#Fiver:Elaine

[springbandit]

Fiver nodded slightly at Elaine's statement. He didn't have anything to add and he didn't know her well enough to pry into what she might be referring to. But, her words about the best things in life not wanting to be trapped resonated with him in a way that made his chest tighten. "It's the one across the way," he said softly, pointing in its general direction. "The seedier one, not the one with the dance floor. But...like I said, I can't come with you. I don't want him or his partner to know I had anything to do with this. Please...leave my name out of it."

Fiver fidgeted with the hem of his coat, hands trembling as another wave of unease swept over him. His nose twitched and his eyes glazed over, breathing hitching as a sharp hiss filled his ears, accompanied by a flash of fangs snapping at him. He flinched, taking a small step back, his chest rising and falling quickly as he tried to pull himself back to reality. "The sheriff," he started again, voice shaky from his fright. "He won't be easy to talk to. He's...not in a good place. If he feels like you're prying, he might get violent. Just...be careful. He's hurting, but he doesn't want anyone to know how bad it is. Reputations are a curse, in my eyes."

When she asked how he knew the sheriff and his partner, he hesitated, gaze darting away. "I don't really know them." he admitted, voice quiet and tinged with uncertainty. "I..I bumped into his partner once, and I could just...tell. That he was in a bad way. That's all." It wasn't the full truth, but, it wasn't exactly a lie either. How could he explain what he didn't fully understand himself? He hesitated for a moment before shaking her hand, grip light. "Hrairoo." he said softly. "But, most people call me Fiver. Easier to say, I guess." He pulled his hand back quickly, taking another small step away. "I hope...I hope you can help him. I've done all I can think to do."

@fcrafcrtnight

"I KNOW WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE. THINKING THAT THE SKY IS GOING TO FALL DOWN ON YOUR HEAD. OF DOING.. WHATEVER YOU CAN TO STOP IT. and of course not. all of the best things in life don't want to be trapped in a cage." herself included? yes. that too. looking upwards for a little bit, knowing that.. well, she wasn't about to admit what she was thinking. yes, she had moments of vulnerability and more as of late than she was proud of admitting, but.. that was just it. wasn't it? a lot was going on as of late and she had her happy ending, but it wasn't quite complete or done for just yet. no. she knew what else it was that she had to do. right? "well, i could do with a drink right about now. POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? LOTS OF BARS IN THIS TOWN." and not all of them good, but.. right now, that wasn't that. not in the slightest. why was she doing this? well, she was curious. he looked like jake. was that enough to make her want to help? something like that. yes. perhaps.. this was his brother? something else? "how do you know this sheriff? and his partner, again?" too many questions, perhaps, but this situation called for something like that. didn't it? extending a hand for her to shake. "just what i like to hear. ELAINE PEDERSON." @springbandit

[springbandit]

"i woke up in paradise... but my heart feels like it’s gone missing." (Fiver & Elaine)

Fiver tilted his head, the words stirring something inside him. A weight pressing on his chest that wasn't quite his own. He fidgeted with his jacket, unsure how to respond, but, knowing he had to say something. "I...I think I understand." his voice was soft and clearly unsure. "Sometimes, even when things seem perfect, something inside feels...wrong. Like you're missing a part of yourself." He could feel his cheeks heating up into a gentle blush, not really sure why. Embarrassed, he looked around the room for a distraction. "It's not just you. It's common. Maybe...Maybe it's an easy fix. I don't know."

@fcrafcrtnight

[springbandit]

Fiver blinked at Elaine's question, her words snapping him back to the present. "The sky isn't falling," he said softly, voice carrying a tremor of worry. "It just...feels like it is. All the time." he thought of the raven again, "You can clip a bird's wings to keep it close, but, it only causes dependence. Ravens aren't meant to be domesticated." He screwed up his face, shaking his head for a moment, trying to fight off the feeling that kept grabbing hold of him in waves. He focused on the sheriff, knowing that if he could solve that issue, he'd feel a lot better in his own life too. At least, once he smoothed things over with Alice. "I don't...I don't think I can bring him to you. But, he lives at a hotel not too far from here. And spends a lot of time at the bar across the way." He glanced up at her cautiously, the faintest hint of concern shadowing his expression. "But, I can't come with you. I know his partner, and I wouldn't want her to think I went behind her back. She'd want to be a part of this, but...I don't think she's going about it the right way. It shouldn't be going on so long. It's too dangerous. I'll tell you everything I can, but, please, leave my name out of things." He paused, considering her offer to 'get along' with her. It sounded hopeful. He didn't know where his loyalties lay in all of this, but, if she could help him with these troubling visions - the serpent, the fox and now the raven, maybe he could start feeling a little more like himself. Whoever that was. "Yes, I'd like that. To get along." he agreed softly. "There are others too. Perhaps we could come to some kind of agreement on things."

@fcrafcrtnight

"ARE YOU.. THERE ISN'T SOMETHING ABOUT TO FALL ON TOP OF MY HEAD THAT YOU'RE NOT WARNING ME ABOUT, IS THERE? i'd kindly appreciate the heads up." was she saying that.. she didn't believe that? no, because right now, only a fool wouldn't believe that much. right? very much so. she had seen something about the other that she didn't see much of anywhere and so.. well, she wasn't about to let this go. elaine pederson was nothing if not smart. RIGHT? when she saw an opportunity, she took it. that was simple. "poisoning? perhaps he has been drinking too much? or something? that's what my instinct was telling me, but.. I'D HAVE TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. is there any way that you could bring him here? this so called sheriff? perhaps?" way to kill two rabbits with one stone. in one swipe, she could get the new sheriff on her side by saving his life and she could get this one on her side? yes. "alright, i suppose that i can? where can i find him?" because it would have been impossible to find someone like that, wouldn't it? as of right now, she had a feeling that it was. right? "as someone who also wants that, i think we'll get along well?" @springbandit

[springbandit]

Fiver's nose wrinkled slightly as Elaine spoke about her problem with someone else. It made him uneasy, but, not in the way he was used to. It wasn't the kind of danger he was feeling, and that realisation only confirmed that his sense of foreboding wasn't coming from her, despite her protest. But then, as she mentioned Jake, he found himself distracted, flinching suddenly, eyes darting up at the imagined sound of wings flapping above him. A raven swooping over heard, dripping as if painted by watercolours. Gone as quickly as it arrived. He tried to shake it off, heart pounding as he refocused on Elaine. "Sorry...I...I thought I heard something." he muttered, looking up one last time to settle himself before returning to her words. "Oh, I'm not worried about myself. It's the sheriff." he said, voice softer. "He's sick. I can feel it...a pain in his stomach, like...like something's wrong inside him. A great poison. Last I saw him he could barely stand up, was giving another man a good telling to at the ball. I haven't seen him again since, but, I don't think he's the type of man who'd ever come here off his own back." His hands returned to fidgeting with the zipper of his coat, an unconscious habit when he felt out of place. "People say he and I look alike too, but...I don't think we're family. Just part of this...warren...of things that are important. That...That need help." He looked at her with a pleading look in his eyes, wondering if his words meant anything to her given she too had mentioned a likeness of his features. "Could you....Could you help him? Even if he doesn't want it I...I fear he might die." With Elaine circling back to wanting to hear his 'side' of things, he looked down, brow knitting in confusion once again. "I don't really have a side. I'm not even sure what that would be. I don't know what you'd want to hear. My side to what? I'm not part of all of this, I just...experience these things...I don't cause them. I just want to make them better."

@fcrafcrtnight

"I CAN ASSURE YOU IT'S ME. her deluded little brain may still think that she can win over me, despite the fact she's done nothing but lose. it's pathetic. i can handle it and her.." hadn't she done that last time? with a particularly sharp knife and boy, had it felt good. if anything, she was just sad that she hadn't aimed anywhere else and that she hadn't made sure that the other was going to pay for what she had done. right? in a more permanent way, but there was always time for that. "but it's my family i may be concerned about. just a couple of days ago, she hurt an innocent girl, all because she can't stand that her father doesn't want to be with her any longer. and jake.. i worry." not that she wouldn't do whatever she had to and whatever it took to protect him - she always was going to, because he was family now and.. no, that wasn't ever going to be any different. "yes? it's just over there," her face brightened up immediately. "i'm the director. i own the whole place, but.. yes, i'm a doctor. and who is this sheriff? what we do is help people. if that's what he needs, we'd be more than happy to see what we can do? is he.. family to you?" raising an eyebrow at that. yes, she could see most things and she was good at being observant, but... some things, even she had a hard time getting to know. not that she didn't make it happen. of course she did. "everyone has a side to something. i'd be more than happy to hear yours?" @springbandit

[springbandit]

Fiver shivered slightly as she spoke. She knew her danger, she was certain of it. That realisation only served to confuse him further. If she knew, then maybe the bad danger he felt wasn't actually from her...but from someone close to her. The panic, the sense of being hunted. It wasn't real, at least not here. Not yet. He flinched as her tone sharpened, eyes widening as she pressed him for answers about Jake. He didn't know what to tell her, he didn't know much of anything beyond what he felt and what she'd told him. "I...It's just this feeling I have. Like something's coming. But, maybe it's not you..." He trailed off, visibly unsettled by his own thoughts. "Hospital cafeteria?" he repeated cautiously, knowing he'd been dismissed or called mad before. He didn't want to walk willingly into some kind of trap. "Are you...are you a doctor? Or a nurse? I just...maybe you could help the sheriff. He's sick, but, I don't know what to do about it. What do you do when they won't do anything?" he glanced down, feeling foolish for asking, knowing she didn't have the details he did and it would only take all day to try and transfer all of the information over in a way that made sense to both of them. When Elaine mentioned his side of the story, he looked up again, confusion written on his face. "I..I don't really have a side to anything. But...if it'll help. I'll tell you what I can."

@fcrafcrtnight

"I SUPPOSE THAT THE ANSWER WOULDN'T PRESENT ITSELF TO ME THAT EASY. THAT'S ALRIGHT. I'LL BE FINE." and she would survive, but.. goddamn it, would it have been too much to ask to get the answer to get rid of her snake problem? the one that had been haunting her in here? was it? everything else was in place, but.. maybe, she just had to get rid of this one problem. the one that was going to keep on bothering her, until she stumped on it. FOR GOOD. "i know precisely what the danger is. or who it is, actually," just the thought of that little bitch made her want to vomit. something else. "and mayors? like jake? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HIM? HE'S MY BOYFRIEND. I LOVE HIM. I'M NOT LETTING ANYTHING HAPPEN TO HIM." if anyone wanted to get anywhere near him? they'd pay the price. a very big one, at that. "follow me. we have the best cafeteria inside the hospital. on the house," being kind, every now and then, paid off. didn't it? "no one has bothered to listen to your side of the story, have they? i think i'd like that. help or not." @springbandit

[springbandit]

Fiver blinked idly for a few moments, her words pulling him in opposing directions. A shadow over her family...He felt the weight of that without even needing to know the details. But her suggestion about tea caught him off guard, her offer tinged with a chill that made him instinctively wary. "I...I really don't know how to make shadows go away." he sputtered, shifting his weight as his eyes never really seemed to find one place to settle for more than a few mere moments. "I can just...feel them, I guess. Sometimes, I can tell if they're stronger or if they're starting to fade. But, I don't know how to get rid of them. Or what exactly the bad danger that's coming after you even is. I can just feel...the pressure...like being...hunted. Sheriffs and mayors...the lost...leading the way...serpents and ravens..." He stared off into nothing for a few moments, trembling before finding his way back to reality and out of his own head. "A cup of tea...that sounds nice, I suppose." his gaze softened and he took a step forward, trying to walk away from his prior feelings. "But, I still don't think I'll be much help. Sometimes these things linger for a reason. And forcing them away might...might make them fight back."

@fcrafcrtnight

"HOW UNFORTUNATE. to lose your memories of who you are just like that.. i can't even begin to imagine. and you do look a lot like him. younger, of course, but.. the resemblance is there. are you sure you don't know of him? jake green? the new mayor?" did she care? well, no, because the other was nothing to her in the slightest but this was.. curious, in so many ways. was it because he looked like jake that she was giving him the time of day? maybe it was. or maybe, she did have a keen sense of opportunity and right now, it was almost being put through the roof. wasn't it? yes. "i don't know of any sheriff, no. hm. and he looks like you? how.. interesting. i'll have to ask jake if he knows about this individual." eyebrow raising at that, as she stopped where she was. did she want to know more? yes, because what he had said wasn't all that wrong, was it? no. "it does make a lot of sense. there is a shadow hanging over me. over my family. try as i might, i haven't been able to get rid of her... yet. perhaps you'd have any idea as to how i can make that happen? i'd be very interested. perhaps over a nice, warm cup of tea? it's quite cold here." @springbandit

[springbandit]

Fiver blinked, her words spinning around in his mind like loose threads. The way she was looking at him, it felt like he was being watched by a hawk, he wasn't used to it, not in this body, at least. "I...I don't know." he stammered, voice going small and filled with a kind of helplessness. "Who I am, I mean. I don't remember. I don't remember anything from before I got here. But, I don't think...I don't think I'm related to your boyfriend, or to anyone, really." his hands fidgeted nervously, his fingers picking at the seams of his coat. A small, uncertain laugh escaped him, but there was no humour in it. "I've been told I look like people before. Maybe you know the sheriff? But, it's just...not possible, I think. I wouldn't know how to explain it, anyway." He took a shaky breath, eyes dancing around her, wanting to be aware of her moves but not look at her directly. "I'm not trying to be in your way. I just...feel things sometimes. Like there's a shadow hanging over people, and it clings to them. And I felt it when I saw you, that's all." He looked away again, a soft sigh escaping his trembling frame. "I'm sorry, I'm sure that doesn't make much sense."

@fcrafcrtnight

"DEAR HEAVENS, YOU LOOK AWFUL. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? a fox? and why on earth would i give a damn about any fox? i'm not a vet. that's down the hall." was she asking because she cared? well, no, not particularly, but.. something about the other had made her very curious and besides, only a fool would not have been able to see how much she looked like jake. was that strange? YES, IT WAS. what was down the hall was the exit, but.. hey. "i'll be fine. i always am," because she was a survivor - she survived - and it took a lot more than just some blonde snake to change that. right? "and what would you know about what is in my way? you happen to look a lot like my boyfriend. THING IS, I BELIEVE HE ONLY HAS ONE BROTHER AND NO CHILDREN AT ALL, SO.. WHO ARE YOU, HM?" what could she say? she was observant. always had been. @springbandit

[springbandit]

Fiver stumbled back as Elaine bumped into him, her sharp words cutting through the air before he even had a chance to apologise. He blinked, startled. His nose twitched and he took a small, submissive, step back, instinctively lowering his gaze to the ground. "I...I'm sorry." he murmured, voice soft and careful, as thought not wanting to stir her anger further. "It's just...there's this fox, and, and I have to solve a puzzle, and I haven't slept, and there's a...a bad danger coming, and I just...I'm sorry." He trailed off, realising he was rambling, his hands trembling as he fidgeted nervously. His eyes darted back to Elaine, a mixture of apology and worry in his expression, as though he was trying to make sense of her, despite her sheer presence crowding his mind. "Are...Are you alright? I know you're in a hurry, but, sometimes I can feel when things are going on. More than just me in your way."

@fcrafcrtnight

THE PLAN HAD WORKED PERFECTLY. it shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone, seeing as she wouldn't have allowed it to be any other way. but for now, parker was back with all of them, sweet little gabi was out of the way and wasn't going to be bothering her anytime soon and everything was better than it had been in a while, if it weren't for the fact that now, she had to pretend to be worried about the brat. ugh? was that what had gotten her so distracted that she bumped into someone, nearly dropping all of her things from the shock of the impact? yes. gasping, she found herself grunting in annoyance. "WATCH IT. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, HM? i'm attempting to head to see my daughter, who just got hurt, and.. you're simply standing in the way? what a terrible lack of manners. MOVE?" @walstarterblog