IC Voicemail

[everysecond]

...Wait so I'm supposed to do what with this?

I guess I leave a message.

Hey, this is Rileyable Riley. Leave a message.

So does that work?




[ooc: Leave a message for her!]

Comments

[tonsofpun]

So he... flipped me over.

[She rubs her hand against the side of her throat, thinks of leaving this part out, but the whole point is to tell it all. She bulls on through. Riley's silence and support have made all the difference.]

Started strangling me. I reached for the machete and got it in my hand.

I don't-

[She bites her lip. She does. She does remember.]

It all kind of went crazy. He screamed, a little bit. At first. And then he stopped.

I didn't stop. Joel had to pull me off him.

[everysecond]

Fucker deserved it for pushing you.

[And...at least Ellie's butchered someone who deserves it.]

[everysecond]

A baker?

[tonsofpun]

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

[tonsofpun]

Fucking deserved it for a lot of things.

[Ellie feels ill, thinking of it. But she doesn't feel like she's going to break down or start sobbing. It's a start. A good start.]

[everysecond]

Least I'm a Captain.

[everysecond]

How you doing? Got it together?

[That's the important thing. Not that Riley is pissed at this guy, not that Riley is concerned about the gods, not whatever Joel probably thinks because she knows that he at least cares about Ellie even if he's an asshole to Riley... All that matters is that Ellie is holding up.]

[tonsofpun]

Yeah. Fine.

[Bullshit. She crushed a man's skull in. Normal people don't do the shit she did today, and normal people definitely don't walk away from it without some serious emotional shit going on.]

[tonsofpun]

Still not better than the Brick Master.

[everysecond]

Bullshit. That's why I didn't ask if you were okay. I only asked if you have it together.

[everysecond]

Brick Master who got fucking drenched by the Water Gun Master.

[tonsofpun]

I'm not gonna... wig out or anything. Okay?

I've got this.

[She sounds a touch defensive, mostly because she's definitely not all right.]

[everysecond]

Sure. You won't wig out for the gods.

[She gives her a meaningful look.]

So there's time to freak out while it's just me.

[tonsofpun]

I already did.

[She feels... strange, about this, for some reason. Like it's some kind of betrayal that when she came home, she broke down with Joel. Not Riley. But Joel had been there. He'd seen it. Riley hadn't.

Riley was gone.]

A... a long time ago, Ry.

[tonsofpun]

Hey. I can't help it if water's my one true weakness.

[everysecond]

Girl, will you just...stop that shit and let me hug you. Come on.

[Because she just needs to fucking hold her after all that.]

[everysecond]

It totally is. Which is kind of hilarious since you're like this plant girl and water helps plants grow.

[tonsofpun]

Fungus. Fungus girl.

[At least she can laugh about it. Sort of.]

[tonsofpun]

No.

[She makes a jerking motion with her hands, because if Riley is nice to her...]

No, shit. If you do it, I'll fucking cry-

[everysecond]

Plant girl sounds way cuter, you know.

[everysecond]

Fuck it.

[She reaches out with her powers to tug her closer, wrapping her arms around her.]

Fuck it and fuck not crying. They're not hear right now and I am. If you need to cry then just cry, damn it.

[tonsofpun]

Better than fairy princess.

[tonsofpun]

[Even and Riley pulls her in, Ellie remains tense, trembling a little until she buries her face into her neck. The tears, when they come, have to fight their way out. She tries to hold onto them, but she soon gives up.

They're quiet. The kind that happen during the middle of the night, face pressed into a pillow to muffle the uneven breaths.

It's been a long time since she's let herself cry. It's always been explosive, angry or terrified, a heat of the moment thing that couldn't be contained, a crack right down the middle she couldn't hold together. This is different. This is a moment Riley has assured her she has a right to have, to sit down and be human for a bit.

Ellie didn't know what the fuck to do, the one time she saw Riley cry. But it seems like Riley knows.]

[everysecond]

You'd be a terrible fairy princess. Or a badass one.

[everysecond]

[Riley just holds her while she cries, letting Ellie get it out. It's just them now, there's no one to judge Ellie for her tears. Hell, she totally won't. Hugging her tight, she even goes so far as to pet her hair gently, not even telling her to hush or anything.

Sometimes a person just needs to fucking cry and she knows it and she's gonna let her girl do that.]