System Glitch: In The City

[theextras]

The artificial sun rises in the artificial sky... just like every day in Taxon. For some of the inhabitants, this has been going on long enough to be very routine.

This morning, though, the light shines over quite a few gaps in the city's architecture. There is no Oxford library, no Hedge Maze. A number of the private residences are simply gone, those that people brought with them to Taxon. And the streets are very empty, indeed: no Extras on the sidewalks, no Extras driving cars. No smiling faces in the corner coffee shop. The trams rattle around the city with nary a soul on board. The streets are silent.

But it's not just the Extras who are gone. Most of the familiar faces are, too. The tablets show only a very short list of 'Contacts'-- those few citizens left in the city proper.

Save for a small handful of Taxon's prisoners-- left rattling around like the last pills in a nearly empty bottle-- the city is deserted, and silent as the grave.


[ OOC: The first of two log posts to kick off the event! For reference, these are the characters who are remaining in the city: Azkadellia, Briar Moss, Charles Xavier (AU), Daphne Powell, DG, Drusilla, Eanes, Illyria, James Holmes, Jenna Sommers, Martha Jones, Remus Lupin, and Wyatt Cain. ]

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[hasaheart]

He comes back in a matter of minutes, bringing his tablet, and he can't quite believe there would ever come a day when he was glad to have it. He takes a seat on the sofa, dark green and plush, with carved wooden legs that look as close to organic as they can be without being raw chunks of wood.

That was Glitch's idea to. The organic theme.

"Now, I told you he's got a mouth on him," he says, scrolling through the archives, eyes searching for the right broadcasts, the right conversations. He's not about to share everything, but a few little somethings. Safe somethings, not too private.

"Here. I forgot to tell you he's got a temper too. He curses worse than a Sin District bouncer." He gives her the tablet, touching the screen to make one of Paul's more memorable broadcasts come back to life all over again. And one of the responses...they'll look at that one too.

He'd told him he was interested that day. Almost a full annual ago, looking at the date stamp.

[azoftheoz]

She settled in, toying with the edge of her sandwich while he was away. When he came back with the tablet, she added sugar to a cup of coffee, adding a dollop of sugar.

"I admit, I find that thing fascinating. The technological parts are amazing." She paused. "Is that the word," she asked, not entirely certain she had it all right.

Taking the tablet, she watched the video. The cursing had her blushing, ducking her head but she was grinning. "That is... that is quite the mouth," she said with a laugh, red to the tips of her ears.

"I admit... never heard it quite that way," she said, giggling and covering her mouth with one hand as she held the tablet.

The second one though had her alternating frowns with smiles. "I don't understand what he meant about stereotypes," she admitted. "But he is fond of you like you are him, isn't he?" There wasn't that much to go from on the tablet feed, and she wanted to know Cain was happy.

[hasaheart]

Wyatt watches, and listens, and can't help but chuckle helplessly at some of the more colorful phrases. He did warn her, but he'd forgotten just how bad it was. Maybe he's just spent too much time--

No. Not too much.

He pours himself a cup of coffee, adding sugar as an afterthought. He usually takes it straight up black and steaming, but there's a shakiness to his hands that he doesn't like. He hates the tremors, and hates even more how they're an obvious tell of the stress he's under. So sugar it is. He'll have something to eat later.

"That's, uh, that's the day I told him. That I was interested in him as something other than friends."

He sips. "The mutual consensus was we'd been silly and foolish not to have come clean sooner. But on the other hand, we were good friends by then. Close friends. We'd been through a lot...even death.

"Later that evening, we kissed for the first time."

[azoftheoz]

She held the tablet almost reverently. Not because of the technology but because of what it represented to Cain in this time of such confusion. It was what he had of Paul, and from what he'd said earlier, what she might be able to use to try and find out from others about the music for him. Some small part of her found that important, though she wasn't entirely certain why. If only so she could bring him some sort of comfort.

She peered a bit closer. "It's been nearly a year," she said, marveling at that. While she was making the best of Taxon, to see them working at making a life for themselves gave her a hope she hadn't had before.

"How long... Is it wrong of me to ask about your wife too right now?"

[hasaheart]

"Yeah..." Oh, he knows. Boy, does he know. "Just don't tell Paul, or he might have conniptions." Yes, that was an attempt at a joke. (Sorry, Paul) He shakes his head, then scoots closer to look at the tablet, see what else he can find.

"It's been almost a full annual, and I'd known him for...eight, nine months prior. My wife died four months before I was-- found by your sister and Glitch.

"What would you like to know about her?"

[azoftheoz]

Smiling then, nodding. "I solemnly vow not to say a word," she said. Though the fact that he made a joke set her shoulders a bit easier. She only hoped one day they would be back together to celebrate an anniversary. Some day.

She nodded, not willing to speak about him being found or his time in the suit. She knew of Zero gloating about it and squirmed uncomfortably thinking about it.

"How long were you married," she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

[hasaheart]

"Oh, wow," he huffs, mouth curving into a smile. One hand comes up to brush over his short blond curls. He's overdue for a cut, but Paul likes it a tiny bit longer than Wyatt's usual length, and what does it matter?

How long has he been married?

"The short answer is I don't know. I have a difficult time remembering things from before, and the things I do remember are jumbled and faded."

However, that doesn't mean he isn't going to answer. It just means she's going to bear with him, knowing his estimates might not be accurate. "Our son was six years old when the Longcoats came, and we'd been married for a good few years before he was born. We wanted to start a family for a long time, and when we finally had him... Well. You can imagine.

"Nine years, give or take a few months. I don't know how long I was away, but it must've been ten annuals. It must've been. Eighteen, nineteen annuals if you count the ones I wasn't there."

[azoftheoz]

Azkadellia sat back slightly, setting the tablet on the tablet before picking up hr coffee once more. She should eat. She should do a lot but instead she watched Cain. His mannerisms, the expressions that crossed his face. She wasn't always sure what certain things meant but as she worked to give expressions and mannerisms context, she hoped to fill in the gaps until it made sense to her as it seemed to for most.

She listened to it all, frown deepening as he spoke. Cain had been with his wife since she was a child. Truly a child, and DG had been barely walking, toddling after her. Those were the sort of memories she was able to mark time by.

"I feel that I owe you so many apologies for it all," she managed to whisper.

[hasaheart]

"No," he says firmly, shaking his head and turning in his seat to face her. "Now you listen to me, and you listen good, princess.

"You don't owe me anything."

He puts away his mug, reaching instead for her hand, but whether she takes his is up to her.

"Take my hand, and you listen, okay?"

[azoftheoz]

The firmess of his voice made her tense, chin quibbling slightly though she didn't pull away, she didn't look away. Her fingers curled tightly around his, afraid to let go for a brief moment.

"I'm listening. I swear," she whispered, voice tight. "I always listen. I'm attentive."

[hasaheart]

"Good. That's good." He softens his tone, if only by a fraction. He doesn't mean to upset her, but he does need to make something very clear, and right this very instant.

"You don't owe me anything, Azkadellia. I know what happened when you were a girl, in the cave. I know your sister, through her young age and love of adventure, got you in a bind. I don't blame her for what happened, and I certainly don't blame you. She was just a child, and so were you."

His eyes burn again, his heart going out to the children that the sisters were and the struggling young woman before him. His thumbs work softly over her knuckles, trying to soothe.

"Now, I know what it's like to be trapped against my will, and unable to do anything about it. I know. It wasn't your fault. None of what happened, or came after. You were a prisoner just as much as I was."

[azoftheoz]

Her lip trembled, tears filling her eyes and leaving them bright and shiny. Yet she raised her chin, just a little, fighting not to let them slide in hot trails down her cheek.

"I should have been stronger. I was the older sister. If I had put my foot down, DG never would have entered that cave. It never would have happened. She was scared and I wasn't strong enough. I should have been stronger," she said, voice cracking.

"I was being raised to possibly rule the O.Z., and I failed in protecting it," she said, shaking her head.

[hasaheart]

"No, shhh, don't say that," he murmurs, sliding from his seat into a crouch to more easily pull the poor girl into a firm hug.

"Don't say that, sweetie. That's nowhere near the whole picture."

[azoftheoz]

She whimpered then, clinging to him as she pressed close. Fighting the tears, trying to stay strong as she pressed her face to his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Sorry for your life in the Zone. Sorry for this. I'm trying so hard not to cry."

[hasaheart]

"It's okay to cry," he says softly, knowing it could easily fall on deaf ears for all the obligations weighing her down. It can't be easy, having the fate of the entire Zone on her shoulders.

"I promise I won't tell anyone. You're safe here, and--. And you don't have to apologize. There's nothing to forgive."

[azoftheoz]

"I wanted to stay strong," she whispered. "For you." Saying it outloud made her arms tighten around him, more fierce of a hug than a moment before.

"And you should eat. Drink your coffee while it's warm." It was so much easier to try and insist on do what she said, not what she did.

[hasaheart]

"You are," he replies, heart sinking in his chest as he returns the hug for all he's worth. Strong. For him. "You're stronger than I think you know, and that's good. You'll surprise yourself one day. Thing is, you don't have to be, not right now. I can't let this get to me right now, I don't know if I could cope."

When he inevitably breaks down for some trivial reason or other, he would prefer to be alone. He has a feeling Az won't leave him, and what's more, he has a feeling he's gonna ask her to stay in the guest bedroom as long as she wants to. It's the only right thing to do.

"I'll eat something, don't worry. I'll go make something right now, okay?"

[azoftheoz]

She didn't feel strong. She hadn't since that day she hadn't been able to stop the witch. Then, being torn from home had left her feeling weak once more. "What can I do to help," she asked, finding that while she might not be strong, she would work hard to help, to be there for Cain because it was something she could offer.

Pulling back, sniffling and dashing a hand at her cheek, she nodded.

"I'd feel better if you did. I'll even try," she said, nodding eagerly. If nothing else, she could offer this.

[hasaheart]

"The fact you're here is help enough," he says. "It's good to have you here, and-- Listen, I don't mean to be presumptuous, but there's two spare bedrooms upstairs that you're free to use. Stay as long as you like. I think it would be good, not being alone."

He pushes up off the floor, knees complaining loudly at the motion. "I won't be long. You... You can look at the archive some more if you want. There's a lot of Glitch there too, and Deej."

[azoftheoz]

She was stunned by that offer, staring at him with wide eyes. She felt her lip start to quiver once more and she bit down to make it stop. "I... I would appreciate that," she said softly. "I haven't... I haven't spent much time at home since this happened." Not with the brain there.

She nodded, hand trembling as she picked up the tablet. "I'll be fine with this."

[hasaheart]

Cain nods, giving her a small, tight smile before heading for the kitchen, where he does as promised. He makes a sandwich, puts everything back in its place and wipes the counter.

For a moment, it almost feels like any other day, just going through the motions of neat and tidy. Like he always does. It's a small comfort, but it winds him down a bit from the too highly strung, will snap any minute mindset of this morning.

He comes back out with a sandwich on a plate, and a small bowl of fridge chilled cherries.

[azoftheoz]

While he was gone, Azkadellia propped up the tablet so she could watch it while doing as she said. She picked at her sandwich, eating a bit as she went though she'd lost he appetite. The truth being, she had lost her appetite since she arrived but now it was all about the churning and stress.

She watches him as he came back, quiet for a long moment.

"I worry I'll never get to know my own sister," she admitted.

[hasaheart]

Silence has never bothered Wyatt, ever since he was a boy. Some of the other kids in the area would take any chance they got at making a ruckus, but Wyatt vastly preferred the alternative. You could hear so much more if you didn't make noise. You could close your eyes and smell the tall grass breaking under your bare feet. You could hear the crunches and snaps and soft squishes as you walked through the woods, some patches of ground damper than others.

He's always loved silence, and the things you see and hear when you don't say one word.

He sits down, a small frown of concern taking up residence between his eyebrows. "What makes you say that? Of course you will."

[azoftheoz]

At first she didn't answer, tearing off another bite, savoring the tastes that seemed fresh after so many days of only eating if and when she had to. A sip of coffee and then she reached over, turning off the tablet.

"She's still on the map," she sighed, gesturing towards the tablet with one hand. "The maze that came with Glitch is gone, but the palace is still there. Where is she then," she whispered, almost as if fearful to ask.

[hasaheart]

He clamps down on yet another I don't know, reaching over to rub her back soothingly. To and fro, wind wiper motions. "Maybe she can't face the city just yet, the way it is. Didn't she get back to your message this morning?"