closed

[satanicpanics]

Who: Eddie & River
When: January
Where: Nocwich
What: Questin’
Warnings: Corpses, maybe more TBA



[ Most of the jobs Eddie has been accepted here in Abraxas have been simple: toss a few fish back into the sea, cheer up some kids with some music—it’s always things he can complete in half a day without breaking too much of a sweat, and he’s happy to help. But this? This is a big job. An incredibly heavy, incredibly somber job.

Eddie would normally lean into the more comic side of his personality in cases like this, telling jokes to keep things light, but he doesn’t feel like that’s a particularly valid option here. He’s happy to joke at his own expense, about his own death, but this is different. The humor helps him cope, but unlike Eddie, these people died and are still dead. They aren’t even here to cope, so he makes a mental note to turn off the jokes until they figure out who these people were.

The more he dwells on it, the guiltier he feels about involving River in it as well. Ordinarily, he’d try to rope Steve in first, but Steve had actually been there on the island along with these people and still doesn’t seem to want to discuss whatever happened there. Afterward, he just happened to pick River at random considering how well they immediately seemed to get along. She’s so new, though, and when they meet up in Nocwich, Eddie vaguely wonders how much she actually knows about this entire thing. ]

Hey, so, you weren’t here for the whole…island thing, were you? Anyone catch you up on what went down?

Comments

[satanicpanics]

[ He glances down when he feels the tug on his sleeve, and it’s not hard to see that River is in a significantly better emotional place than she was only minutes ago. He’s quicker to catch on this time too; she’s clutching something in her hand and while she says it’s time to go home, Eddie can piece together than she doesn’t mean them, not yet. ]

Huh? Oh, he’s fine. I just told him a joke. Guess it was a real side-splitter.

[ He grins, innocent as can be—which really isn’t innocent at all, but the morgue assistant isn’t injured. The only pain he’s going to be suffer is his stomach from all that laughter, but it’s slowly beginning to ebb now. ]

I’ll be here all week, man.

[ He dips into another bow and leaves the poor morgue assistant to pull himself together, turning to lead River back into the room with the two sisters. He can’t help but be a little proud that she actually found it, especially when Eddie himself was planning on giving up. Partly due to that and party because she’s so invested, he thinks she should have the honor of reuniting the two. ]

How did you know where it was?

[thoughts]

[ river almost laughs as they head back to the room like misbehaving children fleeing the scene of a crime. eddie's antics are as entertaining as the first time they met. she imagines the assistant won't be very happy with them, nor any of the other morgue staff that watched her enter a room unauthorized and take something.

but this is important to her. and as much as her overall demeanor has improved, the voices are still there in her head. the pressure is just less intense now that this one knot has been unraveled. ]

Sometimes lost things want to be found.

[ it's the best explanation she can offer. river bypasses the humanoid plant entirely to go back to the other body. ]

She wanted it back. The sister. Felt it slipping.l and wanted to give it back, hoping maybe she would escape and take a piece of her back home.

[ but they died together instead. river places the pendant on the body so the bone charm rests next to its other half. together again and irrevocably separated.

not a moment later, the morgue assistant storms right up to them, red in the face ( from laughter or anger or both ) as he demands to know what they were doing. river tucks herself halfway behind eddie, head ducked sheepishly as she says: ]

Duìbùqǐ, bié shēngqì. She won't touch anymore, I promise.

[ it's probably better that way, honestly. things only boiled over after touching the pendant. maybe they can take a break and try again? if they'll let them, that is... ]

[satanicpanics]

[ Despite everything--the horrific condition the corpses are in, River’s outburst, the general air of fear and anxiety—Eddie nearly laughs as well. He manages to contain himself, but he does flash her a mischievous grin when they duck back into the room.

He lets River reunite the two bone pieces. It’s important to her, and important to them. It’s a quiet moment, but then the morgue assistant barges in and Eddie nearly jumps out of his skin.]

Jesus Christ, man, I already told you my best joke. You’re gonna have to wait for new material if you want more.

[ Eddie holds up his hands defensively, but then reconsiders. There should be no reason why they’d be in trouble. After all, they haven’t done anything wrong, and what’s the worst that can happen if they just tell the truth? He shoots River a quick glance over his shoulder, and slowly lowers his hands. ]

Alright, so…these two—

[ He gestures between the two women. ]

They’re sisters. We just needed to confirm. See?

[ Now, he brings the morgue assistant’s attention to the bone charms. ]

We had one, we needed the other. River…saw it on our way in and recognized the other half here.

[ Now, that part is a lie, but it’s going to take significantly longer to tell the truth about River and her ability to speak telekinetically to the dead. ]

Just doing our job, dude.

[thoughts]

[ it takes a moment for river to realize eddie is covering for her. she didn't ask him to - didn't even think of it, really, but she's grateful. so when the assistant skeptically asks how they could possibly know they were sisters with the state of their bodies, she decides to lean into it.

maybe a little harder than eddie, though; her voice doesn't change in pitch, still contrite and thick with emotion as she stares at the body and outright lies. ]

They were neighbors. Saw them all the time in the Primary Settlement. They liked to set up at the same booth in the market, next to a plot of flowers and downwind from the bakery.

[ never mind that she's never been to solvunn. if he pays close enough attention, eddie might recognize the description - from the last time he was at the market himself. she isn't reading their memories but his, weaving the story of a life that never was based on what he knows and selling it as the honest truth.

she sounds fond, wistful, and devastated, the way anyone might witnessing the gruesome end of their "friends." ]

Their family was so sad when they were taken. Oh god, what are we going to tell them now?

[ she turns into eddie, hiding her face against him as she quietly sobs. the morgue staff seem to shrug it off at that point; they've seen enough emotional breakdowns over these horrible deaths already. they don't have the time to be moved, so the assistant just tells them not to go out of bounds of their assignment again, or else they'll be asked to leave.

river doesn't respond beyond a nod as she continues to cry. it's only once she's certain they're gone that she pulls away from eddie, her eyes red but dry as she smiles at him like all is well in the world. ]

Ràoguò tiān kēng, that was close. Thank you.

[satanicpanics]

[ Eddie nods solemnly along with River as she weaves a false tale for the morgue assistant, his eyes enormous and pitiful. It’s a convincing lie, though Eddie has been a visitor in Solvunn for over a year now, and he knows the details are off. He just hopes the morgue worker knows less about the Primary Settlement and doesn’t question anything.

He wraps a comforting arm around River as she devolves into tears, shooting the man a look that says “come on, are you really gonna make her cry?” Between the two, it seems to work. The man gives them a good talking to, leaves, and River pulls away with dry eyes. Eddie bursts into laughter. ]

Are you kidding me? That was all you.

[ And he couldn’t be prouder! ]

Alright, why don’t we take that break now? I think we’ve both earned it.