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lotte karsten {christine daaé} (still_lotte) wrote in bellumlogs,
@ 2010-05-05 18:31:00

Entry tags:

christine daaé, phantom of the opera

Who: Lotte and Bran
What: Neighborhood Watch
Where: Around the building
When: 2:40 A.M. Tonight-ish-tomorrow-morning
Warnings: TBD (There’ll be something, surely.)
Notes: Luther's schedule was posted time-line wise, before this.

Lotte had been somewhat surprised that she’d been assigned to the watch so early. When she volunteered she thought she had a while to get used to the idea – a week maybe, until it was her turn. Instead she had the third one assigned with someone she’d never met. The idea of that was almost enough to make her rethink the decision.

Not that she really knew what the man in 1106 was like. She had the suspicion he was nice in fact – after all, he’d taken her tapes when she’d gotten rid of them a month ago. There hadn’t been any complaints about the noise in her apartment either which was good, considering. She knew she there were the stray occasions when she’d begged the voice to stop and her voice had gotten absurdly loud.

She headed to the couch early, setting the alarm on her phone as to not bother James in case she came back early. (In the same move, she put Micah and Cole’s number on speed-dial. She didn’t want to waste time trying to dial it, in case something happened.) Even so, two thirty had her tired and regretting her decision. She didn’t even bother to change out of her pajamas, simply throwing a gray sweatshirt over her top. It was zipped up to her chin and she pulled her hair into a ponytail at her neck. Sockless feet were shoved into sneakers, before she headed out.

A note was left for James, explaining the watch and she’d be back around six, and Lotte grabbed her flash light. The cell phone was safe in her sweatshirt pocket and she went down to the lobby. She had to restrain herself from turning lights on as she walked down, keeping her flashlight up (absurdly high) until she got to the bottom of the stairs. Anxiously, she edged into the room, far away from the door to the basement and catacombs, calling out if anyone was there.

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still_lotte
2010-05-13 08:45 pm UTC (link)

For a moment she considered it, pausing at the next floor to shine her light down the hallway. A glance at the sign said they were on the ninth floor, but she didn't give it more thought than that. "I suppose," she said. "But not everyone is what they don't appear to be. And the other way around."

She simply nodded, letting it drop after that and keeping moving. Lotte was simply tired - even the fact that the sky was getting lighter through the windows didn't help her.

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lemortvivant
2010-05-14 12:56 am UTC (link)

He registered the floor number without a flicker of recognition, since Ella wasn't even staying in her apartment at the present time. Bran was fairly sure she wasn't, at least. At Lotte's words, he tilted his head to the side, regarding her with an almost appraising look before shrugging. "You're right. I can't argue with that."

The sky was beginning to lighten, and he knew their shift was coming to an end. He let a couple more floors pass in silence before turning to her, flashlight aimed ahead. "You know, our shift is almost done, and I don't think anything is going to happen. We could do one more check and maybe call it a night? Or, well, a morning... if you want."

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still_lotte
2010-05-14 01:02 am UTC (link)

There was a hint of a bitter smile, before Lotte began moving again, face turned down. What could one say to other than say they knew from experience? She shook her head at her own thoughts, keeping moving until he spoke up. Head tilted to the side, she thought over his suggestion and then nodded.

"It's a good idea," Lotte said. "I can't be the only one who'll need to be at work in a few hours - it'll be crowded enough to prevent anything from happening." Which was why it was a night watch after all. Lotte shook her head, feeling foolish. "I mean - yes. Let's do that."

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lemortvivant
2010-05-14 04:35 am UTC (link)

"Alright." He gave a short nod of confirmation, continuing up the remaining floors and observing that there was absolutely no signs of life whatsoever. If there were any dangerous people aside from himself, they weren't stupid - they knew pulling anything with a patrol was too much of a risk.

Bran wasn't exactly tired, but he was beginning to grow weary of shining his flashlight down empty hallways. "I'd say our first watch was a success, wouldn't you?"

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still_lotte
2010-05-14 04:46 am UTC (link)

Having an end that was closer, at least gave Lotte a reason to appear awake as they finished. She spent more time focusing on looking like she was doing her job, then actually doing it and when he spoke again, she was relieved.

"I think so," she said, beginning to head down the stairs once more. She offered him a smile, real despite being small. "Hopefully everyone else has the same luck."

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lemortvivant
2010-05-14 05:04 am UTC (link)

Their trip down wasn't any more eventful than it had been in the last few hours, but Bran made sure he didn't speed up his pace any more than normal. He didn't want to make it seem like he was rushing her or anything, choosing to match Lotte's pace instead.

"Hopefully," he agreed. "And even if something does happen, at least there will be people around to stop it."

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still_lotte
2010-05-14 05:18 am UTC (link)

"And that's the important part," Lotte said, smile becoming wider. When they reached the eleventh floor, Lotte stopped, turning towards him. The fact that she was staying with James hadn't really been a secret, otherwise she would have stopped upstairs. Instead she didn't think much of it, shrugging and letting her smile go a bit wider.

"I can head down the rest of the way, if you need to head off," Lotte said. It wasn't meant to push him, but it did seem silly to finish up downstairs and then walk all the way up. "Unless you want to walk all the way down and up again?" She doubted it, but added a small, shrug along with it.

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lemortvivant
2010-05-14 05:42 am UTC (link)

Bran did wonder why they passed the twelfth floor, but he didn't question it, thinking that maybe she was just accompanying him to his apartment first and then heading up on her own or something. When she mentioned heading down, however, his interest was caught.

Lotte was staying with someone else.

The urge to follow her was sudden and sharp, but accompanying her down might seem too suspicious. Would she believe him if he gave some chivalrous excuse? He decided to risk it. "I'm not sure I'd be a very good watch partner if I left you to go down on your own. Not that anything would happen, or that you can't handle yourself, but..." He trailed off, adding a slightly sheepish shrug. "Just to be on the safe side. If you don't mind that is," he added quickly.

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still_lotte
2010-05-14 05:48 am UTC (link)

"It's up to you," Lotte said, shrugging. Admitting she'd feel a bit better with him at her side seemed awkward though - telling someone that they felt safe around them, tended to be. She gave him a small smile and moved to the stairs, flashlight swinging downwards. She stuck to the right side of the stairs, her left hand free.

A few steps down, she looked back, seeing where he was before reaching for his hand and giving it a small, squeeze before letting go. "Thanks, though."

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lemortvivant
2010-05-14 06:04 am UTC (link)

Relieved that she hadn't become suspicion or questioned him, he smiled. "I don't mind," he said, following her to the stairs with his flashlight held almost carelessly. Bran was curious to see where she was staying, mainly because he wanted to know the who part of the question. He didn't even want to consider the fact that it might be a man.

Once again he managed to refrain from flinching when she squeezed his hand, too surprised to process the fact that he should have had some physical reaction. "You're welcome, Lotte." And for one of the first times in his life, he actually meant it.

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still_lotte
2010-05-14 06:10 am UTC (link)

She led the rest of the way down to the fifth floor, stopping at the landing there. Her key was pulled from her pocket and she shut the flashlight off - by now she didn't need it. There was a final, sheepish smile before she unlocked the door, pausing as she did so.

"Let me know how your job search goes?" Even if she'd freaked out downstairs, she'd enjoyed talking to Trevor. There hadn't been a sense of danger and overall she'd felt safe. She couldn't let that feeling or a possible friendship go. She smiled hopefully, before slipping into 501.

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lemortvivant
2010-05-14 06:26 am UTC (link)

So she was staying on the fifth floor, he mused, making a mental note to go through the forums once he returned to his own apartment in order to find out who lived in 501. Bran kept his flashlight on, more out of habit than anything else, watching her unlock the door with a poorly concealed smile.

"I will," he told her, beginning to turn towards the stairs. "Good night - or, well, good morning." He waited until she was inside before heading back upstairs, momentarily forgetting about all the complications - about Erik, about what he'd done to Ella, about how she thought he was someone else. He'd remember all that later.

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