bigapplesauce | Just a Few of Us [Open to Multiple]

Current Music: August 28th - September 3rd, 2013

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Just a Few of Us [Open to Multiple]

If it was just the one baby, Greta suspects it would be easier than it had been at home. She doesn't have to balance childcare with running a bakery, and her apartment is too newly-settled (and little-trafficked) to require anywhere near as much cleaning as a shop. And if ROMAC hasn't provided her with much in the way of human aid - there is a nursery she can bring them to when necessary, but it's busy and noisy and a few of the children there have alarming Rift enchantments to contend with, so she treats that as a last resort - at least they've given her all the material things she could need.

(It both helps and distantly rankles that she's used to doing the bulk of the work herself, anyway.)

Two, though. Two are a literal and metaphorical handful. She often finds herself thinking it's just as well the Witch only promised them one, for both their sakes, and then just for his, and then she has to stop thinking about it. So perhaps it's just as well that she has two to distract her, now.

The poor, motherless things. If they're really motherless. She should stop thinking about that, as well, if only because she hasn't the first idea how to track down their parents if they are here, and it's not safe for her to reach out to those who might be able to help her. Maybe they are orphans. Either way, the best use of her time and energy is giving them the best possible care, so... that's just what she's going to do.

Alone, if she has to.

[ooc: so, Greta's gonna be watching these two tiny babies for about a week and presumably is not going to have much time for anything else, poor woman. But she'll almost certainly welcome visitors ~~unless you're an emotion-nomming creep~~! If your character can finagle their way into the ROMAC base, feel free to have them drop by her apartment. If you can't realistically get into ROMAC but still want in on the baby-related redonkulousness, drop me a line and we can finagle a way to get her out into the Park or something.

Also, since this could take place at any time over the course of a week, just pick your date and put it in the header of your top-level for reference.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Wh..." Johnny looks at the crib, suddenly noticing it, suddenly realizing there are babies in the room, what the fuck, where did those come from, why does Greta suddenly have babies. Obviously they have not been eaten, which is good. The rest of what she's telling him catches up slow, and for a moment he can only stare, numb and bewildered, at the childish, unreasonable pile of man on the floor. Takes others' emotions and mimics-

Holy shit. Holy shit.

Things are starting to come back now, little things, weird moments from their past encounters, and it's starting to make sense now, how often he would get tired around this guy, how weird he always was, holy fucking shit.

His jaw sets. He opens the door again and steps over quickly, taking a moment to assess the situation, how dangerous is Rashad really, can he do them any harm like this, etc, and decides that he doesn't care. He crouches down and grasps the man awkwardly under his arms, trying to lift him up and only making it halfway, this fuck is heavy.

"You pull and I'll... heave," he says curtly. His sudden change in attitude toward this situation might seem odd, but then, maybe Greta can just chalk it up to righteous anger about this asshole taking baby emotions. Sure. It's that.

"Nooo -ooo -ooooooooo!" Rashad thrashes, trying very earnestly to be dropped. And that would be just like them to drop him, wouldn't it? "I'm waiting for Asadi! You promised Asadi! You promised!"

Dimly some part of him is aware that things are not going according to plan. It's not his fault, though, they're being so mean to him and everything is just so awful. "Hold me!" he demands even as he writhes to break Johnny's hold on him.

There's little chance of Greta questioning Johnny's motives; it's enough that he's willing to help. "Thank you," she breathes, picking up Rashad's ankles as if he's an ungainly, squirming wheelbarrow and tucking them under her arms.

"I promised you no such thing," she snaps at him as she backs him toward the door. "But you promised to leave, so that's just what you're doing." Not that he's making it easy for them, and it's a struggle to keep ahold of him as he flops around like a landed trout. But they are making progress - at least his legs are out into the hall.

"Dude, what is your problem?" says Johnny with exasperation, even though Greta's harried explanation of what he's done pretty well answers that. Why the fuck did he think it was a good idea to absorb the emotions of a fucking baby, or two of them apparently. God, this is so fucking sick.

"What the hell is a sadi?" he snaps just as the syllables connects in his head. "Wait, are you - is he talking about Iman?" He looks at Greta in confusion even as he continues to bodily shove Rashad through the door. He sure stepped into the middle of some kind of shit.

"Everything's uncomfortable!" blubbers Rashad. It's meant as an actual reply to Johnny's question this time, though it may get kind of lost in the unending, constantly modulating whine he continues to emit even when he's not speaking.

Greta is being terribly unjust, and he lets her know about it by stretching his arms out wide to wedge himself fast in the doorway as Johnny tries to shove him through it. Freudian crisis or no, he's still plenty strong enough to latch on to the door frame and halt their forward progress. "YOU PROMISED!"

"I said I'd try," Greta hisses at him. Now that Johnny's here, she's less inclined to kick up as much of a neighbor-alerting fuss. "I never said I'd do it. Now let go of that door, you--" she pauses a moment, searching for something appropriately scathing for someone who has emotionally regressed to infancy, then concludes, "you're being very naughty."

"Christ on a bike," says Johnny, drops Rashad's shoulders and delivers an unforgiving kick to one of his hands, trying to dislodge it from the door frame. "When does this wear off?" he asks Greta, since she seems to know more about this than he does.

Rashad howls and yanks his hand away, curling it tight against his chest to protect his fingers against further attack...but not letting go with the other one. "I'm a good boy!" he protests, legitimately weeping now. "I'm -- I'm goo--oood--!"

"I have no idea," Greta says, wincing a little as Johnny kicks at Rashad's hand. It's Rashad's response that surprises her most, though - honestly, she hadn't expected her desperate scolding to garner such a response. He's actually crying.

Perhaps there's another way to go about this.

She drops his legs, to the collective relief of her arms and back, and deliberately swallows her fury and revulsion as he slumps back down to the floor. Raising a hand towards Johnny in a silent request to wait, she crouches down next to Rashad's prone, writhing form. "That's right," she lies in the most soothing tone she can muster. "You're a good boy, Rashad. So why don't you get up like a good boy, and come with us, and we will... take you to Iman."

Her actual plan involves shoving him into the nearest elevator, hitting the ground floor button, and letting him become someone else's problem, but it will go much faster if he comes willingly.

Greta's sudden new tactic is definitively the most alarming thing that has happened so far. Johnny straight up drops Rashad when she crouches down beside him, straightening up and staring at her, fully aghast.

"What are you doing?" he says thinly. The logic of it is distantly available to him but he's having trouble getting over how weird it is.

"I am a good boy," snivels Rashad, incapable of being truly mollified by Greta's agreement. He's getting what he wanted, but it's not enough, it's never going to be enough and she doesn't really love him but he's a good boy and she needs to know that. "I want to go to Iman," he agrees, turning his face to look up at her with red-rimmed eyes as he wipes his nose on his sleeve. If his gaze flickers to Johnny it's only for a moment; it's Greta he needs to get him the things he wants and make this all better.

"I am doing," Greta says slowly, struggling to keep her tone low and even, "what needs to be done." Hopefully Johnny will comprehend the 'so don't ruin it' that she can't add aloud, not without risking Rashad's suspicion. The children's emotions seem to have made him a bit of an idiot, but she can't assume he's completely dense.

She shifts her focus back to Rashad, taking his arm with relative gentleness. "Isn't that right?" she prompts, giving him a little tug to urge him back onto his feet. "You want to find Iman, and you want me to help you. Up you get, come on."

Yeah, fine, all right, but that doesn't make it not weird. Johnny just stands there, visibly unnerved as Greta openly lies (at least he assumes she's lying, she wouldn't really be about to just send him to Iman for whatever bullshit reason he has) in a disturbingly maternal tone.

There's something a little too on point about it, really.

He swallows thickly and steps back forward. "Yeah," he says, reaching out to gingerly pat Rashad on the shoulder. So helpful.

Rashad stumbles to his feet, uncoordinated but able to find his footing and stay upright with a bit of effort. He's still sniffling to himself, shoulders hunched in, and he hardly seems to notice Johnny's apt reassurances. "I want -- I want to help," he blubbers. "I have to find Iman because I have to help, you have to help me find Asadi!"

It's working. It's terrible, but it's working, and far better than their first attempt to just haul him out. Greta pats Rashad's arm with a trembling hand as she guides him towards the elevator bay. "Of course," she says with strained sympathy. 'Help,' indeed.

Then his words catch up to her, and she glances up at him in surprise. Did ROMAC send him here? Or has he just heard that they're after Iman, and now he's trying to ingratiate himself by fetching her for them? Based on what he did to the children, and how poorly his whole interrogation has gone, she makes a not-so-wild guess and ventures, "And I'd bet they didn't even ask for your help. But you're helping them anyway, because you're such a--a good person."

What is going on. Johnny frowns tightly at the thickening plot implications of what they're saying to each other, at least whatever he can make out behind the layers of bullshit and irony, but whatever it is, he doesn't like it. They might be ROMAC, and if Iman's gotten in trouble with them, well... he barely even knows her, they had drunken sex once and she knows a lot of his friends, what's he supposed to do? It was stupid enough when he went in to save Charley having met her a grand total of twice, and he doesn't have to power to do that anymore. He could tell Gabe something's up, but he's not sure he wants to incite Gabe to go back there, not after everything he went through before.

Well, all he can do now is walk on the other side of Rashad, keeping tentative, uncomfortable contact in case he decides to descend again, keeping a suspicious eye on them both. Just get him in the elevator and then he can ask Greta what the fuck is going on. That he can handle.

"I am so good!" agrees Rashad tearfully. "No one knows how good I am! They don't know how much I can help and it's not fair!"

They're making relatively good time now. Get to Asadi. Get to the elevator, go downstairs, get to Asadi. Tell ROMAC where Asadi is, be recognized as the authority figure he should be. Get much less uncomfortable clothes and find somewhere that's not so bright and irritating. Find someone to hold him.

All important goals right now.

Greta nods once to herself. He's not here under ROMAC's orders, he's just... he's just trying to ingratiate himself, like a dog. Goodness knows how he found out Iman was wanted by them, but he did, and now he's trying to deliver her up.

And he honestly thought she would help him! She's still shaking, but it's not just with nerves. When they finally reach the elevator and the doors slide open, she glances over at Johnny with a strained, "Hold the doors, please." Then she steps Rashad inside. Nearly done, now.

"It isn't fair," she agrees as she guides him into the back corner and props him against the wall. "But don't worry. They'll see what sort of person you are soon enough, won't they?" She looks up at his pitiful expression and suppresses a shudder. Now to just get herself out of here.

"You know what? I forgot my keys. Why don't you wait right here, and I'll be back in just a moment." And with that, she hits the ground floor and door close buttons in quick succession before stepping out of the elevator, pulling Johnny after her.

Rashad's shaking enough for all their shaking to become one communal tremor, but his suffering seems to ease slightly when she finally stops pushing him to keep putting one foot in front of the other and instead gives him a place to rest in a corner.

"Oh-ohh,", he objects, not at all okay with this upcoming absence. "Don't leave me, DON'T LEAVE ME!!"

It's fortunate for Greta that she's quick. Rashad launches himself at the doors, and just as it closes there's an alarmingly loud thump as he hits them hard enough to dent them. From inside the elevator shaft comes a wordless wail that diminishes only with distance.

"Jesus!" Johnny tugs back sharply at the slam in the elevator, eyes widening at the slight dent that appears in the doors. Holy fuck, what is that guy? How had he gone so long not suspecting anything?

"What is going on?!" He stumbles to keep up with Greta, grabbing onto her arm. "What was he doing here? Are you okay?"

Greta starts at the loud thump against the doors - hard enough to dent them. She'd known Rashad wasn't human, but she hadn't realized just how strong he was, and she all but hauls Johnny back to her apartment in tense silence. They can't discuss this out in the hall; anyone could hear them. It's bad enough that Johnny will require some sort of explanation without random denizens of the building finding out what's going on, as well.

She still doesn't answer him once they're inside with the door bolted. There are things to be done, things of greater import than explanations. First, she drags her little table over to the door, an impromptu barricade that probably wouldn't even begin to withstand the kind of blow Rashad can apparently deliver, but better than nothing. Then, she checks the children, laying her palm over each little chest, reassuring herself that their pulses are strong, their breaths steady. They're all right. Too still, and too silent, but they're alive.

What would she have done if they hadn't been?

Greta pulls in an unsteady breath, then stumbles over to the edge of her bed and sits, burying her face in her hands. She is not okay.

Edited 2015-04-22 00:07 (UTC)

Johnny lets her move him down the hall and into the apartment, and stands there with his hands limp at his sides, watching while she locks the door, barricades it like that would stop Rashad after what they've just seen, and checks on the babies.

And then she's sitting and holding her head and visibly trembling a little.

Okay, well, fuck.

"Um," he says, floundering for something to do or say, looking around the apartment hopelessly as if there's something that'll help. "Uh, do you..." Need anything? Like WHAT, Johnny, what do you have to offer. She can do everything better than you, probably except fuck shit up and warp reality.

He takes a faltering step toward her. Maybe she has something to drink, he could mix her a stiff drink. No, IDIOT, she's got a pair of infants to worry about, she's not going to want a drink. Why are you so useless.

He comes a little closer, inching to the edge of the bed, not knowing if he should sit or what. Tentatively he reaches out and places his hand on her shoulder. "Greta?" he murmurs.

Oh, Johnny... she wishes he didn't have to see her like this. But she's glad he's here. A little stab of panic lances through her at the thought of him just leaving - she wants that least of all. And it's that fear, as much as genuine appreciation for his timid gesture, that prompts her to lift one hand away from her face so she can cover his with it, keeping his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she says, her voice as ragged around the edges as the rest of her. "I'm just..." Just what? Just terrified for her friends, and her charges, and herself, because genuine ignorance and a little table won't even begin to shield her against the sort of enemy who can dent an elevator door? What can she even tell Johnny that won't land him in the same unenviable position? "I'm sorry," she concludes, miserably.

What's with these apologies? Who does she think she is, him? He frowns, looking at her hand covering his, and then gingerly sits down on the edge of the bed beside her. He is nowhere near his comfort zone right now, but he hates seeing her like this, and - and there's always a part of him that just wants to make it better, like he never could with the woman she reminds him of.

"It's okay," he says, knowing it probably isn't, knowing first fucking hand how little that helps. Not sure what else he has to offer, he nudges his hand out from under hers and leans over, putting his arms around her. It's slow, it's painfully awkward - it might be overstepping boundaries, as if their relationship isn't weird enough already, but goddammit she looks like she needs a hug.

Awkward, certainly, but it's also some measure of comfort, and she leans into him, hoping even as she does so that it will provide some reassurance to him. She knows this is... not normal, for him, that he's not used to comforting anyone. But he's trying, bless him, and she doesn't want him to think it's not appreciated.

"I just," she starts, the words coming out haltingly between sharp gasps that threaten to turn into sobs, "I feel so--so foolish." She hadn't even checked to see who it was before she opened the door, and then she'd just let him in, and now that he's been dispatched (at least for the moment), it's that much easier to imagine how she might have gotten rid of him sooner, or never let him get the upper hand at all.

The worst of it is that she was so certain he wouldn't hurt the children. Just as she was so certain the Giant wouldn't. And if she was wrong this time, what if she was wrong last time, too?

"I shouldn't have let him in," she moans, pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes. "I shouldn't have left them."

Just a Few of Us [Open to Multiple]

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