Isaac Callahan (carrotandstick) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-01-19 19:29:00 |
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How could Isaac be so stupid to think that there was real justice left in this world? Watching Demi get dragged off like that was all he could see when he closed his eyes and her screaming his name just kept playing over and over in his head. She hadn’t been a perfect prisoner of house arrest but was hiding in a blanket fort and leaving rude signs for the people watching her surveillance to read really enough to put her back in La Quinta? A small voice in the back of his head said he should go back to work since he knew there was nothing he could do for Demi right now. And now that it was becoming clear just how far Olinger would go to get his way, Isaac could only fear what kind of retribution would come if he stopped playing along. Reading over his last message to Addie one last time, he jumped at the knock on the door and hastily shoved the phone into his pocket before going to greet his visitor. Nina gave him a tight smile once he opened the door, but it was fleeting and as soon as she stepped in around him, the expression was gone. She surveyed the apartment, first, looking for -- Patrolmen? Olinger himself? Nina wasn't sure what, exactly, she was expecting, but as soon as it seemed as though Isaac was physically alone she turned to face him. "Is anyone else here?" she asked first, then just barely managed to stop herself from asking him outright if the whole thing was a trap. The look on his face was enough of an answer, but Nina couldn't afford to go on assumptions anymore. She'd need to rephrase when the time came. “No. I thought that would be pretty obvious since the only other person who lives here is locked up in La Quinta,” Isaac said, running a hand through his hair in irritation. “Olinger’s not hiding somewhere pulling the puppet strings, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Months of additional exposure to Isaac outside of the workplace had given Nina a smidgen of additional tolerance for such behavior. And when she considered everything the man was going through, too, she could overlook it with ease. "Can you really blame me, though?" she asked rhetorically, unable to help herself from scrutinizing his expression for signs of deceit. Once the door was closed, Isaac stepped back into the apartment and sat back on the couch, deflating. He could understand if that was Nina’s concern, but he didn’t have any spare room in his brain to worry about that when he knew Demi was in La Quinta and who knew what was happening to her. Nina took a seat next to him, a small distance between them, and folded her hands. She sighed, worrying at her lower lip, then spoke up again: "Tell me everything you know." “All I know is that I was on my way back to my apartment to have lunch and across the rotunda Demi was screaming and kicking and being dragged away by Patrolmen. She saw me and screamed my name but she was at the other side of the room and then they were dragging her through a door and by the time I got there, she was gone,” Isaac said, his voice flat and unattached, all too easily slipping back into his coping mechanism of checking out. Nina pressed her lips together. She felt impotent and out of control, a whirlwind of frustration and worry inside her. "I would know if she'd done anything to warrant it," she said, meeting Isaac's gaze warily. She'd initially been concerned that Isaac would rat her out once he'd found out about her current allegiances -- more anti-Olinger than pro-Hellhound, a distinction she liked to make whenever questioned -- but to her surprise, he hadn't. "But my best guess is that we're being sent a message, here." Anger rose in Isaac, his eyes locking onto hers. “Message? I’m not in with the Hellhounds. I’ve bent over backwards and done everything to keep Demi safe. Olinger has no reason to doubt that I’m trying to lock them up just as much as he is. What’s the point in taking away the one thing I care about?” "You need to calm down. Because what I said has nothing to do with the Hellhounds," Nina shot back, lifting one hand to point at him for emphasis. Her voice was quiet, her tone insistent and irritated. "This is a message to you and me. We're the ones closest to her. And if they took her without reason, even after she's been fully cooperating in everything, attitude or not, they can just as easily do the same to us." “This is all fucked up,” Isaac sighed, the fight dying in him nearly as quickly as it had risen. Defeated, he said, “I messaged Addie. I’m out of tricks to pull. I’m sure they’re already working on a way to get the rest of the Officers out. Asked her to get Demi out, too. I didn’t know what else to do.” It sounded a hell of a lot like Isaac was now in with the Hellhounds, for better or for worse, but Nina had the sense to not comment on that. As much as they so often bickered, she'd come to care for the man. "I would've done the same thing if I were you," she replied, aiming for commiserating but sure that her nerves were getting in the way. "As much as I do hate it -- even if it seems like I don't -- I have faith they'll be able to figure this out. And if you're willing, we'll do what we can to help." Isaac gave a weak nod, then after a few moments of silence, said, “I don’t think I can stay here anymore. I--Olinger’s losing it and I can’t stay and be in charge of the witch hunt for Demi,” scrubbing his face, feeling so tired and helpless. "We're running out of options." Nina forced herself to take a slow, deep breath in and a long exhale out, trying to calm herself. It was no good, though; her mind was racing, imagining all the possibilities. Was she next? "I wouldn't blame you if you left." She was jealous, admittedly, that he even could. Nina doubted she'd get very far from her tail before they took her down. “You want to come with me?” Isaac asked, resting his chin on his hand as he looked over at her. Now that the idea was in his head, it was looking more and more like it was the only real option for him. He could stick around long enough to get Demi the information she needed in order to get the fuck out of this place, but beyond that--what was even holding him here anymore? She stopped herself just in time from asking if he really meant it. Of course he did; he wouldn't have offered if he hadn't. But it was hard to reconcile the man in front of her with the man she'd once known, as much as she thought the change was positive. "I don't know if I can," she said after a moment. "They've got me pretty trapped." “Yeah--” Isaac began, though was cut off at a knock on the door. Giving Nina a wry smile, he said, “That must be Gemma. Just--let me know if you change your mind, okay?” And with that, the conversation was over, both of them knowing they couldn’t and shouldn’t continue it in front of Gemma, and Isaac rose to let in their guest. |