ic contact 2 mask or menace

[infomodder]

"Gone fishing."

[ so don't leave messages to ruin the after fishing glow !!!

your one stop shop for not leaving him alone, previous contact post can be found here ]

Comments

voice

[enustari]

[It is a testament to how bored and frustrated and close to losing her shit Elsa is that she's willing make her headache even worse by brain-dialing people, but here she is. She figures Will probably knows the details as far as what's being done about this and besides, she's just so tired already of everyone she's stuck here with.

She skips "hello, Will" and goes straight to:]

Dorian is playing a fucking drinking game with the news so I need you to tell me what's going on.

[infomodder]

[No wonder she's close to losing her shit, Dorian is involved. Not that Will's quite aware how far that goes but...

He answers immediately, summarizing as best he can. It's nothing unexpected, he thinks.]

Efforts are being made to gather as much information as possible. Some are talking of just rising to the occasion. Search and rescue groups are forming. Some aren't...sure what to do yet. [Except for fret like hell that April is not around!!!] It's a lot of chaos, mostly.

audio

[huntergames]

I'm heading out tomorrow on the group mission. [ A beat. ] We'll get April back... all of them, okay?

[infomodder]

[All the kids are going off to war. At least they're familiar with it, they're not going off doe-eyed innocents. They're more competent than most people might assume. Does that make it better or worse? Doesn't matter. Shit happens. Life goes on. Better to have people who know what they're doing around, regardless of age, than the opposite.]

Okay. [Soft, accepting. Someone out there may put up a protest about Sasha heading off. Someone who isn't Will Graham.] Is there anything you need me to do while you're gone?

[If she has anything he can care for then hot damn he is all over it.]

text; 1/25 evening

[textualhealing]

Ok but if you see any invisible things outside the house, its ok. I mean fuck you can't see them because they're invisible but if you notice creepy shit. It's fine. Everything is ok.

[infomodder]

define creepy shit

local man continues to ruin everything, present at the bait shop part 3

[brushoff]

[ look, Dorian had been planning this ever since he heard that Abigail went home BUT NOW THAT APRIL'S IN RUSSIA hell yeah let's try to break Will's mental state even further, time is now of the essence. Unfortunately....time is of the essence enough that Dorian fucks up a teeny bit.

so yeah, third verse same as the first, Dorian drops a package off at the bait store wearing thrift store chic, ain't no fingerprints on nothing. This one's an actual package and it's the world's most morbid care package ever as it consists of: one scalpel, one heavy-duty surgery needle, some heavy duty surgery thread, an IV unit's worth of blood and a cow heart, fresh from that one bourgie butcher that Dorian used to go to in Heropa. This is where Dorian fucks up a bit because if Will goes to get the blood tested or something then a: it's whatever the hell Dorian's blood type is (it's probably b positive, let's be real, type B people are irresponsible) and b: has imPort nanites in the blood. The package also smells faintly like cigarettes. In said package is instructions that are so Microsoft Word it hurts. ]

Instructions to Mend a Broken Heart
1: Attach IV of blood to vein to prevent loss of blood during surgery.
2: From the sternum to the navel, slice the skin so that it can be pulled back.
3: Carefully remove the heart with the scalpel.
4: Sew in replacement heart.
5: After checking to make certain replacement heart is beating, sew or staple the skin of the chest back together.

[ Hand-written in the bottom of the instructions in the same really neat, really precise script that Dorian used in the last package, ]

You'll forgive me if the heart isn't up to snuff. Limbs are expendable. Hearts aren't. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for your current loss and hope the next loss will be less painful. Sincerely yours, a guardian angel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpMfZPAc1kg

[infomodder]

[Jesus H Christ on a cracker.

Will goes back over the other dates from his gifts, realizes this one's nowhere near in line with those two. He tries to make sense of it. Tries to go back over what had happened, the notes. Comes to the conclusion it's not a set schedule except for what's going on with life (his life, go figure) at the moment. Meaning the fourth could come at any time with things as they are now.

So after careful consideration, after putting the presents in proper keeping for what they are and what they can be used for, Will sits down to think of how best to reach back. He is so grateful the house is empty of its human life. Gives him the room necessary to deal with a cow's heart and blood.

Will's own writing is not quite as neat, but there is precision. Every word is legible. Each line, however, has a tension to it. Like any moment Will could have flung the pen across the room in frustration.

Exactly two days after the bloody gift appears, Will takes his note and sticks it to the spot his guardian angel appears on the security cameras. And another note, bigger, clearer, with a simple Please drop off all mail inside. Thank you! in bold, nearly cheery letters. But he doubts the bearer of body parts will oblige, so the note isn't obscuring the mailbox in any way. It is still usable. And anyone who tries to use it will find that there's an odd bit of paper stuck inside, impossible to miss. One that Will will redo and put back up as many times as he needs to until he spots another trucker hat on the footage.

On the front of the paper is a bible verse, bold as day: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Flipped over and...]

You are easily forgiven. It was more suitable than you may realize. Will we entertain each other beyond packages and notes? You know you are being recorded. Send me a sign. Sincerely yours, Will Graham.

voice

[cuff]

[ This mental network thing is really useful when you're two seconds away from punching people just because AUGH NO PRIVACY save him now. Even though he's, y'know, the opposite of good at concentrating. ]

Hey. Hey. Hey. Buddy.

[infomodder]

[He gets an immediate reply because, let's be real, April's been taken. Like hell is Will going to work when he can hang around and be on call 24/7 for check ins.]

Hey. How are you?

Text;

[exceptfebruary]

I heard you were married to April Ludgate.

[infomodder]

[And so the Scott Pilgrim arc begins.]

We are. Almost a year now.
Did you two really date before?

Text. Late night, any time between the 21st and the 24th. Time is an illusion and nothing matters

[takethestairs]

Are you awake?

ok metallica

[infomodder]

I was just about to make a pot of coffee, actually.

delivery! (2/14)

[glitterateur]

[Sorry, Will Graham, but there are no dogs on this card. The flying pig that delivers the valentine does stop for pettings, though. Despite it being on a schedule.

There's a small bag of gummy bears taped to the back (what if dogs had gotten to it) and a note: Happy Valentine's Day! Have the best day EVER!!]

[infomodder]

[Mabel may notice that not only has the flying pig received the most thorough of pettings imaginable, the little porker has been stuffed. Possibly gained a whole pound. For her adorable card and thoughtfulness, the least he could do was give that pig a proper rubdown and bowl full of food before sending it on its way.

Or, really, letting it leave. Same thing, right?]

February 14th, for April & Will

[exceptfebruary]

[ In the mail there's a large box of chocolate truffles, enough for the whole house, and a carefully hand-made black card with red designs that looks vaguely creepy and just says:

Happy Valentine's,

From Julian Day. ]

lights, camera, ACTION. >) lemme know if this is okay.

[flowerette]

[ He's gone.

Raina didn't know what to do. She had been home with him one minute and after he stepped out for a quick interview with his editor, she had been in touch with him to see when he was coming home so she could have dinner ready. With a time frame in mind, she cooked and plated their meal so it should have been warm and ready the minute he walked in the door.

But he never came.

His presence was still there, the smell of his cologne, the chair slightly askew where he'd been sitting. And all of Raina's strength left her in that moment because she knew, she just knew, he had gone home. He wouldn't have left her otherwise. He would have found some way to give her a sign -- some kind of sign that he was running late or had run into trouble. Her visions would have predicted something, wouldn't they?

She wept, she mourned, she tossed a perfectly good meal in the trash, and then she sat there. Alone. Uncertain what to do with that loneliness. He was her strength. She had just told him that only a few hours before he disappeared. And now she had no strength. So what did she do?

It was around 10pm that Raina left her home and headed out into the taken over streets. Her makeup was washed off, she had tossed on a pair of black yoga pants and tank top -- covering it with a black sweatshirt. No flowers to be found. Her eyes were puffy and the tears still came even when she reached Casa de Ludgate-Graham and knocked on the door.

And when Will, hopefully Will, answered -- Raina stood there, a mess of tears and grief. She broke her two month long silence to say: ]

I didn't know...where else to go. Who else to turn to.

[infomodder]

[It is indeed Will who answers the door. With the state of things as they are, Will's going to be doing all the door answering. While Jeff is a larger, more intimidating figure, Will's name is on the deed to the house. It's not a "man of the house" thing—Grey and Edgar are more than capable of handling a threat. But April and he both would rather they not be put in that situation when there's something they can do to prevent it. They do, in fact, think of the children.

The porch light comes on first, the door swings open...and abruptly stops before it gets all the way, before it goes that full welcoming sort of open. Because Will has caught sight of Raina and she's damn well stopped him in his tracks for a few seconds. Not because he's confused why she's here, or upset, no. Solely because of her state of dress. He's never seen her as such, not to his memory. He is, of course, aware Raina must dress down (or normally), in the same way he's aware other humans have, say, digestive tracts that function normally, get sick, aware that women have a monthly time, aware couples in relationships do things behind the scenes. But to have that sort of awareness doesn't prepare him for what seems to be the dress of a woman in mourning. There's no dress, no veil, but the overwhelming amount of black, the lack of control to her look, and the fact the waterworks were still coming?

Takes him by surprise more than her showing up out of the blue. Or black, as it were, the time considered.

So caught off guard, it takes him a few seconds, face visibly showing confusion to put her words together. Raina in casual clothes, dark colors, no beautiful or intricate floral patterns to be seen. Clearly having been crying for a while. Without a place to go, without anyone else to turn to...but then, where was Frederick?

Oh.

Oh no.

Confusion gives way to shock. Shock fades to sympathy. He swings the door open the rest of the way and manages a small smile, the sort seen on those grieving at a funeral, an attempt to give comfort without going too far. No laughter, no flashes of teeth to seem like this is an enjoyable time. Quite the opposite.]

You're always welcome here. [The step into their home is not a tall one by any stretch of the imagination, but he doubts Raina could really confuse his extended hand for aid in just stepping in. A physical sign of comfort, of belonging, done in a small, meaningful manner.] Would you like some coffee? Or something stronger?

Baby came back

[aggressiveapathy]

For once in her life, April isn't sighing or even commenting on much of anything. She gets out, back to the house and, in contrast to all her declared hatred of nature, pauses in the garden. Their garden, in their house. Where their- but mostly her- raccoon army would come back home. Eventually. It would just take a little time.

"Need a shower."

[infomodder]

Will hasn't done much in the way of caring for himself. Less sleep than usual, a real lack of appetite, not a single moment spent with the shaving razor...he likely also looks in need of a shower. And a bed, though arguably the only time April ever looks in need of a bed is when she's sick or about to be sick due to exhaustion.

So he's doing his normal routine as of late, which involves drinking massive quantities of coffee and wandering the house because if he stays still too long, he might fall asleep. And if he falls asleep, he might dream April has come back, only to wake and find the house quiet and empty. The whole checking in often thing was a great idea. It kept him from missing her more than necessary.

Which means he passes by a window with a mug full of lukewarm coffee raised to his lips when he spots her. A blink, a mental pinch, confirms no, this isn't a hallucination. April is legitimately standing in their garden, by their house, meaning soon the place wouldn't be quite so bleak.

Meaning that mug gets dropped to the floor in surprise and joy. Will doesn't notice. He goes from standing stock still and staring to tearing out the door in nothing more than boxers, socks, and an open plaid shirt, absolutely unconcerned about neighbors or passerby who might get an eyeful of this fashion or scars. He's only got eyes for April, and doesn't stop until his cobbled together "comfortable house wear/pajamas" look is completed in the way it's pressed against April. Regardless of any scents that may give away she needs a shower, the first and only thing Will can think to do is wrap his arms around her like if he doesn't, she'll float off, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Text;

[exceptfebruary]

Today is a very special day. Can you guess why?

[infomodder]

[His first thought is to do some Googling (or Boogling, or whatever it's called here) about famous events or holidays that fall on this day. But that would require a little more effort than he's currently wanting to put in, so he falls back on what seems like the obvious...for the majority of people. At least if Will is wrong here, it can be taken as a silly joke?]

Is it your birthday?

just bothering you on all ends

[brushoff]

[ urgh, WHY IS THE ONLY MARRIED PERSON HE KNOWS WILL GRAHAM, this shit sucks. ]

How did you know April was the one?

potter puppet pals

[infomodder]

[TROUBLE IN DARK PARADISE HMMM?]

Are you asking after the moment itself or what I felt when I realized it?

action re: http://maskormenace.dreamwidth.org/508768.html?thread=125146720#cmt125146720

[aggressiveapathy]

[ And rather than just angry text, April can go find her husband. ]

He's a stupid, okay kid. He gets to know.

[infomodder]

[Her husband who is pacing and rubbing his face in the now-empty bedroom he's been trying to do...something with. His communicator seems to have been thrown to the ground, there's a half-empty beer bottle nearby, and a bottle of Aleve he hasn't even bothered putting the lid back on.

He stops the pacing when April speaks and replies.

Except he replies through his hands.

It's too garbled to be understood by any human ear.]

text

[huntergames]

did you see dr crane as younger dr crane? before he was a doctor
it was so strange

[infomodder]

i did
other people too
the past few weeks have been strange overall

text;

[brushoff]

1: come to Fanport on Thursday, you won't regret it.

[ by that he means Dorian's got the bright idea just to cosplay Will Graham that day. Look, plaid and nasty fishing jacket, it's a bit short notice and way too easy a costume but #yolo, it'll be fun. ]

2: sometime next week we need to put together another gift basket for our mutual friend.

[ involving ORGANS. ]

[infomodder]

1: all right

[He is going to be tickled pink.]

2: good idea. it's been too long

[He's just saying that because now he has some weird conflict over it he's having trouble getting rid of, but he is not discussing that openly in this manner. Haha no, no, fuck that, no, they can talk in person.]

[after fanport]

[wizzardly]

Will? It's, ah, Rincewind. The adult, that is.

[a w k w a r d]

I was hoping to speak with you about something.

[infomodder]

[One of the dogs nearly goes flying thanks to Will sitting up quick as you please when he realizes who's finally come around. O happy day.]

Oh, hey. [Play it cool, Graham.] Yeah? What's on your mind?

voicemail; forward dated to 27th

[leaflets]

[ kaneki left her a list of names of people she could contact if he disappeared, and even if will wasn't right there at the top, he'd definitely still be the first one.

how long has it been since she talked to him? definitely before she came back to De Chima after going home. ]

Gra-- Will? I-- I'm sorry to bother you.

This is Hinami. You were...um, Onii-chan...he left me a list of people I could contact if he-- [ she chokes up. kaneki's departure is far more painful than she had ever thought it would be, especially knowing the future as she does now. ]

If he was gone and I recognized you.

So I was calling and... [ this voicemail is painfully awkward. ] if you could call me back, I'd appreciate it.

call back - 20 minutes later

[infomodder]

[Well. He is infinitely glad Ken and he had a talk about this. Not because he'd be aggravated at the contact, but because he at least has a head's up. This isn't a total surprise. Still feels a pang of loss when he listens to the words, her choking up. There's a chance Ken could come back as he was before, Will knew, but...perhaps not this time.

So he calls back after he listens to the message and fully digests what it means, voice gentle and calm.]

Hinami? You called. It's Will.

action, also the 24th? probably?

[unwiseheart]

[ Hook, Line, & Sinker. An investigator running a bait shop? Well, Nicolas can't judge that. There must be something appealing to running a little store like that, maybe something peaceful. In any case, it's here Nicolas decides to make contact, not over a phone, making sure to put out his cigarette before pushing the door open and stepping in.

And there he'll stop, because what he hadn't caught over the smell of his own smoke, fish, and all the bait, was that there dog. Huh. ]

time is an illusion

[infomodder]

[That there dog peaks out from behind the counter, all elegant beard and perked up ears. Who is this? New person, new person, new person, that can easily turn into new friend, new friend, NEW FRIEND! And new friends means VISITS and VISITS means SCRATCHES and maybe also TREATS and rather quickly that there dog is smiling, tail wagging, but still staying about the line of tape that denotes where he needs to keep himself.

Will peaks out from the live bait room a few seconds later, all not-so-elegant beard and worn fishing hat over wild curls. He's quick to lean back in so he can pull off his gloves and trash them before he fully appears, worn jeans and green plaid and a used fishing vest over it all. He doesn't just run the shop; from the looks of it, he'd be happy living here.]

Hey, welcome. [Perhaps not the best with customer service, this one.] Looking for anything specific today?

text;

[textualhealing]

Someone's been using my stuff again.

[infomodder]

Wasn't me.

05/03/16, voicemail

[unwiseheart]

[ Roughly leaving Will the same bit of information he's been leaving others, if somewhat briefer. The voicemail goes: ]

Mr. Graham? I've been able to track down where the lungs originated. Turns out it's one of the imPorts, one with extensive regeneration powers. I've left all the details with Dr. Chilton, if he's willing to share that documentation with you.

[ And that'll be it. After that, any attempts to return messages won't get any pick-ups or call-backs. Either Nicolas is ignoring calls or he's just not there. ]

[infomodder]

[Awkward. Will thinks to call back just to say thank you, but considering their current time zone issues, that's probably a shit idea. So, instead, he'll send him a text.]

Thank you for letting me know.

[And he won't be following up when Nicolas doesn't return it because, really, if there's no word then that either means Nicolas is super busy

or he's found out about the "helper" said imPort with extensive regeneration powers has had.

So.

No news is good news, yeah?]

[text]

[wizzardly]

did April ward the house against unwanted magic and visitors?

[also 'Hey, Will, how's your trip? Hope everything's good, I brought home a turtle.']

[text]

[infomodder]

yes

[He was tempted to say "possibly" but he doesn't have it in him to be so cruel, because he's more curious why this is even a Thing.]

why?

[aggressiveapathy]

so you're gonna have to take jeff for a guys night or something

[infomodder]

what happened to jeff

6/3

[insinerate]

I'm afraid I must ask of you a favor, Will.

[infomodder]

Favor being?

voicemail;

[unwiseheart]

[ This is actually a few days later in coming than Nicolas would have initially intended it to be, but...

Anyway, sorry Will. ]

This is Nicolas. You may already be aware of it, but I've been released from custody. I guess this makes this the first official check-in. I've been a little busy helping my, um, employers settle something starting right off from having been released, but I don't think any further trouble will be coming from that.

Call me back when you get a chance. I know you wanted to do face-to-face meetings over phonecalls, so...

[ You know. Pick a spot. ]

hollaback girl call back;

[infomodder]

[He calls back within twenty minutes, and as soon as he hears a click starts with:]

Hey, glad you're out. You free tonight? Or would you rather wait til tomorrow?