Yana told herself that again and again. 

What would you name that elephant? Yana blinked, briefly taken out of her internal, anxious narration. She looked over to where Romy pointed. “What would I name it?” she repeated dumbly. “Um—yeesh, I don’t know. What was the name of that elephant in Tarzan? The one who had like a hundred phobias.” Yana altered her voice a little, letting it go nasally and high-pitched: “’It’s a piranha!’” But the impression lacked any real humor. She was too tired. Too uneasy. “That guy… I liked him. I always liked the neurotic side characters best.” She followed Romy’s actions, peeking into boxes but halfheartedly. She looked over toward the closet door, then back at Romy. “I didn’t check out your room but horses are famously super creepy, so I trust your judgment.”

**

"Oh, Turk right? Or is that the gorilla?" She leaned against the wall closest to her, Romy's eyes staring at the elephant as if it could signal the right answer. "No, it's Tantor? Is this water sanitary?" She did her best impression thinking back to the trailer. "I think this....looks like an Elliot...but I might just be saying that because it sounds like elephant." It was easy to imagine why Yana might relate to the sensitve, cautious characters but which is maybe why Romy felt the need to add Tantor's other trait that came to mind, "Loyal though, gotta be a little brave too...I might Tarzan would've had such B.O." It was hard to find anything light enough to joke about, and to have a joke land to tired, worried ears was a whole other thing.

"It's such a cute cabin, or it was when we got here." It seemed much more menacing now, even Elvis couldn't fix that. "but something about that horse is judging the hell out of me." For what? Buttercup probably had her reasons. "Did you and Cruz have an okay night?" Love, the thing Buttercup probably was side eyeing her for and the thing that might make Yana smile in spite of, it all.

[memewhore]

[iamnotlanuk]

I dunno maybe the horrors would be less daunting if we were holding hands

[romyowusu]

who: @ofdevburroughs where: living room when: day 2, a few hours after the chaos.

it had been a disturbing episode finding dev in the basement, bloody and in distress, something that nagged at romy for the remainder of the day. a restless worry, she fidgeted in front of the large window in the living room.

the rain pounded down and had she not turned her head to adjust the sleeve of her shirt, romy might not have noticed dev close by. despite her best efforts to conceal the worry but her knitted brows and pursed lips gave it away. "hey, how are you feeling?" after what might have been the freakiest sleepwalking episode in history, she thought.

she planted herself down on one of the couches, foot tapping on the floor. "did you ever sleepwalk before, that you know of?" was it the stress of grieving and being here? was it school or something more?

[romyowusu]

who: @yanabortniks​ where: storage room when: day 2, after the morning spooky shit

if romy had her way, she'd be hovering over all of her friends to ensure their safety, whether they wanted it or not. deep breaths, trying to think logically and get to any distraction she could were the strategy to get by. board games, something that could be won and therefore something that was far more likely to scratch that insatiable itch deep within her. looking for a game board buddy, and also someone she could check in with, she sought out yana and they made their way to the cluttered storage room.

"what would you name that elephant?" she pointed to the wall despite the fact that there wasn't any other elephant around, board game in hand though romy indulged her nosiness by peeking in a few boxes here and there. "they're much friendlier looking than the horse in my room."

[helloitsbees]

the horrors may be unrelenting but motherfucker so am i!