Information Overload
He still wasn't happy with this idea, and he never would be. But he had to accept it, and that he was something he was good at. Eileen had let him pick the spot, and he figured that New York was a neutral enough place
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One would think that Abernathy conspiring with Walter Sullivan, carrying a history of murder, and history of mixing subtle sarcastic mockery with odd compliments when he's spoken to her would make her at least a little more suspicious than she is. But his single self-sacrificing act to save 'his' Lynn DeAngelis, his help during Liz's incarceration, the fact that he honestly has been polite to her more often than not, and an enormous amount of sympathy for his unenviable position of being easily controlled means that Eileen knows why Henry's not happy about this, but doesn't entirely get it. Troy Abernathy, like the little boy in the woods overlooking Toluca, is filed away in her brain under the same heading that she assigns both herself and Henry. Victim of circumstance. And if she ( ... )
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She was also right about him not being thrilled about this. He hated it, in fact, and was ready to leave the topic up in the air. He was going to let them wonder, but he just couldn't find it in himself to do it. Maybe that was because he was the one missing, but more likely it had to do with the fact that he was wanted- no, needed- to help here, and it'd been awhile since that was the case.
In some respects, it was nice to be 'back'. He didn't leave his apartment at the Lounge much anymore- there wasn't anyone who'd want to talk to him, and he was feeling too lazy to go through the work of making new friends.
So when he sees them standing there, he smiles one of his best and walks up. "Hi, Eileen, Henry," he says pleasantly. "Sorry I took so long. Travel was harder than I expected. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?"
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"How have things been going? Haven't seen you in a few months..." Henry would probably appreciate getting right to the point and right back out, but Eileen doesn't want to be crude about this, especially when the man's doing them a favor. And it's not like it's an empty question she truly doesn't care about the answer to.
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And as much as he'd like to chat all day, there's a reason for him to be here, and he'd also like to get to it. Maybe afterwards, he can help calm Eileen by easing her back into a more normal everyday mode- Henry probably would rather just leave, but he's got to consider Eileen's feelings here too, right?
"I'm sorry to hear that the both of you haven't been doing quite so well lately. I know you're worried about the recent disappearances. Now, if you'd just give me the basics, I could try to fill in details from my own experiences, but I don't know how accurate they'll be. Completely different worlds, after all." And his smile turns apologetic. "Still, I think I might be able to help. What's going on?"
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"I just love stories," she adds with just a touch of sarcasm as she clutches her stuffed bunny tightly. "I especially love the ones about scary towns," she says looking up at Troy. "Don't you, Troy," she asks with a grin. Her voice seems louder now, or perhaps all the background noise is suddenly quieter. It seems like it might be getting a little foggy out as well.
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Maybe it was a dream again- that nightmare following him around. It had to be, it couldn't be her. He shuts his eyes tight and tries to think.
He can't risk them getting hurt. He'd better keep her distracted. This is a hard thing to do when he can't keep from panicking, from hyperventilating when he doesn't even really need to breathe. He tries to focus. The color drains from his face.
"I like some more than others," he says, his voice low and dangerous.
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She stares perplexed at Troy, then at their new arrival. "Hey, are you all ri...?" Unfortunately, while she was previously appraised of Christabella's existence, Abernathy never mentioned that she was a child, and she doesn't make the connection between his sudden pallor and their sudden guest. A tendency to be naive about people can be a little charming sometimes, and other times, it just makes you look awfully stupid. Eileen feels like something's shriveling up inside her looking at the girl, but... it couldn't be that there's something wrong with the child... right? Nervously, she tries to react to this with a modicum of normalcy. "Uh... Listen, kid, that's fine, but we're talking here and... Is ( ... )
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That girl called the doctor by name, and that couldn't mean good things for anyone. The rotten feeling he was getting from the air only made his anxiety grow. He wants to grab Eileen and run, run as fast and as far as they can go.
Instead he just puts a hand over hers and squeezes, briefly. "Eileen- that's not..." But he can't finish the sentence because he doesn't know what it is.
He did bring a gun, tucked in his coat. Somehow, he doubts it'd be terribly effective to use it, but he's thinking about it.
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The setting darkens as though a cloud were passing over an otherwise sunny day. Though, the sky was already overcast before Christabella arrived.
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The tiny sliver of hope he has left is put to use in an attempt to draw her attention away from his other company. Even inflection is difficult now, but that's actually a good thing- can't draw too much attention to the group that way. He still says the words. "The decaying little bitch that owns my soul. I think she might hold some anger towards me for removing myself from her area of authority. But to be honest, my dear child, it was you who told me to go away." Really, in so many words, she'd just told him to fuck off, but that's technically true.
He can't warn them. He can't risk drawing attention to them. But the fact that something's wrong is hopefully getting across here.
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"I think you need a 'time-out,'" she says with a grin. Troy's tentacles suddenly emerge and wrap around him tightly in an attempt to asphyxiate him, not that they're very likely to succeed. The fog is too thick by now for anyone outside the group to see this spectacle, if in fact there is anyone else nearby at this point. There certainly isn't any noise besides Christabella talking and any screams that Troy might be making. She smiles gleefully at his pain for a brief moment before turning to Eileen and Henry.
"Now for you fucks," she says in blatant hypocrisy of the "no swearing" rule she just punished Troy for breaking. "So, you're looking for Lynn," she says, crossing her arms. "Well," she says nonchalantly, "it just so happens I know exactly what you need to do to find her."
"I might even be nice enough to tell you."
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For more than a year, her default setting in potentially dangerous situations has been set to 'flee.' Since the events with Liz over the summer, though, she has unfortunately lapsed into something resembling her original, arguably more unwise state of affairs. Knowing when to run, when to bargain, and when to confront... not so much her strong suit right now, not with someone standing right there being forced to choke himself. "W-what the hell are you doing to him?! Stop!" Well, the pleading tone is pretty normal for her, at least.
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Beyond everything, Henry knew he couldn't let Eileen get hurt. So between running and staying, he compromises. He puts a hand on the phone in his pocket and steps directly in front of Eileen, pushing her back if he has to. He looks angrily at Christabella while he fumbles around for his phone.
Perhaps the most disturbing thing is how quickly Troy's cursing is cut off, leaving him to only stare wide-eyed at the proceedings. Henry breathes deep and says, "What do you mean?"
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"And what I mean is that I'll help you find Lynn since you helped me find Troy," she says adapting a slightly more pleasant tone. "That's just the kinda girl I am," she adds with a ridiculous grin.
"You already know where she is," she explains slowly, "so you'll need to go to that town."
"You know the one," she says after a pause, "...Silent Hill..." She lets the name drip from her lips as she smiles deviously.
"But before you go there," she adds raising her index finger near her face, "you'll need to find Lauryn LaRoche."
"She'll probably be somewhere near that town," she explains with a slightly bruised look on her face. She seems to drift off, and anger slowly fills her eyes. She closes them for a moment, and then turns to look at Henry again.
"Just tell her that her kid sister is waiting for her in that town," she says with the slightest of smiles.
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