( o1 - AUDIO )

[halves]

[Deep breaths, Lou, deep breaths.

He's still practicing this exercise about a split second before the recording begins, shifting his focus to it immediately, superficially ready to laugh and quip at this silly challenge someone has proposed (forced) him to take part in.

It's nothing but pure nerves, he assures you.]

This is really fucked up. Just thought I should let you know.

[There's an exhale, not quite a laugh. See? Nothing but nerves.]

I guess I'm supposed to say hi now.

Hi. I'm the new guy.

I'd like to know what the fuck you've done to my cat.

Comments

voice;

[dignity_misery]

[ A familiar voice? She wonders if it's him, or if she's being ridiculous. She and Lou had never been close by any definition of the word, talking hadn't really been at the forefront of anyone's minds except for those strange conversations over breakfast where she would laugh and run her shoes up the inside of his leg while he tried not to choke on his coffee, while she told him that he was worthless--(but that he could be better, if he would just break free.)

She wonders if it's him. If she wants it to be him. What good would that do her? What good is familiarity going to do her besides remind her of a woman she can't be anymore. Her heart is going to stop. (Deep breaths, Carla, deep breaths.)

There's only one way to find out: ]

Hiding your face?

[halves]

[His brows pinch behind the device for a split second. It could be an accusation, but it he thinks he hears curiosity.

Lewis wouldn't get it either way.]

What?

[dignity_misery]

I want to see who you are. Show me.

[halves]

[Maybe on some other day, when the buzz in his head was quiet enough to be ignored, Lewis would have shrugged, made one of his humorless jokes and pressed that button. Something's not right, it says - nothing is right.]

Who are you?

filtered // hackable if you really feel the need

[dignity_misery]

[ On another day, she might have just showed him. Might have started this whole conversation off with a video feed because she was never afraid to show her face... but if it is Lou... She can't let everyone hear him call her Zinc and this city has no conception of privacy.

She doesn't answer immediately, changing the settings on her message before she the feed clicks on and she leans a little closer to the camera. ]

My name is Carla.

[halves]

[There's silence on his end; neither the face nor the name are familiar. That's when Lou realizes he was hoping they would be.]

Why do you want to see who I am?

[dignity_misery]

You sound familiar.

[ Her tone is flat, not giving away her own hope for familiarity--(Her mind still isn't wrapped around it, but she doesn't want to question it. She just wants an answer, and then the anxiety in her chest will ease.)]

[halves]

[The thought crosses his mind almost immediately, the dread he carries of hearing another name attached to his face when his brother's acquaintances happen to cross paths with him. Neither of them had the slightest idea who Lewis was when it happened; he never really bother to explain it to them either. It was safer to assume Giles' life would just be easier that way.]

You might be wrong.

[But if she did know Giles she could give him some sort of contact, help him find familiar ground.

After another hesitant six seconds, the feed clicks on. Lewis' brows are tense and his lips parted, exhaling.]

[dignity_misery]

[ She inhales audibly, her eyes growing larger. In her own way, she would understand that dread, an unwanted name trying to overwrite what she's worked for... But she does know who she is, and it's unclear whether she's happy or not when she murmurs, ]

Lou.

[halves]

[It... takes him by surprise, just when he thought himself ready to correct whatever assumption she made next. That's when thoughts take him elsewhere, to the possibility that she knows him for much simpler reasons: they met one night and one of them left the next morning.

His shoulders drop.]

Guess you're right.

[dignity_misery]

[ It is that simple. Or it was, or it should be. Nothing about the interplay between then and now is simple for her, though. There are too many questions and doubts. For now, however, she has her answer, whatever it means.]

Welcome to the city.

[halves]

[His lips draw a contradictory line at that, voice softly shaken the same sentiment.]

That seals the deal, doesn't it.

[dignity_misery]

Yeah.

[She knows what he means. She hasn't forgotten that first day here, standing on a rooftop and looking out a city that she didn't know.]

Do you... [Everyone in this city is so fucking helpful.] want somewhere to stay?

[halves]

[Right again. People only say welcome when they expect you to stay for a while, whether they mean it or not.]

Maybe later.

I need a drink.

[dignity_misery]

I don't drink.

[If he doesn't remember her, and she doesn't find that all that strange considering his pills and his booze, then he wouldn't remember that. Even if she does.]

But there are plenty of bars around.

[halves]

I won't have to worry about buying you one, then.

[He isn't sure why these are the words coming out of his mouth. But it's better than dealing with the ones in his head.]

[dignity_misery]

I can come out to meet you. Did you manage to avoid the fountain?

[halves]

I - [A beat.] Yeah?

[dignity_misery]

A lot of people land in it.

[halves]

Guess I just wasn't drunk enough.

[He wasn't drunk at all.

Was he?]

Did that happen to you?

[dignity_misery]

No. I got a rooftop.

[halves]

With a nice view, I hope.

[Ugh. Keep it going, Lou, you might actually believe you're not going out of your mind.]

[dignity_misery]

If you go for that sort of thing.

[Being kidnapped. Losing your grasp on everything you've worked so hard to keep hold of.]

I can meet you at the fountain in about fifteen minutes

[halves]

[It takes him a beat to answer, nodding twice.]

Okay. Do that. [He can do that too. Sure.

Eventually he blurts out something that just doesn't quite roll out as naturally as he'd like.] Thanks, Carla.

[dignity_misery]

[Paaaause. And then she snorts. That was definitely weird, definitely not what she would have expected from him. She runs a hand back through her hair.]

Nothing better to do.