fromcharliehale

[fromcharliehale]

charlie will go to her grave denying that she was a smoker, but the second she had a bit of alcohol in her system and someone was offering, she will never turn down a cigarette. so when alex holds out their pack and offers her one, she jumps at the opportunity. and right about now, she could just about kiss alex just for offering. "yes, please," she says with a grin as she takes one from the pack and brings it to her lips, leaning forward for alex to light.

leaning against the wall, she nodded at alex's question. if there was one thing she could do, it was talk about her time in college. she was filled with stupid stories of all the dumb things she did. hell, one of those dumb things was the reason she was here in the first place. it was starting to feel weird to accept that she'll never go back, but she tries to not think about that right now. "yeah, a bit of both. i do love a good party and went to a lot, never did a keg stand though. but i like to think i was learning some stuff too. at least, that's what i tell my mom. but i did have to take some time off because i went a little too crazy in my first years and didn't really do the work." she still remembers the disappointment in her mom when she had to tell her that she was taking a year off. "what about you?"

you didn’t have to tell alex twice. permission from one person was all they needed, and they sure as hell weren’t about to wander around the colony house party collecting more approvals like hall passes. with a practiced flick, they opened the battered pack of pre-rolled cigarettes—an ancient relic of a bygone era, long past its prime but still serviceable. alex held the pack out to charlie first, the unspoken offer clear. “want one?” they asked, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of their lips.

“so, college, huh?” they waited a beat, then plucked a cigarette for themselves, lighting it with a deft motion. the first drag was sharp and acrid, but it melted away the lingering nausea and chased off the last ghosts of the evening’s regrets. the thin smoke curled lazily upward, a gray ribbon winding through the dim light. “what was that like?” alex asked, their tone carrying equal parts curiosity and mischief. “all parties and keg stands, or did you actually manage to learn a thing or two?”

[fromcharliehale]

"i suppose not," charlie thought for a moment. before coming to this town, she had never really experienced death. she had lost a grand father when she was a kid, but she was so young and barely knew him. she was more annoyed that her mom made her wear an itchy, uncomfortable dress to the funeral than what the funeral was actually for. now, every day they could be waking up to a new body on the ground with no warning.

the way jo spoke, it reminded her of elm. they both had a strange way of talking about these things. she wasn't sure if she really bought into it all- that the monsters had feelings. she thought back to her first night and how she was chased by those things. maybe that was them playing her with too. "well they do always smile. maybe that's why, they like playing with us. maybe emerson was just their latest toy or something." it was morbid to think about. "i don't know if i want to know more about these things or just keep pretending like they don't have brains." it made it worse to know that they could do things like this.

" does death ever feel right ?? " josephine found herself inquiring , though there wasn't a cynical bite to her words . instead , they seemed to almost possess a flicker of whimsy — the question floating along the breeze as if it were nothing more than a mere curiosity as opposed to being an existential observation . her tone was dull , lilting only with the punctuation that finalized her thought , charcoal eyes fixated — focused — on where emerson's physical body had been left to rot .

josephine could feel the younger's eyes on her , the inquisitiveness that held her stare firm and made jo's skin flare with an almost embarrassed warmth . " i think everyone , and everything , can feel anger , " josephine said carefully , pressing her palms against her own ribs , feeling the cage of bone's strain as struggling lungs pressed against it . " — maybe both. monsters playing with their food. perhaps they find it amusing . " leave it to monsters to have bad table manners .

[fromcharliehale]

"yeah, i was more worried i'd go crazy being alone. i've lived with a roommate for the past six years and i would definitely end up talking to those things in the window if i had no one else to talk to." she says it with a laugh even though it was a pretty dark joke. she wondered if that was common, talking to the monsters as if they were people. sounded like a good way to end up dinner. she looked back at cherry when she asked who's room this was. looking around, she tried to find some sign of who it belonged to. "um no, i think it's maude and her friends' room, they seem pretty cool. hopefully they don't mind the smoke," charlie chuckles as she takes a hit of the cigarette. "they totally don't. nothing counts when you're drunk. cigarettes, eating a whole pizza by yourself, bad hook ups you regret; it's all wiped clean as soon as you wake up." she's lived by that many times in college and she will keep living by that philosophy here. "i should start doing that- not that i'm a smoker. but good to have around."

" YEAH, I FIGURED ." cherry replies with an unbothered shrug ." kinda like to have my pick of who i share that space with i guess ." she moves to push open the door of a room and perks up at finding it unoccupied . she leaves the door open for charlie as she moves to skip into the room and plop down on the corner of the bed . she bounces with the movement before faltering and asking, " this room doesn't belong to someone gross does it ?" the question is mostly a precaution as cherry squints charlie's way, but it's not long before she's shrugging once again and moving on with a, " it's what i would do to be honest . especially with how free love things are around here, y'know ?" despite the confidence with which the words flow out of her mouth cherry isn't entirely sure of them . sure there was one point where she would've done that kinda thing without hesitation, but now ? the idea of shacking up with someone random makes her stomach twist in a weird way that she doesn't particularly want to examine . and considering she's been ignoring it for a year, she feels pretty prepared to close her eyes to it again, instead scrunching her expression as she looks at charlie in amusement . " okay, i feel like they definitely do ." cherry replies first, her eyes twinkling in amusement . " so let's start there, but second," she glances over at the night side table curiously before moving to open the drawer, poking around it idly . " i borrowed those ." a distracted shrug . " but sometimes i roll if i'm desperate ."

[fromcharliehale]

"no, i get it. that was me too not too long ago. where did you come from?" charlie wondered if this was how she was in her first day. a lot of people commented on how calm she was, but inside, she was anything but calm. her mind going back to when she woke up on ellington's couch the morning after she came here and how much she freaked out at them. how they needed to calm her down and tell her everything all over again because she was too drunk when they first rescued her from the night. "hey, it's cool. i totally get it. i lost my shit on my third day." she went running off into the woods, just like everyone said she would. "yeah, about that. i'm still trying to get used to things myself. i've met some girls who have been here since they were kids, now that is hard to wrap my head around."

'Confused doesn’t even cover it. Two days ago, I was halfway across the world. Now I’m here and everyone here is acting like it’s just another Thursday.' Her tone is edged with frustration, but there’s a crack underneath it—fear, disbelief, exhaustion. She exhales, running a hand through her hair. 'Sorry.' Her voice softens just a bit. 'I’m just—trying to not lose it. And I don’t get how anyone else hasn’t.' Her gaze flicks back to Charlie, studying her again. 'You said you’ve only been here three weeks?'

[fromcharliehale]

how did she get dragged into this? charlie hasn't been to the woods since she first came here a month ago and had her little breakdown. she had made it a point to avoid this place and now she was following after alex as they chase after... something. she honestly wasn't even sure what it was but alex was pushing forward with a strange determination. "where are we going?" she called after them as she tried to keep up.

they stop at a clearing and charlie finally catches up to them, panting hard. god, why did she skip the gym back at school? all her friends would go obsessively and she would just sit at her apartment and laugh at them like they were crazy. she was really regretting that now. "which way who went?" charlie asks. "who are you following?"

you hear a barking, you've heard it before. there is a dog outside your door. it barks at you, wagging its tail. it wants you to follow it. dogs are trustworthy, right? it's totally not weird that you can never find the dog when you go looking for it but it always seems to be able to find you. it walks towards the forest, it wants to show you something. deeper and deeper into the trees, never looking back to see if you're following it. it barks and runs through the woods but when you think you catch up to it, the dog is gone. you're standing in a clearing. there is nothing there besides a single tree in the middle. it seems like an ordinary tree. why did the dog bring you here? what is so special about the tree? do you investigate it or do you go back to town and try to forget about it like all the other times the dog has come to you?

work boots are sodden ⸺ their soles heavy with mud that clings like whisper in the dark. the storm had left its mark across the forest floor: damp patches splotch the earth, slight remnants of that fated night’s rage. yet, the barking presses onward with a determined pace unfazed by the mire. almost forgotten, those lingering puddles, pools, and thatches go unnoticed.

a howl bark rings out again—sharp, long and insistent—cutting through the silence like a thunder above the gray skies. it echoes, a sound so familiar from alex's very dreams. they are reminded that reality is never as certain as it seems⸺

as the dog ahead advances, those peels grow fainter, more distant, swallowed by the endless stretch of shadowed trees. "come on," they urge, their voice rough with a thread of desperation. "keep up." they couldn't afford to lollygag now. not when they were so close to catching the canine.

the clearing ahead feels like the only refuge, once it's finally in full view. "did you see which way he went?" / ( 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐋𝐋 )

[fromcharliehale]

"it's not so bad most of the time, but the lack of personal space is a big thing." she did spend two years in a dorm in college and it was pretty similar to that. cramped rooms with a stranger in the bed right next to her, sharing a bathroom with ten other people, fighting with people because they ate the food out of your mini fridge without asking. it was pretty much the same besides the fact that the housemates ranged in ages from 22 to 40 and some of them can be pretty weird. when cherry says that she should make her way into someone else's bed, charlie laughed uncomfortably. "i'd be lying if i said i haven't considered that," she says, hoping her face hasn't turned red. she was probably just drunk enough to do or say something stupid that she will probably regret in the morning. thankfully, cherry lights her cigarette for her and charlie takes a much needed hit of it, basking in the feeling that comes. "well first of all, i am not a smoker," she says with a grin. "drunk cigarettes don't count. and second, i came in here with jack shit on me and i still can't figure out where to even find cigarettes even though everyone seems to have them."

" THAT'S WHY I COULDN'T LIVE HERE ." cherry says offhand in reply to charlie's words, trying to focus on them and putting one foot in front of the other . she feels like alcohol is sloshing around in her head a bit, but she feels like that so often that she's kind of used to it . it's more the other stuff making her feel off balance really, but she's doing her best not to think about that . so instead she says, " love the culture, but i don't share well and i like to have my own shit ." a shrug as they make their way to the unoccupied room . cherry lifts her arms in a stretch as she adds, " also don't do well with being told what to do, and that's kinda cam's whole gig ." a beat before her head tilts as she drops her arms to add, " y'know, if you're really hard pressed for a bed you can just bunk up with somebody ." cherry waggles her brows playfully with the words, her grin growing a bit crooked even if it doesn't quite reach her eyes . she makes a noise of surprise at charlie's question before shifting to reach into her bra and pull out a novelty lighter with a quickness . this one's got a pair of dice rolling around in the lighter fluid through the clear paneling . cherry lights charlie's cigarette as she asks, " you smoke but you don't got a lighter ?"

[fromcharliehale]

Milly Alcock for Louis Vuitton at the Paris Fashion Week.

[fromcharliehale]

of all the things she seen and learned in this place, one thing she has yet to get used to was the different ways people see this place. some are hopeful to get out but then there were a few, like jo, who had a totally different outlook of this place, one that seemed way more morbid than charlie wanted to believe. "i mean, i guess. death is a part of life but what happened to her... it feels wrong." she's seen what those things can do, but this seemed different. emerson was just sat there, as if they left her there waiting for them to find her.

she looks at jo at her curiosity. she could have a point there. an example for them? could that be why they left her out? maybe it was to show them that they didn't know everything about this place like they thought. it wasn't just them waiting for someone to step outside and attack them and leave their bodies for the morning. those things could think and plan and do something like this. "can they feel anger?" she asks absently. "or are they just bored with us and wanted to play a game?"

josephine's face did something close to softening upon seeing the other ; a younger individual , both in age and how long she had been one among them in oblitus . empathy was something she had been taught , but she questioned often if she truly felt it ; being able to resonate with another's emotions . josephine hardly knew her own sentiments , let alone how to share the burden of grief or the delight of joy with someone else .

" it can be sad , " josephine sighed in response , sandwiching her palms beneath biceps as she pushes hands deep into the fabric of her unzipped hoodie . " — but death . . . it is part of this , isn't it ?? " of purgatory , she meant . technically , they had already abandoned their living bodies , their souls now tethered to this place - the in between . were they really dying here or were their deaths being completed ??

jo nodded slowly , rolling her lips together , marinating on the observation she too had been having about emerson's body . as natural as death was , there was something odd about this one — peculiar . " perhaps whoever did it was trying to set an example for the rest of us , " josephine offered after a moment of palpable silence . the reaper did love their lessons . " maybe she did something to anger them . too bad we cannot ask her . "

[fromcharliehale]

charlie chuckles lights as she takes another drink of her cup. "yeah, i just keep hoping the more i drink, the easier it'll go down." so far it wasn't working but it was making her care less with each sip she takes. maybe by the end of the night she'll be a regular to this stuff. "honestly, i don't eve think anyone would notice. i'm sure there's loads of people smoking in here. cameron might be pissed tomorrow but i'm sure she'll have a lot more to clean up than some smoke so go for it." god, the chores that all of colony house were going to do tomorrow was going to be annoying. but rather than think about that now, she just takes another sip and listens to alex. they seemed like the loner type, someone to sit quietly and watch people than be involved in a big party like this. "i can see that actually, regular at a bar or something. i was definitely a party person but i think that was just the college experience. i'd probably turn into a barfly in a couple years if i wasn't here."

the drinks are catching up with them now ⸺ a faint swirl in their head sends a dizzying ripple through their thoughts as they clutch the edge of the kitchen island for balance. a laugh escapes their lips, light and self-deprecating, as they nod along with charlie's words, “hasn’t stopped me from having a few too many myself.” despite the haze of alcohol, alex speaks with an unflinching candor. “think anyone would care if i smoke in here, even with no window cracked?” the question hangs in the air, knowing full well the consequences: yellowed walls, smoke seeping into the very fabric of the house. but a cigarette seems like the only thing that could numb the buzz. “i wasn’t much of a party person back home,” they muse, their words slightly slurred but steady. "you’ve gotta be the type of person people like to invite to parties... i was more of a barfly, y’know?"

[fromcharliehale]

something seemed a little off about cherry. she didn't know her well enough to know what it was, but it was almost like she was far away from their conversation, uninterested in everything going on. maybe it was just halloween and what came with tonight that was making everything seem off, but maybe something else was going on. maybe charlie could be a good distraction, she was pretty good at doing that for people. "aye aye capitan," she says happily as she follows after cherry up the stairs. making their way into an unoccupied room. "you know, living here is kinda fun, it's nice having people around, but i still don't have a bed. how fucked is that? i'm still the newbie of the house and everyone already has dibs on the beds." she was talking mostly to fill the silence. "maybe i should have picked the motel instead." she puts the cigarette to her lips before realizing she doesn't have anything to light it. "do you have a lighter?"

CHERRY IS PLEASED ENOUGH WITH THAT DEAL TO NOD IN REPLY, HER LIPS TWITCHING AT THE WAY CHARLIE'S GRIN WIDENS . " sounds good to me ." cherry replies with an easy shrug, or at least an attempt at one . it's been a shit night over all, but if cherry squints and tries very, very hard not to think about it, it's like the awfulness of it all is right in her periphery . yeah, she can still see it . yeah, it weighs kind of heavy . but it's not right in front of her as long as that cowboy hat isn't in her direct field of vision, and that's truly the best she can ask for . so when cherry registers charlie's question she can only shrug, making an attempt at a tone that's easy as she says, " yeah, sure ." cherry moves to make her way to the stairs with probably more authority than she should have considering she doesn't live here . " they've got rooms upstairs ." she offers as she glances to charlie behind her, brow arching .

[fromcharliehale]

"fuck," charlie says under her breath when catie shares that she just arrived here. she assumed it, but to hear she just came, it was strange. there hadn't been any newcomers since charlie found her way here with the group of others right before the storm. it was strange to know that she was no longer new and now there were more people coming. it was sad too, that more people were forced into this town. "i'm sorry," she says genuinely. she didn't know this girl but no one deserved to end up here.

charlie nods and looks out at the room as well, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms across her chest. "yeah, honestly i'm still wrapping my head around it all. i ended up here-" she pauses to try and count the days, "about three weeks ago and i still barely know anything about it. my first day was awful, huge storm, it was dark for like 16 hours and those things were out the whole time. i think i'd take this fucked up party than doing that again." she looks back at catie and realizes she probably thinks she's crazy or something. she seems well adjusted now, but her first couple of days involved a lot of panicking and running out to the woods. "sorry, i'm rambling and you're probably super confused right now."

Catie’s eyes narrow slightly, her gaze steadying on Charlie as if trying to read her. The girl looked too casual. Almost unfazed by the chaos around them. Almost. But Catie senses there's something underneath it. 'Yeah,' she says. Two days ago. Just in time for everyone to pretend that dressing up and dancing somehow makes any of this okay.” She glances around the crowded room, watching people laugh, drink, and avoid looking out the windows. 'I’m trying to wrap my head around it, but everyone just…rolls with it. Acts like it’s some new normal and not like, like-' she hesitates a second then points at Charlie. 'Like a literal horror movie.” She lets out a short, bitter laugh. 'It's fucked. Beyond fucked.'

[fromcharliehale]

charlie nods enthusiastically. she was desperate even if she swears she's not a smoker, but one drop of alcohol in her system will have her begged anyone who happens to have a pack of cigarettes on them. thankfully here, despite being cut off from the world, everyone seems to have some on them at all times. when cherry finally gave in, charlie could've cheered. "i still got it," she said with a wide grin as she takes the cigarette from her. "anything you want, i got you." she may regret that because cherry seems like the type to always cash in her favors, but charlie didn't care right now. "come on, want to find a place away from everyone?" honestly, she just wanted a chance to sit and catch up because the drinks were making her feel good.

CHERRY CAN'T HELP BUT GRIN AT CHARLIE'S EXCITEMENT, EYES SPARKLING WITH IT AS SHE LAUGHS . " you want one that bad, huh ?" cherry replies in amusement, which she supposes she can't blame the blonde . cherry spent near every day in this place needing a cigarette . it's honestly a surprise that charlie has waited this long . her grin grows at charlie's groaning for an instant before she's rolling her eyes at the pouting with a light huff . " oh come on . the puppy dog eyes ? really ?" the words have no heat to them and are punctuated by cherry tapping charlie's forehead gently . " i mastered those a long time ago . i'm immune !" despite the words cherry ultimately sighs as she rolls her eyes and moves to offer the cig to charlie in earnest . " but you're lucky i like you . you just owe me a favour ." and likely a useless one at that . after all, charlie's did just get here . cherry's got no idea what she'd even ask for, and to be honest, laundry doesn't sound bad .

[fromcharliehale]

it's officially been a month since charlie was taken from her home and some how brought here but it didn't get any easier. halloween was a fun escape but the scene they walked out to the next normal was just a reminder of where they were and that no one was safe. she only knew emerson in passing, she was the one who supplied the town with cigarettes, she knew that much. she wished she knew her better but now she was gone. those things having propped her up like some doll. by everyone's reactions, she knew that couldn't be normal for them.

seeing jo staring at the place where she was left, charlie wondered if she was mourning or just trying to piece together what happened. "hi," she says when she has her attention. "yeah, it's always sad when we lose someone." she thinks back to the storm that happened right after she arrived and the amount of people they lost that night. she didn't know any of them, but this was her first that she did know even if it wasn't well. "weird how she was left like that. i still don't know much about this place, but that doesn't feel right."

𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦

josephine stood on the curb with the toes of her boots just barely hanging over its edge , balancing on the balls of her feet . denim-encased arms wrapped around her slender frame , a means of self soothing , as her misty gaze concentrated leftward towards the town center where emerson's body had been found the night prior .

it wasn't that jo was unmoved by her passing , not necessarily , but in purgatory ( as well as life ) , death was the inevitable means to an end . the people of oblitus could only hang in the in balance for so long — eventually , the reaper would come for them all . josephine's brows furrowed together , lips curling inwards to press into a fine line , gaze slightly narrowing as if trying to see through space & time to witness emerson's dance with the reaper first hand .

the clearing of a throat gave her a start , jumping , as if she had been yanked out of a hypnosis by the snapping of fingers . josephine's face flew to her right , meeting the eyes of who appeared to be looking for her attention , head cocking like that of a confused feline as the bridge of her nose scrunched . she took a step back , feet now fully flat on the sidewalk .

" hello , " her voice felt raw , like she had swallowed shards of glass . her shoulders loosened , sinking from where they had shot up to her ears . jo sighed , stare returning back to where the cooled corpse had been just hours earlier ; " — sad what happened to her . "

[fromcharliehale]

el seemed like someone to always keep things to themself. she thought back to their time stuck together in the storm. they told her just enough to let her know where they came from but not enough to get too deep. and even now, they seem so far away and distracted but refuse to talk about it. charlie wished she knew them better and knew how to tell. she didn't like seeing her friends upset and she would like to consider el a friend considering all she's been through with them.

"okay, i wont push. but if you change your mind, i am all ears," she said with a smile. "and i've been told by many people that i give great advice." she was sure that they wouldn't take her up on it, but it was worth a shot.

charlie laughed lightly and wrapped her hands around el's bicep, leaning into their side for a second. "there you go, saving my life again," she joked before letting her hands drop loosely to their elbow. el flipped the conversation back to her, just like they did before, and she was okay with that. they could both be distractions for each other. charlie was good at drunk rambling. "i'm doing okay, settling in as best as i can," she explains. "i think i have a crush on someone so by my standard, that mean's i'm pretty good. but i feel like it could be super messy so i don't really know. feels like i'm still at college, only here i can't go out at night."

Ellington blinked, half-smiling at Charlie's attempt to lighten the mood. Her giggle felt like a warm pocket of air in the cool, crowded room, and her question settled into the quiet spaces Ellington usually kept to themselves. They chuckled, trying to keep things light, though the weight of the night clung to them.

“You’re right. Halloween just wouldn’t be complete without a bit of chaos,” El said, glancing at the rowdy scene around them. “Guess I’ve been on autopilot tonight…too much on my mind, maybe.” They paused, looking down at the drink in their hand, feeling the familiar ache of thoughts they'd been trying to bury.

Ellington’s smile softened at Charlie’s offer, but they shook their head, taking a sip from their drink. “Thanks, Charlie, but it’s nothing worth digging into,” they said, trying to keep their tone light. The weight of the night pressed in—the hopes they’d carried with them around Cherry now felt faded, like the remnants of some once-bright possibility. Another close connection slipping away. It was a feeling they’d grown familiar with, but that didn’t make it any easier.

They nudged her shoulder with a grin. “But I’m definitely down to keep you out of the line of any Halloween-related toilet disasters.” The joke didn’t quite mask the tiredness in their eyes, but Ellington focused on Charlie, letting her warmth and laughter pull them away from their thoughts. Tonight wasn’t the night to dwell on what was already starting to feel like another missed chance. "How're you doing? With everything?" they ask, opting for a lighter topic.

[fromcharliehale]

charlie had been drinking a bit too much, mostly because she loved a good party, even if the reason was because there were murderous monsters outside waiting for one of them to step out the door. maybe she shouldn't be the one talking to a new person, but then again, charlie was still pretty new herself. "yeah, trust me, i don't fucking get it either. i mean, i love a good halloween party but we basically live in a horror movie now." she looked at the girl for a second, sensing that she was probably totally freaking out, just like charlie had been when she was first here. "did you, uh," she still didn't know how to say it. she felt too new to be a welcomer. "did you just get here?"

Catie stumbles back slightly from the collision, irritation flashing across her face before she catches herself. She was already on edge, not quite believing they were throwing a party in this overcrowded madhouse while literal monsters lurked outside. And now, between the crush of people and the stifling heat of the room, her nerves are wearing thin.

'No kidding,' she mutters, glancing around at the crowd pressing in around them. She sizes up the stranger—someone she hadn’t seen before either, but who had the air of someone slightly more...settled than herself. 'I don’t know how everyone is just going along with this…whatever this is.'

[fromcharliehale]

charlie wasn't surprised by the hug, she loved hugs, but it was the first hug she's gotten since being in town and it felt so good coming from bruna. ever since her first day, the other girl always made her feel safe. she was honest about things without being a total downer, she really helped her transition into this place easier. "yeah, it's probably the biggest party i've ever been to!" considering the entire town was crammed inside colony house, it had to be true. she still didn't fully understand why they did this. she was told the monsters are worse tonight so it made sense to have everyone together and safe, but why throw a party? but that thought was pushed away when bruna asked her to smoke with her. "absolutely!" she said with drunken enthusiasm as she was lead through the kitchen. "no i didn't even know we had a basement." she wondered what was down there that needed to be locked up but unfortunately, she wouldn't learn tonight. "no, lock picking is not in my skill set."

@fromcharliehale colony house party.

She'd not seen the other since their trip to the lake, and the little devils lettuce gift she'd given her at the time. Bruna spent her nights since, at the small room in the back of the community kitchen, and mostly kept to herself. So now, as she got here, stoned and fed and ready to let loose, she was truly in good spirits. Better than she'd been since she got here. No thoughts of a damned book, no memories of her sister, it was all left outside, in the dark and the person she was now was loose and happy and pretending -- life was normal, this was a normal party, normal circumstances, normal encounters. A normal hug -- which is exactly what she instantly went for at the sight of Charlie. Having always been a touchy person, there was also a sense of relief seeing the other had not ran off into the woods, gotten herself ripped apart in the days she'd not been around. "You're here!" she'll cup her face, taking a short step back but staying close enough to be heard over the noise and the crowd. "Hi! Uh, wild party huh? Bet the frats had nothing on this banger..." it's a joke, kind of? "You look good, come...come smoke with me..." she'll throw an arm around the others shoulders, leading her through the crowd to where the kitchen split into the hallway and stopped in the first relatively quiet corner. "Basement is right behind those doors, you been yet? Creepy ass place but, off the limits tonight." which was too bad really, she wished she'd had the key. "You don't by any chance know how to pick locks, do you? The smoke in this place is making my eyes water, if the monsters don't get to us the lack of air sure will..."

[fromcharliehale]

MILLY ALCOCK as MEG ADAMS Upright, 2.02: Tomatoes