ic inbox ;;

[finewithhalf]

If you're looking for me, I'm out. Drop me a message, and I'll get back to you when I feel like it.

Comments

text;

[catchacold]

You okay, princess?

Re: text;

[finewithhalf]

[She's slow to respond, since it means breaking away from Riley long enough to look at the network. And all they want to do on the network is talk about dead people. It's not the kind of stuff Riley out to be concerned with right now.]

I'll live.

text;

[catchacold]

[Helpful. Who taught her to answer like that?

Whatever.]

You need something?

action;

[plutonicideals]

[When it was all said and done, the first person that Riley sought out was Maya.

She doesn't actually have much to say, for once, so she just latches on.]

action;

[finewithhalf]

[If Riley hadn't initiated the latching, Maya might have done it herself. It's a hug that both of them desperately need.]

At least you got to see him for a little while, right? It's better than nothing...

action;

[plutonicideals]

It'd be better if... you know, didn't happen too.

[She doesn't really want to outright say that.]

text; I AM ALSO GETTING BACK TO THE REST OF THINGS, but I didn't want to forget this

[catchacold]

Princess. Check outside your door.

[What's outside her door, in a paper bag, is this, a golden chain with a golden pendant in the shape of a snowflake on it, encrusted with diamonds. Obviously he couldn't buy or steal it, not at a place like this, but he put a lot of thought into the choice. The shape, the colour, the diamonds.

And the hope that it might be enough to just jolt her into talking to him again.]

text; AWW HELLO

[finewithhalf]

[It's beautiful. It's the kind of thing she's always wanted and never deserved, something pretty and sparkly that means someone thought she mattered enough. It's everything, and her first instinct is to put it on and never take it off. Except at a time like this? There's something weird about it.]

If you're asking me out, that would be really weird right now. I don't do May/December.

[She's totally a fan of May/August, but December is a bit of a reach.]

text; HI

[catchacold]

Damn, princess, that would be January/December three decades apart, don't creep me out.

[Never has he ever be so relieved that even his younger, lost one self wasn't going to go there.]

Forget what this place makes us be sometimes. Just a gift from me to you. No weirdness.

texts;

[thisismadfreaky]

[He's thought it over.

He's talking it over with Leonard.

Now it's time to see if Maya will actually even go for it.]

»So, I've been thinking
»What if I made you a gun
»But
»Instead of ice, it shoots snow?

texts;

[finewithhalf]

I'm listening.

y does it have to be instead tho?

GIFTS

[catchacold]

[Outside her door Maya will find two packages and a card that reads

Happy Hanukkah,

Lenny

One present is two books, since he isn't sure whether one might be too difficult for her.

The other present is a stun gun that he mostly built himself, including the blue LED lights that can be switched on if wanted. Mostly it's just small, black and inconspicuous enough, but entirely functional. It includes instructions and a little note that reads: Because a princess saves herself.]

December 26th

[cuteshit]

[It takes him most of the day to feel brave enough to approach Maya and give her her Christmas gift in person. Now that he's caught up on some sleep, he could use a little normalcy to ground him after Wonderland's idea of Christmas.

He presses his lips together as he stands outside her door with a giftbag in hand, knocking twice.]

Hey, Maya?

[finewithhalf]

[omg but can they sleep forever? Because she'd like that a lot actually. It's only been a day and a half, but she could use like two weeks more. She's a little less than elegant when she comes to the door, hair uncombed and wild, eyes still puffy. Can she just be curled up in bed with Riley for the rest of forever?

Ugh, knocking. Why is there knocking. Everyone was awake and today ought to be a sleeping day. She throws the door open all at once, unashamedly pajama-ed.]

Yeah? You need something, Kanji? [Is that something BED? Because there should be more bed.]

text;

[catchacold]

Heard you had another talk with Mick.

Re: text;

[finewithhalf]

I talk to a lotta folks about a lotta stuff.

What's it to u?

2/14

[cuteshit]

Hey, you free to come by the diner? Just finishing up making us some lunch if you're interested.
Plus, I have something for you.

[Please know that if he'd tried to make this offer out loud, he would have stammered his way through the entire thing.]

Re: 2/14

[finewithhalf]

[ oh, it's something from Kanji. That's cool EVERYTHING'S COOL it's not a big thing to stress about really. Like for serious. ]

sup. Yeah sure I can be up in a minute. Just give me a sec to wrap stuff up with Riley?

[ That stuff will mostly be clasping hands with her and shrieking, but he doesn't need to know that. He can cut straight to the part where she very casually glides up into the diner and doesn't do anything out of the ordinary at all. Because whatever. It's just another say right? ]

text

[boilover]

[Look, he's been like drunk for three days now and not in much of a state to talk to anyone or do much but he's finally pulled his shit together enough to send a text. After Rip did his dirty work for him.]

you okay kid?

text

[finewithhalf]

course i'm ok

why wouldn't i be?

text;

[catchacold]

I'm back, princess.

[Simple message. However, it's accompanied with a knock on her door, just in case she's around.]

text;

[finewithhalf]

[She doesn't reply. And then when she leaves the text alone for long enough, there's knocking. The door doesn't open, but his device will at least vibrate.]

k.

this the part where i'm supposed to care or something?

delivery;

[thisismadfreaky]

[What a cute innocuous plain package. There's also a note:

I won't bother with excuses, and I know it's too little too late and
apologies don't fix anything, but I'm sorry I didn't get it to you sooner.
It's yours, you should have it. Call me if you have any questions.
~CR

Also included in the box are 2 pairs of ear plugs of his own design--a set for Maya, and a set for Riley because he knows they come as a package deal--which are designed to protect their ears up to ridiculous decibel levels that they'll probably never actually be around; there are also diagrams and general use explanations in the User Manual that he made for her.

It's all fairly straightforward, and the gun doesn't produce noises that would permanently damage anyone's hearing, nor would it be lethal at all. But it'll be enough to distract intended targets (and anyone in the ear-shot vicinity up to about a 10ft radius) and cause some serious migraines and give her time to get the hell out of whatever trouble she's in.]

text

[catchacold]

Hey.

I don't want to bother you, but if you or Riley ever need anything, I'm always ready. Just let me know.

Sorry.

text

[finewithhalf]

[She doesn't respond to him the next day, or even the next week. But she'll get back to him eventually.]

Stuff happens here.