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River and Anders, Halloween Party 31/10/2013
Anders slips out of the party and gets pounced on
warning: There's references to the murder threats/night in the woods ordeal Anders went through, usual references for River's situation too
He'd slipped out of the party with a plan to head to the bathroom. For a piss and a line. Ok, so he didn't have to do the line in the bathroom but it was practically part of the tradition, wasn't it? His copper's hat was still in place but since it had long grown too dark, the sunglasses had been pocketed. He headed down the corridor already somewhat merry thanks to the free scotch from Brian as well as his own hipflask.
Around the corner, the hallway was plunged in darkness, anything in it only visible thanks to what light came from around the corner. The noises of the party were distant, and in the middle of the corridor, just feet from the corner, so that Anders suddenly found himself faced with her, stood a thin figure in contrasting black and dirty white.
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Was yelled in a thick, Kiwi accent before he realised who it was. His heart was pounding like fuck but, yeah, after a moment or so to recover he had to admit it was a well pulled prank. "Yeah, yeah, very funny kid."
River reached up and pulled her hair apart a little, so that she could peer at Anders. "It causes your blood vessels to constrict, leading to an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature."
"Strangely enough I noticed that too."
"Can I tag along?" she asked with wide eyes. She knew what it did; she didn't know what it felt like. Halloween was for scary things. Better that than the thoughts chasing each other at the back of her mind; she didn't want to think of the white, and she was glad that her dress was the dirty kind.
"Yeah coz I'm sure your brother would love for me to take you to the boys room." Not to mention the psychotic the brother was dating. "Don't think that's a good idea, darlin'."
"I go where I want," River replied, cocking her head to the side. "You can be my white rabbit."
"The flaw in that being that I'm not particularly late in going anywhere." He pointed out with a small smirk. "Does that scenario make you Alice then?"
"Your bladder disagrees," River answered pointedly, ignoring his question. She wasn't sure who she was most days, anyway.
"Which is really none of your business. Why would you want to follow me anyway, kid?" He started to continue down the corridor.
"Don't want to be in my own head," River murmured, mostly to herself, as she let her hair fall back in front of her face.
Strangely enough, Anders felt a swell of empathy and sadness at that. "Me neither kid but if I help you out on that front your brother would have my guts for garters. Sorry."
"I go where I want," River repeated, but things were closing in on her. Her fists had curled up, and now she wanted to run away, or did she? She didn't know where she could go. Where was Harley? They were supposed to scare people together.
"Sure, course you do, it's a free country and all but I'm not giving you a line. That's more than my life's worth." He did have some sense of self-preservation after all.
River frowned, and stopped walking. "I'm just an echo now." It sounded as if she were talking to herself, but he was the one that didn't know. Silly little boy, all twisted up inside.
"You do seem to have gotten one of the rougher deals in this place." He agreed as he stopped walking too. "And that's saying something."
"You should try harder," she told him, feeling it all getting away from her. "You're a person."
"And you've officially lost me again."
"Lost boy," she murmured, and took a step back. "Never found your way out of the woods."
His stomach clenched, face paled and his eyes widened as he stared at her. He hadn't been thinking about that terrible night at all, not since John's comment earlier anyway, so how had she known?
"I survived." He said somewhat tightly, fighting the flashes of memories coming back. Being dragged out of house in his pyjamas. Him and Mike on their knees in the woods, mum ranting about executions and righting wrongs. Gun held at the back of his head so he couldn't talk his way out of it. Driving home and hoping the others were alive. Finding Ty in bed cold, so cold, and thinking he was dead.
Pulling out his hipflask, he took a swig to try to steady his nerves. Push the memories out.
"This is the night when the veil is the thinnest," River murmured, taking another step back. Behind her hair, her features were distressed. "This is the night the dead come to visit. Run, run before they catch you."
And with that, she turned on her heels and did as she advised him.
Taking another swig from his hipflask, Anders hurried off to his destination now doubly in need of oblivion.
warning: There's references to the murder threats/night in the woods ordeal Anders went through, usual references for River's situation too
He'd slipped out of the party with a plan to head to the bathroom. For a piss and a line. Ok, so he didn't have to do the line in the bathroom but it was practically part of the tradition, wasn't it? His copper's hat was still in place but since it had long grown too dark, the sunglasses had been pocketed. He headed down the corridor already somewhat merry thanks to the free scotch from Brian as well as his own hipflask.
Around the corner, the hallway was plunged in darkness, anything in it only visible thanks to what light came from around the corner. The noises of the party were distant, and in the middle of the corridor, just feet from the corner, so that Anders suddenly found himself faced with her, stood a thin figure in contrasting black and dirty white.
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Was yelled in a thick, Kiwi accent before he realised who it was. His heart was pounding like fuck but, yeah, after a moment or so to recover he had to admit it was a well pulled prank. "Yeah, yeah, very funny kid."
River reached up and pulled her hair apart a little, so that she could peer at Anders. "It causes your blood vessels to constrict, leading to an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature."
"Strangely enough I noticed that too."
"Can I tag along?" she asked with wide eyes. She knew what it did; she didn't know what it felt like. Halloween was for scary things. Better that than the thoughts chasing each other at the back of her mind; she didn't want to think of the white, and she was glad that her dress was the dirty kind.
"Yeah coz I'm sure your brother would love for me to take you to the boys room." Not to mention the psychotic the brother was dating. "Don't think that's a good idea, darlin'."
"I go where I want," River replied, cocking her head to the side. "You can be my white rabbit."
"The flaw in that being that I'm not particularly late in going anywhere." He pointed out with a small smirk. "Does that scenario make you Alice then?"
"Your bladder disagrees," River answered pointedly, ignoring his question. She wasn't sure who she was most days, anyway.
"Which is really none of your business. Why would you want to follow me anyway, kid?" He started to continue down the corridor.
"Don't want to be in my own head," River murmured, mostly to herself, as she let her hair fall back in front of her face.
Strangely enough, Anders felt a swell of empathy and sadness at that. "Me neither kid but if I help you out on that front your brother would have my guts for garters. Sorry."
"I go where I want," River repeated, but things were closing in on her. Her fists had curled up, and now she wanted to run away, or did she? She didn't know where she could go. Where was Harley? They were supposed to scare people together.
"Sure, course you do, it's a free country and all but I'm not giving you a line. That's more than my life's worth." He did have some sense of self-preservation after all.
River frowned, and stopped walking. "I'm just an echo now." It sounded as if she were talking to herself, but he was the one that didn't know. Silly little boy, all twisted up inside.
"You do seem to have gotten one of the rougher deals in this place." He agreed as he stopped walking too. "And that's saying something."
"You should try harder," she told him, feeling it all getting away from her. "You're a person."
"And you've officially lost me again."
"Lost boy," she murmured, and took a step back. "Never found your way out of the woods."
His stomach clenched, face paled and his eyes widened as he stared at her. He hadn't been thinking about that terrible night at all, not since John's comment earlier anyway, so how had she known?
"I survived." He said somewhat tightly, fighting the flashes of memories coming back. Being dragged out of house in his pyjamas. Him and Mike on their knees in the woods, mum ranting about executions and righting wrongs. Gun held at the back of his head so he couldn't talk his way out of it. Driving home and hoping the others were alive. Finding Ty in bed cold, so cold, and thinking he was dead.
Pulling out his hipflask, he took a swig to try to steady his nerves. Push the memories out.
"This is the night when the veil is the thinnest," River murmured, taking another step back. Behind her hair, her features were distressed. "This is the night the dead come to visit. Run, run before they catch you."
And with that, she turned on her heels and did as she advised him.
Taking another swig from his hipflask, Anders hurried off to his destination now doubly in need of oblivion.