2019-11-18 - Undone (The Sweater Song)

The box has been sitting on Magnolia's kitchen counter top for almost three weeks. She hasn't touched it, but it also hasn't moved from where she put it after Byron dropped it off. It is a simple lockbox -- 424 square inches of old, taupe-painted stainless steel -- locked and wrapped in duct tape. Written on the duct tape in black Sharpie are the words, 'TO BE OPENED UPON MY DEATH --N.J.' It is early afternoon -- hours still until Lark comes home from school -- and Magnolia is standing in front of the box, staring at it with laser focus. She has her arms crossed in front of her, leaning into those folded limbs. The debut Weezer album -- The Blue Album -- plays on the old record player. While it is more known as the anti-grunge, it is one of the few albums her father owned that came from the declining years of The Grunge Era.

"Do you have X-Ray vision, Lia?" Kevin looks up from his laptop at the little desk by the door. He saves his document, sets down the laptop, and crosses the room to her side, leaning against the table alongside her. He waits for a moment, looking over to her, and then lifts his brows behind his thick glasses, "You want me to look at it first?" Leaning over slightly, he nudges her shoulder with his own, "It's been sitting there for like three weeks."

"No, and I don't think I would want X-Ray vision. Gross." Magnolia's voice lacks the conviction it normally does. She's too busy staring with her chin and cheeks in her hands. She looks up toward him when he nudges into her shoulder. Then she sighs out a breath, and shoves the box toward him with a little grimace; it scrapes across the counter and scratches the cheap veneer. "Open it. I mean, what could be in it except some kind of time capsule shit?" Of course, they don't have the key, but that's neither here nor there.

Kevin shifts his weight onto just one arm so that he can slip the other around her shoulders, giving a little squeeze. "His last case? Something he was working on when he disappeared." Straightening up a little, he rubs at the scrape in the veneer with his thumb, then puts his hand over the lock on the front of the box. "I mean, if I was working on something that people wanted to keep quiet, I'd keep notes and hide them." Which might say more about Kevin than the possibility of what might be inside the box. "I'm assuming you don't have a random key that he left for you. Or you would have opened this already." His brows knot together as he studies the lock, his fingers working over the outside. There's a click for inside, and he tilts his head to one side, furrows sprouting in his forehead as he focuses on working the mechanism of the lock inside. "Sometimes..." his words come out slowly through the focus, "you've got to... get past... a padlock... to get... a story."

Magnolia props her chin on her knuckles, elbow holding the weight of her head while she squints at Kevin. "Really? So, you better tell me where to find that... you know, you're super secret case files." Now she looks back at the box with a slight shake of her head. "No, I mean... I could get a screwdriver." But then Kevin does that whole Glimmer thing, and she snorts slightly at the first click. "Show off." Now she's scooting closer to him, tucking a bit of blond hair back behind her ear. With a bit more effort, Kevin pops that simple locking mechanism. Now it's just the duct tape. Magnolia searches around the kitchen for a moment, and then grabs a steak knife, handing it to him handle first. Her breath is a bit tight in her chest while she waits for Kevin to break the last barrier to open the box.

"Pretty sure... you could figure out... my password." Kevin shifts his hand over the lock, and there's another click, and then a third, and the lock pops open. He gives a little sigh of relief. "Doesn't always work." It's not showing off if he admits it doesn't always work, right? She leans close, and he gives another squeeze to her shoulder, then extricates his arm so that he can take the knife and cut open the duct tape. He only scrapes the paint a little, and only nearly cuts his hand once. Look, just because he got buff doesn't mean that he got coordinated. "You ready for this, Lia?"

"Already have. You really need to choose a new theme -- UFO conspiracy theories? Really?" There's a little smile as she glances over to him, only for her then to sober when he turns the knife onto the duct tape. He cuts it away, and she only winces briefly when he almost cuts his hand. "Watch out." Now she chews slightly at the edge of her lip as she glances between the box and her boyfriend. "Yeah," she croaks quietly, rubbing her hands along her mouth.

When Kevin opens the box, he finds two dozen cassette tapes, all labeled with various dates and band names. Magnolia picks one of them up and frowns. "Time capsule bullshit," she sighs, looking at the label that says 'Soundgarden, 1988.' She rolls her head forward and down into her folded arms with a sigh. Amongst the sea of tapes, there is one that has a totally blank label.

"They're so ridiculous. I can't resist making fun of them." Says the man who believes that just about everything is caused by corporations or shadowy government agencies trying to control peoples' lives. Kevin holds the knife out and away after her warning, then sets it down and pulls aside the last of the duct tape. Before he opens the box, he leans over to press a kiss to Magnolia's temple, and only then lifts the lid. He frowns as she does, looking over the tape she picks up, then starting to sort through the others, "Yeah. But hey, looks like maybe these are some awesome live concert mixes maybe? Nice to have, right?" He just keeps talking as he digs through the tapes. "Hey... this one doesn't have a label." He starts digging down to the bottom, "I don't see one that fell off..."

"Uh huh," is all Magnolia says, mostly because she's distracted. Her frown redoubles as she sets the tape aside, and picks up another. At Kevin's hopeful offering, she angles a half-lit smile his way. But then there's the unlabeled tape, and she carefully takes it from him. She turns it over and over again in her hand, and then pops open the case. "Maybe it's blank." But the reels are half-way wound. She glances over toward Kevin with a slight arch of her brows. "Um, I don't think I even have a tape player." She starts to look around as if one might magically appear. But then her eyes drop back to the tape, and she stares at it with a mix of emotions between exhaustion, weariness, and... a little hope. "It's probably just an unlabeled tape," she says quietly.

Kevin hands the tape over, idling nudging through the remaining tapes as Magnolia turns the blank one over in her hand. Just making sure there isn't another one in there. He draws in a slow breath and holds it as he watches the expressions roll over her face. "Dad might have one. Might." He shifts his weight between his feet uncertainly, "Doesn't every good detective agency have to have a tape-playing message machine, Lia?" He picks up the Soundgarden tape, tapping it against the counter idly as he thinks, "It might just be an unlabeled tape. But I'm pretty sure those aren't usually halfway through," he points down toward the reels, his words careful, slow for once, "I don't know what's on there, but I'm pretty sure it's something, babe."

"It's 2019. I have a cellphone." Beat. "With voicemail, and unlimited storage." Okay, not entirely unlimited. Now Magnolia turns the tape over and over again a few more times before she sets it down carefully on the counter in front of her. She leans down into her palms, arms straightening as she just bows her head over the plastic cassette tape. "What if I don't want to know what's on it? What if this just stirs everything back up and it means nothing? That Dream... Dad... he probably was just some other fucked up thing from the Veil. And if I chase this and I'm back in that stupid place, and this is all just some bait so those Dark things can eat us."

Kevin watches her silently, listening to her fears. Shifting slightly closer to her, he reaches out to slip his fingers behind her ear, leaning in to press another kiss to her temple, "If you don't want to try to find a tape player, don't listen to it, that's fine." He leans his hip into the counter, frowning in concern, "But I'm pretty sure that's not you. I'm pretty sure you run everything down until the very end because you have to know what's going on." That tape taps again, and he adds, "Can the Dark things do things in the real world? Outside of the Veil? Because if they can't... this isn't them. Even if it's just your subconscious, like these Dreams, it still led you to this." He nods to the tape in front of her, "And that's something, Lia."

Magnolia glances up at Kevin when leans in closer to her. She's stopped fiddling with the tape and now sets it on its long edge on the counter. Her lips tighten briefly, pressed together with frustration. "Alright." She breathes out a tight breath. "Alright." She turns toward him now, looking up into his blue eyes as she -- for now -- ignores the presence of the tape and the looming reality of what it means. "Dad told me to dig that up, so that means he knows that there's something important in the box. Byron found it at dad's old childhood house... I didn't even know that he lived there."

Reaching for Magnolia's hand, Kevin shakes his head, "Don't do anything because I say, Lia." He meets her gaze without hesitation, "I've got your back whichever way you want to go." A hint of confusion flickers across his face, and he frowns thoughtfully, "Okay, so you think there's something important on that tape. Pretty sure I agree. Especially with what your Dad said." His other hand reaches up to brush his thumb across her cheek, "I'll be there with you whatever you choose, helping out however I can."

"You're not the boss of me," Magnolia agrees without the tone that really should go with it. She's having an off day. With a deep breath, she flicks her finger and knocks the tape over with a little clatter. Now she turns back to him and into the brushing of his thumb across her cheek. "I know you will, Kevin." She hooks her hand gently around his elbow as she steps in closer to him. She lifts her lips to touch his gently, the kiss soft and gentle in this fragile moment. Then she breathes out a sharp breath. "Alright. Look for your dad's tape player. If not, I guess we shop on eBay?"

Kevin's hand slips around Magnolia's waist, sinking into that light kiss, "Maybe check the Pawn Shop, but they probably wouldn't keep anything like that in stock, yeah?" Nudging his nose against hers, he draws back far enough to actually look in her eyes, "So how do you like being on two quests at once, Lia? Don't you know that we should clear up old questlines before starting a new one? You're going to have to get better at video games, hon."

When his hand slips around her waist, Magnolia presses closer to him. "I'll text Lil. She keeps the weirdest shit." Her own nose brushes along his until she leans in closer for yet another kiss, only for him to murmur those words. She starts to laugh, ducking her chin back a bit before she leans back to look up at the bespectacled reporter. "Uh. Pretty sure I'm a multitasker... multiquester?" Now she shrugs her shoulders slightly while she hooks her own hand around his ribs to slide toward his spine. "Look, I'm still stuck on that level on Angry Birds."

Kevin smiles into the kiss, chuckling as she ducks her chin away from him. When she looks back up, he is blushing a little, and he shrugs a little helplessly, "Multiquester. I bet you don't even clear every corner of a level before you finish it." His grin returns, "Like a lunatic." His eyes close for a moment at the slide of her hand, then opens again, "I can probably beat that level of Angry Birds. Unless it's Star Wars Angry Birds. The fourth Endor level is insane. Okay, so we don't have to teach you video games. But this does make two Veil quests. You going to be okay, Lia?"

"Um. Why wouldn't I clear out every corner? There's monsters down there, Kevin... you need to vanquish them all." Now Magnolia takes a breath as she closes the space between them, and her arm curls around his shoulders as she presses closer against him, chin hooking over his shoulder. "It's regular Angry Birds, and if you beat the level for me, however will I learn how to do it myself? Besides... I beat it, but I didn't get three stars." Now she turns her head against his throat, and she starts to nod. "I don't think I can avoid it anymore... the Veil is there. I might as well face it."

Kevin's eyes light up, "You do clear out every corner? Yessss." He nods enthusiastically, "You've got to get all the monsters so you get all the XP. That way you're leveled up when you reach the end-boss." But she's pressing against him, and he settles his head against hers. "Well, if you watch, you can do it again yourself. Or I can just butt out and let you play your own game." He lets out a little breath as she turns into his throat, his eyes closing behind his glasses, "And that's a pretty kickass way of looking at it. I mean, good reaction."

"... Did I just earn some kind of Nerd Girlfriend points?" Now Kevin is explaining more, and she tightens her arm around his shoulders with a little smile. Now she leans back with a backward tilt of her head to look up at him. "No. I like multiplayer." Now she draws him back down to her as she presses up through the balls of her feet to kiss him again. She starts to step up against him, urging him back away from the counter with its lockbox and that solitary unmarked tape. Her fingers curl into the ball of his shoulder as she stands so tall that she's on her tippy toes.

"Lots of them," Kevin assures her. He responds readily to her urging, ducking down to join her in that play of lips, "Mmm..." She directs him backwards, and he goes with it readily enough, giving himself up to her guidance through the small space. His hands go to her waist, grasping at the hem of her shirt, but then fall away, and he scoops her up to lift her against him, bringing her lips closer to his. When he lifts his head for a breath, he laughs, "Yeah. Multiplayer's way more fun than single-player." Beat pause as he looks at her through glasses nudged askew by their ardor, "In video games too." His eyes dart toward the couch, the desk, and then he shakes his head slightly and turns toward the bedroom -- the condoms are in there, after all.

"Oof!" is Magnolia's only complaint as he scoops her up, and her short, but lean legs hook up around his waist and hips. She sits into him, trusting he will hold her upright as he starts to meander through the apartment. She can almost track his eyes, and her lips twitch in an amused smile. "Bedroom? Walters. You think after a few months of fucking around, I haven't gone to get the pill. Unless you prefer the double-protection." Now she's teasing him as she presses up through her legs to gather his cheek with her fingers. The kiss is soft, lingering, and has just the right little touch of the tip of her tongue.

Kevin keeps one hand under Magnolia's backside to hold her close to him, the other sliding up her back. It stills, as do his steps, at her smiling words, "Oooh! Nice." The grin lingers on under the touch of her lips, and he tilts his head, sinking forward to deepen the kiss. His lips open under the touch of her tongue, and his own tongue flickers out to return the favor before he steps over to the couch instead. "I'm good trusting it if you are." His breath comes quicker now, but as he puts a knee down into the cushions of the sofa and lowers her back against one arm, his brows furrow in concern and his hand comes up to brush lightly over her cheek, his thumb touching her lips lightly, "I can understand if you don't want to though. One kid's hard enough to deal with."

"Your enthusiasm shouldn't be a surprise," Magnolia quips back with a smirk. He starts to carry her toward the couch -- the only piece of furniture that didn't come from IKEA because her brother is a nice guy -- and she hooks her arm a bit tighter around his shoulder as he starts to lower her down. Then she's rolling her head back against the arm of the couch just before she sits up, reaching for his shirt to start to tug up his torso. "Kevin, this is one of those moments where you really do just shut up and go with your instincts." Those words are not barbed, but instead woven with affection. Kevin's mouth gets away from him, so she distracts him with the glide of her fingers up his sides to shuck away his shirt, even if she can only really get it to his shoulders before she has to wriggle a bit more to sit up.

Kevin ducks his head to help her pull his shirt off over his head. He laughs sheepishly, shaking his head, "I just wanted to make sure that you're okay with it." But he doesn't hesitate further, shivering a little under the influence of her fingers and then reaching down to unbuckle his pants and push them off his hips. Partway down, he leans forward again, bracing himself with one arm on the arm of the sofa behind her and leaning in close, "It's not my fault that my instincts are to talk." And to kiss her, apparently, because that's the next step, his lips moving over hers as he pulls his feet out of the legs of his pants, his other hand reaching down to her waist to tug lightly at her pants as well.

"Would you just have sex with me now?" It's all she says before she strips off her own t-shirt, and then unhooks her bra. Both of the garments is thrown aside before she looks up to watch him strip away the rest of his clothes. Her smile is easy, and warm, and that warmth floods her blue eyes. She curls her fingers idly against the smooth, old leather of the couch. When he leans back over her to help her with her own pants, she holds up one hand to slow him down. There's no other words she says before she arches up to him, attempting to draw him down with her into a casual sprawl along the cushions. Her lips meet his again, this time the kiss slower and patient, lingering in it.