The Magpie Emporium, Thursday (8/10)

[drumsticksandd20s]

People were disappearing, and Steph had showed up to Llewellyn's birthday party the other night only to find nobody home, and then to hear from Stark on the radio the next morning that now he was among the missing, and...

It hadn't been all that long ago that she'd learned the truth about what happened to Rachel back in Arcadia Bay, and it was not remotely within the realm of possibility that she was going to forget how narrowly Alex had escaped being trapped in an abandoned mine shaft forever. This shit needed to stop happening to the people around her already.

So... yeah, Steph was in today, and taking a page out of Detective Diaz's book to comb through all the recent radio broadcasts for any kind of hints. Yeah, as if she'd find anything the professionals hadn't. She'd just... keep herself to a slightly manic level of busy today, and not think about how she was going to feel guilty later for freaking out instead of... she didn't know, commandeering a rickshaw and going on a mad chase around the island to... do what, exactly? Look, there were reasons she wasn't thinking about it.

[OOC: My brain is still MIA but open!]

Comments

[giveittoyoursister]

Steph's... let's go with distraction had been hard to miss, so as if on cue, here was Vi with lunch.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"I love you," Steph said immediately upon seeing her, with a smile that was a little bit strained but still genuine.

[giveittoyoursister]

"Don't know if you're still gonna say that when you realise it's just the leftover pizza from last night," Vi said, moving into Steph' personal space. "Love you too."

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph immediately leaned into her. And maybe reached out to put an arm around her like she wanted to hang on and make sure Vi wouldn't disappear too.

"Don't care, it's food and you brought it for me so it's automatically awesome."

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi put the container of pizza down so she could wrap her arms solidly around Steph in return. "Guess I better keep bringing you food then."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"I remember how to eat on a fairly regular basis now," Steph tried to argue; Vi would probably be able to feel some of the tension leaving her body as she leaned into the hug. "It's always more fun with you, though."

She did try to make it sound a little suggestive, because of course she did, but it wasn't her best effort.

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi ran her hands over Steph's back, kissing her temple. "I know exactly how much fun eating together is."

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph snorted and bumped her forehead against Vi's shoulder in a weird sort of half-assed headbutt.

"Shut up," she said with a faint laugh. "You're such a dork."

[giveittoyoursister]

"Your dork," Vi replied in cheerful agreement. "We've established that."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"We have." Steph reached absently for the container of pizza so she could grab a slice. "My dork who needs to not fucking disappear on me, okay?"

[giveittoyoursister]

"Steph, I promise that I have no intention of disappearing on you," Vi said, voice soft and earnest. "Ever."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"That's all I can ask," Steph said with a soft sigh. "I hate this, you know."

[giveittoyoursister]

"I know," Vi said softly, kissing her temple again. "It fucking sucks."

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph abandoned her efforts to retrieve a slice of pizza and just buried her face in Vi's shoulder instead. "Why does this shit keep happening around me?"

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi hugged her tighter. "It's not fair," she agreed. "You deserve so much better."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"And I'm fucking useless," Steph added glumly -- yes, she knew she was feeling sorry for herself, and that it was kind of pathetic, but she didn't care. "I don't have any fancy-ass powers to help search, and I'd probably just get in the way of people who actually do know how to look for clues and shit."

[giveittoyoursister]

"Bullshit," Vi immediately replied. "And if someone said that to you just point me at them."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"You're looking at her," Steph said dryly.

[giveittoyoursister]

"Well, you should know better than to say that about my girl," Vi told her, completely seriously. "Especially when she'd kick the ass of anyone who said something like that about someone else."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Point taken." Steph exhaled slowly and disentangled herself from Vi just enough to actually take a slice of pizza now. "I guess it's just kind of hard to get past the shit, shit, not this shit again freakout, but I know you understand that."

[giveittoyoursister]

"I do," Vi said softly. "Just don't beat yourself up about it, okay?"

[drumsticksandd20s]

"I'm trying." Steph nibbled absently at her pizza for a moment. "It's a hell of a lot easier with your help."

[giveittoyoursister]

"I'm here for you," Vi said voice still soft. "Never forget that."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Never do." Steph raised her head, gave Vi a small smile, and leaned up to kiss her. "That goes both ways."

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi left her forehead rest against Steph's. "I know," she said. "We've got each other's backs."