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[Snowpocalypse] I'm Rubber, You're Glue (R 2.6, S 2.8)
To Ross and Silica:
The pair of you left Underlake behind and beat feet to Crossover. Nose told you to go on, he'd talk to Merrell and the others. You didn't bring Squirrel with you, of course, since he wasn't dead and Lemma should be able to handle it.
You pass by a few folks heading to Underlake, older couple in their forties maybe. They look like visitors heading to market. They don't make eye contact, just keep on going. Especially when they see the blood. How did you cover most of it up, Silica?
Near the gentle slope upward, you see Jester on crutches heading down. He sees you both and gives a wave, then waits for you. Are you Ross or Rossi right now?
What do you do?
The pair of you left Underlake behind and beat feet to Crossover. Nose told you to go on, he'd talk to Merrell and the others. You didn't bring Squirrel with you, of course, since he wasn't dead and Lemma should be able to handle it.
You pass by a few folks heading to Underlake, older couple in their forties maybe. They look like visitors heading to market. They don't make eye contact, just keep on going. Especially when they see the blood. How did you cover most of it up, Silica?
Near the gentle slope upward, you see Jester on crutches heading down. He sees you both and gives a wave, then waits for you. Are you Ross or Rossi right now?
What do you do?
Comments
Without looking directly at Silica, I whisper, "you gunna be ok?"
It takes a little coaxing to get my feet to move. I'm kind of in a daze here... I haven't had a worse day for years.
There's blood on my face and neck, my leg, but mostly on my hands and the coat I've removed and left behind. Getting clean isn't the first thing on my mind, but I stop by the first clean snowdrift I see and crouch down, take a couple of handfuls of snow and rub some of the blood of of my hands, then my face... it probably gets off some of the blood anyway. Not like I'm looking in the mirror.
Yeah I don't look at anyone, I cry... from time to time the tears just come as I think of her, or look down at my hands and imagine... sometimes I falter and fall behind but mostly I'm walking along just behind my sister, watching her feet... follow her feet. That's all I can do.
I answer her with one word, "never..."
(Rolled: 2d6. Rolls: 3, 4. Total: 7)
OOC: How can I make Silica feel better?
It's stupid... but doesn't having Silica walk along in Rossi's footsteps here it feels a little bit like back then? Before? Rossi knows that dad would take his... frustrations on his daughters. It started with Rossi... but.. when Rossi got too big, too strong for him, he took it out twice as bad on your little sister. There was a time there, a time before you left when I would return, battered and broken to our little corner of the room and you'd hold me...
Do you remember the words you'd say to me then? They must still mean something... remember, Rosie? You'd tell your little sister how you can't make it better, but it's not her fault... that always helped a little to know. A little. Even if it's bullshit... it helps.
"Sillica," I whisper, just loud enough for her to hear, "I'm sorry sis... I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop him... I wish I could stop it from hurting... This shit that they bring down on us, it doesn't mean anything. They're just angry, and too worked up in their shit to know it's their fault – not yours."
I slow down a little more, just trying to get a little closer. Right about now, I'd be telling her how one day that fucker was going to try something in front of me, and I'd show him what would happen to people who hurt my sister – One day, like it was something I couldn't do yet – well, you know what happens to people who fuck with my sister now... "You're a good person Silica... You're kind, and bad people take advantage of that. If I hear wind of anyone making my little sister hurt, I return the favor..." I look her in the eyes, "even if you think I'm a fucking bitch, I'm gunna keep an eye out for you..."
Rosie's talking to me, her voice sounds softer than I've heard in a long time. She's stopped with that fakish masked man voice... how did I not see it... I'm such a fuckin' idiot sometimes.
But she brings up... then... and she can see me glance up from the ground at her a couple times. My eyes are dark and my face still wet and a little bloody, but I'm listening... at least that much.
She finishes and I answer, my voice small and broken, "that's fuckin' bullshit, Rosie..." I raise my face to at least look at her, "all these... fucking assholes just... just strokin' their fucking cocks and gettin' off on makin' us bleed... and we just fuckin' take it cause you know... that's the way we stay alive. Right?" It's a sad thing... I'm talking of myself, but also of Footie... and Nollie... and so many others.
Rossi can see my expression change, like I just gotta fuckin' yell at someone and she's volunteered, "but what fuckin' part of that makes me a good person... what part of it? Fuckin' bitch... think you know me... I been doin' just fine on my own until all this... this bullshit started... now everything's fucked!" This last comes out as a terrible angry cry.
I haven't had time to think about it yet, but something makes me think of Hadden... Hadden and what happened after the bunker... shit...
I stomp my foot as I to when I get mad, Rossi knows very well that gesture, I've been doing it since I was a kid, "damn it Rosie... where you fuckin' been? Why the... the fuckin'" I just look at her outfit, the mask. It's clear what I mean, how did she end up like this.
"First of all," I grumble back in as calm a voice I can manage, "offing some cocksucker that can't help but shoot your friends is doing the world a fucking service. Second," I raise a pair of fingers so she can see, "where I've been is learning to survive so shit like that asshole's clinic didn't happen to me again. The getup is because I'm sick of bleeding to survive. I'm sick of having men lord their fucking cock over me like it makes me weaker, or less fucking capable. When I have the mask on, people fucking listen, or they fucking regret it." In a way, I'm not so sure it's had the desired effect...
I look back to her, "Fuck Silica, where did you think I've been? I'm not leaving Chi-town because I don't wanna wander too far from you in case shit like this happens."
Jester notices the two of you are having a heated discussion. He pauses, checks on a crutch like something's wrong. He's probably close enough to hear you, but he's at least feigning that he doesn't.
I'm calm enough to talk to her, way better than a couple minutes ago. I'm pretty good at saving my feelings inside, kind of have to be. I lost my shit there... Rossi's here... maybe its bullshit but she says she's here for me. I have to admit it makes me feel a little better.
"Shit like this... Rossi," I call her by the right name for once, "I thought you were gone... checked out... its been fucking forever..." if she's looking at me she sees a rare look on my face... for at least a moment I'm just talking to her straight up.
I see Jester up there looking like he don't hear... I can't forgive her for leaving me. Not just like this... but she can see in my face that I missed her.
I sigh and look over towards Jester, who's being sweet for pretending he can't hear us, then add, "if you're in trouble, you know you can always come to me... If I'm not around, I check in with Poptart regular enough... Or just to check in, or whatever..."
I'm silent for a little too long, just staring down kind of at her feet. At least I've mostly stopped crying. We stand there awkwardly wondering if the conversation is over, Jester pretendin' not to watch. Just as it reaches that breaking point and Rossi turns to head up to Jester, that's when I finally say...
"Rossi..." I wait for her to stop agan and look at me... there's a lot I could say about how much trouble I think I'm in... how I'm being hunted by the Soldia's, how the fuckers at the pier probably want my head, how I'm sure this shit with Squirrel is only just getting started... how I think I killed a guy with my fucking brains... and I haven't exactly been denying the rumor that I was the one who took out Grab that day... shit, did that get out?
All I add is, "ok... or whatever.... yeah... thanks." I all but whisper the last word. It's not something I say... pretty much never. It means a lot.
We're far from ok, you know? But at least we're no longer nothing.
I nod a couple times, slowly and deliberately, then whisper back, "sure. Sorry about your friend." We should get a move on. People will start asking questions, and I don't want Silica to be here when they do.
Saying thanks to Rossi and Rossi sayin' sorry? This is the least likely thing that's happened like... ever. Who whoulda thought... feels like I'm gonna start crying again... get a grip, Silica...
I notice Jester up there trying not to watch us, "what're you fuckin' looking at? Asshole... how's your fuckin' foot?"
I wipe at my eyes one more time and start walking.
Jester looks up, grins, holds up his foot and replies, "Half gone." He glances to you, Rossi, checking in, "We headed the other way? I've got a room for us. All of us. Lots of room. They love me at Crossover, you know."
He plants a crutch and turns an about face, starts working back towards where he came from.