05 - The Right Words Just Won't Come

[spitefulvitae]

[Action A - Around Town, early evening]

[Having been dissolved on her way out of the horrible carnival-town, Natalie had consequences to face. For the last week, she's been droned. A drone that somehow subconsiously knows that she can only come out and do her motherly duties in the evening, but that was easy enough to play off in idle conversation as "you know how my skin just burns right up in the sunshine, ha ha" and all the drones involved would smile and nod. She still seems, physically, dead and cold and unpleasant, but upstairs? Nothing but drone-fluff.

Until tonight. Tonight she may still have a grin plastered on her face and the wrong kind of tone to her voice, but her actions seem just about normal. She's checking the mail and cheerfully opening two little envelopes that were addressed to her. She's doing a bit of shopping at Bodine Clothes. She's strolling through the park. She's randomly snatching a drone off the sidewalk, ducking behind a bush, and draining it dry. Pretty usual things for her. But... well...]

You must tell me your recipe for apple pie!

[...it's a bit out of context.]

Isn't my darling husband such a dreamboat?

[Frankly, this drone seems to be going nuts. There's a good chance that if she sees you, she'll grab you, her posture shouting panic but her lips spouting nothing but pleasantries.]

What a lovely day in Mayfield it is!

[Phone, late evening]

...This has been a profoundly fucked up day. I... would like to possibly apologize to anyone that I might have... disturbed by my complete inability to make sense.

Is that supposed to happen? I'm not sure that whatever that was, it was supposed to happen... some wires must've gotten crossed...

I think I've been out of it for a bit. Have I missed anything...?

Comments

[action]

[littleredwolf]

[Sansa is taken off-guard when Natalie grabs her on her walk home from the park. She stammers for a few seconds before managing a response.]

Yes, my lady! A lovely day indeed!

[always agree with the shouting crazy people]

[spitefulvitae]

[With instincts like that, you'll go far, kid! Natalie shakes her once, then seems to realize something and pulls back.]

Look at these earrings my darling bought me. Aren't they wonderful?

[She is not actually wearing earrings. She is pulling at her own hair as though very frustrated, and while there's still a too-wide fake grin on her face, she seems to be fighting it.]

[littleredwolf]

[what the actual hell. just keep agreeing, sansa. it worked in court, it can work here.]

The most beautiful I've ever seen, to be sure. Your lord husband is a generous man.

[She notices the hair-pulling and the way Natalie's face is contorting and takes a slow, careful step backward, trying not to do anything that might make the woman act more strangely.]

Forgive me, but I ought to return home now. My mother and father will be expecting me.

[spitefulvitae]

[The hair-pulling stops, and she holds both her hands out, palms flat, in a sort of "no no no" frantic gesture. The smile departs from her face for just a moment. And her voice sounds different.]

I need someone to...!

[Then she twitches and grins again.]

...your recipe for apple pie!

[littleredwolf]

[She stops backing away and gives Natalie a questioning look. What's going on here?]

I am sorry, but I've never baked in my life. [But she can tell that the woman wasn't really asking about apple pie.] Perhaps there is something else I might assist you with? You seem...unwell.

[Action]

[kingofhero]

It is a nice day, again, it is.

[He'll smile, but he's come to realize that there might not really be any lovely days here. But he has John with him so Keith is much happier. He's trying to keep optimistic.]

[spitefulvitae]

[There's a hint of surprise on her face through the drone-smile. She throws her hands up in the air, in an effort to express surprise. Or maybe exasperation.]

What a lovely day in Mayfield it is!

[...wait, didn't she just say that?]

action;

[cueball]

[He recognizes the voice, though it be consumed by drone rhetoric. Natalie. The woman he found in the fun house and then walked in the direction to his death with. He knows she ran off to leave him to die, but he doesn't hold spite. He would do the same thing in her position.

He nods his head once when she speaks to him. This obviously isn't how she would normally talk.]

Been droned, haven't you?

[spitefulvitae]

[She hears Scratch's voice before she sees him, and her body language is full of tense surprise. There's still a drone-like smile plastered on her face, though.]

Hello, dear! Can I borrow a cup of sugar?

[Then she gives her head a shake. And crosses her arms over her chest. She wouldn't blame him if he held some ill will for her just sort of running out on him when the going got lethal. Maybe he's just waiting to express it.]

[cueball]

[He snickers a little at her obvious plight.]

Not fully droned I see. I don't have any sugar on me and unfortunately there isn't a lot I can do to help. It should pass away soon.

[spitefulvitae]

[She quirks one hip and tilts her head, and is struggling to move her expression into one of cautious curiosity. It's not working that well. It just looks uncomfortable.]

Isn't my darling - droned? We can be partially dr - a dreamboat?

[cueball]

Upon revival, there have been cases like yours. You keep conscious mind, but you cannot always control what comes out of your mouth. It should go away with time like any other droning.

[phone]

[werewolfoflondon]

I would venture a guess that "supposed to happen" is somewhat relative in this place. But are you alright?

[spitefulvitae]

You've got a good point... there are a lot of things that happen here that aren't "supposed" to happen.

I'm fine. There was just some... stress. And it passed.

[werewolfoflondon]

Well, thank goodness for that.

[Remus pauses expectantly, but then realizes that a perfect stranger is most likely not going to spill all their problems on him straight away.]

My apologies. I didn't mean to-- you know, butt in or anything.

[spitefulvitae]

Yes. Thank goodness.

[After a few moments of awkward pausing, she makes a curious sound. And then she laughs.]

If I hadn't wanted anyone to butt in, I wouldn't have called the whole town. I'm at least looking for opinions on this strange thing... Apparently I was droned for about a week. They didn't switch me completely back to normal when it was over. I could move and think, but I still talked like one.

[werewolfoflondon]

That does sound troubling. Has it happened before?

...I only just arrived, I'm afraid I can't shed any light on the subject for you.

action;

[encored]

[he has never seen a more frantic drone wow.... it would probably be a much more amusing situation on a whole if it was coming from a face he didn't recognise, but as things are, it just sets him on edge. every little abnormality has him concerned now that so many people he used to know have been dragged back into town.]

You're the baker here, not me. If you're looking for apple pie recipes, look for them in your own home.

[spitefulvitae]

[If Charles hadn't been looking disturbed, she'd have given him the middle finger. She throws her arms up in the air, gestures one hand at him sharply and irately... and it's all while she has a big Mayfield grin plastered on her face.]

My little angels just go absolutely crazy over my freshly-baked cookies!

[And when she realizes how appropriately inappropriate what she involuntarily said was, she claps a hand over her mouth, spins about, and starts to shake slightly. Possibly with repressed rage of some sort.]

[encored]

[fortunately for them both, he generally finds droning a Pretty Unpleasant Thing and treats it seriously, unlike death whoops... the gesture she makes has him leaning back a little, and he eyes her suspiciously when she whirls around.

welp, that's definitely not your standard drone behavior.]

...Hold up your hand if you weren't born and raised in Mayfield.

[spitefulvitae]

[The fact that Charles seems to be making an effort soothes her. Somewhat. She doesn't turn back around, but her right arm shoots up immediately.]

Silly me, I've left something burning in the oven!

A

[thecoolexec]

[Tony has found himself shut down in an interaction with a woman FAR quicker than he was used to. Frankly, he still isn't used to ANY shutdowns that weren't just... Minor speed bumps on the way to the bedroom bump and grind, but Mayfield sapped his fortune AND his game in one particularly cunning checkmate move. Still, this went rather oddly.]

Hello there, Miss. Pleasure to see you.

WHAT A LOVELY DAY IN MAYFIELD IT IS!

You're right about that. Better now that you've passed me by. You have striking eyes, by the way. Truly lovely.

ISN'T MY DARLING HUSBAND SUCH A DREAMBOAT?

Ah... Betrothed, huh? Ya sure about it? Till death do you part? I get the feeling you've died already so technically you're annulled...

YOU SIMPLY MUST TELL ME YOUR RECIPE FOR APPLE PIE!

........is that a euphemism I'm not aware of? I know a LOT of them, so I should write that down...

[spitefulvitae]

[This "conversation" is actually becoming bizarrely amusing to Natalie. While she's been spouting Mayfield platitudes while just trying to go about her business and bypass Tony... well. His answers are actually kind of funny. And he seems reasonably sharp in his assumptions... So she stops. And folds her arms over her chest. And tilts her head.]

Tell me the truth - does this dress make me look fat?

[Then she passes a hand over her ever-smiling face. Great. He's going to have a field day with THAT one...]

[thecoolexec]

Does it make... Okay, that's an odd transition, but no, not at all. I think you make me look a little rounder actually by standing next to you.

Then again, these sunglasses, while fabulous, are not X-Ray Glasses, so to know for SURE I may need to see you without said dress. Just to be thorough.

[spitefulvitae]

You don't want to - go absolutely crazy - wouldn't be what you - cookies!

[There's laughter buried in those few moments of lucid, regular Natalie tone. Her hand is on her forehead and her shoulders are shaking, as though she's trying to hold it in. Yes, she's dressed up quite nicely. Short skirt, tight blouse, stockings, heels, a voluminous red scarf wrapped about her neck and gloves on her hands... but yes, his impression that she might be a bit dead may well be an accurate one... beneath the rose perfume that she's doused herself in, there's a faint scent of neglect and rot.]