Chapter 12: Sweet Opium To Ease Dying

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

"That would be pretty good money though. Hmm...maybe one of us could just dress up like a man. Or maybe there is someone in the party who doesn't mind taking risks." I say thoughtfully. But then Tuesday gets a phone call, so I quiet up and just think silently on the couch.

[Tuesday DeCastro]

"We'll have to think more into it, we shouldn't pass it-" Tuesday is cut off, when her phone rings, yet again, and she looks at the screen, expecting to see Alexei's number, instead Calithin's was flashing across it. She presses the talk button, noticing the little green phone receiver was starting to wear off from being over used.

"Hello?"

[Calithin Crest]

"Shazam!"

I say, a little loudly, into the phone... And can't even help but stand up.

"It is I, Poseidon, God of the sea..."

There is a pause here, for dramatic affect.

"Not really. It's Calithin. Guess what? There is a banquet coming up and I am calling to invite you to go with me as my date. Or... If you don't want to be my date, you can be my platonic companion, and say you're there researching a story or something."

I start walking around my office as I talk, aimlessly.

"Now, I know this is a lame way to ask. Over the phone. So I completely understand if you want to demand that I rush over to... Where ever you are with flowers or... Moon rocks, and do this whole thing proper. It's really up to you."

[Lucio De Saldanha]

Lucio shows up at Tuesday's apartment and knocks on the door. He looks half dead himself, wearing rags and looking dirty. He knocks loudly. He is sort of in a daze, rambling to himself.

"I'll tell the whole media about the crimes against me. The heroes of the workers are caged up and crazed."

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

I hear something at the door, and since Tuesday is busy, I decide to get it.

It turns out to be Lucio, a party member who I only vaguely know, but who I am pretty sure was captured.

"Lucio...come in....weren't you...captured?" I ask him with some fear in my voice.

[Tuesday DeCastro]

Tuesday mouths a thank you to Hilja for answering the door for her. Honestly, she was starting to feel a little overwhelmed at the moment.

She laughs a little. "Oh, I heard there was a Banquet coming up. And yeah, I'd love to go with you." She knows its a little risky, being a Banquet of the Blessed, but she wants to go, and figures it'd be great to get an inside scoop on it for the rebel paper anyway.

"But I'm gonna have to rain-check the whole moon rocks and flowers thing, I'm kind of caught up with...work at the moment. Would it be alright if I called you back a little later?"

[Lucio De Saldanha]

"Go pee on her spider tornado." Lucio blurts out. He walks into the room and flops onto the couch next to Hilja. He rubs his stomach. "It itches. The machine parts make it itch."

He then shakes his head, trying to get control of his own senses. "They set me free after the plane."

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

Lucio smells bad, so I leave my spot on the couch to move to another part of the room. I watch him carefully, since I am not sure if he is crazy or if it is just a silly act. With some people it is just hard to tell.

"They let you out after the plane incident. That's pretty strange." I remark with a small shrug.

"We should make cookies."

[Lucio De Saldanha]

"My mother was the minty fresh whore of Babylon." Lucio declares. He shakes his head again. "I...am..not doing well." He says. "We're not going to talk about it."

"I am not doing well."

[Calithin Crest]

"Awesome! We are going to have so much fun."

I smile and do a little dance. I dance all the time. It's always a good time to dance."

"But sure, Batgirl, you go on with your productive self. Being a... You know... Active member in society. Just gimme a call back to hang out. Hit me up. Whatevs. I'm cool, I'm cool."

And with... That. I hang up and go back to my paper work.

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

"If you don't feel well, maybe you should just rest. Just close your eyes and relax. It might help you." I suggest to Lucio. Really, he is worrying me. I am not sure how or why he is here, and although I don't know him well, he seems a little bit mentally upset.

"We can wake you up when the cookies are done."

[Lucio De Saldanha]

Lucio closes his eyes. He crosses his arms over his chest and tries to relax as Hilja has told him to. He sighs and takes heavy breaths.

"Wake me up when the cookies are done." He says. He tosses and turns a little, before facing away from Hilja and remaining still for some time. It isn't certain if he is asleep, but he is at least motionless.

[Tuesday DeCastro]

"I will." Tuesday says, somewhat lamely, she laughs, before hanging up, and shaking her head a bit. If that phone rang one more time, she was going to chuck it at the wall.

She runs a hand through her hair, looking between Lucio and Hilja for a moment, before he lays motionless.

"Cookies sound good." She says, standing and leading the way into the kitchen.

[Bambi Engel]

Bambi finally stumbled out of the flow of traffic, right toward the booth. The person who had been about to walk into it quickly backed away upon seeing her. Entering it, she pressed in a random key, praying it brought her somewhere she could find safety.

Upon exiting the booth, she found herself... in Florida. It was strange that was the key she had keyed in, but it was no time to ponder about it. She had no idea if it was possible to track the last location entered in a booth, and she wasn't keen to find out.

Dashing off down the street, more people stared at her, whom she promptly ignored. Pausing at the intersection, she puts her cell in her teeth. Her glasses were slipping from the sweat now forming on her brow.

She pulls off her outer blouse, throwing it to the right. If Alexei followed her to Florida somehow, he'd hopefully think she had gone down that street. With that she pulled the sleeves of her undershirt up and begin running again after removing her phone from between her teeth.

Obviously, she took the left way, making a right at the nearest turn. Where was she? Her blue eyes looked for any sort of landmark, any sort of sign of a place she could find safety in. No places with too many windows, that was for sure.

She felt like she was going to collapse any moment. It was so much hotter in Florida than London! Was Alexei still after her? Did he know she teleported to Florida? The thought made her continue to press forward.

And finally, she could practically hear an angelic chorus, her eyes landed on the All Mart head quarters. It was a place with security, protection. It was probably the first stroke of luck she had had all day.

She entered the building, slumping back against the glass door. The secretary raised her eyebrows. Bambi could only imagined how she looked. Her skirt was probably ripped like her stockings, her under shirt probably had a good amount of sweat on it, she lacked shoes.

What if Alexei passed by, saw her leaned against the glass? She pushed herself forward, glancing around and heading toward the elevator. She could get upstairs, even with windows upstairs, she'd be unlikely to be seen!

"Uhm, ma'am? Ma'am?" The secretary stood, unsure how to react. Bambi simply ignored her, pressing the button for the elevator. After a moment, the doors slid open. She stepped in. As the doors begun to close, she collapsed against the wall, her hand simply pressing a random button on the panel as she did so. Her cell phone clattered to the elevator floor.

Safety. Cool air. She panted for breath, eyes closed, her body leaning heavily against the metal wall as she simply sat on the floor where she had fell.

((Post to Peter/any All Mart employee I suppose.))

[Alexei Nacharade]

Alexei stopped at the booth. No way he was following her in there. He sighed as he took out his phone and called Kaschei then left a message.. He was gonna be pissed.

"Alexei here. The acountant bolted when I offered her the terms of our arrangment. I'm not sure where she teleported too. What do you want me to do?"

Then he hung up, dialing Tuesday's number.