Friday, Early Afternoon: Lost in DC [NFI, NFB]
Rikku left the coffee shop quickly, which was probably rude and horrible and awful but if she stayed there a second longer she was going to start crying and if she started she might never stop and that wasn't fair to do to him, he was way more upset than her, he was ... had been ... an old friend of ...
That's when the first sob slipped out. She stood on the sidewalk for a long moment, shaking, and then swiped at her eyes. Not here. Get home. Back to Fandom. So she started walking.
When she hit this street, she made a left, and this was all her fault, she should have gone with him. And when this light was red for too long she turned and went the other way entirely and he couldn't be dead. He couldn't. And then there were loud noises and that cab almost hit her and ... oh. She hadn't meant to cross the street, but she wasn't paying attention and couldn't see anyway with all these stupid tears coming out, like they were going to help anything or change anything or bring him back, oh Hamlet.
She stood on the corner and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering despite the warm air, and tried to get herself under control, deep breaths, calm down, and ... and that's when she realized she had absolutely no idea where she was.
Great.
She fought down her rising panic (panic? she was fine and she was near Fandom and what was wrong with her, why was she always so stupid) because she knew she was in DC. That was good, right? Sure. She should get a map. She should pick a direction and watch to see how the streets went. She should ...
Tired. So tired. She didn't want to think. She didn't want to do any of that. She should just sit down on that bench and take a nap. Maybe a few naps.
Rikku walked over to the bench, and that's when she saw the pay phone. She fumbled in her pouch for change and pushed enough coins through the slot-thing that they started clunking and coming back out again and that's when she dialed her Jude-dude.
Jude LizowskiJude's pants started vibrating and he dug out his cellphone almost absently, flipping it open. "H'lo?"
RikkuRikku's chest locked up at the sound of his voice and she squeezed her eyes shut, breathe, say something, this isn't happening ...
"Jude?" she managed finally, and it came out all weird and strangled.
Jude Lizowski"Rikku? Is that you? You sound all weird."
Rikku"Y-yeah, I ... it's ..." She kept opening her mouth but words wouldn't come out. Deep breath, calm down, and that's when she choked on another sob. Stop it. "J-Jude?"
Jude Lizowski"Yeah?" This sounded bad.
RikkuShe couldn't hold the tears in, and all of her words came pouring out at once. "I c-can't ... and h-he said ... and it's all my fault, and I'm s-so ... Hamlet ... and ... and I'm ... lost?"
Jude Lizowski"Oh geez . . ." Jude's hand tightened on his cellphone. "Okay, bra, I'll come find you. I promise. Can you see like a street sign or anything?"
Rikku"Poison," she said, with a sniffly sort of hiccup. "H-his uncle. He. K-king. And ... b-b-burying him a-as one and Jude, I can't, I c-can't ..."
Jude LizowskiBad. Bad. Very, very bad.
"I know, bra, I know, it's okay," he said quickly, already heading towards the edge of town at top speed. "I just need to know where you are and everything will be okay."
Rikku"I'm so tired," Rikku said suddenly, in a weirdly flat voice. "I was gonna take a nap but I called you instead. I'm in DC and I was at a Coffee Shop but I went the wrong way and then I think the wrong way a few more times. Horatio's all Goth, too, that's how I knew it was him. I didn't have any coffee 'cause it makes me hyper. Also I left and he probably thinks I'm mean. So I have to go now."
Jude Lizowski"No! No, don't go, don't hang up -" Jude thought frantically for a minute. "Is there someone else around I can talk to? Or just tell me where you are, exactly. Please, Rikku."
RikkuRikku looked around. "I'm ... on a street corner. There's a sign for an insurance thing and ... that building says it's a ... government deal. Oh, man, the government ..."
There was a long pause, and then a weirdly muffled conversation that involved Rikku saying something about "talk to Jude" and someone else soundng politely confused.
The next voice was a very confused-sounding woman who wasn't Rikku. "Uh. Hello?"
Jude Lizowski"Hi. That's my girlfriend and she's in shock and I need to find her so can you please tell me where you are?"
Panicked? A little bit.
Rikku"Oh." The woman took a moment to process that, and then leaned away from the phone for a few moments. "We're at a pay phone at the intersection of C street and 6th street. Do you need me to call someone? Oh, excuse me, your friend appears to be wandering off."
There was another muffled conversation, and then Rikku was back. "Jude?"
Jude LizowskiJude had to smile a little. "Hey, bra, I'm here."
Rikku"Hi," she said. "That lady said I shouldn't leave. I was just gonna go take a nap. Why am I tired? I should have had coffee. They had coffee there, you know."
Jude Lizowski"Yeah, bra, I know," he agreed. "Stay right there, okay? You can sleep after I come get you."
Taxi. He needed a taxi. He'd get lost in DC.
Rikku"Really? You're all awesome, you know that?" Rikku leaned against the pay phone. "I don't know why I called you. I was all coming over here for a nap but they had a phone. So I put a lot of coins into it and they started spitting them out again. Sptoing!"
Jude Lizowski"I'm glad you called," he assured her. "You can call me any time." Causeway. Oh look, a taxi was waiting! Excellent. He jumped in and quickly recited the intersection.
Rikku"I'm being stupid," she said, voice wavering again suddenly. "This is ... so stupid and this is all my fault and if I had gone with him this wouldn't have happened and what kind of Guardian am I!? Why can't I even ... poison! I could've made him armor! I have armor! Dammit!"
Jude Lizowski"Whoa, whoa, bra, calm down," Jude said quickly. "This isn't your fault."
Hamlet was dead. Jude would deal with that later. Right now, he had to deal with Rikku. He covered the phone with his hand for a moment and addressed the cab driver. "Can you go any faster?"
Rikku"It is," she said in a small voice, closing her eyes and trying not to fall apart again so stupid. "I w-wanted to go with him and he said no and I w-was trying to help him spar and I ... I c-can't do this, Jude, I can't. This ... this isn't s-supposed to happen here."
Jude Lizowski"I know, bra. I know. But it's not your fault. It's okay, I'm coming, I'll be right there."
Rikku"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I'm so sorry, I'm ... I shouldn't ... I should go check on him, I should just come home and stop being so stupid and I'm so sorry, I ..."
Jude Lizowski"Don't go anywhere. It's fine, bra, everything will be okay. Just stay right where you are, I'm almost there." Please let him be almost there.
Rikku"Okay," she said, nodding. "I'll stay right here. Honest. Did I ... were you doing something? I didn't mean to ... take you away from whatever was ... you know."
Rikku sighed and nuzzled the phone a little. "Did I say thank you? I forgot to thank that nice lady I bugged. She left."
Jude Lizowski"I wasn't doing anything, I promise," he assured her. He pressed his face against the window of the cab, already looking for her. "I forgot to thank her too."
Rikku"I h-hope she wasn't mad. Do you think she was? M-maybe I should go find her." Rikku shook her head. "No. I told you I'd stay here. So I will."
Jude Lizowski"Yep, staying right there is a very, very good idea."
The cabbie informed him that they were almost there, so he relayed this information.
Rikku"Okay," she said, leaning against the payphone. "You're in a cab thing. Those are yellow, right?"
She started watching each yellow car that came up.
Jude Lizowski"Yes. Yellow. Are you looking for me? I'm almost there."
Rikku"Yeah. I-I brought Vinnya. That's how I got here. But I didn't wanna board back 'cause I didn't feel right and I didn't wanna wreck her and I almost walked into traffic by accident 'cause I wasn't watching 'cause I was being stupid and crying again and is that you?"
Jude LizowskiJude scanned the street and saw the bright orange spot in a phone booth. "Yes! That's me. I'm here." The cab pulled over and he told the driver to wait as he scrambled out, tripping over his own feet in his haste to get to her. "I'm here."
RikkuRikku dropped the phone and stumbled the few feet to land in his arms. "H-hey," she managed, and then her throat closed up and she didn't bother fighting it any more. Her shoulders shook as she clung tighter to him.
Jude Lizowski"Hi." Jude wrapped his arms tightly around her, trying to completely enfold her in his body. "I'm here. I'm here."
RikkuRikku squeezed back and finally let go of the last bit she'd been trying to hold together. Jude was here, it was safe, and she could let go.
She buried her face in the front of his shirt and sobbed. Oh, Hamlet ...
Jude Lizowski"Shhh . . ." Jude's heart was breaking for her, but he just held her tight. "Shh, Rikku, I'm here."
RikkuRikku finally caught her breath and wiped at her eyes, shaking her head. "Your shirt. I'm ... s-sorry, I ... J-Jude, I can't do this. I."
Jude Lizowski"It's okay," Jude told her quietly. "It's okay. Come on, let's go home."
RikkuRikku nodded quickly. "I'm ... I'm so sorry. I should ... be ... b-b-better at this, by now. I ... it's not the f-first time I ..."
She swallowed a sob and stepped back slightly, hugging herself.
Jude LizowskiJude pulled her right back against him, ushering her towards the idling cab. "Back to Fandom, dude," he said absently, bundling Rikku and Vinnya in.
RikkuRikku snuggled in close, glad to not have to think any more, and closed her eyes. It wasn't okay. But it would be. Somehow. Right?
Jude LizowskiJude kept both arms wrapped tight around her, his lips pressed against her hair, the whole way back.
(OOC: preplayed with the made-of-win dude_its_jude. Jude's hasty departure and their arrival back in Fandom via cab are okay for broadcast; the rest is NFB for distance. Not for interaction, but OOC is love. *is still wibbly zomg*)
That's when the first sob slipped out. She stood on the sidewalk for a long moment, shaking, and then swiped at her eyes. Not here. Get home. Back to Fandom. So she started walking.
When she hit this street, she made a left, and this was all her fault, she should have gone with him. And when this light was red for too long she turned and went the other way entirely and he couldn't be dead. He couldn't. And then there were loud noises and that cab almost hit her and ... oh. She hadn't meant to cross the street, but she wasn't paying attention and couldn't see anyway with all these stupid tears coming out, like they were going to help anything or change anything or bring him back, oh Hamlet.
She stood on the corner and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering despite the warm air, and tried to get herself under control, deep breaths, calm down, and ... and that's when she realized she had absolutely no idea where she was.
Great.
She fought down her rising panic (panic? she was fine and she was near Fandom and what was wrong with her, why was she always so stupid) because she knew she was in DC. That was good, right? Sure. She should get a map. She should pick a direction and watch to see how the streets went. She should ...
Tired. So tired. She didn't want to think. She didn't want to do any of that. She should just sit down on that bench and take a nap. Maybe a few naps.
Rikku walked over to the bench, and that's when she saw the pay phone. She fumbled in her pouch for change and pushed enough coins through the slot-thing that they started clunking and coming back out again and that's when she dialed her Jude-dude.
Jude LizowskiJude's pants started vibrating and he dug out his cellphone almost absently, flipping it open. "H'lo?"
RikkuRikku's chest locked up at the sound of his voice and she squeezed her eyes shut, breathe, say something, this isn't happening ...
"Jude?" she managed finally, and it came out all weird and strangled.
Jude Lizowski"Rikku? Is that you? You sound all weird."
Rikku"Y-yeah, I ... it's ..." She kept opening her mouth but words wouldn't come out. Deep breath, calm down, and that's when she choked on another sob. Stop it. "J-Jude?"
Jude Lizowski"Yeah?" This sounded bad.
RikkuShe couldn't hold the tears in, and all of her words came pouring out at once. "I c-can't ... and h-he said ... and it's all my fault, and I'm s-so ... Hamlet ... and ... and I'm ... lost?"
Jude Lizowski"Oh geez . . ." Jude's hand tightened on his cellphone. "Okay, bra, I'll come find you. I promise. Can you see like a street sign or anything?"
Rikku"Poison," she said, with a sniffly sort of hiccup. "H-his uncle. He. K-king. And ... b-b-burying him a-as one and Jude, I can't, I c-can't ..."
Jude LizowskiBad. Bad. Very, very bad.
"I know, bra, I know, it's okay," he said quickly, already heading towards the edge of town at top speed. "I just need to know where you are and everything will be okay."
Rikku"I'm so tired," Rikku said suddenly, in a weirdly flat voice. "I was gonna take a nap but I called you instead. I'm in DC and I was at a Coffee Shop but I went the wrong way and then I think the wrong way a few more times. Horatio's all Goth, too, that's how I knew it was him. I didn't have any coffee 'cause it makes me hyper. Also I left and he probably thinks I'm mean. So I have to go now."
Jude Lizowski"No! No, don't go, don't hang up -" Jude thought frantically for a minute. "Is there someone else around I can talk to? Or just tell me where you are, exactly. Please, Rikku."
RikkuRikku looked around. "I'm ... on a street corner. There's a sign for an insurance thing and ... that building says it's a ... government deal. Oh, man, the government ..."
There was a long pause, and then a weirdly muffled conversation that involved Rikku saying something about "talk to Jude" and someone else soundng politely confused.
The next voice was a very confused-sounding woman who wasn't Rikku. "Uh. Hello?"
Jude Lizowski"Hi. That's my girlfriend and she's in shock and I need to find her so can you please tell me where you are?"
Panicked? A little bit.
Rikku"Oh." The woman took a moment to process that, and then leaned away from the phone for a few moments. "We're at a pay phone at the intersection of C street and 6th street. Do you need me to call someone? Oh, excuse me, your friend appears to be wandering off."
There was another muffled conversation, and then Rikku was back. "Jude?"
Jude LizowskiJude had to smile a little. "Hey, bra, I'm here."
Rikku"Hi," she said. "That lady said I shouldn't leave. I was just gonna go take a nap. Why am I tired? I should have had coffee. They had coffee there, you know."
Jude Lizowski"Yeah, bra, I know," he agreed. "Stay right there, okay? You can sleep after I come get you."
Taxi. He needed a taxi. He'd get lost in DC.
Rikku"Really? You're all awesome, you know that?" Rikku leaned against the pay phone. "I don't know why I called you. I was all coming over here for a nap but they had a phone. So I put a lot of coins into it and they started spitting them out again. Sptoing!"
Jude Lizowski"I'm glad you called," he assured her. "You can call me any time." Causeway. Oh look, a taxi was waiting! Excellent. He jumped in and quickly recited the intersection.
Rikku"I'm being stupid," she said, voice wavering again suddenly. "This is ... so stupid and this is all my fault and if I had gone with him this wouldn't have happened and what kind of Guardian am I!? Why can't I even ... poison! I could've made him armor! I have armor! Dammit!"
Jude Lizowski"Whoa, whoa, bra, calm down," Jude said quickly. "This isn't your fault."
Hamlet was dead. Jude would deal with that later. Right now, he had to deal with Rikku. He covered the phone with his hand for a moment and addressed the cab driver. "Can you go any faster?"
Rikku"It is," she said in a small voice, closing her eyes and trying not to fall apart again so stupid. "I w-wanted to go with him and he said no and I w-was trying to help him spar and I ... I c-can't do this, Jude, I can't. This ... this isn't s-supposed to happen here."
Jude Lizowski"I know, bra. I know. But it's not your fault. It's okay, I'm coming, I'll be right there."
Rikku"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I'm so sorry, I'm ... I shouldn't ... I should go check on him, I should just come home and stop being so stupid and I'm so sorry, I ..."
Jude Lizowski"Don't go anywhere. It's fine, bra, everything will be okay. Just stay right where you are, I'm almost there." Please let him be almost there.
Rikku"Okay," she said, nodding. "I'll stay right here. Honest. Did I ... were you doing something? I didn't mean to ... take you away from whatever was ... you know."
Rikku sighed and nuzzled the phone a little. "Did I say thank you? I forgot to thank that nice lady I bugged. She left."
Jude Lizowski"I wasn't doing anything, I promise," he assured her. He pressed his face against the window of the cab, already looking for her. "I forgot to thank her too."
Rikku"I h-hope she wasn't mad. Do you think she was? M-maybe I should go find her." Rikku shook her head. "No. I told you I'd stay here. So I will."
Jude Lizowski"Yep, staying right there is a very, very good idea."
The cabbie informed him that they were almost there, so he relayed this information.
Rikku"Okay," she said, leaning against the payphone. "You're in a cab thing. Those are yellow, right?"
She started watching each yellow car that came up.
Jude Lizowski"Yes. Yellow. Are you looking for me? I'm almost there."
Rikku"Yeah. I-I brought Vinnya. That's how I got here. But I didn't wanna board back 'cause I didn't feel right and I didn't wanna wreck her and I almost walked into traffic by accident 'cause I wasn't watching 'cause I was being stupid and crying again and is that you?"
Jude LizowskiJude scanned the street and saw the bright orange spot in a phone booth. "Yes! That's me. I'm here." The cab pulled over and he told the driver to wait as he scrambled out, tripping over his own feet in his haste to get to her. "I'm here."
RikkuRikku dropped the phone and stumbled the few feet to land in his arms. "H-hey," she managed, and then her throat closed up and she didn't bother fighting it any more. Her shoulders shook as she clung tighter to him.
Jude Lizowski"Hi." Jude wrapped his arms tightly around her, trying to completely enfold her in his body. "I'm here. I'm here."
RikkuRikku squeezed back and finally let go of the last bit she'd been trying to hold together. Jude was here, it was safe, and she could let go.
She buried her face in the front of his shirt and sobbed. Oh, Hamlet ...
Jude Lizowski"Shhh . . ." Jude's heart was breaking for her, but he just held her tight. "Shh, Rikku, I'm here."
RikkuRikku finally caught her breath and wiped at her eyes, shaking her head. "Your shirt. I'm ... s-sorry, I ... J-Jude, I can't do this. I."
Jude Lizowski"It's okay," Jude told her quietly. "It's okay. Come on, let's go home."
RikkuRikku nodded quickly. "I'm ... I'm so sorry. I should ... be ... b-b-better at this, by now. I ... it's not the f-first time I ..."
She swallowed a sob and stepped back slightly, hugging herself.
Jude LizowskiJude pulled her right back against him, ushering her towards the idling cab. "Back to Fandom, dude," he said absently, bundling Rikku and Vinnya in.
RikkuRikku snuggled in close, glad to not have to think any more, and closed her eyes. It wasn't okay. But it would be. Somehow. Right?
Jude LizowskiJude kept both arms wrapped tight around her, his lips pressed against her hair, the whole way back.
(OOC: preplayed with the made-of-win dude_its_jude. Jude's hasty departure and their arrival back in Fandom via cab are okay for broadcast; the rest is NFB for distance. Not for interaction, but OOC is love. *is still wibbly zomg*)