Klaus Hargreeves (callsthedead) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2020-03-12 20:05:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !completed gdoc, !log, qrow branwen (ablackcrow), ~2020 march, ~~klaus hargreeves (callsthedead) |
WHO: Klaus Hargreeves and Qrow Branwen
WHAT: An Encounter at Starbucks
WHEN: Today
WHERE: Starbucks
WARNINGS: Talk of death/addiction
STATUS: Closed/Completed Gdoc
Ever since Ruby, Nora, and Weiss had confronted him about his drinking, Qrow had realized just how much he was hurting them. Especially Ruby, who had gone through this sort of thing just before she arrived in town and now had to deal with it all over again. He'd never intentionally hurt his niece like he had, but, well, addiction was the worst and he vowed not to drink anymore.
And he hadn't touched a drop since, though it wasn't easy. His body had gotten used to having alcohol and now that he stopped, it just made him a bit cranky and miserable. He knew it should be only temporary and he just had to toughen it out for now. Been there, done that.
For now, he decided to grab some coffee before heading home, maybe buy Ruby something sweet since she loved sweet food so much. He made his way to Starbucks, getting in line once he entered.
***
Klaus had been sober for a few months now, but that didn’t mean that he was feeling awesome. Actually, he was feeling quite the opposite of awesome. As soon as he’d sobered up, the ghosts had found him and weren’t giving him even a second’s peace. They were all around him right now. His eyes were sunken from lack of sleep and if it were possible, he’d even lost weight.
He needed coffee desperately - an addiction that was socially acceptable and that might make sure that he didn’t fall asleep and sleep all day when he was supposed to be at work. So before his day shift at Verdant, he went to Starbucks, and got in line. The spirits were still all away, and as he tried to ignore them, he was just as twitchy as if he’d been on drugs. Was being sober actually better? He still wasn’t sure.
***
Qrow wouldn't say he was addicted to coffee, but considering he'd been drinking more of it since he went cold turkey on the alcohol, he wouldn't be surprised if it did became his new vice. At least it wasn't as bad as alcohol if it did.
One thing about getting coffee though was everyone else liked it too. Which meant the line was a bit long. He probably should've gone to the other, less populated coffee shop instead of Starbucks. But he was already here and figured he'd just wait it out.
So he did, glancing around while he stood in line. His eye fell to a man a bit younger than he was. What caught Qrow's attention about him was how he kept twitching. He didn't think much of it at first, but after a while, he approached him.
"Hey, man, you alright?" he asked.
***
It took Klaus a moment to realize that the guy talking to him was in fact alive. When he did, he made a bit of a grimace and nodded. “As good as ever,” he said, which was true. This was his life now, he figured, constantly surrounded by the dead and always on the edge of falling back into the abyss of drug abuse. He craved the pills and the silence they brought him. The peace. But he knew that they would also kill him...and who knew when he might need to use his ability. He supposed it had been useful before, long ago in the past.
He clenched his hands together and tried to push away the spirits, but it only half worked.
“There are just a lot more people in here than it seems.” He laughed, a frantic sound on the edge of insanity.
***
Qrow didn't believe he was good, not at all and the look on his face said as much. How could he be okay? He was shaking quite a bit and Qrow was pretty much people didn't twitch as much as this guy was doing. He had no idea why, though, and the laugh didn't really help.
"I mean, it's Starbucks. Lots of people love their caffeine," he shrugged. As far as he knew, the guy meant just the living, but even so, there were still quite a few people here.
***
“Oh, I don’t mean the people here to get coffee,” he said, waving that idea off with a jerky movement of his hand. “I mean the people who are here to talk to me. But what can I say, they’re always here. Always here. More and more of them, now that I’ve cleaned up.”
Which was why he still wasn’t sure that cleaning up was such a good idea. Was it better to be constantly high, or constantly crazy?
***
Qrow just blinked. "I'm not sure I understand," he said. "What other people are there besides the ones getting coffee? And 'cleaned up'? As in, you got off drugs or alcohol?"
At least that part kinda made more sense. It would explain why the guy was so shaky. Qrow kind of felt the same, but maybe not to the same extent. He wasn't shaking or anything, but he did feel pretty terrible right now.
***
“The dead ones,” he said, as if that was the most obvious thing ever. “They’re everywhere.” He nodded, shifting his weight from one side to the other nervously. “And yeah. I got clean a few months ago. When I’m high they’re quiet. I can’t hear them. But when I’m sober, they’re everywhere.”
He hated his life, really. He was trapped in the most horrible Catch-22 ever.
***
"You see dead people," Qrow said, stating it more than questioning it. Obviously, he couldn't see them, but he believed the guy could. And why not believe him? Being in town for so long, plus having Semblances and other things back home, see dead people was not the strangest thing he heard.
"That's pretty shitty. And I stopped drinking a week ago, but I imagine getting off drugs is worse." And he did feel awful at the moment, he couldn't imagine how this guy must be feeling.
***
“It sucked. Couldn’t even explain it to someone else, what goes through your head. And your body. It’s not all in your head. The pain, the shakes, the sickness...it’s overwhelming. And then, once things started to get better, well, the dead people came back. It’s one or the other, you know? Shit one way, shit the other. There’s no way of getting rid of it entirely no matter what I do. It’s either the drugs or the damned dead people.”
He really, really believed that of his siblings he had the worst ability by far.
***
"And the dead don't shut up at all? Not even for a few minutes?" If so, at least he had a few minutes of peace. But then again, maybe it still wouldn't make a difference.
"I'm not sure which one I'd prefer." Drugs were definitely bad. He was an alcoholic, sure, but that was as far as he'd go. As much as he liked to just forget things, he still wouldn't take drugs. But he couldn't imagine hearing the dead all the time and no way to shut them out. He supposed the only way to go is just live with it, but that didn't seem like a good time either.
***
“Nope, not really. It’s like they know I’m the only one who can hear them and they all have something to say.” Klaus supposed he could understand, a little, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from going crazy from the constant chatter and the terror that came with them. The truth was, he was afraid of them, except for Ben, who sadly hadn’t followed him here.
“I’m not sure which one is better either. I’ve lived through both of them and I can’t say I’d recommend either one.”
***
"I've always thought the dead always have something to say," he shrugged. Especially the ones who can't move on. The ones who still had a story to tell. That was just what he thought, though. He wasn't even sure if that was true or not.
"Both sound terrible." He paused only because they were next in line and he had to give his order to the barista. His was pretty simple since he didn't like any of the sugary stuff, so it probably wouldn't take too long to make it. "There really isn't a way to quiet the dead, even just for a few moments?"
***
“I’m sure they do. And you know, I’m not a total dick. I’m sympathetic. It has to be terrible to have no one to talk to and I’m sure if I were one of them, I’d grab onto me too. Thing is, I don’t know if I’m the best one to talk to. I don’t know what the hell I can do for them? What am I supposed to do, be like that little kid in the Sixth Sense and just solve all their problems?”
Maybe he should. Maybe that was exactly what he should have been doing. But the thought of it made him shudder in fear. Did that make him a selfish bastard?
“If there is, I haven’t found it yet.”
***
"I don't know, maybe," Qrow shrugged. Maybe that was exactly why the guy had this ability, to help the dead. Just like in the movie. Or Qrow assumed, anyway. He never really saw the Sixth Sense before, so he was just guessing here.
The barista called his name and he took the cup from her. "Well, hope you find something soon. If anything else, maybe you can ask Death herself to help." Though whether she'd actually do anything is an entirely different story.
"Anyways, I'm going to get going. See you around."
***