night four;

[unnames]

[As soon as he thinks everyone else is done either confronting or fussing over Elizabeth...Alice? goes to find her. After all, she's his partner-in-crime here, and he has to make sure she's okay.

(And he's worried.

Of course he's really worried.)

He'll wait until nobody's around before he approaches; he remembers all of her warnings, and how careful they're both supposed to be. He doesn't want her to get caught because of one of his indiscretions--

But eventually he does approach.]

Hey... you okay?

Comments

[unnames]

[He frowns a little of course. She looks terrible--not in that way, but because...she looks so fragile like this.

He doesn't like it. (It hits him somewhere in the heart in a way he wasn't expecting, like it reminds him of someone, but he can't remember--)]

... Not as long as it probably felt like you did. It didn't take more than a few moments really.

[A few gruesome, gory moments.]

[tearable]

[ Elizabeth truly would hate it. She feels naked without it, as if part of her was revealed in such a compromising and exposed nature. Maybe that's why the women in Rapture wore it so well? Because it became their skin, after a while. It hid their flaws, their fears, their weaknesses - Elizabeth was terrified right now and as he confirms how long it took... she laughs a bit. ]

That's... well, that's good. I wasn't keen on putting some show on like that boy wanted.

[unnames]

[...Ugh.

He doesn't want to think about Luke right now.

He just wants to think about...]

Is there anything you need right now? [That's...well, within his power to get it, obviously, but he'd damn well try. There's something about Elizabeth that he really, really admires. It hurts to see her brought this low, even if the situation is...well, obviously.]

[tearable]

No. Not now. I need to tell you something.

[ BECAUSE GUESS WHO HAS BEEN SITTING ON FUCKING REVEALS. :) Welcome 2 being in a murdergame with me, Cal.

Elizabeth has no idea how to phrase this, how to... sound sane. It makes no sense to her, she has no idea how this fits into anywhere, but it does. A round peg fit into a square hole or some such. Elizabeth points to the bench next to hear, her hands tenderly rubbing at the cuts that grew and opened on her knees. ]

...I died.

[ It sounds outrageous, right? ]

...I couldn't remember before... but I died before I was brought here. [ Her voice cracks and she winces, her face flushing in disappointment. ] This whole thing...? People being from other worlds and times? It's not uncommon to me. Before this - this, I could open tears to anywhere I wanted to go, any time I wanted to go. But, there's rules... rules that I followed.

[ That's why her pinky is back. Not because of this captivity. ]

I died and went back. I saw my dead body. I lost... lost everything and now I remember. I remember it.

[unnames]

[He sits uncertainly, because he's not sure he's going to like this, and

SURE ENOUGH, HE DOESN'T LIKE THIS.

He hesitates, uncertain and staring at her, but...no matter how he looks at her, it's clear she's not joking. Elizabeth has never been the sort of person to fuck around, too, so he knows--

This is true.

This is true, but...]

How is that even... How are you still-- [...Breathing? Alive?]

[tearable]

[ Elizabeth can't remember all of it, but she knows she was thrown through a wall, and a scene too morbid for her to repeat. The Luteces provided her a chance to go back... to undo what she had done..? What had she done? ]

I - I don't know what I am. [ She's had people go to different worlds where they've died. She's seen how... out of place and their memories shift so heavily to compensate. ] I had a power that people coveted and wanted so badly. To know how to harness...

[ She won't tell him about Columbia yet, not yet. ]

But, there's rules. I lost it all... when I went back to Rapture. To tend to some unfinished business. [ She is at a loss of words, so she looks down to her pinky and curls it roughly into her palm. ] I thought if I could find out how they were suppressing my powers... I'd be able to get us out of here, but. I can't. I have nothing.

[unnames]

But then... maybe it's something that you can do. If you remember, I mean. If you remember more, or--

[He hesitates a moment, frowning a little before he sighs, shoulders slumping.]

Look, I...was really surprised when other people said they were having memory problems. I can't remember anything.

[...]

I mean, even before this--I couldn't remember anything. But it's not just me here. [He's the token amnesiac protag.] Iff they're doing this to everyone, then...there's gotta be a way to stop it, and then...

[...She can open those tears again, right?]

[tearable]

I don't know. There's so many - I use to see doors. All of the doors and what was behind them. What could be, what couldn't be, what possibilities there were - infinite doors but now... there's nothing. And these scientists didn't do that. I did. I just don't remember why and how.

[ He suddenly speaks about his own memory problems and she perks a brow. There's a bit of curiosity there, a true honest interest in why he can't remember. ]

You're amnesiac?

[ Elizabeth wants to say it's wishful thinking they can get out of this, but... ]

We keep doing what we can do. I don't know why I was chosen for anything here - for this role for that killing... I don't know why I died and why I was brought back - brought here but I know we have to keep going. We have to keep seeing the constants that present themselves.

[unnames]

[... He doesn't get it, really. He tries, but none of it makes any sense, and his brow furrows a little as he tries to understand what she's saying, but in the end, he doesn't know much of anything, and all he can really offer up is--]

Well... even if we don't really know why or anything like that or anything, I...

[He frowns a little, and then continues:]

It sounds pretty shitty, all things considered, but I'm kinda glad you're here. [It's good for everyone that Elizabeth's here trying to help them, after all, and Alice? would be pretty fucked on his own.]

[tearable]

[ She sits in silence a bit, stewing about her own feelings on the matter. She's angry. She wants to kill anyone who did this to her. Whether it was someone who wanted research or save the world - there was no 'greater good' that she suspects the scientists need. It was always for power - be it knowledge or the controlling kind. ]

I'm sorry you're here. [ She replies immediately. Her shoulders slump down. ] I wish there was more I could do... I could have gotten us out - taken us anywhere but here.

[ She wishes she stayed dead, honestly... ]

We can only keep trying. There's nothing else.

[unnames]

...Thanks.

[He's not sure if he's grateful or not, but the sentiment...well, it's really nice, isn't it? And he's not used to people being that nice or considerate of his well-being, but he appreciates it even so.

Ultimately, though, he just sighs, shoulder slumping as well.]

We'll keep trying, and...we'll get it right. So.... just wait for that moment, okay? When we're all free and can get out of this hellhole.