(no subject)

[takecourage]

Alex is still getting used to having a car at her disposal every time she wants to go somewhere. It definitely makes living out at Black Elm easier. Today, she's sitting behind the wheel, idly drumming with her fingertips as she waits for Caleb. It's not much to look at, boxy and kind of a piece of shit, but it's her first car, one that she brought with her own money that she earned (albeit doing something that Darlington's still not entirely happy about), and she's kind of proud of that.

She grabs her phone off the dash and shoots off another text to Caleb.

It's okay. Take your time. I've got nowhere to be but here, bud x

Comments

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"This doesn't sound like that," Caleb notes, tone going sour as his chest fills with Alex's anger. "What the fuck."

[takecourage]

She hears him flare up and she makes a conscious decision to calm down, sucking in a breath through her nose, feeling the snake inside curl comfortably around her ribs again and close its eyes. She reaches out and squeezes Caleb's arm.

"It's okay," she says, softly. "He's okay."

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

He realizes what's happening only a heartbeat after she does, and he takes a slow, deep breath as her hand grips his arm, and releases it when she squeezes gently.

"Sorry. I'm good. I-I just. Okay, but like. Why did he do that?"

[takecourage]

"Because he doesn't know how to leave well enough alone," she says, gently as she can maage. "His work back home was important to him and, in his head, he's always going to be that. Virgil. The Gentleman of Lethe."

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

Caleb shakes his head. "I still don't get it," he admits. "What work does he think he has to be doing?" Caleb's stayed away from East Hallow after the first couple of weeks. He'd started getting weird not-quite-panic-attacks, and they'd agreed to give the place some space until they knew why — but then they'd stopped happening after they'd stopped going, so they just hadn't gone back.