the olde TELEGRAPH.

[troparion]

[ a few rings, for ten, twenty seconds... ]

[ then an automated, female voice. ]

Hello. Your call has been redirected to the inbox of - [an awkwardly spoken man's voice -] Nicholas D. Wolfwood - [and back to the woman again -] as they are unable to come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the tone

Comments

[call]

[acemedium]

[Aaaand a couple of hours after the earthquake, yo phone be ringing]

[call]

[troparion]

[it takes two rings, but eventually he picks up-- and he sounds very, very distracted.]

Yeah? Who's this?

[call]

[acemedium]

[Wasting no time:]

Mr. Wolfwood, are you okay??!

[troparion]

-- Huh? Wha- agh, I mean, yes! Yes, I'm fine. Things're just kinda crazy 'round here-

How're you doing, girlie?

[acemedium]

[Let's just ignore that question for the time being]

C-Crazy? What do you mean?

[troparion]

- It's just after an earthquake, what d'you think I mean?

Anyway-- you didn't answer. What happened?

[acemedium]

I know that! But.. you're not trapped anywhere or anything? Is the power out?

Ah... I-I'm-- [Tiny pause.]

.... I'm f-fine, I'm calling to check on you!

[troparion]

Power's out, but we got candles--

- Now, what's wrong with you, girlie? [and don't try wiggling out of this, either. he's on to you.]

[acemedium]

That's good, at least. Where are you...?

I-I said I'm fine! [You're not allowed to see through her flimsy excuses and bad lying! 8( She's supposed to be checking on you]

[troparion]

At the orphanage.

[there's a non-budging quality to his voice, a very sharp and near cutting tone,] What happened, exactly?

[acemedium]

Oh. [Good, those kids are probably scared] Is there anything damaged?

[That tone makes her flinch, though, not that he can see. But there's no way she can argue with it, and so:]

My hands got a little cut up, b-but I'm okay.

[troparion]

Some of the lightbulbs broke. Couple windows fell in. Scared the kids an' needs quick repairs, but we've got time.

[as in, you weren't getting out of this, either.]

... Both of 'em? Your windows break?

[acemedium]

Nobody was hurt, right? If it needs new windows I could probably find a good deal, but...

Ah, I... [And she's finding herself unable to even attempt to lie. So. One last effort at evading... or at least shifting the subject a little bit]

O-One more than the other. ... If I just keep them wrapped and stuff they should be fine, right? ... Maybe put some ice on? [Yes, Maya. You put ice on knife wounds.]

[troparion]

... Find a good deal? [momentarily distracted. he'd just assumed they would have to rip up some scrap metal and get out the duct tape. (this is also why the women of the orphanage didn't include him in on any of the monthly finance meetings).]

[but then, a pause. because.]

No ice. And how big are these cuts? What were they made by?

[acemedium]

If you needed... glass.. or something. [Yeah, her knowledge isn't much better, sadly]

... No ice? [And a hesitation. But... this is Wolfwood, he's always kept his cool in the past, and he'd know what to do because it's him so slowly she starts to admit:]

... Umm... They're kinda... .. W-Well, from a knife...

[troparion]

[-- never mind the glass, in this case.]

[small beat of silence on his end, then (and he knows already that it isn't true),]

Were you in the kitchen when this happened, or somethin'?