003 ⇏ video

[oikodomae]

[ this is going to be short.

annabeth doesn't even know why she's doing this at all, because anyone who cares enough will know, but wichita deserves something more than that. she's been here for ages, knew everyone, right?

this video is similar to her last, so long ago. her jaw is set and her eyes are dark, but where there was a storm raging behind them before, there's nothing. an empty look of pain, but not surprise. what more could the ship do, anyway? ]

Wichita's gone.

[ that's all she really wants to say, but the weight of all of wichita's things around her keeps the feed on. annabeth swallows, her eyes moving off to the side for half a moment before they return. ]

I don't know if- [ okay wow, this is a lot harder than she expected it to be. ] She's got a lot of stuff here. Some of it I'm keeping, but if anyone else knew her and wants to come by...

[ she bites her lower lip, before cutting the feed there. they can figure it out. ]

Comments

[target]

guess that makes you annabeth then
she mentioned you a while back

[oikodomae]

[ a while... ]

are you wes?

[target]

yeah, that's me
would've checked in on you sooner if i could

you're leaving that room now and we're going shooting

[logicunlocked]

[ Ah, hell. Wichita was one of the first people York had really come to know when he arrived here, and her gregarious nature had always made Space Babylon an enjoyable place to be. ]

That sucks. We'll all miss her.

[oikodomae]

[ funny, how that sucks can encompass so much with so little. ]

Yeah. Of everyone I knew I never thought... [ she shakes her head. ]

[logicunlocked]

Yeah. She just always seemed to be there, didn't she?

[ Yet they all knew it could be anyone at any time. And besides, who would wish the Tranquility on anyone? There was always that bittersweet current underneath when someone disappeared. You'd lost their company, but at least you knew they were home. ]

video.

[ex_question191]

Are you—

[ he swallows. he hadn't wanted to do video, but he figured if she could manage it, he should try. still, he looks pale at the revelation, sweeping shadows under his eyes only adding to the way he looks like he might cry. ]

Uh, the bar. It was always you and her, right?

[ he doesn't really know why he's asking, except he has to ask something. after a moment, he bursts out. ]

But we don't, we don't know, right? She's been missing before — remember when she went off and didn't respond to anyone?

[ his voice cracks, and he shuts up, shuts the feed off roughly. ]

video.

[oikodomae]

[ annabeth can tell from the video that he's having just as hard of a time dealing with wichita's departure as she is. which is half the reason she starts the feed back up, responding to him with her similar expression to his, but with more of a twitch. more of tension.

she just shakes her head at his question, though. ]

I didn't work at the bar with her. That's Jo. She's probably there if you need to talk to her- I just lived with her. [ and wow, having it reduced down to that? makes annabeth feel ten times smaller than she already did.

her throat constricts a little when he says that, remembering it but also- ]

We don't know anything about this place. I saw her get into the pods before the jump, but I haven't seen her after. And last time she promised me- [ and now it's annabeth's turn for her voice to crack a little. she stops, swallows, and steadies it before she continues. ] She promised she'd tell me she was going, at least. There's nothing. Her numbers not even on the contact list anymore.

video;

[onsilksheets]

Shit.

[Bela doesn't know this girl but she did know Wichita. She'd always been good to her.]

Sorry. She was a friend. I think a lot of us will miss her.

video;

[oikodomae]

Figured I might as well let everyone know. From how she talked it sounded like she knew a lot of people around here.

[ annabeth tries not to make it sound like wichita died, but it's hard. ]

video;

[onsilksheets]

I appreciate you doing this, even if must be difficult. Wichita was popular.

[It would be far worse if she was dead. At least she had gone home.]

She knew how to throw a good party.

text »

[mathematically]

you could just hoard it all.

text »

[oikodomae]

i don't want it
most of this is for her bar anyway
it'll be a hasstle to keep up with so why should i keep it?

[ a moment later- ]

do you want any of it?

text »

[mathematically]

bar stuff can go to the other girl at it? jo or whatever. unless there's actually good booze, then honestly, definitely hoard it.

[ and followed up quickly with: ]

she wasn't my friend.

text » locked

[starked]

do i need to tell you not to do something stupid again?

[ guess what he thinks? just guess. ]

text » locked

[oikodomae]

no

[ not unless getting drunk for the first time counts as 'stupid' ]

text » locked

[starked]

[ he actually approves of that.

you picked a really shitty dude to look up to js. ]

that a promise or you trying to bullshit me?

video; belatedly snags this cr

[workout]

[ scott barely knew wichita. barely knew her in the usual sense, anyway; they'd had one conversation a few weeks ago, though the nature of that conversation had been understandably loaded, no holds barred. but even if he's been inside wichita's head, he's not quite sure what to say to someone who went the more traditional route for getting to know her.

she was good at killing zombies? stealing things? surprisingly nice? ] She's strong. If she's back home, she'll be okay. [ it could easily be a platitude, but he sounds like he means it. ]

video; c:

[oikodomae]

[ the thing about wichita, that scott might never know, is that his list of traits he figured out about wichita...they're just about the same thing annabeth learned. add in a 'hides from emotion' and 'dangerously protective'.

annabeth gives scott a small smile. tight. ] If. [ but then she ends up shaking her head, because that's not fair. not when he's obviously just trying to make her feel better. ] Sorry. You're right- wherever she is, she'll be okay.

I just wish I knew.

text »

[rancorously]

Can you lock this?

[ things that are safer than voice or video right now: text. DON'T MIND HIM ANNABETH. ]

text » locked 99% whoops

[oikodomae]

you mean the message?

[ hahaha she tried at least. :c ]

[video]

[childofthemoon]

[Ruby's thinking about Snow and Emma falling into a portal, about having found her best friend and sister and spirit only to lose her again so soon, and while this is all different, she feels her heart go out to the girl in the video. It's why she responds, even though she's just a stranger and likely hardly welcome.]

I know we don't know each other, but... do you need some company?

[video]

[oikodomae]

[ annabeth, at first, wants to shy away from the video. she's losing the people she trusts one by one and it's starting to take its toll on her as well. her willingness to look at other people, to even care.

but at the same time, she recognizes that and knows that's not who she wants to be. so she takes a breath, braves a small but present smile. ]

No, I'm... I'll be okay. [ and then, the curiosity. ] Are you new?

video;

[vindicating]

[jay thought it was strange he didn't see her since the jump but the idea of her leaving never crossed his mind really. he hesitates for a moment looking concerned] She's really gone?

That's definitely something I didn't think I'd hear.

video;

[oikodomae]

Yeah. [ she tries for a reassuring smile, but it falls a little flat. ]

Figured there'd be more people out there who'd want to know.