I want your psycho, your vertigo stick (open)

[sandrocker]

Who: sandrocker, anyone!
What: Quatre is back, and people flip their shit. Namely, Jason. Others are more than welcome to visit, but those visits will occur after Jason's.
When: September 2nd, any point during the day
Where: Outlander Community Block
Format: prose
Warnings: idk; inappropriate use of Gaga lyrics, for starters...

Comments

[jaytodd]

Knowing where Quatre actually is isn't that hard - Jason started with the Outlander Block, as Quat' had said he was there in his post. And he didn't need to know much more.

He crosses the halls, knocking on doors and opening others, only to be answered back by people who aren't the kid or to find empty places.

"Quatre?" But no, it's someone else again, and someone else again, and that post could not have been a fucking hallucination, please don't let it have been a hallucination...

"Quatre?" He asks again, knocking on a door.

[sandrocker]

"Ah -"

Startled, Quatre nearly drops his Forge and fumbles to even keep it in his hands; after a few seconds, he manages to and focuses on the door. It seems further away than he remembered, but he stands, steady without using the bed for support. He feels strangely heavy, though.

"Jason."

[jaytodd]

The sound from behind the door is faint, but it sounds like Quatre. He won't know for sure until the door is open, until he makes sure, until he crushes the feeling in his chest that crawls and twists like a snake ready to burst from behind the skin.

He closes his eyes, opens them again, leaning with one hand against the door. It feels real.

"Open the door."

baw, Jason.

[sandrocker]

Several moments pass, and it probably seems like Quatre has refused to answer (or isn't real?) - but the door opens, and there, he stands: real, though healthier than the last time Jason saw him and visibly upset.

[re_formed]

David still wasn't sure how he felt about Quatre. The blond was a source of two many unknowns. But he had proven to have a head on his shoulders, in a way, and so far had been nothing but reliable. Quatre had trusted him with that notebook. He deserved the benefit of the doubt.

And he had just lost a portion of time. David felt he had some idea of how disconcerting that could be.

He'd knocked on a few doors, but that had been expected. He moved on to the next. "Hello?"

[sandrocker]

After a few moments, the recent door David has knocked on opens. Quatre smiles, weakly. "Mr. Webb..."

Things aren't blurry anymore, at least, but everything is still slow and dizzying - he can't tell if he is the one moving too fast or if his surroundings are. He's steady, though, and he's grateful for that much. (Vaguely, Quatre thinks he has gotten some handle of his...abilities.)

[re_formed]

Webb. He finds that more reassuring than he should. Especially after the past weekend.

David manages a small smile. "I brought the notebook," he says, holding up the object in question.

[sandrocker]

"Oh - thank you," he replies, voice a little soft. Then, Quatre steps aside for the man to enter. "Was it useful?"

Not talking about the entire situation? Is a given. Emotionally, Quatre is exhausted, and there was enough said on the network and with Jason; it's a little more than he can handle.

[suicide_tryst]

Izaya is a dealer in all sorts of miseries, but he's always been most comfortable talking to others from behind a computer screen - or a cellphone, if need be. Face to face communication is harder, in a way. He can't hide his emotions as easily behind a bright smiley face or comforting words.

He decides this is good practice for his future.

So Izaya comes into the apartment, tracks Quatre's door down with efficiency - to be expected, now that he has wormed his way into the information network - but knocks on a few doors beforehand to appear more normal. Less 'Izaya.'

Knocking three times, Izaya stands outside of the door, quiet, schooling his face into the appropriate worried expression.

[sandrocker]

"Izaya...!" The opening door reveals Quatre, surprised but not unpleasantly so. The lack of anything around him is still somewhat unsettling - today, though, it's welcomed, and Quatre can enjoy his company without wanting to rip his own skin off. His face softens into a slight smile. "I wasn't expecting you," and then, he steps aside for the other boy to enter.

[suicide_tryst]

"I hope this isn't an unpleasant intrusion," Izaya remarks, looking momentarily worried. "I came to see how you were doing."

He paused. He could feel the lingering traces of confusion and the underlying turmoil that Jason left behind - he'd felt it in other places, too.

"Jason's been here, right?"

[sandrocker]

"Oh." Give him a moment, Izaya. Quatre is still trying to grasp the fact people truly care about him, and it is no easy task for a child raised to be a tool, not a person. Even after Jason had visited, his attempts to accept it haven't worn any easier.

"That's considerate of you - yes. How did you know...?"

[sucker_punches]

Sakura isn't sure if she should go, at first.

Not that she doesn't want to see him, she does, very much. He was--is, there needs to be a shift back to present tense now--a very good friend, a trusted friend, a shared camaraderie and she had been more than a little upset to discover him missing. Knowing that her trust was echoed (he did leave his dog to her) was a bittersweet thing.

She doesn't mind taking care of Lucrezia, but the point is, she'd rather Quatre be around to do it.

So for her gut reaction of lashing out, she is glad to see him back. She's just not sure if she's pushing him by visiting too soon, but she decides, oh well. She wants to make sure he's really all right. That's her job, after all.

Besides, now that he's back--

Lucrezia trails behind her as she approaches Quatre's apartment, sits at Sakura's ankle as she knocks quietly knocks on his door. "Quatre?" she calls. "It's Sakura. I have something for you."

...just skip to the last paragraph, if you want. haha.

[sandrocker]

It's either push or allow him to hide; and even though he would much rather hide under the bed, Quatre himself knows that isn't acceptable. He doesn't know what to do, but he knows he has to face the people who care about him.

Vaguely, Quatre thinks of the times his battle comrades were concerned and how he thought nothing of it. It was natural, then, on the verge of death to be concerned for another human being, ally or not. The Maganac Corps have always been concerned in that way, too, despite (or because of?) their family-like bond. Empathy in the face of another person's death is normal, expected, though, and he realizes it's the things before that moment that matter.

(And it reminds him how much his father didn't care.)

He isn't surprised Sakura visits, but it still makes him uncomfortable. When he answers the door, the small smile is genuine for the first time. She was his first friend here, and her presence is calming, even when she's angry, but - "Lucrezia!"

[sucker_punches]

Sakura laughs as the ghost dog, recognizing her true master--Sakura had been temporary, and had never known quite what to do with a dog besides--bounds toward Quatre, tail wagging

[sandrocker]

Quatre bends down to the dog's level, and despite her distinct lack of body, his own body never goes through her. Somehow - maybe the Mist enables it or maybe Lucrezia has the ability herself. But he's able to hug her and pet her head.

"Thank you," and he looks up at Sakura, still smiling and returning her warmth. "Did she cause any problems?" (Let's ignore what happened on the network.)