The Preserve [Wednesday afternoon]

Jun 16, 2010 00:21

Sookie had placed phone calls, first thing upon arriving back in Fandom. Whatever was going on in Bon Temps was bigger than what she could handle. And she wasn't too proud to ask for backup. Particularly when she was positive that she had been one of the intended victims.

So with her phone calls taken care of, Sookie waited in the preserve for her cavalry to show up so she could fill everyone in. If they didn't agree, honestly, she wasn't sure what she was going to do.





Karla
Okay, after getting a voicemail like that, Karla wasn't about to hang around the cabins. Hell's fire, it was all she could do not to take off for the Preserve at a dead run. She's never heard Sookie sound that upset, that lost.

"Sookie?" she called, after reaching the preserve. It was more to warn Sookie that someone had arrived rather than anything else. All Karla needed to do to find her friend was follow the scent of grief and pain.

Karla had no idea what had happened, but this was one friend whose agreement Sookie could count on regardless.



Sookie
"Hi," she said softly, looking and sounding about as bad as that voicemail might have indicated. She wrapped her arms around herself, taking a deep breath. "Thanks for coming, Karla."



Karla
"There's no way I wouldn't have," Karla said, shaking her head a bit. "Why don't we sit, huh? The grass is pretty soft right here and it might take awhile for everyone to arrive. Plus, you look dead on your feet, hon. When was the last time you slept?"

A poor choice of words, perhaps, but Karla had been going for a more diplomatic way of saying, Sookie, you look like Hell.



Sookie
Sookie gratefully sat down pretty much right where she had been standing. "Couple days ago," she said, brushing that off. She wouldn't have been able to sleep, even if she'd had time. "I need your help."



Karla
"And you've got it," Karla said immediately. "Not even a question."

She looked at Sookie, realized that bitching about sleep wasn't going to get her anywhere, and moved on. "Let me make you some tea," she said. "It'll calm you a bit, sooth those nerves I can hear jangling from over here. Then you can tell me how I can help. Besides, anyone else you called might have arrived by then, and you won't have to repeat yourself."

Karla was assuming that Sookie had called Emma at the very least. She could recognize a call for the cavalry when she heard one.



Sookie
"Okay," she said after a moment's pause, hugging her knees. "There's three more coming. Assuming everyone comes. I called you and Emma and Jono and Bobby. But if you want to make tea, I'm not saying no. And thank you." She actually offered Karla a small, wavery sort of smile. It was progress.



Karla
Karla smiled back, a bit, then called in five mugs, her teapot, her collection of teas, and a bottle of water. "Tea for five it is," she said, measuring out the herbs. Chamomile and lavender for calm, peppermint and a touch of ginger because Karla wouldn't be a bit surprised if Sookie's stomach wasn't in knots, and a few rosehips because between grief and sleeplessness, Sookie was inviting all sorts of nasty colds to come in and play. All that went into her teaball, followed by the bottle of water, and three tongues of witchfire began heating the water quite nicely.

Girl couldn't cook to save her life, but she knew how to brew a fine cup of tea.

"Just a few minutes for it to steep and we'll be all set," she said quietly. "You want to take a second to figure out how to explain everything?"



Sookie
Sookie was quiet for a long moment, then decided to give Karla the short version of why she'd decided she needed help. She was going to have to explain to everyone in a second, anyway. "My grandmother was killed this weekend. Violently. They were going after me."



Karla
Karla started at Sookie's admonition, which was how the tea that had been intended for Sookie's cup ended up on Karla's hand instead. "Hell's fire," she hissed, righting the teapot and shaking her hand.

And then left both pot and mug floating in the air to offer Sookie a hug. "I'm so, so sorry," she whispered. "I wish--" What Karla wished wasn't really relatable in words, so she just lowered her shields a bit so Sookie could feel what she meant.

Sympathy. An old, bitter grief of Karla's own. Empathy. Understanding. A desire to be helpful. A ghost of fear. Remembrance. And, underlying it all, a willingness to find out what happened and make whoever had done this pay.



Sookie
And Sookie came just a little bit undone, hugging Karla tightly and trying not to cry, because yes -- that kind of empathy was what no one had offered her in Bon Temps. Even her own brother had blamed her.

"Thank you," she mumbled, trying to keep the tears at bay. She was going to have this happen three more times, after all. "They think my b-brother did it. He didn't. We have t-to find out who did."



Karla
From what Karla remembered of Jason Stackhouse, the boy hadn't been bright enough to kill someone without leaving enough evidence to implicate him three times over. Though she kept that thought firmly behind her shields.

"Of course it wasn't," Karla said firmly. "And we definitely will. I promise you that. You're talking about Fandom's best telepaths here. We'll get to the bottom of this if we have to dig through everyone's brains back to memories of their birth."



Sookie
"S'what I figured," Sookie said, pulling back to give a wavery smile. "I've been trying to do it alone, but I can't shield very well right now, and there's just too many, and my powers only get surface thoughts. I need you guys."



Karla
"No reason to do it alone, Sookie," Karla said, shaking her head a bit. "You've got plenty of friends who'll be...well, not happy to help, under the circumstances, but ready to."



Jono
Jono was a lot of things. Prone to moping, prone to being an antisocial jerk, prone to ignoring his voicemail for days on end whenever he got into a snit about not being able to call back.

Today, Jono was actually fairly functional. And so he'd gotten his message relatively quickly, and he didn't take any time at all to feel sorry for himself over the usual nonsense before making his way out to meet Sookie, looking... concerned.

//What do you need me to do?//

Also, hello. And such.



Sookie
"Travel a bit," she said, giving him a sad, grateful little smile. "And help me look for a...um, a killer once we get there, if you don't mind. Thanks for coming."



Jono
He nodded a little, trying as best as he could to offer a look that was reassuring in turn.

//I wouldn't have said no,// he replied, mentally filing the 'killer' bit away for elaboration in a moment. //I never was the sort to mind a bit of travel, luv.//



Sookie
She almost laughed. "Even to Louisiana? It's really humid. And people are dying. Not really a fun trip."



Jono
//I could tell you all about trips I've made that haven't been any fun, sometime,// Jonothon pointed out, hands in his pockets. //But I'll spare yer th'slideshows and such. If there's anything that I can do to keep more people from dying, I'm in.//

All in all, it really wasn't difficult to tweak Jono's inner hero instincts. Her seeming so out of sorts certainly helped, there.

//Are you going to... be okay?//

The more touchy-feely conversations, on the other hand, were always a bit more awkward.



Sookie
"Eventually," she offered, shrugging a little. "Once this guy's caught, I'll worry about being okay. He -- um. He got my grandmother. They think my brother's behind this stuff, too. It's sort of a priority over my...mental health."



Jono
Jono didn't even bother to hide the wince.

//I'm sorry, luv. I don't...// He wasn't very good with this 'family' thing at the best of times. Trying to put himself into her shoes to figure out what it would be like right now was mostly just making him wish that he could relate. //We'll get this sorted out. Sooner rather than later, preferably.//



Sookie
"Thank you," she said softly. "I'll give y'all more details when everyone's here, but...thank you."



Emma
"You don't need a phone, Sookie." That was 'hello' Emma-style, if you looked at it sideways. "What's wrong, darling?"



Sookie
"Everything," she said, with a completely humorless laugh, taking a sip from the tea Karla had brought. "I need some telepathic backup, if you're willing to go to Louisiana for a couple days."



Emma
Emma took one look at her, lips twisting into a frown. "You don't even need to ask," she replied. "The only question I have is how hard I'm allowed to bite people."

Emma didn't need to be a telepath to know that this was clearly not a spontaneous vacation.



Sookie
"Careful. The vampires'll love you with that kind of talk," she warned, actually smiling a little. "Someone's picking off women who associate with them, at home."



Emma
Vampires. Joy. It was by sheer force of will that Emma managed not to flinch.

She could handle Jack's Sebastien, she could deal with the vampires in Sookie's world. It would be fine. She'd make it be fine.

"They'll love me anyway, darling, I'm fabulous," she said instead, slipping an arm around Sookie's shoulders as she glanced at the others waiting around. "Who all are coming along on this little jaunt?"



Sookie
"I know," she said, having to smile there. "We're just waiting on Bobby, now. And then that'll be it. I need telepaths and...well, he'd insist on coming, anyway, like us or not. Plus I want someone else with offensive powers."

And Sookie selfishly wanted to bring her boyfriend.



Emma
"Between Jono and Bobby, we'll have offensive covered," Emma promised. "Anyone who messes with us is going to deserve whatever the boys dish out." As well as whatever revenge Karla and Emma felt like serving up. Like hell she was going to let the boys have all the fun.

"No matter what, whatever it is, it's going to be fine. I promise."



Bobby
Bobby had actually been spending most of the day hoping Sookie would call, so it just would figure that he happened to not be within grabbing distance of his phone when she finally did. Once he retrieved the voicemail, though, he barely let it play all the way through before taking off for the Preserve. And if there was a trail of ice along the ground following where he'd been, well. It was faster that way.

He made a beeline for Sookie as soon as he saw her, reaching to offer her a hug. From the way she'd sounded- from the way she looked, she needed it.



Sookie
And see, she did, but the problem was that much like when Karla had hugged her earlier, Sookie sort of fell apart a bit.

More than a bit, really. She clung tightly, and okay, while she was trying not to cry, it wasn't the most effective thing she'd ever done. So yeah, sorry Bobby. Your girlfriend's going to cry on you for a second.

She at least was able to get out why. "T-they got Gran." She was pretty sure he'd get that much.



Bobby
"Oh god," Bobby murmured, clinging back. "We're going after them?" he guessed, acknowledging the rest of the group.

He would've offered to do it, had Sookie not come up with the idea herself.



Sookie
"Uh huh," she said, nodding against his shoulder before pulling back a bit, swiping away tears. "I need help. I can't keep looking in everyone's heads alone, to find out who it is. I can't even shield right now. And -- and they're dangerous, so I thought you -- I mean, I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

She took a shaky breath and softly added, "And I don't care if you can't listen in on people's heads. I'm not sure I can do this without your help." She wasn't really talking about his powers, honestly. She was being almost entirely selfish.



Bobby
"This is- it's what I do, kind of," Bobby said, curling the fingers of one hand around Sookie's and squeezing gently. "Whatever you need from me," he promised.



Sookie
"Thanks," she said, taking a few deep breaths. "Hopefully it won't be much." She squeezed his hand a little sadly. "Like I said, I don't want anyone else getting hurt. Including any of us."



Sookie
Once everyone had arrived, Sookie composed herself a bit and addressed the whole group. "Hi. So. Thanks for coming. Um, so...I need a favor."

She wrung her hands in front of her, and quietly continued, "Someone's killing women in Bon Temps. There've been three now." She swallowed hard. "The first two were women who...had, um. Been with vampires. The working theory is that the killer's a bigot."

She swallowed hard. "The latest was my grandmother. I'm positive they were after me, because I...made friends with my vampire neighbor, Bill. The police think my brother's behind it all. They arrested him yesterday." She shook her head, a little dizzy with exhaustion. "I know he didn't. Jason's a lot of things -- egotistical, selfish, a complete moron, and he thinks with the wrong head about ninety percent of the time, but he wouldn't kill anyone, least of all Gran."

Sookie was on a roll. "I need help. I've been looking in people's heads when I've been home, trying to clear his name, but I need more people. It's bigger than what I can do, now. So. Come home with me for a bit? You can stay at my house, and at night we can go out to the bars, look in people's heads, and track down what we can."

She paused, looking exhausted. "Please. And since this...person is dangerous, I wanted to bring people with offensive powers," she added, looking to Bobby and Jono. "Don't be afraid to use them if you need to. Um. Any questions?"



Karla
"When we find this person, do you want for for him to be taken in for conventional justice?" Karla asked quietly, eyes glittering.

Sookie'd asked for violence--sorta. And violence was what the Blood did.



Sookie
She nodded, smiling in a way that didn't really reach her eyes. "Part of me wants him to die," she said quietly. "But I don't want us to be responsible for that. Too many people have died already. I don't want anyone's blood on our hands. Conventional justice."



Karla
Karla nodded once. "Just wanted to get that stated at the outset," she said, also smiling with very little humor. "You know, while we're all listening."



Emma
Emma leaned in towards Karla. "Does giving him a desire to eat bugs for the rest of his unnatural life count towards conventional justice?" she asked quietly.



Karla
Karla nodded. *You had some plans for the uncles that never got fully realized,* she said, psychic thread filled with black humor. *I can't help but think this is the best opportunity to fix that.*



Emma
<< I still plan to play with a few uncles, darling, >> Emma replied, keeping her own end of the conversation heavily shielded from Sookie. << This is just a chance to refine my technique, and decide what I like best. >>

Emma? Overprotective of her friends? Perish the thought.



Karla
Karla would never accuse her of such a thing.

While she was in earshot.

Her thoughts were full of agreement with Emma (*Can we vote on the best, like those teevee shows in the Common Rooms*), even as she turned her attention back to Sookie. "Now...you said vampires, right? What kind of vampires are we talking about?"

It had been almost a year since the trip to the vampire-infested other-Fandom and Karla still wasn't entirely comfortable with vampires in general. She was doing her best to sound unconcerned about them, though. Sookie didn't need to pick up on Karla's personal issues right now.



Sookie
"Nice ones," she said quickly, drawing her arms around herself. "Or at least, ones that will behave themselves. They're all legal where I'm from, and drink synthetic blood -- my neighbor across the way, Bill, is a vampire and I'm pretty sure he'll be helping out. But there's a bar in Shreveport that we'll have to visit, that caters to them and the humans who...um, enjoy them. Like the two girls who were killed."

She was pretty sure she could list the vampires from Shreveport under the 'nice' umbrella, anyway. And thankfully, she was too distracted to recognize a telepathic conversation when she saw one.



Emma
"Nice ones," Emma echoed dubiously. Her powers hadn't worked on the vampires in that other-Fandom, but they did work on Jack's Sebastien, at least a little. "Do you think Karla and I are going to be able to hear anything from the vampires, or do you want us to focus on the humans in the bar?"



Sookie
"I can't hear anything from them," she admitted. "But my powers are different from yours. If you guys can, try. Don't let them know, though." She frowned, and added, "They're not...friendly -- Bill is, but I'm not sure I trust him completely -- but they're trying to lay low so they don't get in trouble with the law. The humans are probably going to be easier to read, but not to talk to. That whole place is...kind of gross."



Karla
"If they have thoughts, I can probably pick them up," Karla interjected. "We've briefly discussed how your powers work and yours is more...umm...intertwined with the physical aspect of the mind? Whereas mine is more a psychic connection. Though I'm not sure how Emma's fits in with either of us."



Sookie
Sookie nodded swiftly. "They have to be alive for me to hear 'em," she agreed. "Okay. But please don't let them know what you're doing. I don't really want...another issue compounding things." Since she was pretty sure that letting Bill know what she could do was how they got into Fangtasia. And that meant Eric knew. And the last thing she wanted was to somehow entangle her friends with those vampires more than necessary.

She let them all know they'd be leaving the next day -- she didn't know how long this would take, and it only seemed fair to let everyone let the important people in their lives know -- and with a quick nod, Sookie led the way back to the campground.

[and here's where we start to diverge from canon! Much love to glacial_witch, icecoldfrost, furnaceface and longislandiceme for being rockstars. A-okay for broadcast, NFI, and OOC welcome as always. Posted insane-o early because I have to work in the middle of the day, bleh.]

karla, jono, bobby, dead until dark, emma

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