Carter Gray (gotluck) wrote in invol_rpg, @ 2013-07-09 00:41:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | ! log, ! plot: this is the end, carter gray, daisy hughes |
WHO: Carter Gray and Daisy Hughes.
WHAT: A brief interlude before the fighting begins.
WHEN: After the warehouse escape.
WHERE: Dorms somewhere.
WARNINGS: None really.
STATUS: Complete.
With his arm around her shoulders in the darkened room, everything seemed almost peaceful. The scent of her sweet vanilla shampoo hung in the air, her steady breathing serving as reassurance that she was there, that she was alive, that she was safe; and although the fighting would undoubtedly rageon, Carter felt more hopeful than he had since the alarm had first sounded those many hours ago. His eyes fluttered shut as he held her, though he was not sure he would be able to sleep. Instead, he considered the probability web within his mind's eye, pulling and plucking at lines in an attempt to see how this night would end. Who would win? Would they survive? Would the Vols of IVI finally be free? Perhaps the questions were too broad, because Carter found only vague answers, gossamer lines that paled or darkened only slightly at his touch. There was one thing he could do, however: focusing on the line that contained his and Daisy's present fate, in this room, right now, he lowered the chances of their being discovered by guards eager for a fight. For now, at least, they would be safe. "You okay?" he muttered, voice muffled by her hair. Daisy moved her head slightly in her best attempt at a nod. Their faces were close to each other on the tiny bed, and she felt her nose brush against his. She hadn't thought that she was tired at all; after they'd overpowered the guards and escaped from the warehouse, the adrenaline had made Daisy feel like she'd just downed 10 cups of very strong coffee. But now, here in this room with Carter's arm around her, there was a strange sort of peace between them -- like time had slowed down, even though chaos raged outside. "We're gonna get out of here," she said for what seemed like the fiftieth time in so many hours, a reassurance that she needed to hear spoken aloud, even if only by her own voice. She yawned. "You and me, Big Apple." And no one would ever lock Carter up again. Right now, looking at her boyfriend with his tired eyes, that was the only thing that Daisy cared about. "You and me," Carter repeated, grip tightening around her shoulder. They'd made it so far, hadn't they? And the fighting could only last so long -- the VR was powerful, but they had limited numbers, and the IVF, too. They'd wait it out, and they'd survive. Daisy, him, Javier, O. Hunter and Vic, and the Swans. They had Carter on their side, and that meant they had luck on their side too. "And we'll go to New York," he muttered, eyes shut as he once again pulled at the web of probability in his mind. In recent days, he'd barely been able to go five minutes without checking and rechecking those intricate lines, half-terrified they might change for the worse, half-hoping they'd change for the better. So far, neither had proven true. Not really. "Christmas is one thing, Lone Star, but it's fall that's the best. There's nothing like Central Park in the fall." He shifted slightly, opening his eyes to meet Daisy's own. "Or maybe we could go to Europe, sunshine. I don't know if you know, but I'm even better at Spanish than that fucking gypsy." She kissed him then, a smile forming on her lips as they met Carter's. "Let's do both. We can go all the places you've always wanted to visit." Daisy snaked a leg between his so that they were even more closely entwined. Her Texas drawl was tired and long. "'member when I first came to your room? To fix that virus on your computer? And I asked about that poster, and you said it was just a place you wanted to go. We can go there, too. Anywhere you want." It seemed almost absurd, lying here and fantasizing about traveling the world when their fates were so uncertain. But Daisy didn't care. She was too tired to care. And if their worlds were crumbling down around them, at least she could enjoy this moment with Carter. He laughed at that, though the sound was hollow, at odds with the eerie silence that crept through the rest of the building. IVI had been silent enough as of late, but tonight, it was stiflingly so; staff and students alike seemed to be hiding, lying in wait in the calm before the storm. "What about you, Texas?" he asked after a pause, fingers reaching to pull at a lock of blonde hair. "Where do you wanna go?" She considered his question, enjoying the familiar feeling of his fingers playing with her hair. Daisy closed her eyes, and for a moment it seemed like she might actually drift off to sleep, safe and warm in this familiar bed. "Paris," she finally said, sleepily. Daisy's eyes opened, small slits of hazel between her tired eyelids. "And..." her mind shuffled through the cities she'd read about. Los Angeles. Milan. Not London. Too many horrible things had happened in London. "Somewhere quiet," she said, although Daisy wasn't sure where such a place might be. "Where we don't have to worry about people knowing who we are, and we can just like, be normal for a while. Not forever, I mean. Just a while. It'd be nice." "We'll go there, too," Carter assented, shifting to gaze out the window. He could see nothing outside, the lights having been blown in the aftermath of the cafeteria's destruction, but the tiny glass pane still represented the freedom that they had never quite managed to secure at IVI. It was so close now, and with it, all their hopes and dreams and wishes. At the thought, he snorted; when had he turned so fucking sentimental? He wondered what Peg would say if she could see him now, planning a future that extended beyond a day or week ahead. She'd scoff at him, he knew; she'd raise her eyebrows and fold her arms across her chest and say, 'Gray, you've turned into a fucking pussy.' And perhaps he had. Perhaps, despite all his insistence to the contrary, IVI had managed to change him in ways he had not thought possible. "I love you," he muttered hoarsely. The words still sounded strange on his tongue, so rarely did he say them; but on a night with so much untapped potential, they seemed appropriate. They seemed right. As was always the case when Carter said those words (for truly, she could count the number of times on one hand, even if the first occasion had involved him shoving him in her direction as he stood above her dinner plate in the IVI cafeteria) Daisy felt a warm sensation in her gut. Butterflies. She could still get butterflies in her stomach, even now, even after all they'd been through. It had taken him almost a year to say it, but that just made it mean so much more. Daisy kissed him again, firmer and longer this time, her arm mimicking her leg as it reached around Carter's torso. Jodi hadn't seemed to understand why Daisy was so intent on leaving IVI, by any means necessarily. Why she'd accept the help of terrorists and murderers, if that was what it took. This was why. There wasn't even a question in her mind. "I love you too," she said, finally breaking away. |