closureisformovies: (danger)
closureisformovies ([personal profile] closureisformovies) wrote in [community profile] ph_logs2024-08-31 11:46 pm

[OPEN] Scream, it makes no sound, I could testify

Who: Alice Dyer ([personal profile] closureisformovies) & you!
What: Catch-All for Alice
When: Late August, Early-Mid September
Where: Town hall, oak & iron, empty pockets, around
Warnings: Possible Blight discussion, others as they come up



1. Explaining how time has bled me dry [town hall]

Those who work in Town Hall probably know Alice as the cheerful, tallish woman who spends the vast majority of the work day chattering and making jokes of varying levels of quality. She's the kind of person that's always talking to someone and it never seems to meaningfully impact her work, as she continues to be a pretty damn decent clerk despite all her many complaints about the concept of working at all.

But after the Blight mess is all said and done, Alice seems... a little off. The first few days are the worst; her work suffers and she's clearly still frayed around the edges, but given the fact she spent a lot of the time holding down the Town Hall shelter on her own it's excusable enough. She even perks up a little, after the day Gerry picks her up to drag her straight to drinks, but she never quite gets back to full form and if you look closely enough it's hard not to spot. Her jokes are more strained, she chatters a little less, and she keeps making stupid mistakes she wouldn't have before.

And her weird behaviour is especially obvious when Dahlia's around. Wonder what that's about.

2. You say I'm vacant now when it's justified [oak & iron]

Typically Alice stops by the O&I twice a day: once, in the morning, to get coffee and breakfast before she heads into work; second, in the evening after dinner to drink and hang out where the people are. This pattern remains much the same even when her behaviour shifts elsewhere, though the observant might notice she's drinking more than she usually does in the evenings and staying longer in the process.

It's in the evenings, especially after a couple drinks, that she's at her most social, inserting herself into conversations or joining people at tables with empty seats. Maybe you're one of the lucky people she jumps in to talk to, maybe her loudmouth charm has caught your attention, or maybe you just want to tell her to shut up. Either way, she's around. Soaking up the ambient energy, trying to ignore both her own chronic loneliness and the panic that's been threatening to consume her every waking moment since Aster walked into the office.

3. If you called my bluff, I could lose your love [empty pockets]

Alice joked about something like this a couple months ago, but it's only now with her mood in the gutter that she decides to go for the drastic measures: subjecting innocent people to her attempt at stand-up comedy.

It's not exactly a polished routine or anything, and anyone from the 2010s onwards that's at all internet savvy is going to recognise some of her humour as blatantly ripped from tumblr, but she is genuinely very quick on the draw and has plenty of her own material (even if it is, also, tumblr-flavoured).

And she has fun. Despite everything, she has fun.

4. And I know I'd be fine [Wildcard]

Hit me up to plot something or just throw something at me. She's out and about.
huntingtruths: (008)

1 - because of course

[personal profile] huntingtruths 2024-09-01 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
It's nice being back to work after whatever had him basically in a coma for a little over a month, but apparently while he was out...something happened with Alice. Sure Sam doesn't know what but he knows whatever it was was bad. He knows that women probably better than most people know her. Probably more than anyone save her own brother and even then...possibly more than him too. The point is, he knows when something is up with Alice and he can smell it a mile away when he comes in for work.

Milling around the break room he sips at his tea and watches her. The fidgety look, the strained smile and worse than usual jokes. Yup. Alice Dyer was hiding something.

He lets out that suffering sort of sigh before setting his mug down next to her to get her attention.

"Alright, spill. What has gotten into you?"
huntingtruths: (013)

[personal profile] huntingtruths 2024-09-01 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
When she looks up she's met with that knowing look from Sam. The same look he always has when he knows something is wrong and she's hiding it from him.

"Alice," Three's a warning in his tone before he sighs. "You know what I mean. And don't think you can just joke your way out of this one. Somethings up with you."
huntingtruths: (008)

[personal profile] huntingtruths 2024-09-01 01:31 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah I think I heard about that...I was kinda out of it." He's still looking at her expectantly. "You really think I'm gonna believe that that is what has you still out of sorts?"

He finally sits down, picking up his mug to drink some of his tea before continuing. "Alice, you know you can talk to me. You don't have to hide whatever it is from me."
huntingtruths: (010)

[personal profile] huntingtruths 2024-09-01 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
He's quiet for a bit but still giving her that look.

"No it's not, but I also know you." Taking his mug and sliding it in front of her in a sort of peace offering of hot tea, he continued. "You're only jumpy like that when something really bad is bothering you. Like you personally, not just things happening to someone else."
huntingtruths: (013)

[personal profile] huntingtruths 2024-09-01 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah I figured." Sam sighed again, sitting back in his chair and staring up that the ceiling a moment.

"When aren't things complicated with you? It's not the first time you've hidden something 'complicated' from me-"

Wait. Why is she hiding something 'complicated' from him and acting like it's something else. She's doing that thing she does when she thinks she's protecting him from something, again, isn't she? He narrows his eyes and looks back at her.

"Alice, this better not have anything to do with me."
huntingtruths: (013)

[personal profile] huntingtruths 2024-09-01 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
"Alice," There's that tone, that warning tone that's more than the one before, and she has his full and undivided attention now. "What do you mean 'not directly'?"

You're not shaking it now, sorry Alice.
huntingtruths: (014)

[personal profile] huntingtruths 2024-09-01 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh so it's this sort of thing again? Alice you can't make decisions for me." Okay yeah he's getting angry.

"If it's about me I deserve to know what it's about." This time he does stand up, pacing now because of course he is. Alice drives him nuts, he cares about her a lot but he's really tired of people making decisions for him all the time.

"I really doubt you do if this is the way you're acting about it. If you have it under control then why hide it? Hm?"
huntingtruths: (014)

[personal profile] huntingtruths 2024-09-01 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
Turning to look at Alice he leans on the table, palms flat on the surface and stares her down. Glancing at the breakroom door he let's out an aggravated sort of sigh.

"I'd have an easier time trusting you if this was the first time we've had this sort of conversation." He grumbled before pushing off and rubbing at his own face. "Fine, I'll leave it be if you can look me in the eye and tell me there isn't something that could be potentially dangerous going on with you."

Que him looks back down at her, arms crossed.

Can you do it Alice? Can you really?
tehilim127_1: (Default)

1. (post 3.)

[personal profile] tehilim127_1 2024-09-01 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
The first workday after Alice's stand-up comic night, Zivia passes by her desk at work with her usual cheerful "Morning," and then pauses mid-stride.

"Oh hey, I caught your comedy act the other day. Didn't get a chance to say anything right after, but that was a real good time."
tehilim127_1: (Default)

[personal profile] tehilim127_1 2024-09-01 03:51 am (UTC)(link)
"Yep. Anyway, just wanted to say."

Her smile widens a little, and takes on a look of such utter innocence as to immediately warn anyone who knows her well enough.

"I like your shoelaces."
huntingtruths: (006)

[personal profile] huntingtruths 2024-09-01 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)
He's half way to rolling his eyes again when the first plead leaves her lips, only for him to register the tone and stop in his tracks. He waits and listens and...god it hurts. It's like an ice pick to the heart hearing her like that. She did something she knew he'd be pissed about it so it was obviously something serious. All anger leaves him as he deflates.

He was about to let it all go when she watches her shrink in on herself further and it's just another stab to his heart. It takes everything in him not to walk over and pull her into a hug. They're at work and honestly this probably wasn't the place to be having this conversation but Sam was Sam...he had to pry. Instead he moves back over to his chair, pulls it out and turns it to face her before sitting down and reaching out to take both of her hands in his.

"Alright, hey okay." His voice is quiet and gentler than before and he tries to offer her a comforting smile. She's struggling and she can't tell him, it's something big and he gets that much. "Just promise me if it gets too bad you'll tell me, okay? None of this self-sacrificing shit, yeah?"
tehilim127_1: (laughing)

[personal profile] tehilim127_1 2024-09-02 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
Zivia's laughing too, or perhaps cackling would be a better word.

"I was --" She splutters, then barely manages "I was there, Gandalf," before going off into laughter again.
tehilim127_1: (Default)

[personal profile] tehilim127_1 2024-09-03 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
Zivia does actually wheeze for a moment before gaining control of herself. "Oh, god," she finally manages, holding her midsection, "I needed that. See, this, this is a basic human need that nobody talks about: someone who gets your references."

Page 1 of 6