exsilium | ‡3rd Treasure‡ Accidental Video

[The feed clicks on to reveal Koltira and Chloe in some dark, nondescript alleyway. Chloe's muttering about how she doesn't have a choice, struggling weakly, her eyes unfocused. Koltira speaks to her in soothing tones--or about as soothing as his tone gets, at any rate--telling her to calm down, to see reason, et cetera. He has one arm looped around her waist, and the other holds both of her wrists still; the grip is clearly firm but gentle, meant to pacify, not to harm.

After a moment, Koltira notices that Chloe's dropped tablet is on and recording. He addresses it, his tone markedly more agitated than just a moment ago.]

Chloe is out of her mind. I know not why, but she had her own gun to her mouth.

[There's a short delay before Chloe speaks up, her voice unsteady and tired. It's a pale attempt at lying, but it goes without saying that she's embarrassed once she realizes the feed's running, so she makes it regardless.]

Seriously, mate, I'm fine. Ease up.

((ooc: Takes place after/during this log!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She had WHAT?!

[Okay. Suddenly Koltira, who in Gordon's mind is nothing but an unstoppable death machine thanks to that performance on the pirate ship, has a hold of Chloe against her will and insisting she's suicidal.]

Chloe! Just what the hell is going on here? Where are you?

No, I-- seriously, Gordon, relax. It's okay. I promise you, nothing's happened.

[BREATHE, GORDON.]

You trying to kill yourself is nothing? Well I sure beg to differ! Jeezus Christ, Chloe, I know you think optimism is for suckers but what in the hell possessed you to... [He pauses, wrestling down the livid tone.]

I'm going to ask again. Where are you?

[She's reluctant to say, most likely because the last thing she wants is any company when she's already been humiliated by this whole thing. Glad as she is that Koltira stopped it, she'd prefer it if he wasn't there, either.]

...Just outside the market.

I'll be there in a few minutes. We can talk more easily there.

[Sorry, Chloe. Much as you don't want people fussing over you he's already gathering up papers, readying to leave work. A weasly offscreen voice chimes in "Where do you think you're going, Freeman? ...Hey! You can't just leave without saying anything--"]

Listen, love, if you're going to get heat for it, let it go. It's not worth it.

[BECAUSE REALLY, don't lose your job.]

You're more important, Chloe. [Spoken as though she should know this by now.] I'm pretty sure they can handle my absence for a few hours without the whole place going to hell.

Here? Not so sure about all that. [And there's the slightest smile for it, because it was a joke. She's trying here.]

So we can consider this a mutual leap of faith! [He actually calls that last part off-screen to his nagging labcoated terrier of a co-worker.] And one that is highly necessary!

[The scene's amusing enough. God, if not for what'd happened she'd be laughing.]

Keeping you busy there, I take it?

[They can laugh about it later. While drunk, probably.]

We're still rebuilding, and they need all the hands and brains they can get. The airstrike left us with a lot of experiments ruined and data lost. They couldn't have done a better job of screwing things up if they took a shotgun to each individual server...

[Judging by the rapid pace of corridors passing by in the background and the occasional elevator, he's already on his way topside.]

--but that's not important right now. Chloe, you are the last person I figured would do something like this. It literally does no make any sense. Did... did something happen?

I know, Gordon. Believe me, I do. Spent my whole bloody life trying to survive, after all.

[She scoffs, running a few fingers through her matted hair.]

I just...I don't know, something snapped. I didn't see any other way out.

[Oh christ. He had no idea it was getting to her that way. Once again, she proves herself a black box, her thoughts only discernible from what she says or does while the mechanism to their creation is a permanent, frustrating, and now dangerous mystery.]

Chloe, I... We may be stuck here, but is that really so bad as to warrant that? I've seen worse. MUCH worse. Hell, I know for a fact that you've been in worse places than this! I don't understand what you--

[It isn't a long journey. In fact the Marketplace is inside the Hold, so all he has to do is gain the surface and turn a corner and there they are. He lopes his way to both of them, and after a moment of staring at Chloe with no idea what to actually do or say once he got there in person... he reaches out and scoops her towards him. It's a not a tight embrace but she can still tell: it's a man clutching something precious to him that he realizes he almost lost.]

[And this time, in contrast to their previous interactions, she doesn't much mind it, though she's certainly still embarrassed about needing to be held in the first place.]

Honestly, I wish I knew. Suppose it's true what they say about mental breakdowns and all that.

[Sorry Chloe, still not letting go quite yet.]

...

What do they say?

That you can't really predict when they'll hit you.

Never really bought into it, though. Never had reason to.

Are you sure nothing happened to set it off?

[Again, doubt creeps in. Fish don't fly, birds don't swim, and Chloe does not break down. At least, not without something hellacious triggering it. And no matter what he tries to think of he can't imagine what the hell that something could be.]

‡3rd Treasure‡ Accidental Video

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