004 [Audio]

[ghostly_stutter]

D-Derek? Alex? S-Sollux?

Sh-Shepard?

Is... is something wrong? Something... d-doesn't quite f-feel right...

[There's a pause. If you pay close attention, light, panicked breathing can be heard.]

Is everyone all right?

[Then, there's a longer, heavier pause here.]

T-Talia?

[No, she has no idea Talia's back, and awake, and projecting, but she'

Comments

[allthesame2me]

[Well her tone is definitely unmistakable and Alex is quick to reply.]

Chloe? What's going on?

[Concerned Alex is concerned.]

[ghostly_stutter]

A-Alex!

[Hear the relief in her voice?]

I--I don't know. I-it just f-feels like... something is wrong. Do you--do you not feel it, too?

[That could mean this was a poltergeist at work. Or a demon--or undead. Maybe something else. Chloe draws her arms around herself, and shudders. Please don't be the dead.]

I--

[There's a pause, followed by harsh breathing, and suddenly Chloe is whispering and rocking on her bed, in her room, leaning close to the journal as she stares wide-eyed at her surroundings.]

C-can I... C-can I t-talk to you? H-here?

[Looks like it was time to face the music.]

[allthesame2me]

[He hears the relief, yes, but that doesn't at all negate the fact that she sounded terrified and is stuttering terribly. Neither of which is going to help him feel any better about whatever's happening.]

I don't no .. [Not yet, anyway .. His brows knit together as her breathing kicks up a notch. Yeah, Chloe, this isn't calming him down at all.]

You're in your room?

[He was already heading that way, so he hoped so. He's taking the stairs two and three at a time.]

Daaaw T^T

[ghostly_stutter]

[Chloe's trying to fight back the panic filling her--really she is. It doesn't help that she's alone right now, and has no idea why her senses are on high alert.]

Y-y--yes.

[Her words are breathy and cut off simply from fear.]

/petpets

[allthesame2me]

[Alex's is already a good way to her room when she responds and simply would have pelted off in the other direction if she'd said otherwise. He reaches Chloe's room just a few minutes after his reply to her, knocking once before immediately opening the door.]

Chloe??

[He enters her room, not even winded in the slightest (damn lycanthropes, lol) and spies her immediately on her bed.]

Sweetheart, what's going on?

[He moves toward her, the very image of concern, and scoots up onto her bed with her, an arm around her shoulder before he even bothers second guessing the move.]

...WHOOPS. Posted Chloe's reaction too soon. >.> Thought the OOC was: RESPOND TO THIS. ^^;;

[ghostly_stutter]

[She jumps a foot in the air at his knock--even though she was expecting him. She stares, eyes wide in her pale face as he stands there for all of a second before moving towards her. The question--soothing voice--and reassuring warmth was all Chloe needed to crumple into his arms, shaking from terror. Alex is her friend--and he's here for her.]

I--I--I--

[Okay. Clearly it is going to take her a moment to calm her frazzled nerves enough to talk. She forcefully inhales a deep breath, then pulls away just enough to meet Alex's gaze.]

I--I think... [Oh, god, how did she go about saying this? Another deep breath, and she tries again.] Y-you kn-know I'm a n-necromancer. [More breaths, this time shallow.] I-I w-wasn't entirely... forthcoming a-about all I can d-do.

[The expression she gives Alex is one of immense fear and vulnerability. Her eyes plead with him to take whatever she was about to say well, and not panic with her.]

It's fine, baby! Poor mite is sensitive, so it's totally doable! xoxo

[allthesame2me]

[Alex rubs her arm, hugging her into his side as she collapses in against him. Whatever has her so worked up now officially has him concerned, but she's trying to calm herself and that's a stepup from where she was.

She looks up at him and he holds her gaze evenly, searching it for answers. She sutters out her words and he just keeps rubbing her arms, moving to touch her chin with his free hand.]

Hey .. it's okay .. we've all got secrets and we've all got our reasons for keeping them that way. It's okay and I'm not going to freak out on you, alright? Talk to me ..

[He calms himself mentally, seeing that look in her eyes. Whatever it is she is about to tell him, he will be as strong for her as he can manage.]

aflaskal!!! *so many hugs*

[ghostly_stutter]

[She still attempting to calm her breathing, but she can't help but assume the worst. Something was wrong--and she had woken knowing whatever it was, it probably wasn't good. She had raised the dead in her sleep in the past, and hoped whatever had happened, that wasn't the case this time, as well.]

O-okay.

[She looks at him--it's hard not to when he's touching her face and looking so earnestly at her.]

I--I'm a necromancer, but I'm a part of an experiment wh-where I was g-genetically altered. [She tries to look anywhere at him, here. She doesn't want to see the horror in his eyes, even if it's for her account.] I'm stronger than I should be...a-and my control... B--bad things happen.

Is it sad that I get the most tags done at work? *SIGH*

[allthesame2me]

[Alex holds Chloe's gaze as long as she is willing to look at him and his eyes hold nothing but sincerity and concern. When she says that she was genetically altered Alex frowns, but she's making a point of not looking at him as she tells him and he listens until she falls silent.

There is a moment to process everything and then he touches his fingers gently to her chin again and turns her face to look at him.]

Chloe .. I'm not going to run out of the room screaming, or look at you in horror or disgust. What those .. people did to you is inexcusable, but the only thing horrible about it is that they experimented on you. That one human would experiment on another at all is deplorable, but I'm hardly going to be disgusted or horrified of you because of it. You're my friend and this sort of thing doesn't change that. If anything, if makes me want to help even more ..

[That part averted, Alex focuses on the last and what it could mean. How Chloe was acting right now and whatever it was that was scaring the hell out of her ..]Are ..

Daaaw. *hugs*

[ghostly_stutter]

[Chloe does meet Alex's gaze. Half of her can't believe completely true and accepting he is towards her. The other half wonders if maybe it's a shifter trait, and she shouldn't have been worried at all how he would take it. She stares for a moment, as if it's too good to be true and she's waiting for something to go wrong. Then her expression crumbles and lights up at the same time and she's leaning forward to give him another hug, trying with everything in her not to cry