Goodbye, goodbye

[_fredless]

[It's not anything she can explain really. A passing thought that other thoughts and words hadn't been exchanged in a while now. A sense of something less. A void that shouldn't be there, but has somehow crept up all the same

Comments

dictated ]

[perspectiveguy]

Lorne's gone? Caritas, Lorne? [ The nickname guy? The one who calls Angel cupcake? ]

dictated ]

[_fredless]

[Quietly]

Yes...

Lorne's gone.

dictated ]

[perspectiveguy]

I'm ... sorry.

[ He doesn't know what else to do or say. Or, if he knows this woman. And it doesn't seem like the best time for introductions. He wonders if Willow was close to Lorne and decides to go find her. ]

dictated ]

[_fredless]

You don't have to...

[She's not sure what to say here. This isn't just her]

[spongetastic]

[he doesn't say anything at first. He stares at the page, letting this fact settle in. Slowly he takes in a deep breath]

I'm sorry to hear that.

[_fredless]

[She's doing her fair share of quiet too]

I know...

[spongetastic]

...I'll take care of Caritas for a while, if that's okay.

[_fredless]

[She's only really now thinking all that through]

We just need to get through the next few nights, until we can sort out a schedule of some kind. I don't think he'd want it dark, even for an evening.

[letsbe_clear]

What?

[but ... it's Lorne. Lorne's been there FOREVER. He can't be ...

And this is Cordy, going to double check the door for herself. Not that she thinks Fred would lie about something like that, but it's something she needs to see for herself.]

[_fredless]

It's Lorne, Cordy.

[She can't put it any other way than that]

[letsbe_clear]

I know.

[she's looking at the door now herself, and trying not to pitch a fit, as much as she wants to]

I thought he'd be here forever.

[_fredless]

It's.. [yes] I did too.

[gunnfire]

-- hey. He's lucky, right? He gets to go home.

[_fredless]

[She doesn't know what to say to that. Yes, he's going home. But home stopped being what it was a long time ago, for all of them. Lorne never made any secret about the fact that he preferred Paradisa for just that reason. But Charles only just got here and --]

Yes, he gets to go home...

[gunnfire]

-- it'll be alright.

[But Gunn has an inkling. The vague future that Lorne painted for him hadn't been a pretty one, and it's not until he gets over the initial shock of he's gone home that he remembers this.]

Maybe he'll figure out a way to come back. Dude's pretty clever. And I know I heard a normal person never remembers bein' here -- but he's a demon. Maybe the rules are different for him.

[_fredless]

[There's a painful twist to the hurt, talking to Charles. He felt like the last piece of the puzzle, all of them there with a chance to right things again. Only now...]

...just stay, alright? Promise me you'll do your best to stay.

[yeahihidmypants]

[Tonight must be the night for this sort of discovery.]

Fred, if you need anything, you know where to find me.

[_fredless]

[It takes her a while]

I know. And that...it means a lot. But it isn't just me. Lorne meant the world to a lot of people.

[yeahihidmypants]

[He can see, just in how many people have replied how important he was, plus he spoke with Cordelia a bit.]

It seems he did and I'm sure he still does, and he definitely left his mark here.

[_fredless]

[She can't smile. She just can't. But she can feel...less numb]

That's Lorne. It's what he does.