it's always bears [03]

[intothering]

As the group moves down the hallway, the lights blink and go out behind them. Alan thinks about what he said just a few minutes before - can't go back - and worries slightly about how accurate that seems now

Comments

[1in_perfection]

"We got out of there." Mary replies, letting herself only feel relief, at first. Confusion wants to burrow into her head as well, along with some panic, and maybe even a touch of fear that either the drugs, or the lack of them, are finally starting to fry her brain.

She doesn't let any of those in, just yet.

"One thing at a time."

She looks around, seeing if it's possible to get an idea of where they are, and...Yes, there it is; that's the cake shop she used to stop by on her way home, before she lost her taste (and spare money) for sweets. But that location should mean...

"My apartment should be close by. Why don't we gather our wits there?" And she can finally get her fix, and maybe see if that cake she pinched is still any good.

[for_my_father]

Laura seems just as floored as Mary. She stiffens when Alan mentions their family. He might just be on to something.

She puts a hand on Mary's shoulder tentatively. "We...can't stay here, I'm sorry. It might not be safe. We should contact my dad, he'll know what to do."

[1in_perfection]

"...Don't care if it's them. It didn't work. They didn't steal them all from me." Her voice comes out as a whisper, and her breathe comes out in a shudder. And then Mary suddenly finds that she doesn't really care if she has two extra sets of eyes watching her.

She pulls herself out from Laura's hand, and steps into the apartment to give herself some space. Her hand goes back into the book bag, clawing desperately around until she finds what she's looking for.

When she brings it back out, Mary tears the cap off and dumps out a pill into her hand. She doesn't care that another one follows it, simply clapping them both up to her mouth and swallowing in one swift motion.

[intothering]

Oh hell. It takes Alan a minute to realize what Mary is searching for, and by the time he makes it into the apartment, she's already taken a pill. He tries to grab the bottle and take it from her, even after seeing the display in the hospital when she didn't have them.

"Damn it, Mary," he forgets to use her last name, "stop it. How's that supposed to help?"

It's only after he moves and yells at her that he even thinks to question just why he did so. He had suspected she was on something from the beginning, and it was her call to do that to herself. Wasn't any of his business, he had thought. But actually watching her take something made him almost as angry and worried as when the phone just kept ringing.

He took a deep breath, trying to tell that knot in his stomach to go away again.

[for_my_father]

Laura follows Alan in, too tired to be really angry. Everything's just too complicated. She's tried to take care of her cousin, she always has, but seeing her take the pills right in front of her is a little much.

"I thought you were stronger than that," she states simply, looking Mary in the eye.

[1in_perfection]

There's still those few minutes before the drug enters her blood, and things become pleasant again that Mary is fully coherent. And those words from both of them still register, as much as she doesn't want them to.

"Step down, Crawford. This doesn't concern you." Then she turns to Laura, eyes narrowed.

"I thought you were sorry about what happened. But now that unfortunately doesn't seem like the case..." Then she flat out glares at her cousin. "Or were you with them the entire time, acting as an extra eye on me?"

[intothering]

Alan grits his teeth, but she's right. He's spent...wait, how long has it been? A day or two? He somehow can't remember, but the point is that he doesn't have a right to speak. Considering Laura's reaction to his earlier suggestion, this might be a family thing.

Still, he can't quite bring himself to actually back down or move away, but he stays silent.

[for_my_father]

"How dare you!" Laura snaps, barely keeping herself from slapping the other girl. As exhausted as she is, having her name dragged through the same muck as the scumbags running this city with drugs and violence is enough to push her past her limit.

"Don't you ever dare put me on the same level as them! After everything I've done for you, after what just happened..."

Her shoulders slump. She's out of energy. "After everything...those things are still the most important thing to you, I'm done. Good bye." Laura turns, stopping in the doorway. "Alan, I hope your sister is okay. Keep in touch."

[1in_perfection]

Mary feels like she should be protesting, or at least still arguing her point...But the initial stage is starting to kick in, and her thoughts are beginning to slow down. So instead, she only watches as Laura walks away, and slowly slides to the floor as the rest of the drug enters her system.

"Sorry..." She murmurs, her words coming slower and slower. "But...What did you expect? They're...The one constant I have now. The only..." She blinks a few times, before falling silent.

[intothering]

"Yes, Laura, of course I-" Alan looks between Mary and Laura a couple of times. He can't believe that Laura is really going to walk away, and that Mary will just let her. All he wants to do is go after his sister, and now this. He starts to follow after Laura, but looks back. Mary, sitting there just slumped in this totally empty apartment... She looks like she can barely take care of herself even if everything else was in place. He looks back towards the door. Because Laura is obviously hurt and upset, and he really doesn't want to let her storm off... Hell with it.

"Laura, wait. I know Mary screwed up, but she's family, isn't she? We can't just leave her like this. Look at this place!" He throws his hand out to show off the empty walls. If she decides to leave even after this appeal, he's not going to try anything more to make her to stay, but he has to make at least this attempt. "Leaving her alone with the pills will just make her take more."

[for_my_father]

Laura turns back, hands on her hips. "This isn't the first time she's done this! I...she..." Laura throws her arms up in defeat. Alan's right; Mary's family, after all.

"...okay, look. We need to go to my father. He'll know something about what's going on, I'm sure of it. He'll even be able to arrange for you to go check on your sister, Alan," Laura says slowly, a sort of plan forming in her tired mind.

Silently cursing Alan for drawing her back inside, Laura walks over to Mary. "Mary, we have to go. It's obviously not safe here."

[1in_perfection]

"But...I'm fine here..." If possible, her words are even more sluggish then before. That said, her hand still has something of a death lock around that bottle of pills.

"I thought...You were leaving, anyway?" Her eyes turn up to Laura, bleary and starting to lose their focus.

[intothering]

"Thank you," Alan tells Laura quietly. "I look forward to meeting your dad."

He wheels himself back towards Mary, glancing at Laura before answering her. "We're all leaving. Mind giving me another hand?" She held onto the wheelchair before and so far neither one of them has died. But she was a little more coherent then.

[for_my_father]

Laura just smiles tiredly at Alan. The Alan Crawford. The subject of her--

Okay, she'll just abandon that train of thought right there. Now's really not the time.

"It's okay, Mary. I'm not going to leave you."

[1in_perfection]

"Oh...?" Mary stares up at her cousin, like she's just said one of the most profound things in the world. "Th...That's...Very good."

She starts to nod when she hears Alan, looking a little (or a lot) overeager. "Suuuuuure! You asked for help so I'll..." Work on standing up, first of all. The floor isn't really agreeing with her, and in the end she has to use the wall to get to her feet. She only gets to Alan after three stumbles and near spills, and grabs onto the handles on the back to keep from having anymore.

"...Laura? The room is...Spinning. Could you lead the way to the door instead? It keeps going by too fast."

[intothering]

If Alan's hands are a little tight on the wheels, maybe they won't notice. It's ruly a terrifying thing to put control into someone else's hands. Especially if that someone is very, very high. ...Maybe he can steer and just let her think she's helping? He can certainly try.

"We can go slowly. Just...go slowly." Yeah, he looks completely confident in Mary's abilities right now. He gives Laura a nervous little smile after Mary's request.