Olivia Jensen is on her way to ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ғᴀsᴛ (sprinted) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-02-08 20:29:00 |
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The past few hours seemed like a blur, minutes moving too fast while her heart felt like it was frozen in her chest, worried sick about Maizie and all the other survivors in the other buildings. Despite how worried she was, Savannah was doing her best to remain calm and try and work the problem. She wasn’t going to save anyone’s lives if she let the panic take over. All things considered, it could be worse. It felt crazy thinking those words but it was true. The main building was basically a concrete box so as long as the fences around the perimeter held and the reinforced entrance of the library held, they should be safe. The residential building and the lending library were a different story, though. Maizie’s message had her more worried than she could put into words and Liv’s presence in her office wasn’t making the situation any better. “Can you calm down? I can barely hear myself think,” Savannah said, pressing the heels of her hands into her eye sockets. "I'm calm." And as far as Olivia could tell, that was true. It wasn't like she was crying on the floor or anything, or pacing around like, admittedly, she normally would be if she didn't have that cast on her leg. (At the rate life was going, she'd never get it off.) She was just sitting on the couch in Savannah's office -- calmly -- tapping her hands on her knees, mouth turned down in what felt like a perpetual frown. "I'm totally calm. And I'm being helpful. I gave you Erik's number, didn't I?" Really, Olivia thought that given the fact that her girlfriend was stranded in a window-heavy building with pretty much no food or water to speak of, without a phone charger, surrounded by people who were probably going to turn cannibal if they didn't manage to get something to eat any time soon, she was doing pretty well. That hadn't been the case right at the start of this new hell, of course. There'd been some outbursts, some tears and stuff that she wasn't really proud of, but all things considered? She was fine. "What if we got, like. I don't know. The cars we do have, we could reinforce them and run them over. Deliver food and everything to the other buildings. I'm sure someone knows how to reinforce a car." She tapped the button on her phone, looking for a new text from Maizie, and gripped it tighter once she saw the blank screen. "How long does it take before you die of dehydration?" “Liv, I appreciate the suggestions but we can’t even get out the front door right now.” As much as Savannah wanted to run out the door and try and get to the other buildings, it wouldn’t do all those people any good if they died in the process. So, no, they couldn’t do that. Staying put was difficult, but it was the best option for now. Sighing, she looked over at Olivia and said, “No one is gonna die of dehydration. That takes several days and so long as I can get this plan movin’ that’s not gonna be a problem.” "What plan? We have a plan?" Even Olivia had to admit that her use of the plural 'we' was a bit generous, as she'd done very little besides sit on the couch and talk herself out of hyperventilating. "I mean, I know you're texting your friends and Erik and stuff but I didn't know we actually had something to put together yet." Not that she was very much convinced that any kind of plan would work. This was totally how the world was going to end. "How do you know that we even have several days?" Olivia paused, then added, "If you drink your own urine, provided that you can like, make enough, does that help against dehydration?" Someone had to think of all of the angles, here. Savannah knew Olivia was worried. Really, she did. But there was only so much crazy that she could handle. Talking about cannibalism and drinking your own urine to avoid dehydration was definitely the limit to her patience. Letting out a long and loud sigh, Savannah looked over to Olivia, her lips pursed in a thin line of irritation. “I have a lot to do, Liv. I think it’s best if you leave so I can work on figurin’ this all out.” Olivia looked sharply over at Savannah, surprised and hurt by the dismissal. Okay, maybe she hadn't exactly been all that productive, and maybe she'd been talking a lot, but what else was she supposed to do right now? She'd be in the way anywhere she went, and the thought of going back to the Oval Office without either of her roommates made her stomach twist up. But she was still too worried about things between her and Savannah in general, even without this new complication, to argue or fight back. "Okay," she said simply, pouting unconsciously as she pushed herself up to stand and leave. "I'll just, um. Be upstairs, I guess. See you later." Later… The rest of that day came and went without a resolution to the zombie hordes scrabbling at their walls. Olivia was miserable; working with Nick had helped a little bit to take her mind off of things, and so had texting her friends, but every minute that passed made Maizie's absence even bigger. When Savannah came back upstairs, Olivia was lying face down on her bed in the middle of the Oval Office, thumbing through the first few pages of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and wondering who the hell Frank Bryce was. Weren't these books about Harry Potter? "Hey," she said, glancing up as Savannah stepped into the room. "Everything, um. What's up?" Savannah tried not to be irritated with Olivia, after all, the situation they were in was an extremely stressful one, but even still she couldn’t help but be frustrated at how unhelpful Liv’s attitude had been earlier. Luckily once she had her office to herself she had been able to get to work and get some plans in place with Cal, Karen and Liv’s friend Erik. She still wasn’t 100% sure that they’d all make it out of this (pessimistic thoughts she needed to push away if she was going to make it through this) but at least now there was a plan. Giving Liv a tight smile, she toed off her shoes and moved to her side of the room to put them away. Without walls or actual division of bedroom, Liv could still hear her as she replied, “Got in contact with some people who are gonna to try to deliver supplies so the other survivors can hold out longer while your friend Erik gets his operation together.” "Tonight?" Olivia asked, raising up slightly onto her elbows. It was a dumb question, though, and she knew it as soon as the word left her lips. She shook her head, an embarrassed look on her face even though Savannah was technically nowhere in sight, and added, "I mean -- probably not, that wouldn't make any sense." Still, it did sound like progress, even if it wasn't enough to have Maizie back right then and there. Stepping back out into the center of the room, Savannah bit her lip and shook her head. “No. Too dangerous in the dark. They’ll come some time tomorrow. The sooner the better.” "Good," Olivia said, her voice uncertain. Did Savannah actually want her opinion on this stuff, or was she just making conversation? There was a silence that settled between them, though, so she filled it: "Yeah, I mean, hopefully it doesn't take too long, whatever they're going to have to do." And maybe the zombies would have thinned out by then. Probably not. There was nothing they could do but wait and Savannah could only hope that Liv wouldn’t start talking about cannibalism. They’d both had a trying day and it wasn’t entirely fair to hold something like that against Liv, so instead of retreating back to her side of the room she moved further into the common area. “What’re you reading?” "Um, one of the Harry Potter books." Olivia turned it over in her hands, studying the cover. His hair was a mess. "It's supposed to be good, but I'm just kind of confused, I guess." Her gaze lifted to Savannah despite herself and she bit her lip, dropping her eyes back down to the book. "Have you read it?" Stepping even closer, Savannah focused on the cover and nodded her head. Moving to take a seat on one of the floor cushions near Liv, she said, “It’s been a while since I read them, but maybe I can help. What’re you confused about?” "A lot of stuff." In the book and also, like, in life. "I guess I don't know what's going on and who Frank Bryce is and why he's dead. There must be some kind of meaning behind it but I think I'm just missing something big." Olivia shifted so she was sitting on the mattress, then glanced over at Maizie's side of the room, seeking her out though she knew she'd come up empty-handed. "It's okay, though," she added. Savannah was probably busy, or like, wanted to be alone, considering everything. "I'll just ask her once she's back home." Savannah’s lips pursed in confusion, wondering why Liv wasn’t just starting at the first book, but maybe Maizie had brought it with her to the lending library. “I’m sure Maizie’ll be able to explain it better than me. I haven’t read them in a while. I remember the movies better, but I know Maizie would chew my ear off because they’re not the same,” she said, smiling slightly. "Yeah," Olivia said non-committally, biting her lip. She may have been unaware that she'd tried to jump into the series in the middle instead of the beginning, but she knew without a doubt that if anyone could set her right, it was Maizie. Her eyes welled suddenly, betraying her. "I guess that's a thing people say." Her voice was wavering, too. Ugh. "The book is always better, or something." She forced a smile. "I don't know why, when it takes so much less time to watch a movie." Savannah’s smile dropped slightly, hearing in Liv’s voice that she was this close to crying. “Oh, honey,” she said, her voice soft and low. It was obvious that Liv wasn’t getting emotional about a book and this was really about the absence of Maizie, and Savannah was feeling the emotional strain as well. She’d already lost Gray and couldn’t lose Maizie, too. Standing up from the cushion she was sitting on, she moved to Liv’s bed and sat down beside her, bumping her shoulder against the girl’s. “When Maizie gets back I won’t even tell her you said that,” she teased gently. Olivia sniffled, then again, hating herself all the while. Still, she didn't hesitate before she leaned her head against Savannah's, hoping the gesture was okay. Savannah’s arm moved around Olivia’s shoulder, the other hand reaching up to smooth down her hair in a (hopefully) comforting manner. "Thanks," Olivia said, her tone shaky but sincere. Seriously, Maizie Wolfe would rue the day that she inflicted this new teary tendency upon her. She let a couple of quiet moments pass as she struggled to get ahold of herself, wondering how much Savannah would want to deal with just then, before she added: "Do you really think everything's going to be okay?" Letting out a slow exhale, Savannah nodded her head slightly, though not enough to disturb Liv’s resting against her. “I trust the people who are comin’ to help up. They’re gonna do everything they can to help us so--” She let out another exhale, this time shakier with emotions she didn’t want to succumb to just yet, “--Everythin’ is gonna turn out okay.” "I really really hope that's not bullshit." Olivia had never been able to take optimistic things like that in stride and believe them; the glass was always half-empty for her, and she wasn't sure if that would ever really change. Part of her was already trying to plan how her life would be just in case Maizie never came home and her worst fears became reality. Maybe that was why she felt so terrible right then, though, even if she couldn't help that voice in her head that kept asking, 'what if it doesn't turn out okay?' She sighed, trying her best to shove those thoughts away, and leaned her head against Savannah's shoulder. "But we'll see what happens tomorrow, right?" They sat comfortably in silence for a few moments, before a question that had been plaguing her for the past month popped into the front of her mind. Breaking the silence, she asked, “Y’ever gonna tell me why you keep your bed out here and not on Maizie’s side?” The question was enough to startle Olivia out of her self-pitying funk. She very clearly remembered Savannah telling her where to place it… Her eyes narrowed as she tried to make sense of this. "Um, because this is where you wanted me to keep it?" Savannah pulled back slightly, enough to look at Liv’s face, and said, “No. All I said was y’all couldn’t sleep in the same bed anymore.” "Oh." Olivia's gaze drifted over to the side in question and she bit her lip, trying to stave off the smile she could feel coming on for some reason. Despite how shitty the day had been, this revelation was pretty awesome. "Well," she said, trying to play it cool. "I will just… move it there tonight, then. Or whenever." Despite the dire situation they were in, Savannah couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her. The whole situation was just funny. Smiling, she said, “It’ll be a nice surprise for Maizie when she gets home.” "It will be. She'll totally love it." Olivia shot a grateful smile in Savannah's direction. They'd totally gotten off on the wrong foot or whatever earlier, but hopefully now things would be better. (Olivia could even try to not talk about the whole cannibalism conspiracy theory, if that would help.) And that in itself made her feel better about everything, too: the tension that she'd felt on and off around Savannah, all the stuff with the zombies, even Maizie being in the Lending Library. She leaned sideways to bump Savannah's shoulder with hers. "You're pretty cool, you know. Most of the time. Kidding -- totally kidding." Still smiling, Savannah rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder back against Olivia. “I’m glad you think so, sweetheart.” After their disastrous afternoon, she was glad the tension between them had faded. There was still plenty of stress and worry about Maizie and the rest of the survivors stuck at the Lending Library and the residential building, but at least there now was one less thing to worry about. “We should try and get some rest now. Big day tomorrow.” "Yeah, we should." Olivia wasn't sure how much sleep she'd actually be able to get that night, but at least she could try. She pulled away and closed the book after successfully reading three pages, then pushed herself up to stand so she could move the mattress over to Maizie's side. "Night, Savannah." “G’night, honey,” Savannah said, pushing herself to standing, then made her way over to her side of the room. She could already tell it was going to be a long night but if she didn’t try and sleep she’d be completely useless tomorrow. |