InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "You son of a B!"

Ben Ferguson (dr_ben) wrote in inpoormerit,
@ 2010-04-23 22:39:00

Entry tags:

belle, ben

Day 5
Who: Ben, open
Where: An cafe with tables al fresco. Ben's at one of those tables
When: Early afternoon

The day was moving on but Ben was only dimly aware of the passing of time. He'd awoken at around 10am with a strange taste in his mouth and an apartment in complete disarray. His initial reaction was that he'd had a break in, but surely he'd never have slept through the noise that the carnage must have caused.

Plus, his joints and muscles hurt like hell.

He thought perhaps he must be coming down with a cold, but his nose was clear. In fact, his nose was working better than it ever had in his life. He glanced down with distaste at his cooling coffee. He'd drink it, of course he would, but he'd never known it smell quite so strongly before. In fact, he'd have sworn that he could smell the coffee bean, the roasting processes, the milk... all as separate components rather than just as its caffeinated whole.

He lifted it to his mouth and held his breath as he swallowed a mouthful, wincing when it hurt his throat. That was another thing - his throat felt as though he'd swallowed a hedgehog whole.

He really had intended leaving his place today with the purpose of exploring a little more of this so-called island he was on. And he had left, it was true. However, by the time he'd found what looked like a little town square he'd been exhausted. His reflection told him he looked at least as bad as he felt and he'd been only too happy to sit at one of the tables outside a small cafe. He hadn't even bothered checking the name of the place. That didn't matter.

He frowned as he tried to think back on what had happened the previous night. He had very vague impressions of things being highly wrong. He remembered panic and pain - and fur. Pale fur. Surely to God he hadn't gone to a "party" and taken something he shouldn't have. No. No, he was certain of that. That wouldn't have accounted for the state of his place, or really for how he felt today.

He decided he'd knock at some of the nearby doors on his way back and see if any of his neighbors had heard anything.

Then, he supposed, he'd really need to tidy up. That was a job he didn't relish, not feeling as sore as he did. His throat aside, he decided he really needed a cigarette, and he reached into his jacket pocket for his pack of Camels and his lighter. He really wished his hands would stop shaking, too.

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whycantyoubetru
2010-04-28 04:09 am UTC (link)

Damn food Irishman. Belle was tempted to take a roll pin to his damned fool head to knock him out. Except he already had a concussion and that wouldn't help none. It might keep him in bed and he'd stop saying crazy things.

It was past lunchtime and Belle had waited until Cathair was actually asleep (and she'd checked, dammit), to go fix up something for both of them to eat. Since she was already fixing food for two, she might as well fix up something for everybody, even if it were a whole mess of sandwiches.

Maybe some egg salad. And jello. That wouldn't take real long. And it would help soothe her frayed nerves at all the crazy things the Irishman had been saying about Eden and Drina.

She'd made it all the way to diner when she noticed somebody she hadn't met before. He looked about as well as the Irishman did, which weren't saying much. What was it with men and not staying in when they felt like hell? Fools, the whole damned bunch of them.

Still, she weren't going to chew his ear off until she had the whole story. "Land's sake, darlin'," she drawled as she approached. "I hope the other fella looks worse."

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dr_ben
2010-04-30 02:27 pm UTC (link)

Ben looked up from being hunched over his coffee, wincing at the aches in his neck and narrowing his eyes from the too-bright light.

Another woman... well, that'd been obvious from the tone of her voice. Ben had a momentary concern that she might be just as psycho as the one he'd met when he first ventured out of his now-wrecked place, but she certainly sounded a little less hostile. He licked his lips before replying, his voice coming out more than a little hoarse.

"Honestly? I really don't know. In fact I'm inclined to think it was more like a damn good party than a fight," he said with a small, wry grin before taking a long drag on his cigarette.

He didn't feel quite so jovial as his comment would seem. He had to process his own memories first, though, before he could trust himself to speak to anyone else. Nevertheless he indicated an empty seat facing his own. "Won't you join me?" he invited. She smelled nice... which was an odd way to make a first impression. He'd consider that later on as well. Right now he just needed to concentrate on trying to get over feeling like utter shit, coupled with engaging in normal human behavior.

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whycantyoubetru
2010-05-05 01:24 am UTC (link)

Belle wouldn't argue she was the sanest person in the world. After all, she had her fair share of baggage and such-like. But she weren't in the habit of being nasty to people unless they gave her a real good reason.

His suggestion was met with a small wry grin of her own and strained chuckle. "Well, that'd be nice, but it likely weren't that," she admitted.

"Thank you," she agreed, settling down in the chair. "Belle Bennett." She offered her hand, since she didn't have any reason to be rude to the man. "Don't recall seeing you come through the diner any night. You new 'round here?" Not that they had been there all that long. But she was pretty sure she'd seen about everybody here.

'Cept that crazy English computer geek. But she was still around, near as Belle could tell. "Seriously though, you look near as bad as the Irishman laid up in Eden's cottage. Talkin' crazy and all. Rung his bell damned good." She shook her head. "Men. No offense."

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dr_ben
2010-05-08 03:02 am UTC (link)

Ben huffed a laugh in return, managing not to wince when it hurt. "No... no, I guess it wasn't," he admitted ruefully. He took a draw on his cigarette then held it down below table level, out of her way when she sat down.

He responded to the outstretched hand and shook. "Ben Ferguson," he replied. "And no. I had an early night last night. I've been here a couple days, but I must admit I've been just a little antisocial so far. It's all just a little bizarre. I'll be sure to get along there soon, though."

God, but it was good to speak to somebody who seemed even remotely friendly. "Irishman? Sorry... I don't know where you mean. I haven't met Eden, I don't think." He was just a little taken aback. It sounded as though people here had been building up a real kind of community. He'd been trying to concentrate on finding a way out, and they'd been getting on with the meet 'n' greets.

"Uh. No offense taken," he assured her with a smile. "How long have you been here? You seem to have met up with far more people than I have." Perhaps he should check out this diner after all. He hadn't really meant it when he'd told her he would, but there might be an advantage to it.

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whycantyoubetru
2010-05-09 12:16 am UTC (link)

Belle was considering bumming one from him. She generally only smoked when she drank socially. But lately, it was sounding better and better to just take up the habit.

"It's more than a little bizarre," she agreed. "It's plumb crazy. None of this makes sense and it's pretty damn messed up to boot."

"His name's Cath," she said. "Or at least, that's what he told me to call him when I mispronounced his name a couple of times. Eden's an Aussie, like my husband. Not sure what either of them did before, but he took her some food after she told us she thought they'd been experimenting on her. Took off a piece of her skin and gave her an injection. 'Nother girl, too." She shook her head. "Nobody'd seen hide nor hair of either of them until Cooper went to check on folks and found Cath crumpled up on the floor of Eden's cottage with a concussion."

She sighed. "Cooper's my husband. I've met so many people here because I've been cookin' food for people since we got here four days ago. Figured it was better than sittin' around feelin' helpless."

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dr_ben
2010-05-09 08:48 pm UTC (link)

He laughed quietly again at her use of hyperbole. "It sure is," he agreed. "Not to mention it's as twisted as... something. Sorry, my brain's failing me today. But I'm sure there's an apt simile there somewhere. I just need more coffee, and perhaps a little more nicotine."

The names meant nothing to him, but he glanced up when she mentioned the piece of skin. "Yeah," he said slowly, his attention going to his shoulder where the minor flaying wound no longer hurt him. "They did that to me as well. I wondered what it was for." Experimentation... of course. DNA samples could be manipulated and utilized for a number of purposes. Still, kidnapping for the purposes of experimentation all sounded kind of... well it was either science fiction or Third Reich. Ben wasn't sure which one would bother him more. This place though, undeniably lovely as it was, definitely held a sting. Ben took another swig of his coffee to hide what must have been a look of blanched worry.

He noticed her looking at his cigarette and pushed the pack towards the middle of the table in an effort to return to normality. "Help yourself, if you indulge at all," he told her. "I'd have offered sooner, but a lot of people take it as an insult these days. Which reminds me, can we get these anywhere around here?"

He'd occasionally debated giving up smoking, but he enjoyed it too damn much if he was honest with himself. Not only that but forced abstinence, especially in these circumstances, did not seem particularly attractive to him at the moment. He wanted to give up when he was ready, not through lack of available supply.

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whycantyoubetru
2010-05-09 10:18 pm UTC (link)

Hey, them old sayings existed for a reason. "Gonna take more than coffee for this place to make sense," she pointed out. "Prolly wouldn't make sense on acid or LSD. It's just wrong."

Belle's brows raised at his admission? Should she tell him what the Irishman had been ranting about? She smiled slightly as she took a cigarette from his pack. "Yeah, there's some in the grocery store. I saw them last time was in there getting pie fixin's." She held out the cigarette. "Got a light, darlin'?"

She took a long drag on her cigarette once it was lit, before deciding it was only fair to tell the guy what Cath had been saying. "I don't know if he just hit his head that hard, but Cath's been saying they're experimenting on us. Makin' monsters. He said that Eden turned into a cat and attacked him. And there's claw marks on the doors. So yeah, not sure what to make of it. I'm hoping it's just crazy talk because he hit his head so damned hard."

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dr_ben
2010-05-09 11:05 pm UTC (link)

Ben smiled. "Yeah, it does have that 'falling down a rabbit hole' feel to it," he said. "Only problem is, you can't shut the damn book on this one, and I was never a huge Lewis Carroll fan anyhow."

He pushed the lighter over when she asked for a light, strangely pleased that she'd taken a cigarette. Odd form of bonding, but he'd take whatever he could get right now, and she was friendly. Shame she was married, really. He remembered his manners, then lifted the lighter and flicked it into life for her to light her cigarette, putting it back on the table when she leaned back from it.

His eyes narrowed when she spoke on and, for a moment, he was sure all the color had drained from his face. Not that there was much given the way he was hurting. He had a brief mental flash of fur and teeth and fury, but when he tried to dwell on it it was gone. "Monsters?" he asked when he'd gotten himself enough in control to trust his voice again. "But that's just not possible. Lycanthropy - and from that I guess any therianthropy - it's a mental condition, not physical. Has he seen a doctor about his... dreams?" He gave her an apologetic look at the last, but "dreams" sounded far more palatable at this stage than "delusions".

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whycantyoubetru
2010-05-10 12:27 am UTC (link)

"Let's just hope there ain't no queen who wants our heads," she agreed.

Belle was happily married. And all too glad that her husband was here. As much as she wanted him not to be suffering, she couldn't help but be glad they were in this together. She leaned in to let Ben light her cigarette. "Thanks, sugar," she replied, then too a long drag.

Right. That weren't a good sign. "You okay?" she asked. "Yeah, monsters. He said they turned Drina into one and she busted out of her cabin and took off God knows where. She disappeared night before last. Her place was a wreck and it looked like one of those big damned wolves had been in there." She shook her head. "I dunno. Eden's gone and no sign of where she went. The little gal Gwyn left a note on the journal thing this morning asking for help. And somethin' slammed Cath into a wall." She shook her head. "I don't know what to think anymore, really."

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dr_ben
2010-05-10 01:37 am UTC (link)

Was he okay? Hell no. He was anything but okay. It'd help if he could remember anything concrete about last night, even if it was as bad as he was beginning to fear it was. At least then he'd know.

Know what? That he'd turned into one of the "monsters" she'd talked about? But that was crazy. It was impossible. It just couldn't have happened.

And yet, in some nebulous way, it fit, damnit. And along with talk of this Drina woman... Jesus, why did it have to be a wolf? An echo of a howl flitted through his brain and vanished as he forced it away.

He realized he was staring and mentally shook himself back to the here and now. She was talking again. "I saw the note," he said quietly. "I guess I just thought it was somebody posting a drunk message. God knows enough of my friends have done it back home." Of course there was also the small matter of him hardly being able to focus on the screen when he'd looked at his computer that morning. His vision seemed washed out a little - not monochrome, but not fully right. That, combined with his aches and pains - and the total mess in the place - had put him off even trying to read much pretty damn quick. "But you don't think the ones who've disappeared might just have been sent back to wherever they came from? I mean we were brought here quick enough. Why couldn't we go back the same way? They might've just forgotten to close Drina's door and something could've gotten in."

It sounded weak, even he thought it did. But he had to find some rational explanation somewhere.

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whycantyoubetru
2010-05-10 02:32 am UTC (link)

Okay, that weren't good. The way he stared when she mentioned all that. He looked like he needed something a whole lot stronger than coffee right now. She knew she did.

"Nope, I'm pretty sure everybody's pretty damned serious," she told him. "Cooper told me about the mess in Drina's cabin and I saw the claw marks in Eden's."

Yeah, she wanted to rationalize it all away too. But they were running out of reasonable explanations. "Why would they let us go though?" she asked, since that was the obvious question. "I don't think they're near done with us, hon."

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dr_ben
2010-05-10 09:13 pm UTC (link)

Ben almost mentioned the mess in his own cabin, but something stopped him. Somehow it seemed desperately important not to mention it. Not to even consider the possibility and to hope that somebody - anybody - had been into his place while he'd been out and tidied it up for him so he could just go back there and make like none of it ever happened. He stubbed out his cigarette as he tried to gather his thoughts a little more.

"Why would they let us go?" he asked. "Well... maybe some people aren't quite what they were looking for after all and they just sent them back." Sure, he thought to himself, and they were taken back by Santa and the Tooth Fairy. They'd been brought here for a reason. Things had happened that seemed... obscene was the only word that came to mind. Why would they send anyone back?

He needed to change the subject. Or, if not, at least just try for a slight tangent. "What else have they done?" he asked, reaching for another cigarette without realizing he'd only just put his last one out.

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whycantyoubetru
2010-05-11 11:31 pm UTC (link)

Yeah. And pigs flew. Belle didn't say that, but she was thinking it. Really loudly. Belle noted how pale and worried Ben was looking. She took another long drag on her cigarette.

"Don't know, hon," she admitted. "So far, this is all we know about. But they ain't messing around, that's for damn sure." She looked the direction of Eden's cabin. "I want him to be wrong. Don't make sense, them making us into monsters. But so far, nothing about this place has made sense."

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dr_ben
2010-05-20 03:55 pm UTC (link)

Ben was finding it hard to concentrate on what she was saying. All that kept going through his mind was the word "monster", and his own vague impressions of the previous night which seemed SO close to the front of his memory, but then danced away again just as he thought he'd gotten a grasp on them. He knew he needed to get on his own somewhere to make himself think. But then he told himself he just didn't want to know anyhow and he should just stay here speaking to Belle until the sun disappeared from the sky and...

... and

And what? Rip Belle to pieces, ruin his own perfectly good clothes in the meantime and then run amok in a frenzy of hunger and fury?

He needed to get home.

He looked up at her. "Look, I'm really sorry. Please don't take this the wrong way," he started. "But I really don't feel so good. I think I should maybe get back to my cabin and have a lie down, see if that helps. Will you excuse me?"

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