FIRE DRILL!, Outside of the Dorms, Very Late Thursday Night/Very Early Friday Morning

[suitably_heroic]

The wind roared around campus this time of night. Temperatures had dropped to close to freezing, and clouds blocked out most of the fragile light of the moon.

Perfect time to ring the fire alarm for a test, right? Right.

Somewhere deep in the middle of the night, the alarm went off. Loudly. So grab what you can and bustle on outside, students! ... and let's hope this is over quick.

[[ FIRE DRILL! have at. ]]

Comments

[doesnotkneel]

Edward looked mostly bewildered. He'd been asleep only five minutes prior and now he was standing outside in his hooded sweatshirt and old set of trousers and Isabelle's scarf wrapped haphazardly around his neck.

He wasn't sure about anything right now, besides that he wanted it to stop.

[seveninchmotto]

"This is stupid."

Said the girl who looked like she hadn't slept in days. So, you had to believe that that was her very serious opinion.

[doesnotkneel]

"Yes," Edward agreed, nodding vigorously. "Very stupid."

[seveninchmotto]

"I should've just gone home," Isabelle grumbled, although there was an exhaustion-caused mildness to her tone. "Foolishly, I assumed this was the place to be for a night of uninterrupted sleep."

[doesnotkneel]

"Usually it is," Edward felt he had to point out, if simply because he'd have been saddened if she stopped showing up to sleep 'round here.

He pulled his hood over his head. "It's just being contrarian now, I wager."

[seveninchmotto]

"Well I need it to stop." Because going back to New York right now wasn't something she was feeling up to doing right now, either. She pulled her glittery robe tighter around herself, mostly just for something to do. She had a Mark on, keeping her body warm. "This isn't funny."

She might have found it a little bit amusing at some other time. Or at least she would've appreciated all the half-naked people.

[doesnotkneel]

Edward, meanwhile, was largely trying to curl into his own sweatshirt, hoping beyond all hope it would suddenly achieve mystic warming abilities of its own. "You've been here longer," he said, "How long do these things usually last?"

[seveninchmotto]

"Too long." Sorry, had to get that out there. "I don't know, a while. Long enough that we'll feel properly grateful to be let back in."

[doesnotkneel]

"Perhaps I could climb back up to my room," Edward mused, "No one would notice..."

[seveninchmotto]

"Well, you could try."

What, like Isabelle of all people was going to try and thwart that idea? She came from a whole race of reckless people.

[doesnotkneel]

"Been thinking about it for some time," Edward said. "Actually, Kathy and I're still supposed to try leapin' off the roof one of these days."

Beat.

"...With ropes."

Give him a couple of years and he wouldn't even add that qualification.

[seveninchmotto]

She almost told him he reminded her of Jace, just now.

But, just the thought brought an unwelcome pain with hit, so she kept it to herself. Did the best to keep it off her face, too.

"I can see how that might be fun."

[doesnotkneel]

"You're welcome to join us, if we ever get 'round to it," Edward offered, because of course he did.

[seveninchmotto]

"Maybe," Isabelle replied, shrugging and carding her hand back through her hair. "If I'm around."

[doesnotkneel]

Edward blinked. "Why wouldn't you be?"

[seveninchmotto]

"I'm in New York a lot now." Isabelle tugged on her robe again. "My brother's missing," she added flatly.

And that was an overly simplified way of putting it, too.

[doesnotkneel]

"Missing?" Edward echoed.

Yes, that's what she'd said.

"Jaysus. I'm sorry. What happened?"

[seveninchmotto]

"A mess with a demon who tried to resurrect the worthless bastard who killed my little brother." Oh, now, there was a little bit of emotion, finally. "She tried to use Jace for that, and now it's starting to look like perhaps she succeeded. The body and Jace have both been missing for a week."

[doesnotkneel]

"And... you want to be back there to find them," Edward said. "Understandable."

And slightly better than her dropping everything and leaving as he'd parsed that at first.

[seveninchmotto]

"I've been going back and forth the last week," she told him, shrugging. "Patrolling in the search parties." Sixteen-hour patrols which contributed to the dark circles under her eyes, but who was counting? "I'll keep doing that until we find them."

And they would. She had to believe that.

[doesnotkneel]

"You've the dedication to pull it off, I reckon," Edward said, if simply because he was never going to argue on that point. "Any theories on where they might've gone?"

[seveninchmotto]

This time the shrug was a little more vague, and she glanced away.

"Not really. Not as much as I'd like."

[doesnotkneel]

Edward winced - physically, even. "If there's anything I can do..." he said. "...And yes, I'm aware of how much that sounds like folly, comin' from me."

Though he did have a talent for spotting hidden things?

[seveninchmotto]

"Thank you, but it's beyond mundie help." See also the reason why Flick was rapidly losing his health over this thing. "But I'll let you know if there's anything."

Because this was not a thing where she was going to have too much pride to ask for things. No, she was relatively desperate to get her brother back.

[doesnotkneel]

Edward shrugged lightly. "If you need something found," he said, "I've got a minor talent for it, that's all. Not that I can really talk it up, and you lot probably've got better than me, so... never mind I said anything."