2021-10-27 - Not Actually A Jumper

This is always one of the uncomfortable calls to get; the one where someone gets a call saying, "Oh, yeah, there's a guy on top of a building who looks like he's about to be splattered on the ground. Maybe do something like that?" Although in this case, it's added that the person currently standing on the edge of the Theatre's roof is Alexander Clayton, and there's a general feeling that this wouldn't be a huge loss if the guy finally took that swan dive off the edge.

But someone should probably be sent, anyway, as there's a small crowd of mostly tourists gawking. For his part, Alexander is shoe and sockless, his feet covered in muck, his hair in even wilder disarray than it usually is. Bright side, he's sitting on the edge, and doesn't actually look like he's planning to tumble head first to the pavement below. Instead, he's sort of staring off into the distance with a blank expression, his eyes glazed as he contemplates the setting sun casting its long shadows over Gray Harbor.

Luck of the draw as they say, no cops and no EMS trucks that are not on call. Don't you just love Gray Habor. So Devlin finds himself the only one available to answer a call for a jumper.. no idea if it will be dangerous or not either. Devlin comes up to the roof through the access door with a couple of cups of something warm in hand. Looking over at the figure sitting on the side of the building, he walks slowly and from about ten or fifteen feet away, "Care for a cup of tea? It's a nice Jasmin tea."

Alexander hears the sound of the access door opening and scrambles to his feet. He's covered in muck - big spatters of mud and what appears to be algae all over his ratty flannel and jeans. His fists come up in a ready posture as Devlin steps out onto the roof. But his expression is more confused than anything. Recognizing the paramedic, he slowly relaxes. "McCloud. Hello." His voice is rusty, like he hasn't used it for a while. "Tea? I." A long pause. "Is it drugged?"

Devlin snorts a little as he answers, "Why ruin good tea with some drug that will mess up the taste?" He then offers both, "Ake your pick.. I'll drink first. Sound fair?" He steps up closer. "Looks like you have seen some rough days. What happened?"

"Mm." It's a bit skeptical, and Alexander's dark eyes remain fixed on Devlin. But the offer is, eventually, accepted, and sidles forward to accept the tea on the left. Instead of drinking it, he wraps his fingers around it. "Jasmine tea is nice." A long pause at the question. Then, he says, carefully, "I don't...know. I was just here. I'm not sure how I got here. Or if here is real." He sniffs. "I stink, though." And yeah, he kind of does. It's a fishy, boggy stink, like he's been sleeping in a swamp.

Devlin sips on the other cup of tea, "You smell like you've been in a swamp for a bit of time. Could use a shower. Sounds like I got it easier in my dream.. train some soldiers and medics.. may be make changes in how a seventeenth century Army does things. Not sure if it was real or just.. a long wierd dream to be honet. Or if I made a change at all."

"A dream? I was Lost, then," Alexander says, to himself, and nods. "I don't remember. I remember--waking up. But it was...March? I think? Maybe later. But then I was here." He finally takes a drink of the tea. "It's good. Thank you." He moves away from the ledge, to take a seat on the roof, crosslegged, barely noticing the dig of the gravel into his feet. "You were Lost. What did you dream? How did you get back?"

Devlin nods as he listens and drinks the hot tea. "Welcome. I admit that I gambled.. when I took this call. Figured Tea would be the better choice than cuffs or a taser." He chuckles a bit, "A few cops called me insane..but got to be me." He then pauses for another sip. "I'd been there before in a couple of dreams.. shorter than the one I had. It was June when I went to bed.. woke up in September.." He takes a breath, "I didn't experience what happened here.. missed something like ninety odd days. Still people say I was working, I got promoted.. I did stuff that I do not recall."

"Cuffs or a taser would be smart," Alexander says. "Not against me. Especially the taser. But still. In general. Smart." He takes another drink of tea, and looks up to Devlin. "But the tea is nice." A long pause while he dredges something like manners out of the black void of his brain, and adds, "Thanks." He takes another drink, his brow furrowing. "You...lost time, but were still around? That's new. You don't remember anything?"

Devlin shakes his head, "There is paper work that I filled out and signed.. yet I do not recall doing it. I created procedures for other EMS personal and again.. don't recall writing them. Their good processes.. but I don't recall their creation." He takes a breath.. "I am confused but I am getting by."

Alexander's brow furrows. Somehow, it's easier to focus on someone else's amnesia than his own. "What's the last thing you remember before...whatever state you were in when you started remembering things again? Any tattoos, strange scars, or voices in your head?" He stares intently at Devlin, like he can bore a hole through him and reveal the cause of the strange gap with just his will alone.

A sip of his tea is taken before Devlin answers, "Just another long day at work. I had packed for annual training. Everything ready to go." He shrugs a bit, "No real memories.. just settled in for the night and crashed. Later, woke up in the same apartment in bed.."

There's a long, thoughtful pause. "I see. I'm sorry. I don't...know why." He looks down at his tea. "But you. And me. Other people? Have they lost time? Or been Lost? What day is it? Not March. It doesn't smell like March anymore."

"Been some other people loosing time.. oh.. there was a hurricane that had just blown itself out.. well was about to, when I crashed." Devlin admits. "It's strange.. not sure how many effected. But have run into a few."

"Hurricane?" Alexander's head comes up. "A hurricane? I should remember a hurricane." He finishes off the rest of his tea and stands up, a knee joint popping as he rises to bare feet. He offers the cup back. "I should go home. See if I still have a house. Elm always floods. See if...have you heard from Isabella? Seen her?"

Devlin shakes his head, "Don't think I have seen her recently. Not someone I run into on a regular basis." He stands up and takes the cup. "There is a shower at the firehouse and a washing machine."

Alexander hesitates. He looks down from the roof, across the park to the firehouse. "...that would probably be smart. I stink. What have I been doing?" He scratches at one of the patches and mud and brings it to his nose, sniffing at it. "Thank you for the offer. I need evidence bags. Do you have them there?"

Devlin says, "Got plenty of ziplock bags of various sizes. That work for you?"

Alexander thinks about it. "Yes. I just need to preserve the evidence." He frowns. "I've taken missing persons cases before. Just not me. Usually I know where I am, even if it's not a real place." With that, he turns and walks away, limping slightly, to the access door to let himself down to the ground floor once more. Maybe he thinks Devlin will follow. Maybe he's just being rude...which, hey, some things apparently don't change.

Devlin follows you. Enroute, he turns on his radio. Seems to judge by the traffic, someone is irritated with how he handled it. "Unit one one. Was not a jumper. All clear." and he turns off the radio before he gets an answer or acknowledgement. "Don't surprised if someone greets us at the fire house. Seems I annoyed dispatch .." perhaps a fair guess that he may have left out the word Again.

"Did they really want you to taze me?" Alexander doesn't sound upset about this. Or even very surprised. Just resigned, his expression settling into blankness as they make their way down the stairs. "There's a lot of paperwork for tazing people. Do you want me to make them go away? When we get there?" The offer is casual.

Devlin chuckles, "I'm a paramedic, not a cop. And yes, several of the desk jockeys were suggesting it. Me, not to thrilled with the possible libel issues. Figured, I know more than enough solid control holds to handle most people. Black Sash in Tai Chi and Shaolin Kung Fu. As to the desk jockeys.. they know who they want around to patch up embarrassing moments."And with that Devlin grins something along the lines of a classic evil grin.