Mindscrew 101 [04]

[1in_perfection]

If Mary was more sober, she would be deeply horrified over what she's doing. However, at the moment Mary Keller is as high as a kite, pushing her acquaintance Alan and his wheelchair through the streets, and all the while ignoring whatever he has to say and instead listening very hard to the voice whispering in her ear. It may be for the best

Comments

[intothering]

After the first few minutes of futile protests, Alan lapses into silence. His one-sided argument was drawing a lot of attention, though Mary still gets a lot of looks from passers by when they get close enough to hear her murmuring.

Instead he focuses on watching where they're going so they can get back if necessary, trying to steer them around people and potholes and all the other little dangers of the street that Mary is apparently paying no attention to. Only problem is when they start heading towards the library, and none of his efforts to steer around or brake stop them until they hit the steps with a rattle.

Alan's surprised, but also relieved. Of all of the places for a high person to go, the library wouldn't have been his first guess. "Who's there?" he asks when he hears Mary. He's exasperated, wishing he could somehow contact Laura - both Lauras - but somewhere he's become fascinated by whatever Mary's hearing. His patience is wearing a little thin, but it's not like he's had a choice in the matter until now.

[1in_perfection]

"I...Don't remember who." Mary says, still staring up at the doors. "I heard her before, but I couldn't hear her name." Or really grasp what 'she' was for that matter.

As she says this, Mary slowly pulls the chair back from the steps...And then towards the ramp that leads up to the library. Apparently, she's still convinced that the wheelchair (and perhaps Alan as well) are necessary for her to keep moving towards whatever is whispering into her ear.

"...You need to come as well." She adds, as she begins to push them up to where the doors are. "There's an Alan shaped piece in the puzzle...Can't complete the puzzle if you don't have all the elements..." And then she's back to murmuring again.

[intothering]

Alan's doing okay as they move towards the ramp. At least the library should have a train schedule and he can finally get that piece of information.

And then Mary mentions the "Alan shaped piece" and he's just back to despairing. "I'm not just some random puzzle piece to get shoved around until you find the right spot, you know." Though considering how effective his earlier protests were, he's not sure this is going to work any better. Time to try a different tactic.

"But hey, if I'm part of the solution, don't I get to know what the puzzle is?" Maybe if he has more information, he can figure out a solution. Or at least stall until she comes back down.

[1in_perfection]

"I'll tell you when I know too." And she keeps them going up, up, up the ramp. It's a bit surprising how many steps this building has. "It's hard to know it, though, the same way it's hard to know Her. Hard to know the City and how it's been working, too."

That last bit makes her pause on the ramp, and it's only when the wheelchair starts to roll backwards, and almost takes her with it, that Mary starts moving again.

"Don't know how the hallways worked, or the room. Or where the sun went, tooooooo..." At least they reach the top of the ramp when she trails off on that.