tampered | closed;

Entry tags:

closed;

When; Nov. 1st and Nov. 5th
Rating; PG-13-ish with death and violence.
Characters; Rita (

blackshadow)
Summary; Rita and Tyr losing their heads. One of these is literal.
Log;

Once the influence of the Halloween curse ended and they were both back to normal, Rita...well, she felt pretty awkward. She'd had no idea the costume she'd worn was some vampire from Tyr's world, and there she'd gone and bitten his neck. Thinking about the fact that she actually drank his blood--it grossed her out. But at least she hadn't hurt him.

But it was exactly that which also struck her as a little weird. Tyr didn't usually like having his neck touched all that much, so it could've been the influence of the curse...

In any case, here it is in the morning, and Rita's still in costume at the house because she hasn't been bothered to change. She should probably apologize to Tyr if he's awake and see how he is.

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"It's okay--I know...I know." She knows what's out there... She isn't leaving him to clean it all up by himself, not when he's the one who was just crying.

If she did, he'd probably cry again... Even if he'd deny it just like he would now with his eyes rimmed in red. It just feels...wrong to make her clean up her own blood... She shouldn't have to face that kind of pain.

Still, he nods slowly and looks way from her. "If you're sure..."

She doesn't really want to see it, but she knows there's no hiding from the fact that she died there. And with how close they are, it feels even more wrong to Rita to make Tyr face it by himself.

So she climbs off the bed and stands in front of him, answering with a little more certainty, "I am. Let's go."

"All right..." he mumbles after a little silence. At least one of them is strong--and it should be him--but she doesn't know what it looks like. What it felt like to see her...

He reaches out to take her hand and tries to look strong with his head high and his voice soft but steady. "Thanks..."

He is strong. Maybe she doesn't know what exactly to expect, but they're facing it together. His hand is warm when she lets him take hers, and she gives it a little squeeze. "Ready?"

Her hands are like ice, but he doesn't think about letting go. She's still his Rita, and he still loves her. He'll be here for her.

With that in mind, he nods and leads them to the door, opening it just enough for them to pass through. In the darkness of the hallway, her blood almost looks violet from where it stained the floor. There are smudges in the patterns from where he went over to hold her, when he walked to pick her up, but her blood simply slid down the walls to the baseboard and is completely unchanged.

And for all he wants to be strong, he still ends up clinging tightly to her hand and looked over to her feet instead of the scene before them. There were things he was going to say, like 'The cleaning supplies are in the closet' and 'Let's divide the work' or 'I can afford to hire someone,' but he doesn't say any of that. There's a cold cloud of fear in his mind that keeps the words stuck in his throat.

Rita isn't sure what she feels as she stares at the bloodstained hallway. No lightheadedness, no fear, anything... Maybe it's because she's already cold so her temperature can't drop any further and her heart is already stopped so it can't skip any beats. There's just a feeling of numbness as she observes the dried splatter and rivulets on the wall, the pool on the floor, and even Tyr's footprints.

Whatever happened, it was violent.

That thought runs through her mind as she grips Tyr's hand right back. It's like that's the only sensation she can really focus on right now. "...This'll take a while," is what she manages to get out after a moment. Her voice is a lot quieter than it was when she decided to come out here with him.

He wants to hold her and make sure nothing happens to her again. He doesn't want her to have to see her own blood spilled down a hallway like this again. Ever. Protect her. He has to protect her.

Still, her words break him out of his stupor, and he finally finds it in him to reply, "We can hire someone to clean--you don't have to do this..." His voice is tight - could he talk after his throat was originally cut?, he wonders - despite willing himself to be stronger or at least act like he is. The fact she's just quiet says so much to him. She's not attached to this like he is, and she's stronger for being able to put that distance between them.

It's just...weird to look at all of this and know it's her own blood, that she died right here. It's not going to affect her any more than that--and she's going to pretend she isn't totally in denial about that, quickly answering, "It's fine. Let's just get to it."

But when she steps forward, she doesn't let go of his hand.

She doesn't move a bit...

He squeezes her hand gently and walks her into the hallway, towards the bathroom, and speaks just as quickly.

"No, I'll hire someone... Just get cleaned up first."

"I can deal with it," she's just going to insist. She said she would... She's not just going to back out. "It...doesn't bother me..."

And she knows that was the worst lie ever.

He's not sure if he should believe her. He doesn't want to argue with her, but...

In the end, it's probably best to just be honest. With a hint of bitterness, he responds, "It bothers me. This is disgusting--you shouldn't have to do this, Rita."

It doesn't feel right. In his mind, he's never experienced such bloodshed. Even during the war, he admits, so many of the people that died were faceless to him. He didn't need to think of their blood and having to clean up the blood of a friend and clean it away with his own hands. (What it still like that when all his memories were intact?)

Even if they did, there's no way they would have ever come back to life... Rita is special--the City is special. It's just not right to have to wash away your own blood... She died... He can still remember how horrifying her body looked crumbled on the ground. And it makes him shake a little even now.

Part of Rita wonders if this is the same reaction he'd have if he did have his memories, but she dismisses it--it's not important, and she doesn't feel like he's not acting like himself anymore. He really is always thinking about her... If the scene wasn't making her feel so numb, she'd be pretty touched.

Mostly, though, she's just more relieved than she'd like to admit, and agrees quietly. "Then if there's someone who'll do it--you shouldn't have to, either."

"I'm sure there is," he jumps in. "I'll ask later. Now..."

He rushes her over into the bathroom and closes the door behind them to hide the scene on the other side. His fingers are still shaking a little, but at least it's better now... Maybe a bath will make her feel better. Warm water over her skin...

He can't manage a smile, but his eyes are a little softer. "Let's just relax and clean oursleves up now... It's...it'll make us feel better."

Under normal circumstances, she'd argue that they shouldn't wait or put or off...

But getting her own blood cleaned up after her death is anything but normal. So she just follows him, holding his hand tightly. She isn't so optimistic that they'll feel any better after a shower, but she nods anyway. "Yeah... Let's just take care of this first." Her eyes stay down for the most part, but she does glance up long enough to see his expression, and...she knows he's trying. She's glad. And she knows that he's hurting from this, too.

He doesn't intend to put it off forever. Just until they're feeling better... He needs to make sure Rita's okay, he tells himself, but he feels terrible, too. It just feels like this has to be so much worse for her. She should never have to die... She looks so sad now even if she's trying to hide it. She's not even looking ahead. It's like she died in another way.

After a beat, he turns to wrap his arms around her again and pull her against him. His Rita... It probably doesn't even make sense to her, but he doesn't know how to explain that he just wants to hold her. He...wants to make things go back to the way they were before. This can't be real...

He doesn't even have to explain to her. When he holds her, she's sure she understands--it's what she'd want to, though she knows they can't change anything after the fact--and she slowly puts her arms around him, too.

She knows they'll get over it eventually, when it's not so fresh and awful in their minds. Eventually... They've had to get over bad things before, both of them. Then again, she realizes it might be worse for Tyr when it seems like he's forgotten a lot of the bad things that happened to him-

Suddenly, she snaps to attention and exclaims, "I've got it!" Then, no matter how random it might seem, she just continues right on. "Tyr, everything you forgot has a pattern. It's like you've shut out everything especially bad that happened to you..."

His mind is reeling when she exclaims that, and all he can do for a moment is stare at her blankly. Pattern? Shut out?

When he comes back to his senses, though, his face is grim and his eyes aren't so soft anymore. They're just...blank. Shut out- like he's choosing to not remember something (for his own good? for another's?). It's hard to think of that really being the case when he very clearly remembers her dying. Albeit, just that singular time...he hopes there was only one time.

Rather than voicing his doubts, he remembers the promise he made to himself. He'll protect her and he'll agree with her. He'll accept what she says. With a slow nod, he does just that: "Yeah... You're right. It is like that..."

Unfortunately, he was never good at lying.

Yeah, that lie's as bad as hers. "You don't believe me," she answers quietly. Or maybe he just doesn't want to think about that after everything else, she realizes. It's a good distraction for her, though. "We still don't know how, anyway..."

After she trails off, she shakes her head. "Let's just think about it while we clean up." Or she can think about it. Tyr's faulty memory isn't going to make it easy for him to think about the cause or reason--if he ever knew it.

He really doesn't want to think about it -- After everything else, he has to remember that the people he loves the most back home are dead? Even Cleo and Pahn? Who else? Is that the real reason he wanted to stay in the first place? He doesn't know. -- but the whole point of agreeing was to make her feel better, and if talking about it makes her happy, then he'll talk about it with her... Figuring it out and getting his memories back is something she wants, though. He can't pretend that he wants to 'remember'; if he does, that means he really is alone now... Rita's the only one he has left.

And part of him really resents her for bringing this up. She doesn't understand his feelings still - Or maybe that's not a factor in this for her?

It really hurts... He bites his lip as he nods, resolving that if his feelings aren't a factor, he'll push them aside. With that in mind, he lets go of her easily and turns to start the shower. Warm, but not hot, shower head tilted so the water should reach both of them.

"Right... We can do both at once. The water isn't that loud, so...just say whatever's on your mind. I'll listen."

She is really worried about him--she knows he can't want to remember painful memories, but it's an obvious sign that something's tampered with his mind...and anything could be different. They just might not have realized yet what else could have changed.

It's also clear that he doesn't want to discuss it, and she feels a little guilty for bringing it up. But they need to figure it out.

When he lets go of her hand, her arms hang stiff at the sides of her body. "I don't really know what to make of it yet... Maybe we should have you checked out at the hospital later." That seems like a good starting point, better than talking about all the times people he loved died.

"You really think it's that serious...?" he asks quietly, voice distant. "You need to go if I do, too."

But he does like that more than thinking about things that apparently hurt enough for him to choose to forget. If he did choose... He doesn't know.

Still, he smiles at her a little over his shoulder. "The water is ready now if you want to get in... I'll wash your hair for you, too."

"You didn't just block the memories yourself," she answers with a nod. Of course she'll go with him. "You could've been hurt, you know, especially if you passed out earlier..."

And all of that said, she's glad he seems to prefer this idea. If the hospital can help, it'll be better.

She almost feels a little closer to normal when he offers to wash her hair, finally giving him a tiny smile. "Okay... I--I'll do the same for you, after." She moves to start peeling off her bloody clothing, but then pauses. "...Wait. We need clean clothes..."

She smiled - she smiled again! His eyes light up and he smiles back at her. He really does feel better about going to doctor. She's right that he might have hurt himself when he fell... As for his memories, he doesn't think about that.

But the clothes... His smile fades and he stands up again.

"Right. We do... I have a lot of clothes here, so...stay right here, and I'll be right back. Don't open the door."

He leans over to kiss her forehead. Nothing can happen if he's only gone for a second, right?

For a moment there, he looks so happy that it's almost contagious. But they really need clean clothing sooner or later.

When he kisses her, her eyes slips closed as she answers, "I'm not going anywhere." For now, she can appreciate how much he's trying to keep her from seeing what's out there.

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