The Luckiest Girl In The World

Devil May Cry, Limbo City, Friday Evening

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 17:30:31 GMT

Was Kathy nervous about tonight? Pfft, of course not. Don't be silly! Kathy was totally not a ball of anxiety over Dante and Barry meeting! Why would she be? It was just the first time her beloved boyfriend and her oldest school friend were going to be introduced. And decide if they liked each other. Not that either were weirdly touchy about things, either!

Thank god Anders and Barry were old friends or she might have had a complete meltdown at some point.

But now dinner was almost done cooking - they were having bulgolgi and it was delicious, thank you very much - and she was wearing something cute and pretty and everything was going to be fine.

Now just to practice the little introduction speech she'd already memorized...

Which was a totally fine and normal thing to do!

[For the nerds, no OCD]

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Devil May Cry, Limbo City, Thursday Morning

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 15:04:58 GMT

For the last...month? Or so? Dante (and sometimes Anders, but usually Dante, his chest was broader), had gotten to experience the joy of falling asleep with a two-foot tall bouncy antelope kneeling on his chest. Look, between that, the nigh-constant sproinging, and the fact that his cat repeatedly picked fights with his girlfriend because she was snotty and spoiled (unclear pronoun used deliberately), and it had really just been a great goddamn month for the residents of DMC.

At some point the ~~stranglehold the world has had on my brain~~ whimsy of Fandom finally eased, leaving girl behind where klipspringer used to be.

Still curled up on Dante, though, and now significantly heavier. Because why should the universe give that guy a break?

[For the guys and the visitor if they want!]

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The House In Limbo City, Limbo City, Wednesday Evening

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 05:39:09 GMT

It had been ten days since the kids had left and Kathy was mostly back to normal. The fact that it was the end of the semester had probably helped a bit in that regard - it was possible to be maudlin and to study your ass off, but it took a lot more energy than Kathy really had to spare.

Her immediate plans for the evening - more studying, finals started on Monday - had been immediately derailed when Dante had declared it a night off, carrying her downstairs to a pillow pile, made from what looked to be every pillow in the damn house. As if that wasn't dirty enough, he plied her with a mixing bowl full of ice cream, whipped cream, and caramel sauce, a similar-sized sundae for him on the other side of the nest.

Ice cream, blankets, pillows, and boyfriend. The perfect recipe to get rid of post-kid and pre-finals blues.

[Dante modded with permission!]

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Suite in the Arms, Saturday Morning

Sat, 11 Apr 2020 05:42:48 GMT

Kathy knew that she was probably one of the very few who thought this way, but the weekend after prom was pretty much her favorite time of year. Certainly her favorite of all the weird tricks the island pulled.

So late last night, she and Dante had decamped from Limbo City to the hotel; Anders had an important surgery that was expected to last hours, but he'd promised to come along if he could. But for now, it was just the two of them and...well, however many happened to show up.

"Wonder who we'll get this year," Kathy murmured, looking out the window towards the park.

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House in Limbo City, Limbo City, Valentine's Day

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 19:47:47 GMT

Last year, Dante had surprised them all but good with his Roseapalooza and decision to make breakfast. Kathy wasn't quite that crazy - that was reserved for Christmas, with minor bleedthrough for Thanksgiving - but she wasn't going to let this year go without a return volley.

Which meant baking. In a tiny red pinup apron over never-you-mind and heels definitely not intended for use in the kitchen, but still...baking. And, you know, a bit of tempering and molding chocolate, too. But by that afternoon, she had a two dozen roses for Dante and two dozen roses for Anders.

And a couple extra each for herself because she wasn't stupid thank you. She loved them, but the boys were bad at sharing.

Food, anyway.

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Antigua, Saturday Night

Sat, 21 Dec 2019 21:18:48 GMT

Kathy's kotatsu had died an undignified death and the repair (something about proper voltage) was complicated enough to require several days of work. Faced with a girlfriend sad about the cold and, more importantly, faced with a girlfriend's frigid feet, Dante had made the executive decision that they needed a tropical vacation. Immediately. So last week, he'd basically shoved the entire household through a portal that opened to a small island in the Caribbean, complete with blue ocean, white sand, and an all-inclusive menu that contained more fruity booze cocktails than actual food items.

The week had been fun, in a lazy, let's-not-do-anything way, which had also had the side benefit of short-circuiting Kathy's "Christmas Crazy." She'd sprawled in the sun and read trashy novels and swam in the ocean and practiced her Spanish without a care. In fact, she'd lost track of the date until they were talking about returning home tomorrow and she realized that, oh shit, today was her birthday. (And also Dante's, but they didn't talk about that.)

A quick conversation with the resort, some ~~handwavy~~ phone calls to invite guests, and more fairy lights than a grown woman should really need and their little villa was turned into a tropical wonderland birthday party.

[Open! If you think you'd get a phone call (for either Kathy or Dante), you did! Dante modded with permission. No OCD]

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OOC: Info Post Oldies But Goodies

Thu, 29 Aug 2019 05:07:47 GMT

New girl gets her own, but it's gonna take longer and I need something I can point at and say, "I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED A THING!"

Y'all know those days.

So, the old crew!

( 'Pretty damn nimble for a zombie.' 'You should have seen her when she was alive. It was like watching a superball bouncing in a closet.' )

***

( A proper lady should be able to smile pretty, wear sequins like she means it, and kick a man's ass nine ways from Sunday while wearing stiletto heels. If she can't do that much, she's not trying hard enough. )

***

( I have a 24-year-old genius with a smart phone, and a problem with authority. You never really stood a chance. )

***

( He says it is vrajna for a Tsingano man to attempt the dromonde, Hyacinthe; worse than anything, worse than mingling with a gadje servant. What your mother teaches you is forbidden. )

***

( Ranon blinked. He'd never heard anyone say 'Kiss Kiss' and have it mean 'shove a knife up your ass.' )

***

( I am 100% that bitch )

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The Island to Various Rifts, Friday Through Sunday

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 04:19:47 GMT

This is what happens when you stopped listening to the radio for the island; you were taken by surprise when you stepped on the island and saw that half of it looked like it belonged somewhere and somewhen else. Like, even moreso than usual.

Even with all the differences in the island, the first rift took Kathy by surprise as it opened up under her feet, too wide for her to bounce out. It reminded her a little too much of that column of light that had grabbed her to bring her to LA. Only this time it was down instead of up and when she looked around...

"Okay, I am not in Kansas anymore."

[For thems what are there with her.]

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Ezra's Place to Tranquil Ocean Day Spa, Tuesday

Tue, 07 May 2019 07:48:39 GMT

Jar of kimchi, festooned with a bow and in a cute gift bag? Check.

Pair of tickets for a day spa? Also check.

Super-modest bathing suit bought explicitly for this occasion? Triple check.

Look, between their sort-of fight, his trip with Dante, the trouble with Zeke after prom, and his upcoming exhibition, Kathy was betting that Ez was feeling a little frayed around the edges. And, well, sometimes the best cure for that was a little bit of pampering.

Here was hoping Ez felt the same way.

Knock knock.

[For him in the post!]

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The Flying Pussyfoot, Limbo City, Wednesday

Wed, 01 May 2019 19:15:16 GMT

Due to owning a business, Kathy sometimes got very weird, not-at-all-related-to-her-business offers from vendors trying to establish a working relationship. Most she tossed, but occasionally something really cool would end up in her inbox. Like a pair of tickets for a Murder Mystery Dinner, taking place on a newly-renovated luxury train from the 1930s. People would sign up, choose a character from the list of possible dinner attendees, and then show up and ride the train around Limbo City for a few hours, having dinner and trying to solve the whodunnit.

Kathy had been charmed from the start and had pretty much decided to go immediately. The question of who to take was answered when she spotted that one of the characters listed was a "rich rock star."

That made it easy.

One conversation of 'You don't have to dress up and you can bring your guitar!' and 'pleeeeease, it sounds like a ton of fun!' later, and Kathy and Dante had their tickets and were waiting to board the extravagant train cars of The Flying Pussyfoot for four hours of delicious, murdery fun!

[For the poor sap who agreed to this]

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House in Limbo City, Limbo City, Friday

Fri, 19 Apr 2019 06:21:32 GMT

With her mom's kimchi recipe now in her possession, Kathy figured she should try to make some. Without a proper kimchi fridge, she couldn't make much, but she figured she could probably get away with one or two jars in the back of the fridge. With her mom's recipe in hand, her children behind her and the gijesa of her whole family on Monday (though her parents got short shrift compared to Sarah), family was kind of on her mind a lot.

Her usual strawberry Yakult had been swapped for banana milk and she had a bowl of injulmi rice balls to snack on when her hands weren't covered with red pepper flakes or salt. She sang as she worked, TARA and BTS and Super Junior blaring from her phone, dancing around the kitchen chopping vegetables, salting water, simmering the glutinous rice powder.

For the first time since she moved in, the house - or, at least, the kitchen - really smelled like home.

[Open for visitors or phone calls or them guys what live here!]

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Arms Hotel, Saturday Morning

Sat, 13 Apr 2019 04:59:28 GMT

Okay, so for all the complaining about having to get up early - especially after a night chock-full of pollen - this was Kathy's favorite weekend of the year. Surrounded by kids who called her mom, arguing over breakfast, listening to them babble on about their likes and interests and hopes, singing them to sleep at night. Even with as a late an evening as they'd had, she was still up, bright and early, humming around the public room of the suite, readying it for tiny visitors.

A hotel room meant that she had to rely on room service for breakfast, but she made due, making sure to order plenty of fruit (heavy on the strawberries), and juice, and more bacon and sausage than any one room really ought to have.

Now to wait for folks to start showing up!

[Open for all tiny children and their parents, whether related or not!]

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Los Angeles, Fandom's Reality, Sunday

Sun, 07 Apr 2019 16:25:01 GMT

It took several days (and several nights' worth of nightmares) for Kathy to face what she really needed to do. It wasn't LA that she was hoping she'd find alive.

It was her family.

She knew that there were other versions of her that existed elsewhere. There was Lady, in Limbo City, and every time something weird happened on Fandom. Maybe there would be one that existed here, too. Maybe she'd see her family, alive, one more time - just verify that they were safe, and happy, and doing okay. That was all she needed. Then she could collect the guys and her dog and go home to Limbo City. That wasn't too much to ask, was it.

They'd called Dante that morning to join them on their last day in the city and then, after lunch, she'd left them and Ronin behind to finish this one last task. This was just one of those things, she had to do alone.

( It was uncanny, how much it looked like home. )

Kathy left several hours later, carrying a reusable shopping bag full of banana milk, various blends of tea and several jars of kimchi. More importantly, she also had a recipe for kimchi. Not just any recipe, either. Her mother's recipe, shared with Mrs. Park one winter day the first year the Lis had moved in. That alone was worth the trip.

And...her family was out there. Somewhere. They existed. Somewhere, there was a Sarah Li, brash and sassy, finishing up her last year of high school. And there was a Kathy Li, hopefully spreading her wings at a college some where, learning to be her own person. Mrs. Park didn't have - or wouldn't share - their contact information, but honestly? That was enough. There was another world with her family in it, neither bitten by zombies nor summoning demons, living and laughing and loving.

Today, that was enough.

[Mooostly establishy? But also for those guys she's with. And, surprising no one, I wrote a goddamned book.]

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Los Angeles, Fandom's Reality, Thursday Afternoon

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 21:01:07 GMT

Kathy and Anders (and Ronin!) had arrived in the Los Angeles early Tuesday afternoon and had spent the last two days just being the most stereotypical tourists the city could ask for. There had been tours around Hollywood in double-decker buses (including a fifteen minute span where Kathy white-knuckled Anders' hand as they drove past Paramount Studios), taking pictures of various stars of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and visited the Korean Bell of Friendship. Everywhere they went, they were surrounded by throngs of people: other tourists, native Angelenos just trying to go about their day, students, even the occasional celebrity. It did Kathy's heart good to see so many people walking the streets, doing their own thing, just living their lives.

But the nightmares were still there. By morning on Thursday, she was reluctantly admitting that, maybe just sticking to tourist spots probably wasn't going to cut it. She wasn't attached to any of these places, not emotionally. They hadn't been her beats, hadn't been where she'd seen the worst of it.

So today, they'd gone to Griffith's Observatory. It had been one of Kathy's favorite places even before Fandom. It had been where Anders had surprised her with prom.

( ...It had been where she'd spent several weeks in the planetarium tied to a chair, entranced by the projection of the universe, as an ex. )

The opening strains of music swelled from the speakers and a star shot across the screen above them. And Kathy pushed herself to her feet and darted out the door.

[For that guy!]

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The House In Limbo City, Limbo City, Tuesday Afternoon

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 12:20:34 GMT

( The ex that had once been known as the superhero Banzai shambled along the overpass of the highway. )

Decision made, it didn't take long to turn 'plan' into 'action.' She'd made rounds of all her bug-out bags recently, checking to make sure they were still stocked and ready to go whenever the guys had been out of the house. It took just a second to grab the one under her bed, add Ronin's paperwork, and sling it on over her shoulder. Portal was faster than flight, plus they made less fuss over dogs. And weapons.

Yeah, okay, portal to Los Angeles based on nothing but bad dreams. Sounded like a great idea.

[For that guy who might have concerns]

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Alighieri Wellness Center, Limbo City, Friday Afternoon

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 22:57:34 GMT

"So, did you do the assignment?" Dr. Alighieri asked, leaning back in her chair. "The one with the houses?"

Kathy nodded, pulling her folder full out printouts. "I didn't understand it," she admitted with a small laugh, "but I did it." She laid out several sheets of paper, all of them showing different houses she'd built on Dr. A.'s weird little simulator game. "Honestly, it felt like I was playing one of those Design A House Facebook games."

Dr. A. nodded. "My son coded it and he used those for inspiration. It's supposed to be fun, among other things."

"Okay," Kathy said, "but, umm, could you still explain it?"

( Read more... )

Ten minutes later, Kathy left her therapist's office with a single piece of paper in her hands. Instead of going straight home, she stopped first at a frame shop, to get the picture of her dream house matted and framed so she could hang it on her wall at home, directly across from her bed.

A nice reminder to wake up to.

[Mostly establishy, but open!]

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The Streets of Fandom to Jono's House, Christmas Day

Tue, 25 Dec 2018 18:42:06 GMT

Christmas was still going in full swing at Kathy's place, but when Ronin needed to go out, it was time to go out. Or she'd be greeted with the adorably pathetic picture of a dog clutching his own leash, sitting by her front door, very obviously waiting. And every time she passed without taking him out, he just drooped lower and lower in sadness.

Kathy was pretty sure she was being manipulated by her dog and it was downright embarrassing.

"Yeah, you keep frolicking," she said, trying to sound stern. "This is a business trip only. We're heading right back to the house as soon as your done, you hear me?"

( Warning for gore and the aftermath of ultraviolence )

[Preplayed with the wonderful that_oldsaying and furnaceface. Lots of blood and gore, but no actual violence (or misgendering) here, because this post is NOT full of jerks.]

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Apartment Above Lukes, Christmas Day

Tue, 25 Dec 2018 18:33:53 GMT

Kathy had gone slightly less Christmas!Kathy this year, in part because her apartment was smaller. But there was a tree - the largest she could fit in her apartment - and decorations up everywhere that wasn't low enough for Ronin's tail to knock over. Most of the tree was covered in decorations she'd bought last year, but on the front were two very important ornaments, a half-burned clay pine tree, clumsy and made by a child, and six delicate metal fans knotted on a length of fishing wire.

There were Christmas carols playing softly through speakers, cookies and cocoa (and stuff to spike it with) on platters on the table, and presents waiting to be unwrapped under the tree. But, more importantly for the moment, there was a blanket on the couch and a dog looking for cuddles, and a moment of peace during the hectic holidays was a gift not to be squandered.

[Open for holiday guests]

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Koreoke, Washington DC, Saturday Night

Fri, 21 Dec 2018 23:26:08 GMT

Sure, some people were busy fighting rampaging snow monsters and stuff today. But for those who were friends with Kathy ~~and Dante~~, they had another option available to them: Kathy's 21st birthday party!

Their venue for the evening was Koreoke, a Korean barbeque restaurant that doubled as a karaoke bar. Kathy had rented out the back room for her party, which included three long barbeque tables, a stage with up to four microphones (in case of boy bands and group numbers), and a bartender along the far wall to serve drinks all night until last call.

Because if turning twenty-one wasn't a good reason to stuff yourself full of grilled meat (well, veggies and tofu in Kathy's case), get drunk, and sing your heart out to the largest selection of karaoke tracks Kathy had ever seen in one place, then what was?!

[Up VERY early for SP because holidays are a THING (and so are BDEs). Open to pretty much anyone who is/was Kathy's friend (or Dante's friends that Kathy also knows)!]

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Limbo City, Friday Afternoon

Fri, 07 Dec 2018 20:23:42 GMT

Today's therapy appointment had spent awhile talking about Kathy's anxiety triggers (shocking no one, she had A Lot) and had left her wound up. So wound up, in fact, that rather than throwing herself into the first taxi she could find and riding white-knuckled to the guys' place, she'd actually braved both the cold and her fears of Limbo City to walk home. Not to explore or to try to get more comfortable, but just to try to work some of that extra jittering energy off.

Which of course meant that she was so far in her head that she didn't realize that she'd taken a wrong turn into a bad neighborhood until it was far too late. All the signs were there; she should have recognized them immediately from her time as Banzai - though with the addition of a lot more deep gouges in the buildings and concrete.

It was the sound of trash cans falling over as she passed an alleyway that got her head out of the clouds, and the almost-feline howl had her anxiety taking a backseat to the adrenaline getting dumped in her blood. She reached behind her to her backpack of weaponry she carried with her whenever she visited Limbo City, keeping her eyes locked dim confines of the alley. Maybe it was just a harmless old alleycat?

( Spoiler: not an alleycat )

That was good enough for Kathy. "C'mon, boy," she said, and scooped him up in her arms. He was heavy and almost as big as she was, and he stank, like trash and dirt and blood, but he'd come to her rescue. She wasn't going to leave him behind. "Let's get you home."

[Mostly establishy, but open for phone calls and/or the guys whose house is about to get a surprise guest!]

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The Apartment Above Luke's, Thursday Late Afternoon

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 16:55:54 GMT

Kathy was less manic about Thanksgiving than she was about Christmas, but that didn't mean she didn't go all out. She'd asked to host this year and had put together a big meal with the turkey and potatoes and stuffing, but also bibimbap and bulgolgi and jjajangmyeon. (And also kimchi, but that didn't even need to be said because kimchi.)

And also a couple of small, personal-sized pizzas because it wouldn't be a family meal without pizza. At least for some folks.

The outside might be bitterly cold and unpleasant, but her home was filled with warmth and food and the people she loved best.

[[Up for the slowest of slowplays if folks are around! If you wanted in invite, you got one! No OCD, it's too much work!]

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The Apartment Above Luke's, Saturday

Sat, 17 Nov 2018 20:18:23 GMT

After a big day outside - playgrounds! puppies! snow! - Katherine had come back to the place where she'd woken up and had promptly fallen asleep, all tuckered out by her adventures. Now she was awake again and hungry. The only cereal in the house was a sugar cereal, which she wasn't supposed to have and she wasn't allowed to use the stove without adult supervision.

But there didn't seem to be an adult in the whole house! Just her. That was funny. Who had a house with nobody in it?

She took a shower in the pretty bathroom and got dressed, figuring maybe she could find somewhere to eat. And another funny thing - she found a twenty dollar bill tucked away in the exact place she hid money back home: hidden in a pencil box in the top drawer of the desk. She painstakingly wrote out an IOU and put it there, and then sat down to plan her day.

First, breakfast. Then...puppies again, maybe?

[Open! Dante's thread chronologically last]

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The Apartment Above Luke's, Thursday Evening

Thu, 08 Nov 2018 17:47:46 GMT

Kathy was still glowing from yesterday's museum trip with Anders and now tonight Dante was coming over for the evening, too. She appreciated the lengths they were going to make sure she didn't feel too lonely or lost while she was still adjusting to being back. She'd had a whole evening planned out as a thank you to Dante over it...

But then there had been puppies. She'd come in from her shower and decided to take a minute to refresh her Tumblr before drying off and getting dressed, and then she'd stumbled over a link for a pet adoption website that curated pictures of dogs that needed to be adopted from nearby shelters if you put in your zip code. Which Kathy, more fool her, had done.

And now was scrolling through picture after picture of adorable romping puppies and distinguished older dogs all looking for forever homes and who even knew what time it was anymore, there were puppies.

[For that guy]

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Alighieri Wellness Center, Limbo City, Saturday Morning

Sat, 03 Nov 2018 11:54:37 GMT

"Next?"

The receptionist was a pleasant looking older woman with a cloud of white hair, kind of like somebody's grandma had taken up residence behind the reception desk. Kathy gave the woman a small, nervous smile as she stepped forward. "Hi," she said softly, hands clutching each other so as to not start wringing them. "My name's Katherine? Uh, Katherine Li?"

After so long of only being called 'Kathy,' using her full name sounded a bit strange to her ears, like a shirt that didn't quite fit anymore. "I, umm, called on Thursday?"

"Ah yes!" The woman looked up at Kathy and smiled, with an honest-to-god twinkle in her eye. "There was a last-minute cancellation and we were able to fit you in. I'm glad, honey. You sounded like you needed someone to talk to."

"Err, yes," Kathy said. "I did. Or, umm, do." After spending part of Halloween sleeping on Ezra's porch roof 'someone to talk to' was probably the least of what she needed. "And I'm told this office serves...special?...cases?"

It was vague, but the receptionist seemed to understand exactly what she was getting at. "This office specializes in dealing with issues relating to the supernatural," she said quietly, so her voice wouldn't carry much beyond Kathy. "With everything that happened last year, Dr. A figured that people would need a lot of help processing what happened. She likes to say she never expected to treat people for demonic entities, but every session is already like an exorcism." The receptionist pushed a clipboard over the counter and gave Kathy an encouraging smile. "You're not the first person who needs help with this and you won't be the last, sweetheart. Now you fill out that paperwork and we'll get you started on your intake visit."

"Thank you," Kathy said, giving the woman - Delores was her name, she saw - a shy smile before heading back to the waiting room proper. Her stomach was still doing flips and turns and that feeling only got worse as she saw all the questions that the forms were asking, but she bit her lip and resolutely started answering them to the best of her ability.

She could do this. She could.

[Establishy!]

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From the Apartment Above Luke's to Currant, Maine, Wednesday Afternoon

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 15:52:41 GMT

Kathy'd had trouble sleeping last night, in that she really didn't at all. Even moving to the safety of her closet hadn't helped; sure, she'd managed to fall asleep, but only long enough to have a screaming nightmare about zombies and towers and rabbit brains and then she was back up for the night. It wasn't until she noticed the date on her phone that she realized what she was responding to.

Right. Halloween. The trip to LA and then their getaway had messed with her sense of time enough that she hadn't realized how close the holiday was. Kathy used to love Halloween; she still might, if she hadn't been on the island. Last year's little...stunt had left her more than a little fucked up. Turned out her subconscious was better at keeping track of the date than the rest of her. Yay.

After the nightmare, she'd given up on sleep entirely, obsessively watching for signs that the island was going to turn her into an ex again, aware that she wouldn't notice even if it did, and that being paranoid it would was probably a good sign that it hadn't. Once dawn broke and she remained herself, that should have been the end of it - but it wasn't. Kathy had worked herself up into a panic and that wasn't responding to anything useful like 'logic' or 'thinking.' She just knew she had to get out of there. Off the island. Something.

She spent the morning in Baltimore, but when the third shitty zombie costume finally made her break down and cry in public, she realized this wasn't a viable option. Neither was Limbo City; if she was hesitant to visit most days, Halloween itself was a hard pass. That left...Ezra.

Kathy didn't even bother calling, just booked the closest portal, giving her enough time to grab a thing of donuts and go. And the irony of ironies was that Ezra wasn't even home when she got there; nobody answered her increasingly frantic knocks or her abuse of the doorbell. Eventually, she gave up, hoisting herself up to the roof of their porch. Exes couldn't climb, she would be safe on the roof while she waited. Something about that thought process was wrong, but she didn't bother to pinpoint what. Her brain was pinging safe and that was what mattered.

Curling up on the tiny bit of roof, she burrowed into her winter coat and, at some point, fell asleep.

[Ezra's house modded with permission and for said house-modded guy!]

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