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

[closureisformovies]

Who: Alice Dyer (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.

Comments

1 - because of course

[huntingtruths]

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?"

1. (post 3.)

[tehilim127_1]

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."

2. Vacancy

[pineapplesalmon]

After a particularly long day the day before at the farm, César's moving a little slower than usual, taking his time to get in. He's under strict orders to never overwork himself from his girlfriend, five farmhands, and literally anyone else that knows his tendencies to burn the midnight candle once he gets started.

So instead of being in and out for his coffee, he takes his time to sit at the counter and chat with various staff members he's befriended because of Magne. It's nice to talk to them and also fill them in on how Magne's doing now that she's moved on to own a business of her own. He's seen Alice around, but hasn't had a chance to even introduce himself, his brain too full of what he needs to do for the day.

"You're fairly new here, right?" César asks quite suddenly. "I'm César Salazar, Magne's boyfriend, one of the farmers."

3. empty pockets

[maximumcake]

Max is a man of his word, so of course he is there to fulfill his promise to heckle her. Just one problem: he's really bad at being even vaguely mean to people. All the youtube videos made it look so easy but now that he's here sitting in one of the front rows, he's enjoying himself and enjoying her jokes and also really nervous about actually heckling someone on a stage. But he said he'd do it so--

"I thought this place was called Empty Pockets not 'Out of Pocket Jokes!'" Yes, in case you are wondering, he is shriveling up inside after saying that.