2020-03-10 - Wish You Were Here

Everett doesn't recognize the phone number, and the urge to ignore the call and let the Mandarin gibberish or the sale's robot swearing he spent a night at a Marriott hotel is high. But something nags at the back of his mind to answer. With dubiousness, Everett answers, then waits to see if a robot speaks. When nothing talks, he rumbles with his deep tone, "Yeah?"

Kailey is quiet for a moment. Maybe almost long enough to make Everett think no one is there. But there's the sound of breathing, faint, on the other end. Then a soft, "Hey Ev..." Says the shakey voice on the other end.

Everett indeed thinks no one is there, and tries again before there's a reply, "Hello?" The taint of irritation just a hint of it bleeding though the phone but being almost drowned out by his curiosity. And then there's sound on the other end. "Uh," his voice rings out, starts and stops. But it has been months, and all their conversation had been done in person. Unease creeps into his tone. "Yeeaahhhhhh?"

Kailey is quiet again. It's probably easy to imagine her biting her lower lip as she sucks in a breath. "Umm...I think I better start with sorry. I'm -so- sorry. I'm coming back to Gray-Harbor. Driving right now actually...I just...fuck. I can't imagine what you think of me..." It comes out shakey, but gaining strength as she goes. Until the end and she just sounds upset.

"Hey. What? Hey, don't. Like, don't drive and be on the phone. You might get pulled over for that." That's, somehow, that's his first concern. Then Everett pauses. "Kailey? Is that you? Holy fuck, where have you been? I came by and you were just. Uh. Why? What?" He's confused. He's full of questions. And with a second long pause he settles on one and voices it, "Where are you right now?"

Kailey giggles nervously. High and quick. "I have bluetooth, Ev. It's cool. Hands free," And her shakey breathing can be heard. "But I probably should pull over. I gotta pee anyway," She pauses and clears her throats. "Yeah I know, it's me. I told you I had issues. I didn't get to go into details and...whoo..okay, hold on. Here's an off ramp." The sound of driving, a car clicker, "Oh! Jack in the box," She mutters this to herself as she drives. "Ummm...I'm just outside Sacramento."

He silent while she's speaking, padding over to his window to glance down out of a force of habit just to see if that vacancy her camper used to take up was once again occupied and she was out there, with her weird hair, staring up at him. Like old times. But it's empty space, like the dead air that fills the call for a second. "Huh? Oh, yeah, your blue teeth." His distracted speech gives way to a soft chuckle, "Share much? Ok, Sacramento. California?" he asks like she said a bad word. "Fuck. Why? Nevermind. I know why, you told me why. Weather's bad, you live in your shitty cramped camper, and the weather is better down there. I get it. But you're coming back here? I should warn you then, that stupid rodent saw its shadow, it's pretty cold up here like Canada's exporting its weather too." Is it obvious, he's warming up to the other person, already forgiven her, given her an excuse.

Kailey giggles nervously again at his blue teeth comment. "I...well it's more than weather. I had an episode...I told you I have issues. My head ain't right..." She sounds pained as she speaks. The sound of her pulling into a drive thru come through. And he is privy to her entire, grease filled order. At least she gets a salad too, but that is $20 from the value menu all for her? "I'm coming back. I didn't want to leave. Not this me anyway..."

The sound of his smile is obvious on his voice, while he turns from his window and leans on the wall. Since he doesn't own novelties like. Chairs. "I'll give you issues," he threatens? "God, you eat like crap. But I still remember. I'll have some chocolate-covered marshmallows waiting for you." But the smile is short lived, "And now is that pretty head? You, all of you, planning on sticking around for a little bit? Let me get to see you again, you know when you aren't sick with that horrible flu? You are clear of that, right? Everybody else is, as far as I know, if you were still sick with it, that would be some CDC level stuff." Everett pauses, "Hey. I miss you."

"I'm feeling better. My head is as me as it gets. I've not found a drug yet that really works well for controlling it fully. Stress can cause a shift..." Kailey trails off and there is the sound of food and monetary exchange happening. "I got a salad," She says defensively amongst the rustle of bags. Pulling away but almost immediately parking by the sound of it. And there there is the sound of her letting out a held breath. Her own smile can be heard as she replies, "Y-yeah? I miss you too. I'm so sorry. I literally wasn't in my right mind. I'll be back in a day. Maybe less depending on how long I can drive."

"Well, don't push it. I know you're attached to that stupid camper, or I'd just offer a plane ticket. I very well might still offer, and have the camper, ominous pause, dealt with." Listening with the rustling of bags are received, Everett peels off the wall to lay out on his mattress on the floor. "Yeah," he says with a sardonic tone while he steals a strand of his hair and twirls it around his fingers of his free hand, "a salad fixes everything. Don't be sorry, just. You know. Come back and stay a little while." He clears his throat, "I wasn't done with you," the smile returning to his voice, "and I've had some experience with people like you. So many you can get some help when you get here, I dunno. You know how this place is. If not, I've got a lot to tell you about when you get here. But yeah. Don't push yourself, just get here yesterday."

That smile can be heard in Kailey's reply, "Yeah. That's true. It's a special place. If there's anyplace to find someone with something to help it'd be there." A pause and the sound of her sipping a drink. "You're not mad?" She sounds awed and disbelieving at once. "I'm glad you didn't have to meet Fiona though...She ruins everything. Or has before. She almost ruined this..." And she cuts off and goes quiet.

"She sounds like a nice person. No matter what, I know that they're all a part of you. Or," he pauses a second, and gets serious. "I guess that's my fear. Which one of them and you is the, you know, real version. What if I like you, but you aren't the real Kailey, the one that was born and grew up with that smokin' body? What if that's, say, Fiona and she hates my guts." Thinking for a second, Everett's bassy voice chuckles once, "I guess it's almost like being kinda nervous about meeting someone's parents." But he didn't miss the question. "How'd she almost ruin this? And mad? Why would I be mad? I'm... not the happiest I've ever been that you vanished without a trace. And my calls weren't answered. And I thought the worst. But all of that takes a back seat the moment I heard you were ok, Kiki."

Kailey is quiet while Everett talks. Well, mostly. He can easily tell she is eating those curly fries that were part of her order. And that crinkling and crunch could only be a taco. For a few seconds she is chewing and there's some mumbling for time. "I guess I just am used to people yelling at me when one of the spells happen. Yell at me to take better care of myself, to not stress myself, you know. Just...I'm so happy you're not. You've not idea," There a little hiccup followed by another giggle at the nickname. "Ev, I will tell you everything cause over the phone just isn't gonna do it. Trust me on that. But I'm coming back and I can't wait to see you. I dunno what Fiona thinks...but I know I really like you. Really really." A pause as she draws in a breath, "Fiona is something we can deal with. There's ways you can tell, triggers that I know of, and things you can do if somethings happens. If the meds or other things make it happen again. I really don't like it when it happens..." The reason for that deep breath becomes evident as she explodes with that.

He laughs softly, a little belly chuckle, "Ain't nobody I know suddenly relaxed 'cuz someone what told 'em too," the accent isn't his. "Am I right? I figure you already know all that. You've been living with this longer than I have. But. For real. If there's ever anything you need me to do, or not do, to help? You let me know, ok? I know what it's like to lose control maybe better than anyone else. And I'm not going to yell at you. That's not going to help either, right?" He chuckles, then Ooohs. "Really really? Double really? Well, are we going to have to go ring shopping?" Everett asks, laughing. "Look," he adds, the humor still on his voice, "We have all the time in the word for you to tell me all that stuff. Right now I just want to hear you chewing carbs so I know you're ok, and. Mm. Let you know I double really like you too."

She finds herself trying to not laugh while she dutifully begins eating when Everett comments on it. "Kay, stuffing face," She says with a burst of laughter. It is quickly followed by a squeak and cough when he mentions rings. But she still has a mouthful and he has moved on before she has it swallowed safely to speak. So she just clears her mouth with a sip of her drink, cheeks flaming red though he can't see. "I'll be there soon. And yeah, we got time. Maybe not -all- the time, but we got time," Another giggle followed by the crunching of taco.

"From where I'm laying, we have all the time." And then he adds in some sound effects to what he can hear going on on the other end. "'Oh. Um. Mm.'" Noisy chewing, "Oh, it's so, SOOOO good. Muh. Muh. Oh, yummy. It tastes like fattening carbs and so much greasy grease." Following it with a triple slurping sound the likes of which Hannibal Lecter might be proud of. And then, and then he covers his mouth with the crook of his arm, dropping the strand of hair he was playing with, so he muffles his loud laughter, in addition to moving the mouth piece away.

Kailey is apparently giggling so hard, while eating, she knocks her earpiece off. There is a clink and the sound of her trying to say, "Hold on!" Around a mouthful. When she has the piece back on she says, more clearly, "You still there?"

He sounds just like it. Like a perfect version of a dial tone. "Aaaaaahhhhh," until, "GASP." He takes a sudden intake of air, and then continues his imitation, his life-like simulation of the tone, like the call had gotten interrupted. For however long she lets him get away with it, or until he has to take another gasp of air again. "Oh god, I think I was going to pass out doing that. You ok? You didn't choke to death on your ssssssalad, did you?" Everett asks, clearly enjoying himself.

Kailey makes a disgruntled sound at the noise. "Oi! That's loud," She says and then pauses. "You realize cells don't do that right?" But she is smiling as she speaks. "My salad is tasty and crispy and needs more dressing...and I need to pee still. SO inside I need to go," She says and the sound of her exiting the car, keys jingling, door closing. "You gonna follow me into the bathroom perv?" Her tone is filled with humor and teasing even as the door dings when she opens it.

"Sorry," Everett apologizes, "and I'm not sure our relationship is ready for a, what, two thousand mile long pee share. Not yet. I'm not there yet." He adds, "You'll have to wine and dine me a little first, I think, before that. So. ...? I guess this means you better hang up. Or else you're going to force me to hear the flow of your drink. Give me another call if something happens on the road, or when you get back, huh? For some reason, I'll want to see you again. For the life of me, I can't imagine why." He waits for the goodbyes, adding his, "Goodnight, babe."

Kailey makes a humming sound as if considering those words. "Yeeaaaaaaaah, you're totally right there," She says with a short chuckle. "Yeah guess I better. Won't be too long till you see me. I can't wait. Goodnight, Ev." And there is one of those pauses before she finally hangs up.