Hollow (Topher, Whiskey/Claire, Adelle) PG
Title: Hollow
Author: peanutbutterer
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s)/Spoiler(s): S1
Recipient/Prompt: marymonster92. Dr Saunder's Creation.
Summary: She opens her eyes.
Beta: irony_rocks
Disclaimer: Dollhouse does not belong to me.
Sightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death's twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.
~T.S. Eliot
--
"Everquest? Foreverquest is more like it." She leans her hip against one of the consoles and crosses her arms.
Topher doesn't take his eyes from the screen as he shakes his head. "Oh, as opposed to WoW. As in 'Wow, am I done? I must have blinked.'"
"Please. Have you even tried it?"
"Why would I want to try it? I can just watch Saturday morning cartoons and get the same level of stimulation. The graphics are practically identical anyway." He hits a final keystroke with a flourish, spinning to face her. "Done."
She nods and pushes off the console. "11 million subscribers."
"And 25 million people read Twilight." He pops out of his chair. "That doesn't mean it's a good book."
She raises an eyebrow.
Topher shrugs. "What? I like vampires." He gestures toward the chair and gives a slight bow. "My lady. Your throne."
She sticks out her tongue and settles into the chair. "Five years?"
Absently he drums his fingers against its side, beating a staccato rhythm. He nods. "Five years."
"Okay."
Topher watches her for a second longer before turning to the controls and making a few final adjustments.
She bites her lip. "Hey, Toph?"
He answers without turning. "Yeah?"
"You're going to level my character, right? Keep her up with the cap?"
His tone isn't as teasing as he intends for it to be. "You realize you're only signing me up for a ten minute commitment."
He doesn't see her answering smile.
--
"Did I fall asleep?"
He only hesitates a moment. "For a little while."
Adelle steps into the room, hands clasped at her waist. "Whiskey, would you come with me please?"
Five years isn't very long, he reminds himself as they walk out of the room.
Especially when she'll be right here the whole time.
--
She opens her eyes. "Hello."
Topher grins. "Hey."
"You ready, dear?" Sophie asks.
She smiles. "Always."
--
She's a lounge singer. Brassy and confident. She slaps him on the ass. "Hey, Sugar."
He flushes. "Ma'am."
"I think I'd like to come back here after the gig. See if I can't turn you a deeper shade of red."
Her grin is wicked and his blush spreads to his ears.
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
She comes back from her mission breathing heavily. Sweat trickles down the side of her face.
"That was awesome!" he says as she settles into the chair. "You were just like, bam! And then pow!" He makes little punching motions and bounces on his toes.
She looks at him with distain before turning to her handler. "Who's the kid?"
He forces a little laugh and turns back to his computer. He refuses to acknowledge that it’s harder that he thought it would be.
--
"I'll need the schematics before I get to the compound," she says, not yet out of the chair. "Time is of the essence here, but that doesn't mean we can go in underprepared."
Sophie nods. "They're waiting for you in the van."
"Let's not keep them waiting any longer."
She leaves the room without acknowledging him.
He spends the next three nights playing WoW. Her character levels four times.
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
He walks by yoga class on the way to lunch and sees her trying to bend herself into some inhuman shape. Her face is the only part of her that seems to be successfully contorted.
"Be the heron," the instructor coaxes them.
She's got that same look of dedication and pain that she was wearing the last time they played Twister. Left hand yellow had sent her to the mat. He'd laughed so hard he cried, earning himself a solid punch in the arm and an embarrassingly large bruise.
"You're not holding your leg correctly, Whiskey."
She looks to the instructor. "I try to be my best."
--
"Aren't you going to congratulate me?"
She stares at him, expression bright.
Topher nods. "Congratulations." He drums his fingers against his desk and wonders if she'll notice.
Instead, she beams. "Thank you." She looks to Sophie. "It's going to be the best day of my life."
Sophie pats her hand and leads her out of the room. "It certainly will."
He sighs and logs out of the game with an audible click of the escape key.
--
"All right, you two," Sophie says, folding her arms over her chest.
Alpha doesn't remove his lips from her neck. She giggles.
"Whiskey," her handler warns.
She pushes him away with a giggle. "Just a minute, baby. Let me get my treatment out of the way and we can pick up where we left off."
He growls.
She giggles again.
Topher looks away.
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
He congratulates himself on a job well done. It is, after all, his design that allows no true memories to surface.
He forces his lips into a smile and turns to the chair.
She jumps up and brushes past him without turning. "Let's go, let's go!"
He lets her go.
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
Eventually, it gets easier.
--
And then it ends.
With scars.
--
Adelle has always frightened him to some degree, but never so much as in the aftermath of Alpha.
Still, he has to say something.
"I don't think it's a good idea."
Her eyes light with ire as she turns to him, hair falling from her clip, papers strewn across her desk. "I'm not looking to argue, Mr. Topher. We need a physician. We have three more years on her contract. These are loose ends that tie."
Her phone rings somewhere under all the papers.
"But -"
"I'm sorry," she says, finding the phone and bringing it to her ear. "Adelle DeWitt," she answers, turning toward the window.
Topher leaves without another word.
--
She opens her eyes.
--
"Dr. Saunders."
"Good morning, Topher."
She frowns and turns away.
He does the same.
--
Author: peanutbutterer
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s)/Spoiler(s): S1
Recipient/Prompt: marymonster92. Dr Saunder's Creation.
Summary: She opens her eyes.
Beta: irony_rocks
Disclaimer: Dollhouse does not belong to me.
Sightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death's twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.
~T.S. Eliot
--
"Everquest? Foreverquest is more like it." She leans her hip against one of the consoles and crosses her arms.
Topher doesn't take his eyes from the screen as he shakes his head. "Oh, as opposed to WoW. As in 'Wow, am I done? I must have blinked.'"
"Please. Have you even tried it?"
"Why would I want to try it? I can just watch Saturday morning cartoons and get the same level of stimulation. The graphics are practically identical anyway." He hits a final keystroke with a flourish, spinning to face her. "Done."
She nods and pushes off the console. "11 million subscribers."
"And 25 million people read Twilight." He pops out of his chair. "That doesn't mean it's a good book."
She raises an eyebrow.
Topher shrugs. "What? I like vampires." He gestures toward the chair and gives a slight bow. "My lady. Your throne."
She sticks out her tongue and settles into the chair. "Five years?"
Absently he drums his fingers against its side, beating a staccato rhythm. He nods. "Five years."
"Okay."
Topher watches her for a second longer before turning to the controls and making a few final adjustments.
She bites her lip. "Hey, Toph?"
He answers without turning. "Yeah?"
"You're going to level my character, right? Keep her up with the cap?"
His tone isn't as teasing as he intends for it to be. "You realize you're only signing me up for a ten minute commitment."
He doesn't see her answering smile.
--
"Did I fall asleep?"
He only hesitates a moment. "For a little while."
Adelle steps into the room, hands clasped at her waist. "Whiskey, would you come with me please?"
Five years isn't very long, he reminds himself as they walk out of the room.
Especially when she'll be right here the whole time.
--
She opens her eyes. "Hello."
Topher grins. "Hey."
"You ready, dear?" Sophie asks.
She smiles. "Always."
--
She's a lounge singer. Brassy and confident. She slaps him on the ass. "Hey, Sugar."
He flushes. "Ma'am."
"I think I'd like to come back here after the gig. See if I can't turn you a deeper shade of red."
Her grin is wicked and his blush spreads to his ears.
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
She comes back from her mission breathing heavily. Sweat trickles down the side of her face.
"That was awesome!" he says as she settles into the chair. "You were just like, bam! And then pow!" He makes little punching motions and bounces on his toes.
She looks at him with distain before turning to her handler. "Who's the kid?"
He forces a little laugh and turns back to his computer. He refuses to acknowledge that it’s harder that he thought it would be.
--
"I'll need the schematics before I get to the compound," she says, not yet out of the chair. "Time is of the essence here, but that doesn't mean we can go in underprepared."
Sophie nods. "They're waiting for you in the van."
"Let's not keep them waiting any longer."
She leaves the room without acknowledging him.
He spends the next three nights playing WoW. Her character levels four times.
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
He walks by yoga class on the way to lunch and sees her trying to bend herself into some inhuman shape. Her face is the only part of her that seems to be successfully contorted.
"Be the heron," the instructor coaxes them.
She's got that same look of dedication and pain that she was wearing the last time they played Twister. Left hand yellow had sent her to the mat. He'd laughed so hard he cried, earning himself a solid punch in the arm and an embarrassingly large bruise.
"You're not holding your leg correctly, Whiskey."
She looks to the instructor. "I try to be my best."
--
"Aren't you going to congratulate me?"
She stares at him, expression bright.
Topher nods. "Congratulations." He drums his fingers against his desk and wonders if she'll notice.
Instead, she beams. "Thank you." She looks to Sophie. "It's going to be the best day of my life."
Sophie pats her hand and leads her out of the room. "It certainly will."
He sighs and logs out of the game with an audible click of the escape key.
--
"All right, you two," Sophie says, folding her arms over her chest.
Alpha doesn't remove his lips from her neck. She giggles.
"Whiskey," her handler warns.
She pushes him away with a giggle. "Just a minute, baby. Let me get my treatment out of the way and we can pick up where we left off."
He growls.
She giggles again.
Topher looks away.
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
He congratulates himself on a job well done. It is, after all, his design that allows no true memories to surface.
He forces his lips into a smile and turns to the chair.
She jumps up and brushes past him without turning. "Let's go, let's go!"
He lets her go.
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
She opens her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep?"
--
Eventually, it gets easier.
--
And then it ends.
With scars.
--
Adelle has always frightened him to some degree, but never so much as in the aftermath of Alpha.
Still, he has to say something.
"I don't think it's a good idea."
Her eyes light with ire as she turns to him, hair falling from her clip, papers strewn across her desk. "I'm not looking to argue, Mr. Topher. We need a physician. We have three more years on her contract. These are loose ends that tie."
Her phone rings somewhere under all the papers.
"But -"
"I'm sorry," she says, finding the phone and bringing it to her ear. "Adelle DeWitt," she answers, turning toward the window.
Topher leaves without another word.
--
She opens her eyes.
--
"Dr. Saunders."
"Good morning, Topher."
She frowns and turns away.
He does the same.
--