Give A Bitch A Break [October Open]

[crushed_pearls]

Who: Erin Peters and YOU
What: AAAAAAAAA
When: Mid October Forward
Where: Library, Bobby's, possibly elsewhere
Warnings: Tiamat fallout, suicide discussion, depression & stress


There Is No Silver Bullet [Closed To Valdis | Library]

Finding Erin won't be hard, once Valdis is herself again; she's the only soul on the ship currently meditating into a killing trance, a state of no-mind she's hoping will be effective against Tiamat. She's...

Having obstacles. Intrusive thoughts, feelings, anxieties, these impede her meditation, but she's getting there. This has gone on long enough.

Maybe tell her the good news?

Grade A Hypocrisy [Library | After the Previous]

Erin keeps coming to the library to read, on the theory that she's definitely not isolating, look, it's a public space. What actually keeps happening is she gets three chapters in and passes out, drooling on the comfy chair. Coffee? No help. Tea? No help. Turning into a toy robot? The toy robot snores and turns back into Erin after an hour, leaving her sprawled on the table.

The Smoking Prompt [Bobby B's]

I'm writing this on a phone, Erin smokes multiple times a day, find her here. She's still drinking pretty heavily too.

Wildcard

It warm in Hell.

Comments

Silver Bullet

[redlightgreenlight]

Tiamat retreating to leave her covered in Crichton's blood and brain matter might have been the cruelest thing the goddess had done. Valdis just stares into the mirror, the stains will never come out of this dress, not like she's ever going to want to wear it again. That bitch has vanished completely, but at least she had the decency to return control. The list of apologies is too long.

She goes to Erin first, knowing that of her lovers, Erin needs this. The others might not believe her, but Erin will be able to know. Erin will be able to tell them. Valdis does shower and change first, leaving the bloody clothing on the floor in the bathroom, before tracking Erin's soul across the ship and into the Library.

But Erin is trying to find the peace to kill, to let go, she can sense that before she even enters the room. It would certainly be deserved if Erin chose not to forgive her.

"Erin?"

[crushed_pearls]

Think fast; knife, that's misdirection, we get big and crush us both against the walls, no hesitation -

(Wait)

Erin freezes mid-motion, standing and drawing a knife. A fragile hope blossoms.

"You're...you're back?"

[redlightgreenlight]

That rush of adrenaline catches in her chest and she prepares to retreat if necessary, she really doesn't want to give Tiamat another chance at whatever her plan was.

"You tell me," Valdis replies. "You're the one who knew that I wasn't."

[crushed_pearls]

Erin drops the knife and goes in for a fast, tight hug, heart fit to burst. A sob of sheer relief escapes her. She's back. Valdis is back!

"I'm sorry," Erin manages around the tightness in her throat. "I should have...but you're back, I knew you'd be back..."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis stands for a breath in shock as Erin hugs her, but she wraps her arms around Erin and squeezes her back.

"Yeah."

She's not sure what Erin should have done, or could have done, but out of them all, Erin was the only one to decide to act as she would have wanted, even if she had hesitated at first.

"Harvey is gone. Tiamat got him."

[Closed to Ylva] Devastating The Kingdom Of Wolves Until Only Cuddles Remain

[crushed_pearls]

When Erin is, at last, parted from Valdis, she sends a great deal of texts about the situation. Ylva does get one, included here below for completeness' sake, but Erin doesn't expect to receive an answer; she sets off immediately for her girlfriend's haunts thereafter. She'll start at the pool. Ylva goes to the pool a lot when she's upset.

Ylva good news Valdis is in control again bad news the parasite is not dead but does appear to be scared shitless so I will take my win where I can find it where are you I am coming with aggressive cuddles

[actuallyawolf]

Ylva is indeed at the pool, and she's sitting with her knees up on a deck chair looking at the message on her phone when Erin arrives; she looks up with red eyes, and scrambles to her feet, shoving the phone away.

"She's okay? Valdis is okay?

And she all but flings herself at Erin in a hug.

[crushed_pearls]

Erin catches Ylva and squeezes her tight. After September, it feels good to do this again without the crawling panic in her body.

God though. Valdis wasn't kidding, was she?

"Okay might be a strong word," Erin admits, and she doesn't like admitting it. "She's gonna need love, and care, and her pack. Right now she's going to Max, but...she said that the parasite did a number on you. My wildflower...I'm here."

[actuallyawolf]

"Right. Right, she'll need to... recover, I guess." Ylva rubs at her eyes. "I'm okay. I'm... more okay than some people."

She's alive, after all. Right now, she leans up to give Erin a kiss, and then buries her face in her.

[crushed_pearls]

Erin nips at Ylva's lip, folds her wings around them both, bundles her wildflower close and away from the world's prying eyes...

It's not a long kiss. Erin nuzzles into Ylva's neck and just breathes. "You don't need to be more okay than anyone," she whispers. "I'm here now. Talk to me, Ylva. Or...don't, but I'm here. Anything you need. Fucksake I'll turn into an actual chew toy if you like."

Things Erin is right now: serious

Things Erin isn't: thinking about the consequences of coming back from being a chew toy.

Bobby B's

[professionalriot]

Ash is also frequently spending time enjoying the new additions to Bobby's and drinking a bit more then he should be.

[crushed_pearls]

When Erin 'spots' Ash as she walks in, she doesn't immediately change her battle plan. Step one: go to the bar. This is where things change, in the form of step two: two glasses of what she can smell him drinking, ordered as a best guess from the ghosts. Hopefully she got his flavor right, because she's not a wolf and that weed stank does make it hard to do the hard-drinker thing of guessing based on scent alone.

Step three: Erin sits heavily at his table and puts a glass in front of him.

Her voice is low, and pained: "Rezz hour she gets up. Maybe three, five minutes figuring it out. Thirty and change in my room trying not to god damn lose it. Start the warning texts after. Seven twenty three, I remember you've been getting close to her, and shoot you one, and never get a reply."

"...Pretty sure I killed you. I don't like killing people by mistake."

[professionalriot]

"Hey, Erin."

He picks up the glass and takes a few small sips as he listens to her. Oh. Wow. No. That's not guilt she needs to carry. Shit. Ash shakes his head hard.

"I got myself killed. I gave up. She wanted me to hurt Valdis, one way or another and I wouldn't." Another drink. "I quit. My choice got me killed. Wouldn't have mattered if or when I got your message. Please don't carry that guilt around for me."

Close to her. If only it was just that. He's in love with her. Ash tries not to let himself feel the jealousy that tries to creep in. Which is hard to do when he feels like an after thought. He's emotional, he knows that, so his darker thoughts don't need to be shared. Those are his to deal with. If he actually stops to deal with them instead of drowning them. Maybe now that she's back he'll get around to that.

"I love her, Erin." He wipes the building tears from his eyes and changes his tone, lighter, teasing. Erin's been put through it too, she doesn't need to deal with his bullshit. "So if there is a next time, would you mind bumping my name up the list?"

[crushed_pearls]

Erin winces. "I wasn't trying to cut you out. I can get...jealous, when the boys are into Valdis, in a way I don't with Ylva or Crabb, I just...wasn't fucking functional, y'know?"

She knocks back half her drink in one go. The super liver is online again and she's gonna kick its ass. "...If it makes you feel any better, I fell for the bluff too. Didn't put two and two together. If that thing was trying to stay alive, then it needed to fucking die. You'd think I would have learned after making the same mistake last year."

Grace A Hypocrisy - Library

[pineapplesalmon]

César is checking to see if the library has any new books. It happens occasionally. And there lies Erin, whom he hasn't talked to in a while.

His eyes soften a bit, and he pulls out a Serena Eterna branded blanket from his pocket inventory. Which takes a while and a couple of tugs to get it all the way out. As carefully as he can, he drapes it over Erin's shoulders.

[crushed_pearls]

There's a faint metal-on-leather sound when the blanket goes over Erin, a movement under the blanket roundabouts, say, where she keeps the knives on her belt...

But she stays sleeping. Odds are good she'll be out for hours if not disturbed.

[pineapplesalmon]

César blinks a bit at the sound from the movement, but he's not able to put together that it's knives. He smiles down at her as she continues sleeping.

Thankfully, for the sake of the thread, he sticks around. He goes to get a book he hasn't read in a while (Frankenstein) and sits down in a nearby chair. Because disturbing her seems rude, but he also wants to make sure no one messes with her while she's sleeping.

Wildcard

[blindwatchersees]

The Madgod scoots along the floor in his cat form, making a sound like brakes bringing a car to a screeching halt beside Erin. He's wearing sunglasses perched on the end of his nose, which he "bought" from Sundries.

"Well, I can't say I've ever seen anyone in more need of making biscuits. Well, actually, I can say that. I can say whatever I well please, in fact."

[crushed_pearls]

...

....

(.......)

"Buddy -"

(WHY CAN'T HE BE AN ACTUAL CAT DAMNIT)

"- as flattered as I am by the offer -"

(FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MONTRESSOR WE NEED TO EVOLVE INTO A CAT LADY SO FUCKING BAD)

"- I really do not think you making biscuits on my belly is gonna end the way either of us want to."

(WE HAVE BEEN ROBBED!)

[blindwatchersees]

"Oh no, no no no, you misunderstand me, Miss Erin. I meant that we ought to go down to the kitchen and cover ourselves in flour and butter and a sense of stubborn hope, and make biscuits so soft, they'll make the Pillsbury Dough Boy look like he's been hitting the gym by comparison."

Don't ask me to justify how he can make that reference.

"And incidentally, if you want to test-run a catgirl form, well, I could certainly help with that."

[crushed_pearls]

"...Nnnno."

(Yeah buddy I hate to join this fucking Debbie Downer but if one more thing happens to our body that we didn't specifically initiate we're gonna go insane enough to usurp your title.)

"...I hate you so much head voice." Erin hangs her head, sighs, and then: "I have one question and one question only: can you manifest a tiny chef hat."

Library

[kingoftheanthill]

The first time Erin passes out with a cup of tea, there are suspiciously fewer sugarlumps around when she wakes up. Rules of the jungle. Snooze you lose.

On some successive time, Victor has begun to worry about Erin's habit of falling asleep outside her nest. When humanoids do that, in his experience, it's usually a sign that they've just pulled a double shift and still have to catalogue another three shelves of anomalous objects before they can go home.

When she wakes up this time, there's a little pile of muffins from the buffet in her lap, and a collection of ants waiting on the perimeter, milling on and around the volumes on a book-case.

[crushed_pearls]

Erin wakes with a 'bwuh'; she manages not to startle and thus spill the Muffins, which she feels at with her hands before placing on the table. She looks around and - oh. Lord. It's Victor! The ants are here!

She wipes at her blindfold with one hand, old habits still not broken despite having no eyes, and fumbles with a belt pouch with another.

In short order an unwrapped Laffy Taffy has been tossed to the ants.

[kingoftheanthill]

Victor has been waiting long enough (i.e. more than ten minutes) that he kinda forgot he was waiting. He has, instead, started nosing around a book that smells like it had soda spilled on it recently, wondering if anyone would be mad if he had a nibble.

The Laffy Taffy lands like an ant explosion and gets just the most excited "WHOAAAA!", and then a "YES! YES! YES!" as the parts of him not devouring it turn and wave their antennae and forelimbs at Erin.

[crushed_pearls]

"You're too pure for this world," Erin says fondly.

(Wait a minute)

"...Did you bring these muffins, my guy?"