twelve tests | dictated

[valuedstrength]

[He's been putting this off as long as he can for a lot of reasons. When Steve wakes up the morning back at the castle, heads back to the apartment where there's still no sign of Jo or the dogs, he knows he has to stop making excuses for how he keeps missing her. A quick check at the castle for a nameplate confirms what he already knows. She's gone. He has to deal with that.]

... Jo Harvelle's left the castle. If you know her, you know we're worse off without her. She was.. She is a great woman who cares about all of us. I feel really fortunate that I got a chance to know her. I'm sure you do too.

[There's a long pause.] I'm going to take care of the Gallery in her place. If you're involved in that, I'd appreciate it if you contact me and we'll work something out.

[Filtered to anyone who knew Pepper Potts and Tony Stark]

I noticed they're gone too so I thought I'd say something in case you're waiting to hear from them. ... I don't have as much to say about that as I'd like. We didn't know each other for very long, but they're good people. I hope they're happy together back at home.

Comments

Steve

[wolfchild]

I was working at the Gallery.

And, um, Pepper said I could have mine own room in the tower. She helped me pick out a bed and chests and curtains. Is…is it still mine?

Arya

[valuedstrength]

Then you still are. I've got some money saved up so I can keep paying you as long as you want to keep working there.

The room is still yours too. No one is going to take it away because she left.

[willrememberthat]

A lot of people have been leaving.

[valuedstrength]

Yeah... it happens like that sometimes. It's nice we got the chance to know them at all so it's not all bad.

[bustered]

Need a hand? ['Or a friend?' is the unspoken part, hanging there at the end of the question.]

[valuedstrength]

Around the Gallery? I'm not sure yet. I probably should have talked to Jo more about it while she was around.

[He can hear it. Steve just doesn't know how to accept it right now.]

[losemycherry]

They who?

[Yamada notices the heading.]

Oh! Well I never met Tony Stark. Pepper was really cool though!

[valuedstrength]

He's a decent guy. She is... that. I hope I get the chance to see her again.

[gottaknockhard]

[-- Fuck. That news sits like lead in his stomach. What makes it worse is that he was just on his way to the Lux, which was almost his first thought when he came back. Of all the times they could take her; because Spike is a selfish bastard of a guy whose first thought is how this will affect him and his daily routine. Now she's dead, which is what Steve might as well have said, and he didn't even...

Spike eventually replies, with a joke that doesn't quite fit his tone. He's never been good at this.]

I guess I can forget about my tab.

[valuedstrength]

Yeah... I'm not planning on chasing after the people who owe her money. You're on your own if she comes back.

[polar]

Man, you're not having much luck lately.

[valuedstrength]

Nope. Can't hang onto a best friend to save my life.

[luxe_can_kill]

[Steve should hear a familiar voice coming from the journal]

I have heard of residents leaving, but I never thought it would be sudden like this...

My sympathies, regardless. Losing friends is never easy.

[As cold as her speech sounds like, her sympathy is true]

[valuedstrength]

It's not, but it happens here eventually. You just have to accept it.

action → forever

[msattentionspan]

[Most people make an announcement like this and Faith brushes it off. It's not her place to talk about people being gone and she's lost a handful herself. Even Buffy recently. It's just shitty when it happens to people that she knows wouldn't leave her alone when someone of hers left.

She's been to Jo's place before. Not that she's invited this time, but she's managed some higher class felonies in her day. She can handle breaking into the gallery after hours and going up the back steps to the apartment.

Faith draws the line at actually breaking into the apartment though. There's a second where she considers just leaving completely. She's the worst person to do this. There's no way anyone would want her to try and help them through this.

Hesitation is in her hand, her arm, her whole body -- but she knocks anyway.

Hey, maybe he's not even there.]

[valuedstrength]

[Steve is there. After he saw the nameplates missing, where else could he go? He considered leaving after the first few minutes, of course. This place has always unquestionably been Jo's. He was lucky to be staying for the moment as far as he was concerned. The thought of her home remaining empty and alone is what makes him stick around. It didn't seem right to him.

That didn't mean Steve knew what to do here by himself aside from maybe crawl into the bottle if he ever stopped going through messages on the journal. (Unlikely; everyone had an opinion or apology for him.)

The knock is a welcome distraction even if later he'll have to wonder how out of it he was not to notice someone making it this far in.]

Just a second. [He's setting the book aside, hopping up, and heading for the door only to find an unlikely person waiting for him.]

... Faith. Hi. [A couple seconds pass as he tries to figure out if something has slipped his mind. Steve doesn't expect anyone to come here to help; quite the opposite in fact.] Can I get you something?

Stark/Potts Filter

[kid_apocalypse]

Oh no! Mr. Stark went home? Is Stark Tower still in town?

[The next bit he mumbles.]

Oh man, where'm I gonna keep the armor now? I'm not sure who else I can trust with it...

Stark/Potts Filter

[valuedstrength]

It's still here. [Steve could never not notice that thing.] What did he tell you to do with it exactly?

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

Sorry to hear about that. Were you close?

[Wait] Gallery?

[valuedstrength]

We were and yeah. It's full name is the Continuing Hope Art Gallery. You can find it in town.

[majestic_leader]

Aw man, she was cute!

[Yes, DeMarco, and she was also your boss.] You know what's going to happen to the Lux?

[valuedstrength]

[Thankfully, Steve cannot punch the journal without feeling like an idiot so he's letting that go.] ... No, I don't.

[Dictated]

[deductiongeek]

I only met her a few times. It seems like a lot of people have been sent home recently.

[Dictated]

[valuedstrength]

Someone else noticed that. I wonder what that's about.

dictated;

[peacockherald]

You seem to be having to make a lot of these lately...

dictated;

[valuedstrength]

Yeah, I'm lucky that way.

dictated

[eat_me_beat_me]

She what? [She sighs] shit.

I've still been working at the gallery... I have a key to her second apartment, too.

dictated

[valuedstrength]

Second apartment?

Action

[wizard_redfive]

[Oh Steve. Dairine recognizes all three names, and while there is no love lost between her and Stark, she will miss the other two. Anyway, regardless of her feelings, she doesn't like hearing Steve upset.

So not long after his announcement, there's a knock on the Gallery door.]

Action

[valuedstrength]

[Steve doesn't waste any time opening the door. He could use the distraction, after all. When he sees it's Dairine though he starts to second guess that. He doesn't want to talk about it.]

Hey, Dairine. What brings you out here?