rylee mears (itsjustafeeling) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-08-24 12:50:00 |
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Entry tags: | #november 2017, rylee |
Who: Rylee and Adam
When: Morning, Monday, November 6th
Where: Adam’s apartment
Status: Complete
14A. That was the apartment number Adam had given Rylee the one and only time they had really talked. She hadn’t imagined she would ever need to know it, but she was glad he had given it to her now, and Rylee found herself standing outside the door and knocking briefly. Carson was still at home, resting and healing and she had snuck out while he slept to try and get some answers of her own. She wasn’t there to validate what Carson had told her the way she had with Nic. She believed his story. But she did have a few questions and felt like Adam would be the best place to start. Rylee hadn’t wanted to bombard Carson with everything in her head, and frankly, she wasn’t sure he would have many answers for her anyway.
So she waited for Adam to answer the door, hoping to make this quick so she could get back to the apartment before Carson woke up. There was also a pair of freshly laundered clothes in her arms that she wanted to return to the man who lived here. Hopefully he was home, because it would feel weird just leaving them on his doorstep.
Adam wasn’t actively avoiding Rylee or anything, but he hadn’t really sought her out, either, after the one time they talked. He definitely hadn’t respected her request to leave Carson alone. Feeling guilty was the sort of thing Adam could do at the drop of a hat, even if he was a very lapsed kind of Catholic, and it was Carson’s information to share, anyway, so Adam was left to hope that the talk with her went as well as it possibly could, given the circumstances. Carson hadn’t shown up on Adam’s doorstep needing a place to stay the day before, which was promising.
Monday morning, he was getting his apartment back in order, still longing in pajamas and a T-shirt. He wasn’t on shift for another few hours yet, so he needed something to do to keep himself occupied. The knock came as he was dumping an armful of clothes into the washing machine. He quickly added detergent and hit the start button, then went to answer. Pulling the door open, he wasn’t exactly surprised to see Rylee, but he hadn’t expected her, either. He offered her a faint smile. “Hey, Rylee. How are you doing?” It was a less outrightly loaded question than “how are you taking the news your cousin is a werewolf?”, but that was the intention behind it.
Rylee felt herself tense as soon as the door opened, but she forced herself to relax, a small smile forming on her lips at the sight of him. She supposed she could have been furious with him for talking to Carson after she told him not to, but if Adam hadn't, who knows what would have happened Saturday night. Carson could have hurt a lot of people. On the other hand, Rylee couldn't help but resent him, because Adam had been there for Carson, and she hadn't. That seemed to be the norm these days though. She always second to know what was going on in his life. "Probably as well as you would think I am," she said with a soft shrug. "I wanted to come by and give you these back." Rylee offered him the clothes in her arms. "And I was hoping you might have a minute to talk to me. I have a couple of questions."
Adam had reasoned that Rylee was acting from a place of caring when she told him to leave Carson alone, so whatever anger or other reaction she might have toward Adam would have seemed justifiable. That he had been right to intervene anyway was something he had decidedly not wanted to be the case, but there was no changing reality. Having steeled himself in case she was mad at him, he relaxed when that didn’t come right off the bat, not that he knew her well enough to accurately predict what her reaction might be. “Oh, thank you,” he said, accepting the clothes from her, holding them in the crook of one arm. “I know it’s… a lot.” Which was a vast understatement. Pulling the door open wider, he stepped aside. “Do you want to come in? I’ll gladly tell you whatever I can, though that only goes so far.”
"I understand," Rylee said, and she did. Adam probably wasn't some werewolf expert, but maybe someone out there was. She just needed to find him. Or her. She stepped inside and slipped her hands into the back pockets of her jeans as she glanced around. It was essentially the same set up as she and Carson's apartment, just decorated differently. It had her wondering if Carson had been in here at all. Probably. Maybe. "He told me what happened," Rylee began, not wanting to really hem and haw around the topic at hand. "He said you were there to help him. Did you see... the change or anything? He only showed me pictures of the cabin once he got loose."
Adam’s apartment was a mix of furniture he had inherited or become attached to over the years, so nothing quite matched, but everything was generally comfortable more than anything. Aesthetic was usually secondary to whatever else for him and he had a tendency to be sentimental. He moved further into the apartment, assuming Rylee would follow. “I saw the aftermath. I was hoping he’d stay knocked out during the transformation part, honestly, but that didn’t happen. I had come back home, since I didn’t know what I could do if he changed and it felt weird to hang around watching him sleep if nothing happened.” It had turned out lucky he had left. Rubbing the back of his neck, he gestured toward the couch. “Do you want to sit down? Or coffee or anything?”
She couldn't blame Adam for not staying, but it still rankled her a little. She should have been there. She would have stayed to make sure he was all right. Maybe not in the cabin, just in case, but close. Someone should have been there. "No, I'm fine, thanks," Rylee murmured. "He said you used tranquilizers. Do you think that might have helped when he changed? Something strong enough to knock him out in... in wolf form?" God, she couldn't believe she was having this kind of conversation. Werewolves. And not just werewolves, but werewolves and Carson.
Adam’s feelings about leaving were mixed: on the one hand, he felt guilty, since if he hadn’t managed to find Carson, it would have been disastrous; on the other hand, Adam wouldn’t have been equipped to encounter a wolf monster that could shred through a cabin wall. “Yeah, we used some pretty strong tranquilizers, but I didn’t want to administer a dose that was much higher than what was safe for him as--” he hesitated, since even if he had more time and inclination to process the information, making the distinction felt odd “--as a human. I didn’t know what sort of transitive effect it might have had, but it obviously wasn’t enough to keep him knocked out when he turned into a werewolf.” He ran his hand through his hair, watching Rylee to gauge how she was processing it. That she seemed at least willing to believe seemed positive. “So next time, we’ll have to go with something stronger afterward and from a distance.” Tranquilizer guns were a thing, right? Not a thing he ever thought he’d need to purchase or figure out how to use. But. Here they were.
Rylee supposed that made sense. She wouldn't have wanted to risk hurting Carson if he hadn't changed. But there should have been an if plan in place. If Carson changed, then what? Rylee understood Adam and Carson were only doing what they could with what little information they had. It sounded like they hadn't even been sure what was going to happen. At the mention of next time, Rylee inhaled sharply. Next time. Because there would be a next time. "I want to be there next time," she told Adam. "I don't know how much help I'll be, but... I want to be there. Carson mentioned that you knew someone who had information? Or I guess, who gave you photos of the other werewolf. Would you be willing to tell me who that is?"
Though Adam had tried to account for as much as possible, actually going through the full moon with Carson had been another matter entirely. It was impossible to change what had already happened, so adam was trying to look at it as a learning experience, since that made it feel--not more manageable, exactly, but it was what had to be done. He looked almost apologetic from Rylee’s sharp inhale, then nodded. “Of course. I don’t think it’d be safe for us to stay too near him when it happens, but we’ll figure it out. And yeah, there’s this author guy--Nick Cooke? He’s the one who gave me the photos. I can give you his number or help set something up? I also wanted to check back in with him.”
"Nick Cooke," Rylee repeated, filing the name away to look into when she got back home. She didn't recognize the name, but that didn't mean anything. He might be a familiar face once she tracked him down. "If you could give me his number, that would be great. Not that I don't appreciate the offer to set something up, but I think I would rather talk to him on my own first." She was pretty sure Carson hadn't met the guy yet either, but hopefully this Nick person could answer her questions. "Thank you, though," she added after a moment. "For helping him as much as you could. I would have hated him going through it alone."
“Oh, yeah, of course. To all of that. It felt like the right thing to do, and I’ll keep helping both of you guys as much as I can,” Adam said, since he was pretty resolute on that. Carson being cursed or whatever it was to be a werewolf for… the rest of his life, probably, wasn’t the sort of thing Adam could turn his back on, so he hoped Rylee wouldn’t mind that too much. Finding his phone, he found Nick’s cell number and rattled it off for Rylee once she was ready for it. “I’m sorry it ended up being wishful thinking that this whole thing just wouldn’t be anything.” He said it out of some combination of sympathy and for not trying more to bring her in, but that had also ultimately been Carson’s decision.
It was hard to accept that a virtual stranger knew what was going on, that he had helped Carson while Rylee sat at home, completely oblivious to what was really going on. But if Adam could help, then she was going to do her best to ignore whatever issues Rylee was still carrying around. "Well, you tried to talk to me about it and I shut you down," Rylee said, pulling out her phone to type in Nick's number. "I've just never been one to believe in any of that stuff. I'm not even sure I believe in God." She huffed out a laugh that held no amusement. Rylee saved Nick's contact and looked up at Adam. "Have you seen things like this before? What made you a believer?"
Adam nodded vaguely in acknowledgement, but didn’t say anything when Rylee brought up his previous attempt to talk to her. It wasn’t like he was glad to have been correct or anything and it wasn’t like any of this was logical. “Not werewolves, but I’ve gone through some weird stuff,” he said. Hesitating a moment, since that was vague, he decided there wasn’t any harm at this point giving Rylee a more specific answer. “My family lived here when I was a kid. I went missing and I remember nothing of what happened then, but sometime when I was a teenager I realized I could--this probably makes me sound insane--feel more than most people can. Not just my emotions, but stuff around me, from other people and whatever other energy might be in some places. I block it out as much as possible, since it’s erratic and leaves me feeling like shit when it happens.” Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. “So I’ve had a while to reconcile with that and it makes everything else seem easier to believe, you know?”
Rylee knew a lot of people went missing in Point Pleasant, but only a small handful of them ever returned. She studied Adam, but realized she couldn't really place him, or even remember hearing about his disappearance. That didn't mean it didn't happen. Rylee would have been young too and she wouldn't have been privy to that kind of stuff in the news. Her mom certainly wouldn't have told her about it. She would have just made sure Rylee checked in often when she was out running around with friends. "So you mean you're empathetic?" Rylee asked, since that's what it sounded like, at least with the emotions. Her lips twitched faintly. "What on earth drove you to become a nurse, of all things?"
Adam knew that half his story wasn’t a unique one for Point Pleasant, even if his return was fairly rare given all the ones who remained unaccounted for. He gave Rylee a small smile as she studied him, one that widened and took a touch of wryness from her comment. “It’s a lot of good practice on keeping things blocked out and not getting swept up in other people’s stuff. But I guess it’s always made me want to try to help people as much as possible, so being a nurse seemed a decent option to do that.” He knew there were likely easier, less people intensive, career paths where it’d probably be easier to get by, but going headlong into what he felt was right was more his speed. “When the empathy stuff happens, I get really bad headaches after, so I try to keep it locked down as much as possible.”
"I can't imagine what that's like," Rylee mused. She was an empathetic person, but it certainly didn't affect her the way it seemed to affect Adam. His empathy felt Different. But that was her life lately, wasn't it? Discovering the people around her were Different. Witches and werewolves and empaths. It was a wonder she hadn't cracked yet. "And I'm sorry I was so rude to you when you tried to talk to me about Carson. I've lived here my whole life and have heard some incredibly far out, crazy stories and explanations about things that happen here. I just chalked it up to people who couldn't accept that some things will never have an answer. Obviously I have quite a bit to learn now."
“It’s surreal and kind of hard to describe. Though when it started happening when I was a teenager, I just thought that it was crazy mood swings at first,” Adam said, somewhat wryly. He appreciated that Rylee didn’t seem to disbelieve him about it. At her apology, he offered her a smile, sincere, though somewhat tired which was due to the whole situation rather than anything else. “It’s really okay. I figured you were just being protective over Carson, which I can’t fault you for. I’m pretty much a stranger and the whole thing is hard to believe if you haven’t bumped into it directly before.” Maybe becoming less of a stranger now because of being thrown together by the whole thing, or so Adam hoped. “But Nick knows a lot, and if you ever just need to talk any of it out I’m happy to listen.”
At this point Rylee felt like it would be naïve of her to disbelieve most things. On the other hand, she didn't want to be gullible and just take everyone at their word But she believed Adam, and she believed Carson. Maybe she should have believed him sooner, but given his medical history, Rylee felt like she needed to remain skeptical. "Well, you're not a stranger anymore," Rylee said, brushing her hair away from her forehead. "You were there for him and helped the best you could, so... thanks. I'll contact Nick and see if he'll talk to me. And..." Rylee hesitated before offering Adam a small smile. "I think it might be good for Carson if you came by to see him? I mean, not right now, but... I think he could use a friend who knows about this, and I'm not exactly... well, I'm family. Having a friend around is a little different, you know?"
“This isn’t an ideal bonding experience, but it definitely is a unique one so it’s hard to not feel brought together, in one way or another. And you’re welcome,” Adam said. It didn’t feel necessary to him for Rylee to thank him, but he wasn’t going to be dismissive of it. She was trusting him to his word and he was relieved she had come around on this, for Carson’s sake if nothing else. “I’m sure Nick’ll talk to you; he’s a friendly guy and I’ll shoot him a message as well.” He tilted his head curiously at her pause, then his smile returned. “Yeah, I think I get what you mean and I’m happy to be there as a friend. I figured I’d check in on him after he’s had a few days to rest up some.”
"He'll appreciate that," Rylee murmured. She shifted a bit uncomfortably then and felt like maybe she ought to go before she started rambling or something else. "I should get back and check on him. Um... weird question, but can I get your phone number in case I have anymore questions?" Adam may not be able to answer them, but Rylee knew it would make her feel better to have people around to reach out to, even for something minor. Carson needed all the help he could get, and she knew she wasn't going to be enough.
This was the sort of topic that was unlikely to go away and Adam didn’t necessarily want to pry too much while it was still something new Rylee was coming to terms with. “Oh, yeah, of course. Text me so I have yours too?” It was something that should have occurred to Adam before, but sometimes things like that slipped his mind. Once she was ready for the number, he rattled it off to her. “If either of you need anything, definitely let me know, yeah? I hope Carson’s--” he almost said feeling better, but that wasn’t quite right, so he went with “--as alright as he can be.”
Rylee thumbed Adam's number into her phone before sending him a quick 'this is Rylee' text so he had hers as well. Figures that the first number she got from a guy in a long time was to ask about werewolves. Rylee slipped her phone into her back pocket again and nodded with a small smile. "He is. He will be. I'm going to do whatever I need to do to help him with this." And having someone else who knew what was going on helped ease her mind a little. She didn't expect Adam to fix all of this, but she didn't feel so alone in dealing with it either. Rylee started for the door, not wanting to overstay her welcome. "Thanks, Adam."
Adam smiled at Rylee in return. “I’m sure your support is invaluable to him, so I’m glad he’s got someone he’s so close to to help him out.” That often could go along way in managing, well, anything, and while Adam was only more recently becoming acquainted with Rylee and Carson, they seemed close, both as family and friends. “You’re welcome,” he said, following Rylee so as to see her out, since he didn’t want to try to make her stay for longer than she wanted to. “Also, if you ever want to just hang out sometime not about werewolf stuff, I’m up for that, too, to get to know each other better.” Adam reasoned it never hurt to have more friends and he would like to get to know Rylee, just, circumstances had shaken out as they were.
Rylee could only hope that her support would help Carson. She really had no idea what to do, or say, but she would figure it out. With any luck, Nick would be able to give her some more insight into what was happening, and what they needed to do. She paused briefly at the door and gave Adam a faint smile. "Sure, that would be nice. I know you're busy, working at the hospital and everything. But you know where we live, so... if you ever want to stop by for a drink and some mindless chat, come by." Rylee didn't think Carson would mind that, especially if Adam had been helping him out through this whole ordeal. As possessive as Rylee could be of her cousin sometimes, she did know he needed more friends, especially ones who knew what was going on now. "Thanks Adam."
Adam smiled, easier this time, as Rylee accepted the offer. “Yeah, definitely. Sometimes my hours can be all over the place, but it’ll be good to hang out with both or either of you.” That would come at a later time, though, since Carson very likely needed his rest more than anything at the moment and Adam had some of his own decompressing to do, before he went back to figure out what to do about the cabin for now. Of all the things going on, he wasn’t particularly worried about it. “Take care and, seriously, if anything comes up or you need anything at all, just give me a ring.” He knew he was possibly reiterating this more than was necessary, but, well. To be sure. Since she was at the door and about to leave, he gave her a slight wave. “See you later, Rylee.”