[rhymes with demon]

[porcupineliz]

Liz is standing at the bar, reading a brief note over and over.

Anyone wanting to talk to her may have to put in a little extra effort to get her attention.

Comments

[dr_j]

Gently: "Why don't you start off with what you did, and we'll save the value judgments for later?"

[porcupineliz]

"The demon sent me a note." Tiredly. "Saying something like 'it's about time we talk'."

Beat.

"So I strapped on a bunch of silver and went up to talk to it."

[dr_j]

Jordie stiffens. He can't stop himself.

But his tone is quiet. "What did it have to say?"

[porcupineliz]

She finishes her drink, puts the empty glass down on the table. Her hands find each other in her lap.

"Bullet points: everybody here is on the menu. It's planning on bringing in an army. And it wanted me to spread the word."

[dr_j]

Jordie lets out a long breath.

His voice isn't entirely steady. "Can we still get out?"

[porcupineliz]

"It didn't say." Neither is hers. "But it said I could maybe still save a few lives if I started telling people. Do you --"

She looks up at him.

"Do you want to try to get out now?"

[dr_j]

He shows her his wrist.

Her bracelet dangles.

"Is this enough?"

[porcupineliz]

She looks at the bracelet, and then up at him, startled. "You got my note? Then you knew --?"

[dr_j]

Blankly: "I didn't get a note. Was there a note?"

[porcupineliz]

"I -- wrapped the bracelet. In a note. I thought I did."

Did she forget to?

[dr_j]

Jordie turns bright red.

Muttered: "I didn't see the note part -- I just thought it was folded up in paper, that was it -- "

[porcupineliz]

"... oh god that was dumb of me." She buries her face in one hand. "I should've made it two separate things, I didn't think --"

[dr_j]

" -- you know I would have come up after you."

It's a question.

"So it's just as well you didn't."

[porcupineliz]

She looks up at him, blinking.

"... yeah." A little shaken. "Yeah, definitely just as well. I don't --"




"There was more."

[dr_j]

He's silent, waiting.

(The arm around her tightens.)

[porcupineliz]

(That means he'll be able to feel the shudder she can't quite suppress.)




"It says it likes me."

The tone in her voice is loathing.

[dr_j]

Jordie's breath catches in his throat.








"Do you think," and he doesn't even bother pretending his voice isn't shaking, "it likes you enough to -- to do -- "

[porcupineliz]

"I don't even know." She rubs her face again; she's wishing she hadn't finished the drink yet. "It says -- and believe me I do not think it's true for one bleeding second -- it says it likes me enough to let me team up with it."

[dr_j]

"Like -- making you into -- a, a -- "

[porcupineliz]

"Another demon? It can't do that." Flat, and very firm. "That's not possible."

God, Jordie has to be even more scared than she is, he doesn't know anything about this kind of thing --

[dr_j]

Losing it isn't going to help.

He makes himself take a deep breath and reach for his glass.

He makes himself drink.

Only then does he say, "We got distracted -- is jewelry going to be enough?"

[porcupineliz]

... she doesn't know if he believes the last thing she said.

Books. Matt has books; she'll borrow some.

"I think so. More's better -- it said something about the silver being one reason it wasn't going to eat me."

She makes herself say the last words without flinching.

[dr_j]

He exhales.

"Okay." Soft. "I don't -- I don't know if I'm -- if I'm any good to you. Good to whatever's going on to deal with this. I don't -- you know things, they know things, I -- all I've got are these."

He holds out his free hand, squeezes her shoulder with his other.

[porcupineliz]

She reaches out to wind her fingers through his, not trusting herself to speak for a moment.


"'S not nothing," she whispers finally.

[dr_j]

So he's staying here.

And he's probably going to die.




Oh well.

"At least you'll have medical care on call?" It's a weak effort.