WHO: Marina (& Bruiser) WHEN: March 19, Post alerts of everyone disappearing WHERE: Marina’s apartment to Eleanor’s and back again WHAT: Just a sad narrative time TRIGGERS: EMOTIONS
Marina had been getting ready for the day when the alert came up on her phone. She felt a moment of panic clawing up her throat, followed by the sinking feeling in her stomach and a full body chill. She didn’t bother to change out of her cat pajamas as she rushed out of her penthouse apartment and to Eleanor’s apartment. She used magic to get into the apartment, finding a few things still lingering.
She glared at the empty apartment, not even bothering to call out for Eleanor, knowing it was stupid and futile. Her eyes fell on the necklace she’d made her sitting idly on a table. She felt a surging anger swell up inside of her, a desire to destroy everything around her and in her path. She knew she’d have to let it out soon, but the feeling of loss and sadness took over for a moment and all she said was, “Fuck you, Vallo,” putting all the venom she could into it, hoping that it would feel the insult of it and wilt on the inside.
She sat on the bed slowly, fingers closing around the necklace. She didn’t know why she was surprised. All this talk of her deserving good things and happiness was a trap and she’d let herself get caught in it like she had a right to believe the words people said over and over like a curse, luring her into a false narrative. The universe could never let that happen. It was stupid of her to believe that happiness wasn’t a children’s story told to keep people blind to the realities of life. Marina knew this, too. She’d had too many things taken from her to be able to claim ignorance. Lost too much to know better than to let herself settle into anything good. Why should she have believed that it would change?
The anger welled up again and she held onto it tight in her chest, letting the comfort of a feeling that wasn’t loss and sadness and weakness settle into her chest, hardening everything inside. She would forge herself from iron and destroy the parts of her that were soft and vulnerable and she’d never let herself forget.
But then she heard a meow and felt something jump up on the bed. She looked over, spotting Bruiser and clenched her jaw for a moment, willing back the tears that threatened to fall in that moment. Stupid Eleanor and her stupid cat. She reached over, feeling the immediate pain accompanied by Bruiser’s trademark habit of biting fingers. “Brat,” she said, pulling her hand away. Her tone was soft, though, and she sighed. “Guess you need a home now, huh?” The cat didn’t answer, just started to attack the bottom of her shirt and eat her hair.
Standing slowly, she slipped the necklace into her pocket before doing a quick spell to pack up the remaining items that were left. It wasn’t much, but she was going to keep it. Just in case Vallo womaned up and brought her girlfriend back. She opened the closet, doing the spell for a portal, connecting it to her own apartment. She moved the box through, going back for Bruiser and her litterbox. She took one more look at the apartment before stepping through the portal and closing it on the other side.