theairlock | the final week

[Eight weeks. Eight weeks of friendship and love, death and loss, hope and despair all muddled together in a cocktail that's too sweet on the tongue and leaves an acid-y pit in the stomach. With nine of them left (ten counting their dear but lone surviving host), things look darker than ever. Come Sunday morning the last of the Champions missing memories will be returned to them while they sleep. For some of them this will reveal answers, for others it might just be a fate worse than death. They could even be death.

But how does the song go? "It's always darkest before the dawn"?

There are no announcements from PAL this week. Not even morning and evening announcements.

Sunday Monday Tuesday

[ooc: Welcome to endgame, everyone! We're all very proud of you for making it all the way to the end. As you can see this is going to be a short IC week but we promise things will not be going down until this weekend (7/7-7/9). On Tuesday we'll be unveiling the OOC post for what to expect during the final investigation. There is no official AC this week, just a check-in and as mentioned above characters will be at their true canon points on Sunday morning.

Buckle up, kids, the ride's not over yet.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[That... is not normal behavior of Queenie's. There's worry that blossoms in her stomach as she follows the blond.]

She tends to sleep in when she can. I don't have the heart to wake her. [........... suspicious...

She frowns at Queenie.] I'm fine.... but... that's not what we're here for.

She deserves a rest. We all do...

[Twirling her wand idly between her fingers, worrying along the curl of the shell handle, biting her lip...]

I don' wanna worry anyone- I mean I didn' notice at first... there's so much... what with everythin that's happened and-

Yes, we do.

[She wants to reach over and squeeze Queenie's hand, but that wand...]

What is it? Is it... bad?

[A deep breath, eyes downcast. Her wand stills, grip on it tight as she finally forces herself to say what she's been afraid to voice since she realized it.]

I'm late.

.......... Hm.

[This... This was actually a lot better than what she expected, but still a potentially awkward situation.]

A few days or a few weeks? Anything else you've noticed? I... could look for some pregnancy- WAIT! YOUR PIP! [She lifts her own up. Roland had been so pissed about this option.] Check it! It's got a status screen. Please. It'll tell you if you are!

[She's half expecting Nari to be mad at her. She knows Tina would be, Tina would be furious. It's not like she hasn't been trying to be careful but when you're worried about dying all the time condoms seem a lot less world ending.]

Almost a week? [She bites her lip, chews on it really. How do you notice small things when you're planning to kill the man you love? It doesn't happen. And part of her, a large part of her that's been thinking about this since last night, hopes that maybe she is. Maybe... losing him will hurt less when she has something of him left.

Not that there aren't other options but certainly he would be the most likely.]

the PIP? [She lifts her arm and stares at it for a moment. She's never really bothered much with the stupid thing. She doesn't know anything about electronics after all.]

A week... that's not so bad.

[She takes a deep breath and shows on her own PIP on how to get to the status screen.] See? It gives you an update on everything going on in your body. It's how they, PAL mostly, knows what's wrong with us....... even when we die. So..... Yeah. Check it. It should be able to pick up the hormone levels that show that you're pregnant if you are. If you still need more proof, I'm sure I can find a few pregnancy tests. Okay?

[INTERNAL SCREECHING]

Pregnancy tests?

[They're from beyond her time. Not by much but enough that she's never seen one. There are spells or potions for it but none she's familiar with, she's never needed to be.

But she is obediently pulling up the status screen on her PIP, torn between afraid and hopeful. PAL said they were done, they could live their lives here in peace. This wasn't home exactly but the mansion was beautiful, plenty large enough for kids. Nari knew her medicine, everything would be fine.

She could keep part of him with her, watch the child they made together grow up with their family...

Except the status screen shows nothing to indicate any sort of variances that would mean she is pregnant. Her lip escapes her teeth and she gasps softly, shifting to show Nari the screen.]

Th-that's a no, right? [So why does she sound like she's going to cry?]

Yes. There's different types, the ones in the store you literally just pee on and wait. It sounds gross, but they use them in doctors offices before they do more official tests, too.

[She moves to stand beside Queenie, watching the screen. As hopeful as the witch is, part of Nari is, too. There's some jealousy as well. But she keeps a smile on her face till the screen comes up.

With a shaky breath she pulls the other woman into a tight hug.]

I'm so sorry....

[She barely hears what Nari's saying about peeing on sticks because she's so hopeful. And then Nari is hugging her and she doesn't know what to do aside from turn into her and try not to cry.]

It's so stupid. Wanting something like-

Look at where we are. How can I-

[The fight with her tears is one she's losing quickly.]

I was never supposed to be here without him. [In case anyone was wondering what she was planning to do if she won.]

..... no, it would be nice to be a mother. Maybe........... when you get home-

[She pulls away to look at Queenie.]

..... you were.... please tell me you wouldn't have... Queenie. Look at me.

Not goin- [Home.

She's not going home. She came to terms with that last week. She did what she could, the greatest sacrifice she could possibly give.

But she wasn't going home.

There's tears on her face when she blinks up at the redhead, nothing compared to the way she had been sobbing so much over the past few days but there none the less.]

So... you don't have a place to go back to either? But yours... it's by choice. I'm sure someone here will take you home with them if you ask.

[She gives the other woman a weak smile, wiping her tears away.] Everyone here loves you so much.

Teenie's gotta think I'm... dead by now. And that means she can go off with Newt and they'll get married and have lots of kids and-

Morgana it's so selfish but... it didn't work. The war's comin and I don't wanna see it, Nari.

[She sniffles hard, squeezes her eyes to try to stop herself from crying more.]

I don' wanna go back ta that, especially if it means leaving you all.

... My parents are used to not hearing from me for weeks, and my friends back home don't know how to contact them to ask if I'm alive... I've got all of three of them, though one of them can be quite absentminded since he's a lawyer....

[She kisses Queenie's forehead.]

The war is awful... I wouldn't want to go back to it either....

I can't believe there's really no one back home that'd miss you, sweetie.

[She starts to shake her head but then Nari's kissing her forehead and she just melts into the other woman.]

Tina'd be so mad if she knew... and what if- [Her hand goes back to her belly.] I'll never see my nieces and nephews... and neither will she.

My cat would miss me.

[Kisses are soothing, so it's understandable.]

Hey... we can find a way to go back and visit, maybe?

Maybe we can... even if just once, so she knows I'm okay. That I'll be okay.

She'll never forgive me but thinkin of going back ta New York... feels so small.

Small?.... I get what you mean.

[Weeks in space makes everything seem tiny.]

the final week

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject