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[fatespoken]

[ There's a sharp breath, unsteady as it's drawn in— ]

Anyone... know how to get rid of the smell of smoke?

From drapes.

Comments

[never_very_good]

[Amory might not be the world's most agreeable coworker or the most eager employee, but for him not to show up at all-- not call in, not answer his phone-- is pretty abnormal. Frankie's managed to find someone to cover it for now so he can take off himself, but he figures he might as well drop by and get an explanation. It isn't too far out of the way, and he'd just as soon take the scenic route and not come home smelling of booze.

When he finally shows up to pound on Amory's door, nearly an hour after the other man was supposed to report, he's barely even visibly annoyed. He tries the knob offhandedly... and when the door opens, that's when he begins to be a bit concerned. Yes, concerned. So he just pokes his head in the door.]

Hey, you in here?

[fatespoken]

[Amory is deaf to sound at the moment, fully entombed within the panic of his own thoughts. Currently, he's sitting on the floor of his apartment, back propped up against a wall with his knees bent toward his body. One hand tightly clutches the neck of a vodka bottle, the other cups his forehead, blood smearing against pale skin-- blood from the jagged cuts left from his hand's recent collision with the glass of the balcony's door.

The glass lies on the floor in splinters, leaving the bare frame to let in the draft of a cool June afternoon. ]

Shit, Shit, Shit. I didn't even know. How could I, he just—

[ He's losing his breath amidst his panic, but he forces a ragged one out. ]

Why am I making such a fuss? I meant to do it, didn't I? That's what I've imagined time and time again, and subconsciously I fucking reacted-

[never_very_good]

[He hears-- or at least thinks he hears-- some murmuring, some movement; and so Frankie chooses to investigate, slipping inside the apartment warily. He hasn't been keeping up with the Network, but if there's a curse today he can gather what it's likely to be, from Eden's description of last year; which means Amory ought to be fine, if he's merely cursed. At least physically.

Which makes it a total surprise when he spots the other man, freezing for just a second before he takes in the shattered window and makes... well, not sense of the scene, but at least a rough connection between cause and effect, glass and blood. Raises more questions than it answers. He steps out into the room, shards cracking unnoticed beneath the soles of his boots, walking straight into Amory's line of sight. Slow and deliberate, because it's obvious that he's not all there at the moment.]

What the fuck happened to you?

[fatespoken]

[ Catching sight of boots from the corner of his eyes, his attentions shifts for a sudden break from his mental disarray. Enough to identify who the intruder is, not enough for him to pick up the pieces and stitch proper sense together. Immediate reaction calls for clutching the bottle of Vodka closer to his person, afraid that Frankie will declare himself a Voice of Reason and attempt to pull it from his grasp.

Clearly, his concern is completely distracted from the small wounds cut into his hand, and luckily that sort of thing doesn't pique Frankie's interest anymore. ]

Have you ever killed a man Frankie?

[ He says his all too calmly, even with his breath tugging hard and heavy. ]

[never_very_good]

What do you think?

[There's a note of black humor there, but really; of course he has. In more ways than one. He can't help but be a bit surprised that Amory would need to ask, knowing what Frankie used to be and feeling the way he does about vampires. He's killed less than might be expected, really; more often than not being sent to catch, though one could argue that there's little difference, considering the fate of those humans he'd captured.]

What'd you do? You look like shit.

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[adamantined]

Open the window.

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[fatespoken]

It's not—

[ it's not exactly anger, whatever that emotional pitch to his voice may be. Distress, from Amory Felix? ]

It's not like I can even fucking close it now.

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[adamantined]

Did the whole thing break?

[Whatever that tone is, it gives her pause.]

Try a fan, maybe.

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[fatespoken]

Of course the whole thing broke. A body's not going to—

[ A lot of pauses and breaks for him, not to mention, a whole lot of ragged breathing. ]

Why am I even talking to you- talking to anyone for that matter? Am I a damn fool?

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[adamantined]

You were only talking about the smoke. If you -

[Her own breath is ragged as she exhales, exasperated.]

I don't know, Amory. Turn off your device if you don't want any help from anyone.

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[lionesssejant.livejournal.com]

I suppose you'd have to take them down and soak them in detergent. Or dry cleaned.

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[fatespoken]

I don't think it will dissipate that easily. They'll probably smolder forever, at this point.

[ ... Susan, you have just stepped into crazy. ]

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[lionesssejant.livejournal.com]

Are you sure? They have such advanced products in the City.

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[fatespoken]

It's not a smell I can forget.

You shouldn't bother me.

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[lionesssejant.livejournal.com]

Amory, you asked.

[eiremagic]

Febreze.

[fatespoken]

Heavy, really fucking heavy sort of smoke.

Unless Febreeze works for charred flesh. Do you think it does, Eden?

[eiremagic]

Works on blood. Don't see why not.

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[fatespoken]

[ a shaky breath. ]

You ever try to kill him, Ede?

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[eiremagic]

Kill who?

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[7thborn.livejournal.com]

[Distractedly, as if she is either poring over a book or listening to her father's suggestions over her shoulder. Or both.]

There's a charm for that. I'd do it for you, but I'd probably just end up starting a fire. Kind of goes against the idea, doesn't it.

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[fatespoken]

No more fucking magic-- it can all fucking go rot. A little normality would do us all some good, maybe if you subtracted all the abnormal bits, everything would have been fine- None of this would have happened.

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[7thborn.livejournal.com]

[A long pause.]

Never heard someone quite so upset about drapes before. [She's teasing, but it falls flat.] What happened, Amory?

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[fatespoken]

[ There's some dry laughter here, what other sort of laughter would suit a predicament like this? ]

But they are expensive drapes, Ginny.

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[7thborn.livejournal.com]

[Yeah, that sounded like he's perfectly fine.]

As if you of all people care for expensive drapes.