Boston Mariott, Thursday Night

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy...Kathy wasn't doing so well. She had a whole slew of reasons why she wasn't doing well, from her realization she remembered everything about being dead, to finding out Raven had killed her family, to her run-in with Ezra at the Coterie-run bar when she'd just wanted to drown her sorrows the old-fashioned way, it had been one thing after another after a-fucking-nother.

Which was why the phone call at ten pm found her putting the last touches on her makeup and hair for an evening out on the town. Her outfit left very little to the imagination and even less as protection to the elements, but she didn't care. Hell, that was the whole point. This was the third night she was in Boston and the third night of making questionable choices in the pursuit of getting her brain to shut down so she wouldn't have to think about any of the things she didn't want to think about. Sure, it was a weeknight in the dead of winter, but Boston was a college town. There were always people willing to party.

Though that didn't explain how Eliot knew what was going on. She listened to his message with a frown and immediately called him back. The only person who knew she was here was Ezra, so who'd gone to Eliot, carrying tales?

[Eliot's thread is chronologically first, but open to phone calls or that guy in Boston if he'd like! NFB for off-island shenanigans. Content warning for alcohol as a coping mechanism in the comments.]

Comments

[vdistinctive]

"It's not really something I've had to think about before, Kathy," Eliot pointed out. "I mean . . . not from that side of it."

[spin_kick_snap]

"YOU'VE BEEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS?!" Kathy gasped. "You neglected to mention that, well, ever!"

Sure, he'd told her about how he'd sometimes killed people for loving the wrong person, that going after family had been an effective motivator for people. She'd assumed he'd meant, like, boyfriends or wives but she supposed parents and siblings could have been part of that group, too.

"No wonder you're taking Raven's side on this," she said, bitter.

[vdistinctive]

"I was young once, you know," Eliot pointed out. "It's kinda like a rite of passage for a guy." He shook his head. This was not going like he'd planned. "Look, I'm not trying to take any sides."

[spin_kick_snap]

"..."

[vdistinctive]

". . . Kathy?" Unfortunately, boggling looks were not as distinctive as pouring alcohol. "You still there?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"A right of passage?!"

Sorry about those ear drums, Eliot. Kathy could be a little shrill sometimes.

[vdistinctive]

"I was young and stupid," Eliot said again. "Like I said, this stuff happens. Geez, kid, I never pegged you for such a prude."

He regretted it the moment it was out of his mouth but -- still. She was freaking out about this really hard.

[spin_kick_snap]

"A prude?! A PRUDE!?" Not being blasé about murder made her a prude?!

In a fit of temper, she hung up on Eliot and then threw her phone across the room and onto the bed, letting out a shriek of pure frustration. Seconds later she was diving for it and hitting redial. No way was she letting him off that easily.

"Answer your fucking phone, Eliot!" she yelled as the call connected and it rang on his end. "This conversation is not over!"

[vdistinctive]

This was really not going like he'd thought it would. Honestly, he'd kind of thought there'd be, like, relieved crying?

He answered fast enough when it rang again to catch the tail end of that statement. "You're the one who hung up on me!"

He was so mature. Such a great adult role model. Wow.

[spin_kick_snap]

"You called me a prude!" Kathy said. It was a good thing no one could see her, her arms flailing around in the air. "Because I don't think family tragedy should be a fucking rite of passage?"

[vdistinctive]

"Family tragedy?!" Seriously, this was really not how he thought this would go. "Kathy, I thought you of all people would get that getting pregnant ain't the end of the damn world."

He was a middle aged guy from Oklahoma. How was he being the reasonable one on this?

[spin_kick_snap]

"..."



After several long moments of confused and incredulous staring at her phone, Kathy asked, "...Pregnant?"

[vdistinctive]

"Um," said Eliot. "Yes?"

What was she talking about?

[spin_kick_snap]

"Who's pregnant?!" Kathy asked, now completely and utterly confused. "What does having a baby have to do with anything we were talking about?"

[vdistinctive]

"You are?" Eliot said. "That's why you kicked Raven out -- honestly, her part in all this doesn't make a whole lotta sense to me."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I didn't--I'm not--" Was this some kind of 'fake news' performance piece? There was just so many things wrong with his statement that Kathy didn't even know where to begin.

Oh wait, yes she did. "What the fuck?!" '

[vdistinctive]

"Well what the hell're you freakin' out about then?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Raven killing my mom and dad!"

[vdistinctive]

". . ."



"Yeah, that makes a lot more sense."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Why the hell would you think I'm pregnant?!"

When was that even supposed to have happened? Even if she'd gotten laid the night they brought her back, she still wouldn't be far along enough to know! The only way that would work is if it had happened before she'd died and--

Ewwww.

[vdistinctive]

"I don't know, it ain't like my world has people comin' back from the dead, either." Eliot rubbed his head. "My staff overheard Hardison talkin' to Raven and called me. I didn't believe it right away or nothin', but you seemed to know just what I was callin' about and -- what the hell kind of pill was s'posed to take care of your parents bein' dead?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"The kind that makes me forget!" Kathy said. "Forget that my best friend murdered my parents! Forget that I have no idea what to do next! Forget the fact that I remember everything from when I was dead! I just want to forget for awhile, is that so wrong?!"

...Oh. She hadn't meant to say some of that out loud. Oops.

[vdistinctive]

Fuck.

"Kathy." What the hell could he even say? "Darlin'. I'm so sorry."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I left the island on Valentine's Day," Kathy said softly, tucking her knees up to her chest. She'd long-since burned through the alcohol and was coldly sober now. That wasn't going to stop her from word-vomiting all over Eliot, though.

"I just--I couldn't stay. First there was the weekend where I realized that I remembered the afterlife and hell and then if those memories were true than the ones I was having about being an ex were true and then I asked Raven about what happened to my family and she told me that she killed them and burned the building down and it was Valentine's Day and the island was just going to be filled with people being cute and happy and in l-love and I just. Couldn't. Stay! So I ran."

[vdistinctive]

That was fair. That was more than fair. Eliot himself had gone off to liberate Croatia and all that had been about was his high school sweetheart marrying another man.

"Are you somewhere safe?"