[ota] doesn't matter how you throw me

[bluntforces]

It's hard being a young person.

At this point, Evan isn't exactly a young person. Not an old person, but finally safely removed from the this way and that way of being a teenaged and recently-teenaged young person. Lots of things are settling into place. Since getting back to Montréal, even, he's even getting his head properly around what his life might look like when he moves back home.

But the Deck is (par for the course these days) not doing well. There's no telling what travel back and forth is going to be like, not really. There's no telling what his mother will say has popped up in the backyard. There's no telling how Elani's going to sound on the phone when he calls.

There's no telling when a giant bouquet of orange lilies and jonquil and white clover is going to show up in the middle of your Intermediate Managerial Accounting and remind you that it's almost Valentine's Day on top of the fact your home is falling to pieces while you're not there and you can't tell anyone about it.

So Evan McCartney? Is playing phone roulette. Not looking at names and numbers so much as hitting at random to make sure that the general population hasn't completely vanished into thin air.

Comments

[mightbedrunk]

"I hope you know that I am busy boogling over the mystery of the universe at the moment, doll face." Leona said as she picked up her phone and pursed her lips a little. "Not that I don't appreciate your love."

[bluntforces]

That, clearly, means that his own greeting should be the static-y and completely unattractive sound of a smacking 'muah' across the phone waves. Because love is important. Very important.

"'s that mean I can boogle with ya, or is it a private lady thing 'm not allowed in on?"

[mightbedrunk]

"Don't see why you can't, even if it doesn't make that much difference." She smiled though, even if he couldn't see it from Canada. It was in her voice at least, or she hoped it was.

"How are things for you?" She asked after a moment, not really feeling up to questions about how things were on Deck at the moment.

[standlikestone]

She's not going to drop the phone, she's not going to drop the phone...

She drops the phone. And so it's a slightly flustered, breathless Riley he gets on the other end. "Hey? Hey. What's up?" So casual.

[bluntforces]

Super casual. Like it's not a big deal. Because it's not a big deal. It's coming home for her birthday like he was going to anyway.

But with flowers. From her. Shortly in advance of the dumb holiday he loves completely.

"...hey. Ah." Words, come back to him. "You... hm."

[standlikestone]

"I... yeah." What are they even talking about. Riley sure as fuck doesn't know. "We... um. Did you get the flowers?"

First, the random. Tomorrow, someone who makes sense.

[falsepretences]

He didn't know that Evan McCartney had his number, truthfully. Which probably explains the bemused tone as he answers the phone.

"...Everything's still largely standing, yes," he says. "Not going well, but when is it ever?"

He knows cynicism isn't a thing McCartneys get, but it's sort of a natural state for Bernards and Novaks.

But who is more his biffle than Jordan. Who.

[bluntforces]

He just needed to hear another older brother's voice, Jordan. This number was got at some point before moving off-Deck for school for just this sort of ridiculous emergency.

"What about people, though?" Waving his hand isn't a useful thing for the conversation, but does get rid of some of his excess energy. "People-- holding up? Not actually flipping out?"

No one, clearly. Zoe's betrayed him.

[falsepretences]

As long as he doesn't have to be Evan's older brother, because between Hadyn and Amy, he doesn't think he can take the stress.

"Some people are flipping out a bit," he says, and he can't really blame them. "But not as many as you might think.

"...Your sister isn't, far as I know."

Hiiiiiiiii brother

[the_songbird]

"Evan," she says, when she answers, even if she didn't quite look at the phone.

Then again, everyone else just comes over, the phone is for him. And there's something like the sense that she's reaching out toward him for connection, for the feeling that Everything Will Be Alright. He's good at that.

And while they're talking, she'll let herself drop into the comfy chair she keeps in the corner of her office instead of sitting behind her desk to keep Working On Things.

"How are you?"

/reeeeeeeaches

[bluntforces]

"Munchkin."

It's a relief to hear her answer. A relief to hear that, exhausted and put-upon as she sounds, she's still there and still breathing and still able to pick up her phone.

"I'm great. Just missing you guys." Seems plausible. Isn't untrue. "You think you'll keep okay 'til next week?"

[the_songbird]

"I'll. Manage."

Is he completely certain it can't be this weekend?

"You're missing all the excitement."

[sirforawhile]

This will not be a voice he expects to hear. For one thing, it's female.

"Uncle Iggy's juggling the babies," the girl says once she's picked up the phone. "You mind helping me with math problems 'til he's done, or wouldja rather call back?"

[bluntforces]

Huh. Not at all what he'd been expecting.

But not the end of the world. It's still confirmation that Iggy's okay, that they don't seem to be missing any of that brood. A good thing.

"Depends. What're ya up to in math these days, sweetheart?"

[sirforawhile]

"Differentiation, which let me tell you, Klossner does not explain well. I dunno how he expects any of us to pass like this." Can you hear her indignation over the phone. Can you.

Oh, that distant wail that might be a baby? Also comes with a distinctly Iggy-ish yell of pain.

[onlytolerable]

Sophie glances at the caller ID before answering. "Sorry? Can't hear you. We're surrounded by a lake of grape Koolaid. The circling koalas look hungry." She smiles, thankful that at least one person important to her is safely away--at least until they work out this madness. Then she'll want him home again.

[bluntforces]

"...you're not nice to me."

Can she hear him pouting because, despite being an adult, he might have believed her for a few seconds. Can she hear it.

"Dunno why I even call you, you monster."

[grrranimals]

"This had better be about an ewe presenting breech," Tess mumbles sleepily into her phone. "D'you have any idea what time it is?"

[bluntforces]

Whoops. Time conversion. He probably should have done that.

"...sleeping time?" Yes accurate. Well done, McCartney. This is what you're getting that fancy degree about. "Sorry. Just-- hadn't heard from ya in a while. Wanted to make sure you were still... there."

HAH.

[headfollowheart]

"This call better not be for homework help. " Zoe sounds a little distracted, and there's the sound of her rifling through papers, but moving and combining belongings is a longer process than she might expect. And this box her father left is...strange. She's going to have to call the Cayman bank.

It's distracting enough that she might have forgotten that she told Riley to send Evan flowers.

/DRAGS INTO ARMS FOREVER

[bluntforces]

On the bright side, the fact their home is falling apart is a good distraction from 'what the hell is happening with this relationship.'

"Nah. Just makin' sure you haven't been superhero-ing about and wandering inta strange house or anything like that."

It's reassuring that, you know, she picked up the phone.

[expluribus]

It's hard being a young person. It's just as hard being an old person. Middle-aged has its hidden traps as well and being very young, well.

It's hard being a person - full stop.

And if you happen to be one of those people who care, no deity past or present (or alien) might be able to help you. But that's life, the good kind, isn't it?

Lasse's on his way back to his place when his pocket starts to vibrate and it takes the late-middle-aged man a few moments to take the call.

"Hello, darling boy~! To what do I owe the pleasure of this wonderfully unexpected call? If it's a body that needs disposing of, it'll have to wait until it's darker outside."

[bluntforces]

The nice thing about being young, at least, is that you can have a vague hope and dream that when you're an older person, being a person will be easier. True, every consecutive year of human life tends to crush that hope a little more, but it helps a young person sleep at night.

He's starting to suspect that when ou get to being a middle-aged or old person, you stop caring quite so much.

There's definitely a slight sigh of relief at having the phone answered promptly enough (for a late-middle-aged man probably on his way home and not expecting a panicking late-young-aged man to call). There's also definitely not so much of a smile in his voice as there usually is, despite the seemingly infinite nature of McCartney optimism. "Nah. 'm takin' care of my own cadavers these days. Was just-- callin' to check in, y'know? Sounds like shit's gettin' even more real these days."

For the 'what the hey?' of it.

[heartsofdarkgrey]

Greylan had been in the middle of painting a landscape when the call came through. He paused mid stroke and pushed back from the painting some before reaching for the classical music playing device. He checked the number before answering. "Hello? Greylan speaking."

He was trying hard to remember the number and face that went with.

Always a good reason!

[bluntforces]

In absolute fairness, he almost has to check the phone before the name hits him.

"--hey!" Cheerfulness can be managed. "Grey, this is Evan. McCartney? Was just-- makin' the rounds in my phone book t' make sure everyone's still holdin' up okay back home."