gwendolyn vane. (gwrach) wrote in disorderic, @ 2017-11-13 21:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | chelsea corner, gwendolyn vane |
WHO: Chelsea Corner and Gwendolyn Vane
WHAT: Chelsea and Gwen talk powerpoints and disappearing giants
WHERE: BGC flat, Tinworth
WHEN: Sunday 12th November, night
The giants had mostly passed: the walls had stopped shaking as frequently and the loud bellow of the giants voices no longer rang across the town every few minutes. Gwen could feel the pounding of her heart returning to normal, the adrenaline slowly leeching from her system. She felt unusually tired, her eyes heavy, body slowly adjusting to normal. She was still clutching onto her phone, tight, as if awaiting news. Sighing, she looked from the window, over at Chelsea. “Do you think we’re safe, then?” Toby had been remarkably quiet, tucked in Chelsea's arms the whole time. She liked to think that he found solace there, but it was more likely that she was the one who found him as a safe anchor. Chelsea stilled for a moment, listening to the retreating noises, and sighed. Her voice was a low whisper when she spoke, as if she was afraid that the giants could hear if she spoke any louder. "Maybe we should wait a few more minutes." “Maybe we should go and try and blow them up now,” Gwen said, with a laugh. She leaned more against the windowsill, her hands flat on it. She wanted to climb out through the window, to go up on the roof and have a look out at the giants. She wanted to make sure they’d gone. “Send some molotovs at their backs. I think we could do it.” Slowly, Chelsea set Toby back onto the ground, although he stayed put, and stood up, stretching out the tension that had built up in her limbs. She was still wary, but it had also been uncomfortable sitting there just waiting. "I can't say molotov cocktails are in my repertoire of knowledge," she said. "So I'm going to veto that plan." “It’s easy,” Gwen said, a smile quirking her mouth upwards. She looked over her shoulder at Chelsea and the small, fluffy dog at her feet. Toby’s face was turned up towards them and she could have sworn he looked almost concerned. “I won’t tell you how I know, though. I don’t want you to arrest me and you’d feel obliged.” Rolling her shoulders back, she sighed softly again. “I feel like my heart’s been thundering a hundred mile a minute.” "I wouldn't arrest you," she muttered. "I would give you a strong warning." Chelsea could feel her own heart beating, if not a hundred miles a minute, something very close to that. She could hear it in her ears. "I thought I made it very clear that I wasn't here for excitement." Gwen laughed, folding her arms over her chest and leaning back. The curtains moved behind her. “You must be joking,” she said, lighter than she felt. “You’re one of the most exciting people I know. Look, Toby agrees with me.” His tail was wagging and he looked over at her with wide eyes. Gwen nodded her head and Toby’s tail wagged even more, furiously beating against the armchair. It made her smile and she turned it towards Chelsea. "I guess I have to believe Toby," she said, returning the smile. It came easier, the fear having slowly disappeared with the retreat of the giants. Chelsea walked over to join Gwen at the windowsill and peeked out. The sight of their familiar town was less reassuring than it used to be. "I don't think our insurance covered giant stampedes." “Do you think it should?” Gwen asked, shuffling slightly over. “We could petition for it. Start a Tinworth specific insurance which will be up for everything.” She was smiling a little as she said it, because it was ridiculous and easier to do now. Chelsea liked petitions and liked the idea of a petition campaign even more. It made her feel like she was doing something and maybe that was why she contemplated it as a serious suggestion. "We might need it if vampires came to town." Squinting at Chelsea, Gwen said, “Don’t go getting Twilight fantasies in your head, now.” "I'm not! They were just the first beings I could think of!" “Are you imaging showing them your pretty neck?” Gwen asked, giggling a little, trying to leer. It failed in the face of her amusement. She pushed her away, laughing a little as she did so. "Get away from my neck. I'm saving it just for the vampires." “You have a big thing for Robert Patterson, yeah?” Gwen’s eyes gleamed. “I’m not going to correct you because you’ll only make fun of me,” Chelsea said, turning back to the window quickly when she caught a flash of movement. It was nothing and she relaxed again, albeit slowly. “But I don’t think those vampires would come here. Just terrible ones.” “Ugh,” Gwen said. She’d turned when Chelsea had, her heartbeat kicking up, pulse rushing. She’d already been out earlier, got her pictures: she’d retreated, as the giants had. She let out a breath and let herself sag a little, leaning close to Chelsea. After a moment's thought, she rested her head against her shoulder. “Can we catch a break, do you think? Can an article I get to write be ‘nothing happens in the lives of Tinworth’s residents apart from a really great neighbourhood party?’” Chelsea leaned her head against Gwen’s in response. “I’m not sure the Prophet would be interested in our fun parties,” she said, hesitantly, because she still didn’t know how to approach that subject. “Maybe if it was a fun party that was crashed by centaurs or something.” A soft breath of laughter escaped her. “Yeah, maybe.” Gwen clutched her phone tighter. “We’ve got giants to deal with and friends who’re Order, I guess, and friends who are probably mad at us for staying here. Sorry about that, babe.” Put it that way, things sounded a lot worse than she'd thought they were. "It's not your fault, G. Definitely not for the giants and definitely not about H —" Chelsea lowered her voice here,"the Order thing, and our friends will be happy that nothing happened!" “Well, it’s not my fault, but still,” Gwen shrugged, lifting her head up slightly. She could see a ruined house if she shifted her head just slightly, something that had got into the giants path. It made her feel impossibly small; everything did, these days, a conspiracy to shrink her even further. She wouldn’t let it, she thought, and tried to project that: she straightened her spine, she tilted her chin up. “I thought maybe we’d be able to figure all of this out, somehow. Spend the night hiding from giants and come up with grand ideas about how to take them down and what to do about the friend and how to make sure none of this ever happens again.” She wrinkled her nose. “My imagination runs away with me a bit.” "It's not a bad thing," Chelsea said immediately, hoping she sounded more reassuring than she felt. "A lot of plans don't come together in one night. Even if we pull an all-nighter. We just really need to sit down for a bit and break things down." “Will you make a powerpoint?” Gwen asked, suddenly sly, fingers pressing against Chelsea’s ribs in an almost-tickle. She laughed at the pressure on her ribs and leaned away from Gwen's reach. "If you insist, I'll have to." “I insist,” Gwen said, eyes bright with suppressed laughter. “I’ll even make detailed notes to make sure your effort doesn’t go unappreciated.” "What would I do without you?" Chelsea said, less sarcasm and more sincere than she meant. "At least someone will appreciate my work." “I’m always going to appreciate you,” Gwen said and then, embarrassed by anything too sincere, she ducked down to pick up Toby. “Not as much as Toby will appreciate the giants being gone, though. Poor boy was scared, weren’t you?” She scratched behind his ears; it was always easier saying the dog was scared than that she had been. Chelsea knew what she meant anyways, but she didn't comment on it. She didn't need to. It was easier that way and they'd already had a terrible night. "He was very brave, though," she said. "I think seeing Baz will perk him up. Isn't that right? You want to Facetime Baz?" Making her voice lower, deeper, more masculine, Gwen-as-Toby said, “Well all right then, lovey, let’s.” |