(Untitled)

[dontlooklisten]

"All right, all right, all right, I'll get the-"

The door opens on a darkened closet in an office somewhere, and on a man who's suddenly standing very still. After a few blinks he says, "Bish? Can you hear me?"

No answer.

"Huh boy," says Whistler, but he doesn't sound all that unhappy. He just fumbles around on the far side of the door until he

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[sime_channel]

Jingle-jingle-jingle! Then a hug, because he needs one right? It's been hours, right? Right.

[dontlooklisten]

Whistler grins. "Hi, Suzi," he says, getting his arms around her and tucking his chin on top of her head. "They just couldn't keep me out of the closet any more."

[sime_channel]

"That's you." Suzi agrees, "Always hiding in closets to scare people. It's good to see you, Whistler. You've needed a break."

[dontlooklisten]

"I was that obvious, huh?" says Whistler wryly, although he knows perfectly well that pretty nearly everything is that obvious to Suzi. "Okay, well- point me at a table or something. It sounds wrong in here tonight. I gotta listen to the walls."

[sime_channel]

"Uh huh." Suzi says, "It was that obvious. I love you, Whistler, but I was getting ready to drag you in here over my shoulder." Her hand slides down to his, and she leads him toward their usual table, over near one of the stable spots.

[dontlooklisten]

Whistler squeezes Suzi's fingers and obediently follows along, the sawed-off cane under one arm. "Lotta new voices tonight," he observes. "I don't think I recognize half these sounds."

[sime_channel]

"There have been a couple of influxes of new people since you last made it here, Whistler." Suzi says in a very matter of fact tone, "And people are remembering people who don't exist. It's strange again." But Suzi is dealing fairly well.

[dontlooklisten]

"Huh. Weird," says Whistler succinctly. "Do they know what's causing that?"

[sime_channel]

"No, not yet. If Richard starts talking about his wife just humor him." Suzi's voice is slightly annoyed, at this point, but only slightly. Richard goes crazy more often than anyone else she knows.

[dontlooklisten]

"Wife? says Whistler skeptically. "Him? How did- never mind, I don't want to know how he got convinced to believe that. He's about as much of a marrier as Mother."

[sime_channel]

"He didn't, Whistler." Suzi says with a little bit of a sigh, "He's just gone crazy. Crazy for her, too."

[dontlooklisten]

"Oh great," says Whistler. "Well, I'll be sure to remember that. Wife. Wow. That's special crazy."

[sime_channel]

"I know." Suzi says, shaking her head and leaning up to kiss his cheek, "At least he's a happy crazy this time? Although I guess he was last time, too?"

[dontlooklisten]

"Can he think straight otherwise?" says Whistler, who has no objections to the kiss. "I mean, he's not completely booga booga, is he?"

[sime_channel]

"Aside from the wife? No, he seems pretty normal." Suzi sounds a little dubious, "Oh, and the cheer. He's weirdly cheerful. It seems to be how he goes crazy."

[dontlooklisten]

"Not a sentence I thought I'd ever hear again after college," says Whistler.