Tal (patchofblue) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2021-01-28 19:07:00 |
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Entry tags: | tal rainey, ~mikey marks |
Searching for a Friend
Who: Mikey Marks and Tal Rainey
Where: Terrible’s Roadhouse, Searchlight
When: January 20, 2021
What: Looking for Ronnie, trying to contact him
Warning(s): A little bit of sadness over the lack of Ronnie
Rating: Low
Tal made sure to make a few rounds of the small town of Searchlight during his breaks to keep an eye on Ronnie. But lately, he hadn’t seen him and the curly-haired cook was not answering his cell. So the mechanic went to a place his friend liked to be - the Roadhouse. Taking a deep breath, he sauntered over and stepped inside.
Wouldn’t he hear Ronnie talking of moving pans about in an acoustically marvelous kitchen? Not today. Smoothing his t-shirt and pulling the sleeves of his full-zip sweatshirt, Tal looked around and spotted Mikey. “Hey,” he called out gently as he walked over to where Mikey was sitting.
Mikey knew it was a little weird, going to the Roadhouse when Ronnie wasn’t there, but he’d spent a lot of time there over the last few months, and in a weird sort of way, Ronnie’s absence was a little easier here.
He looked up as one of Ronnie’s friends came over. “Hey,” he said, his forehead wrinkling in thought. “Tal, right? How’s it goin,’ man?”
“Yeah. It’s going okay. But...I had told Ronnie I’d be keeping an eye on him,” Tal spoke and shrugged his shoulders before continuing in a whisper, “You know the whole stalking situation. The mechanic was blunt, concerned about his friend. “I haven’t been able to get a hold of him. He’s not answering his phone or replying to texts.”
Mikey wrinkled his nose and leaned in a little, his voice dropping. “Yeah,” he said, “uh… he’s sorta gone radio silent? On purpose? Because of the stalker person. It was really… relentless. Like… he was starting to get really panicky whenever his phone would go off. So he’s kinda off the map right now.”
He paused. “I can tell him you said hey?” He asked.
A frown tugged at Tal’s lips as he listened to Mikey. “Yeah,” he echoed. It tugged at Tal’s heart hearing and knowing Ronnie seemed so afraid. Why hadn’t his friend called or texted him to tell him not to worry?
“Yeah,” he said again, moving into the booth seat across from Mikey. The cushion crinkled gently beneath his weight. “I promised his Mama I would look out for him,” Tal reiterated. “Please. Tell me how to reach him.”
Mikey winced. “Yeah…” he said, a frown pulling at the corner of his mouth. “So… I’ll tell him next time he calls, so he’ll know to reach out to you if he’s feelin’ up to it. He’s…” a shoulder jerked up in a shrug. “He’s sorta gun-shy about people contacting him -- right now, he’s got a burner phone, and he’s bein’ really careful about who has the number, so it’s sort of a one way street. If he’s up for it, he’ll reach out to you, yeah? But I’ll make sure he knows you asked after him.”
He chewed on his lip. “I know you care about him,” he added, “I know you’re worried. For what it’s worth, I am too.”
“Please,” Tal pleaded with the cougar. His shoulders hunched, as if a heavy weight had been set upon them. “I understand you’re protecting him,” he sighed as he kept his blue eyes on Mikey. “I want to help him too.” Tal continued and gestured to Mikey and himself. “We are on the same side. We both want Ronnie to feel safe and come back home - your boyfriend and my best friend.” He frowned.
Mikey’s frown deepened. “I… I can’t give you his number, man,” he said. “I really, really can’t. I don’t call him, even,” he added. “I… I wait til he calls me, and it’s just as hard as it sounds.” He looked down at the table. “I’ll tell him you’re worried, and if he’s up for it, he’ll call you, and that’s the best I can do.”
Tal sighed again. “I understand.” Actually he couldn’t really understand. If Ronnie was his boyfriend, mate, he’d be calling him no matter what. The mechanic wanted to help. He’d pace around the garage with worry, neglecting his work. Those blue eyes took on a heaviness. “Do you think he’d remember my number?” A burner phone sounded ominous. Wanting to disappear, to detach from one’s life out of fear or upset was not always a healthy thing. He knew it from experience.
He looked over towards the kitchen for a few moments and then curled his right hand into a fist as it rested on the table. “Why don’t you call him?” Tal asked, his voice coated in doubt, worry, and upset.
“I’ll give him your number next time he calls me,” Mikey replied quietly. “And I don’t call him because if his phone rings, he freaks out, and I don’t want to make him feel like that because of me. He needs to be in control right now. He needs to be able to decide when to reach out to people. Even me.” He looked over at Tal. “It’s the best way for him to handle this stuff, and I’m respecting his needs.”
Tal looked back over at Mikey as he breathed out slowly though his nose. While he didn’t agree, he nodded out of respect. “Okay. I’m sorry, Mikey. I just care about you both.” When it came down to, that was the truth. Tal didn’t want to cause any harm to Ronnie and by extension Mikey.
There was a quiet exhale by way of reply, and Mikey shrugged again in a jerk. “I know,” he replied. “I just…” he looked up. “Way I see it, you let the person going through the hardest time decide how they want to handle things. And this is how he wants to handle it. And we can support him by doing what he would prefer and not taking it personal, right? It’s not your fault, it’s not that he doesn’t care for you back. And yeah,” he added, “yeah, it sucks. But it’s sucked a lot more for him. So.”
Tal breathed in deeply and exhaled in return. “I understand. I’m not taking any of it personally. He just needs to remember that he’s not alone in his panic.” Then the mechanic smiled to himself as he recalled how Marsh calmed him down when they were stuck in the elevator a few days ago. “If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me know.”
There was a brief pause. “I need to know you’ll respect his boundaries,” Mikey replied. “I need to know you won’t blow up his phone if he does end up reaching out to you. That’ll help.” He shook his head, his frown cutting into his cheek. “And… I don’t know, dude. I’ll be okay once all this gets sorted.” He laughed a little, sounding strained, and rubbed his hand over his face. “You find out who the bastard is, you let me know. You doin’ okay?” He added.
He didn’t blink as he looked Mikey in the eyes. “I will respect his boundaries and I will only send one message and reply only when he returns a message.” Tal nodded. “It will,” reassured the other man. “The bastard will wish he’d never even thought about what he’s doing to Ronnie. And yeah, I’ll let you know.” Tal shrugged. “I’m doing okay. Keeping my eyes and ears open.”
“The cops are useless,” Mikey replied. “So’s the phone company. Won’t track the numbers they use, and just tell me there’s nothing they can do. Anyways,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s a whole thing. How’s the shop?” He added. “Business going well?”
“They don’t care as much as we do. I wish I had some sort of ability that could find the bastard stalker,” Tal grumbled. “The shop is good. Yeah, business is going well - usual customers, some new ones. Always vehicles to work on.”
“Good to hear,” Mikey said, reaching for his coffee and taking a sip. “And maybe there’s someone out there who’s got like… tracking spells? I don’t know.”
“Maybe there is someone. I can ask around.” Tal nodded. Slowly he stood up. “I’ll leave you to your coffee. I hope we find Ronnie or he just comes home.”
“Preciate it man,” Mikey replied with a nod. “And me too,” he added, quietly. “Me too.”
“Hang in there,” Tal whispered. He quietly left Mikey and exited the restaurant.