sixth ( video ) day 67

[gleans]

[ At the very least, Galen looks a good deal better than he did the last time he showed his face. He does look tired - when doesn't he? - and there's still a note of worry in his voice, when he speaks. For the most part, however, he manages to keep his slight panic down, nudging at his glasses nervously. ]

Hey, guys -- I don't wanna cause any more alarm, but... if you could keep an eye out for Kenzi, we -- all of us, we'd really appreciate it. She might not be gone, but I haven't -- uh, better to be sure, right? So -- Kenzi, early twenties, goth-lite, long black hair, super tiny, ridiculously friendly.

Thanks, guys. Stay safe.

[ And this is where a message to Bruce would go... IF HE WERE THERE TO PICK UP. ]

Comments

[stiling]

[ His shoulders slump a little, heart dropping out as his hand rubs at the back of his head. ]

Don't tell me Kenzi's missing too now.

[gleans]

My thoughts exactly, man. I don't know for sure. Like, shit, I could be jumping the gun, but she's not answering.

[stiling]

I could try her too, but- Come on, Kenzi? Miss Million Miles of Words Per Minute? If she's not answering, she's gotta be missing.

[ He hefts a heavy sigh, and then unnecessarily blurts out, ] Or dead!

[undomesticated]

Wait, Kenzi's missing? When did this happen? I just talked to her a couple days ago.

[gleans]

I don't know, I haven't seen her since late last night when I went to bed. I'm not even a hundred percent sure she's missing, but -- well, she usually fucking answers.

[undomesticated]

[She couldn't just offer to go sniff her out, but she could offer to keep an eye out for her.]

Do you want me to, um, go see if I can find her?

[She knew her scent by now. If she was in town, Riley could pick her out.]

[audio]

[afallenstar]

[ No. No, no, no, that's not okay. Her response is careful and measured, but there's a reason she's sticking to audio right now. ]

I'll start looking.

[gleans]

[ Oh, good. That's a sigh of relief -- double bonus of having a friend and angel on it. ]

Yeah? Thanks, Anna. Really appreciate it.

[afallenstar]

I'll get back to you when I'm done.

[ Polite angels are polite, and even though Anna is better than most she still has her moments. Namely when she's very concerned about a friend of hers, and that's kind of why she doesn't say anything more before cutting off the feed.

The problem is, it doesn't take her nearly as long as she would like to look. She already knows that Kenzi isn't here, she can feel the missing space where her soul had been the moment she tries to focus on her presence, but that doesn't mean she neglects to scour the whole town anyway.

She checks every single nook and cranny, and unsurprisingly finds nothing. She doesn't quite have the heart to break it to him over the network though, so she goes to the house anyway. Subtlety is an art best left for when friends aren't missing, so her presence is announced with a flurry of wings and then there she is, standing in front of him without much warning.

She doesn't say anything straight away, but then again...her expression probably speaks volumes for her. ]

action

[nedofpies]

[ Ned comes back to the house looking distinctly defeated. His shoulders are slumped, his expression exhausted. He finds Galen and says in a dull voice: ]

River says she can't hear her anywhere in town. [ Galen will know who he means. ] She must be gone. A lot of people are.

[gleans]

[ Jesse's asleep, so Galen's pretty close by, downstairs. When Ned gives him this news, he looks up, and -- no. He doesn't want to believe it. ]

She might not be, though. [ He sits up straighter, knowing that it's logical to think she is, but not wanting to accept it. ] I mean -- they thought I was gone, too. I came back. So did Kobra and Stiles. [ And Bruce, but where he was was -- unsettling. ]

[nedofpies]

[ Ned nods, rubbing the back of his neck glumly ] Maybe they've sent her home and she's fine and won't remember any of this and it's a good thing if we never see her again.

[ But that sounds too good to be true, based on his experience. It's like consoling himself that someone who died has gone to heaven. All the wishing in the world isn't going to make it true or plausible or sufficient to cover up the hurt. ]

Or maybe she'll come back. [ In what kind of shape she'll come back, he doesn't know, but Galen is right. He'd disappeared and come back, and apparently so had others. Jesse had come back from the dead. It's not too much to hope for, and it's what is keeping him from falling to pieces over this the way he had when Jesse'd died. ]

How are you holding up? Does Jesse know?

[blackmagus]

I'll keep an eye out. I believe someone mentioned a record of the residents here, once? Do you know if that has been updated recently?

[gleans]

-- Shit, um. [ Oh, the irony. ] I'm... pretty sure Kenzi was the one keeping that list. I can't remember if it was a record of residents, or of missing people, but -- I can look for it.

[blackmagus]

Ah. Well. [She quirks a wry smile, which is more of a grimace than anything.] It might be useful in the future.

[hung_garian]

[Shit. Shit shit shit fuck balls.]

Since when?

[gleans]

Early this morning? Again, I dunno for sure if she's gone, but Anna and Riley are already checking.

[hung_garian]

Yeah, maybe she just went out for smokes and got lost on the way back.

[But if Anna's looking, there's not much point in sending Gabriel out to poke around too. Because if Anna hasn't found her within half an hour at the longest, she's probably not here.]

[noblexcompanion]

Oh no, not Kenzi...

Do you reckon the pervy, alien, mad scientists got their hands on her?

I really hope she just fell into a box of chocolate muffins and forgot to call home...

[gleans]

[ Aaaugh, dontthinkaboutit. Instead he tries to imagine that alternative, which gets a bit of a smile. ] You and me both. And if she is -- gone, I-I mean -- people don't always stay gone.

[noblexcompanion]

As long as she's safe... that's what matters most...

audio

[venatical]

Kenzi's gone too? [ That's a lot of people so far, isn't it? He hasn't really been keeping track, but that's his bad. He should pay more attention. Maybe there's something he can do. ]

[gleans]

It's looking like it. Sorry, man. But -- y'know, she might be back.

( private audio )

[rigging]

[ His voice is quiet and dull, like it has been in his calm periods since he's been back. No video. He's outside, though. ]

Bruce is missing too. [ It makes sense. ]

[gleans]

[ He wants to think it's Ghoul, but he knows Jesse's voice when he hears it. He must've woken up. ]

Are you sure? I know he's not picking up, but...