Watching the Detectives

[andmisterhyde]

The door to the ex-turtle's old room is locked.

There are tiny squawking sounds coming from inside. To anyone who knew what teevee was, that's what it sounds like.

Every other line or so seems to punctuated by laughter.

Comments

[shadythief]

There's an elf outside of the door, armed with a bottle of whiskey, Dragon's blood and a good deal of other substances somewhere on her person.

She knocks on the door. "Hyde. I can hear you in there."

No answer.

She frowns and manages to juggle the bottles, pick the lock and push the door open in record time.

"It'll take more than that to keep a determined elf away, I'm afraid."

[andmisterhyde]

There he is, sitting in the middle of that disaster of a room - which seems even more disastrous at present.

There's a strange device (one of those cool portable DVD players, complete with screen and speakers) sitting on the beer crate. Hyde sits on a chair placed way too close to the beer crate. He's in the same clothes he was wearing the other day, no shades, and his hands are pressed up to his mouth in a gesture of contemplation - dazed contemplation, given his expression.

A voice that sounds distinctly like his own is coming from the device. As he stares up at Shady, his eyes widen and he quickly reaches out to press a button, eliminating the sound.

[shadythief]

She frowns and moves forward, shutting the door behind her. She'd ask what it is but she already knows. And feigning ignorance isn't something that she cares to exercise around here.

"Care for a drink?"

[andmisterhyde]

Hyde has to clear his throat several times before he speaks again. Hasn't spoken in awhile. That happens.

"Uh...yeah, sure." He runs his hands over his face and through his hair. "Thanks."

[shadythief]

She walks over and sits a little further away than she usually would, but close enough to hand him the bottle without stretching.

Her eyes flick over to the screen and back to him.

[andmisterhyde]

He grabs the bottle without looking.

On the screen, paused, his someone who is, without a doubt, Hyde. He's standing in a run-down room, apparently talking on what someone from his time would recognize as a telephone, the old black rotary kind.

[shadythief]

"If you'd rather I didn't watch, I won't. I came up here to ensure that you were still alive," she says, her voice light.

She puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes briefly before opening her own bottle.

[andmisterhyde]

"I'm alive," Hyde says after a long moment.

He opens his - the whiskey, I presume - and takes a long swallow. "...Stings. Good stuff."

[shadythief]

Her smile's a little less mischievous than it is most nights and she shivers as the potent alcohol goes down.

"'Tis no good if it doesn't."

[andmisterhyde]

"Yeah."

Hyde looks down at his hands. Say something, Hyde.

"I was just, uh -" He starts to gesture, but finds he doesn't actually want to bring the TV into the focus of attention. "-yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

[shadythief]

The smile doesn't budge.

"You're a horrible liar, my friend." And she lets the gesture go. No use in forcing an issue.

[andmisterhyde]

Hyde lets out a sigh, staring down at the bottle now.

"Yeah. When it comes to stuff that isn't stupid, or has to do with the cops or my mom - yeah."

[shadythief]

"Are you sure you have to watch it?" she asks. "Maybe you'd be better off ignorant."

[andmisterhyde]

"Maybe so. But it's too late now, man."

Hyde stares at the image of himself on the screen and takes a long, long drink.

[shadythief]

"What are you like?"

[andmisterhyde]

Hyde paws for a pack of cigarettes sitting on top of that bright yellow and purple box. He steals a glance at himself on the cover and jerks his head away, lighting up quickly.

He shoots smoke out the side of his mouth. "I'm like...me."

He sounds surprised - surprised, but not pleased.

"Like me, but not like me. I don't know how to explain it."