“ i mean , you were a couple weeks ago. ” the joke comes naturally , conclusion of it hidden behind a smile that soon gets wiped away when he turns to occupy himself with looking at a few pieces of furniture that HE DIDN’T RECOGNIZE immediately. maybe he just wasn’t as observant as he really thought he was when it came to their apartment. “ my priorities ? please , i think you’re delusional. ” micah was right , though , even if he’d never have the gall to admit it. the awkward part of their relationship’s end had came and gone fast , probably within a day or so . . . and that time was spent away from each other anyway , so hobbs didn’t really have to worry about that. this felt like just another day , not bittersweet nor sad , but just another mundane thing to be tasked with prior to them continuing on with their schedules. “ oh , too busy for me , huh. i see how it is. ” hobbs would consider them to be friends still , not really wanting to make anything too rough or weird for either them because , honestly , there was just no time for it. “ yeah , yeah. i think i have a couple shirts here , by the way. i was gonna grab them before i left. ”
“ well i'm not too sure if you know this hobbs, but valuables ? they're heavy . . . i'm not looking to blow my back out twenty minutes before my shift, ” tone wavers slightly between teasing & serious, although a smile peaks through as micah's foot extends, gently nudging the box into the apartment, leaving it within the corner –– they'd deal with it later. it's what micah admired about their relationship, how there wasn't much animosity . . . or really anything negative when it came to spending time with one another. always civil, equal parts entertaining & comforting, even if they'd never fully admit that. micah doesn't want hobbs's ego getting any bigger. “ and anyway, i doubt you know what valuable means. no offence, but your priorities are kinda all over the place. ” they say in passing, brushing against male to push front door shut & return to spot between hobbs and sam's bedroom door. despite slight change in tone, micah's left with a brow risen & grin settling on lips, indicating yet again, they didn't really mean their words. it's comforting, at least they could admit that. and it's further proved when he suggests leaving, as with turn, micah's shaking her head. “ don't be stupid, you can stay, ” shrugs, taking toothbrush from lips to wave it dramatically in time words, adding some so called emphasis. “ don't mind you being here –– and i would've come by . . . just got busy. ” another slight smile, taking a moment to analyse. “ make yourself at home, you know where stuff is, right ? ”
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rita had learned very quickly to cherish the little things in life. she was a grateful person before the outbreak , but it was only a matter of time before that feeling dwindled completely. there was a lot of pessimism and dread that came with their current state , but there was also joy that came with the mundane things – simple conversations , a cup of coffee , still having to go to work when the world was falling apart. it was all stuff that was SO NORMAL before , but it still felt like brand new territory now. “ well , if we’re talking about shows . . . i gotta say i’ll miss my nightly jeopardy reruns. ” rita flashed another brief smile , shaking her head as she thought for a moment longer. “ i don’t know. there’s a lot i’ll miss , i think. shopping in - person might be one of them , as dumb as that sounds. ”
alfie chuckles. indeed, a foreign thing when considering the current state of the world. but he wasn’t considering it. he was starting to accept ( as if he or anyone had much of a choice ) that for the foreseeable future, this would be life. they might as well make the best of it. ❝ oh, i like that. man, i’m gonna miss reality tv. ❞ he shakes his head, remembering those days when he’d be so beat and tired and wanted nothing more than to distract himself with the very ridiculous problem of other people. ❝ what about you, miss rita? will you miss anything superficial? ❞ her hard work had not go unnoticed. if anybody required a distraction, she certainly deserved it.
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her question causes a hesitance in both his words and his demeanor , leaving hobbs with little wiggle room to recover from a situation he’d put himself into. THERE WASN’T MUCH TO SAY. hobbs barely knew facts , let alone needed to make educated guesses at the tabs that were supposed to be kept on the survivors. some people left on their own , some just disappeared. it felt like half of them vanished into thin air without so much as a goodbye half the time. still , the male just shrugs briefly and allows a heaviness to breach the cold air that sat between them. “ just gone. that’s all i know. ”
he wasn’t trying to provoke people to do things that required them to become morally ambiguous. in the end , what other people did was up to them. planting seeds in their head ? well , that’s not on purpose , but it wasn’t a crime to offer SUGGESTIONS. at least in his mind. if someone else didn’t take his offer , hobbs was afraid he’d become a blanket hoarder on his own.
grace felt the COLD rush over her skin like ice down the back of her shirt, hearing about the disappearance of a face she knew well enough to put a name to. holland. was she gone or was she dead ? did the distinction matter in times like these ? there was no contacting those far away the same way there was no contacting the dead ( unless, of course, one could consider " contact " the larger, blunt end of grace's bat and " the dead " as the once-human monsters that surrounded them all ). " dead or missing ? " grace finally asked, tone unwavering, with knowledge that the chances were slim hobbs knew the answer either. they could both guess.
the worst part was that grace was fucking FREEZING and regardless of the answer, if the woman wasn't coming back, she was conveniently around grace's size. with a guilty conscience, she might just raid a closet for a more winter-appropriate coat that wasn't in tatters or burned or even a pair of mittens, a beanie, earmuffs -- anything that might keep her warm.
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the complex had enough problems as it was – defrosting those in pertinent roles would only cause more than just subtle drawbacks. hobbs was , by no means , assigned to make sure everybody was taken care of. if it were up to him , he really couldn’t care less about how other people felt , but their health was vital to the upkeep of the rest of the group. maybe that’s why he’d been SO ADAMANT about trying to keep people as warm as possible. the more everybody else cooperated , the less he had to worry about. “ boston winters were rough enough as it was before. you’ll die of frostbite for being so stubborn. ” narrowed eyes meet her figure , sweatshirt on his own body barely enough to keep himself from turning into a statue at the slightest wind chill. wooden boards weren’t exactly great at keeping the cold out when it came to the windows they had to close up. gaze shifts between them and the window briefly. “ people aren’t that desperate yet , but i appreciate the advice. ”
it was cold , practically freezing. wintertime in boston was not an easy foe to battle year by year--- especially given the califorinan blood that burned through her veins that craved scorching sunlight rather than crystallized rain. but even though their hands trembled and goosebumps ran a path down their back , maple liked it. with rations of coffee and matcha and other sweet tasting sources of caffeine running low and out, it was the cold keeping them alert. therefore maple didn't bother with a heavier coat and instead let the winter chill make a home in their bones. “ i already have a jacket , ” maple responds nonchalant , eyes flickering towards hobbs before returning to what had caught their attention and put them at a stand still in the hallway. with a pale , shaking finger maple raised it up towards the glass and drew a FROWN over the frosted smiley face someone had left on the window. “ and you're going to scare someone talking like that, or turn this place into a frenzy of who can get their hands on what first. ”
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before the outbreak , hobbs was considerably normal. he didn’t stray much from the law , didn’t have much of a bad streak in him , but PEOPLE CHANGED when adversity arose. that much was obvious as soon as he got the slightest hint of freedom in this new world.
the look given is returned , brows raised in the slightest – suggestive – as the male shrugged. “ not any that i’m aware of , no. ” sleep was something to be caught up on , but it could wait. MOST THINGS COULD. besides , what kind of sleep would it be if he’d be freezing the entire time ? pointless. eyes dropped at the comment , scoff falling out of pure offense while hobbs tugged at the bottom of his shirt briefly. “ what’s wrong with this ? ” he feigns complete interest in their current conversation , but something childlike awakens in him upon the realization that they could have a burst of fun for once. still , hobbs keeps himself composed. “ i don’t really have anything different from what i’m wearing . . . style - wise , i mean. ”
he feels his stomach drop. realizing there was another way to save themselves from this no - heater predicament. and jj cannot help but despise themself for how quickly the suggestion has enamored their attention. how badly he wants to break into some random lady’s floor and steal her shit.
without missing a beat, jj gives hobbs another look. a good intentioned one, as if to say to him, are you thinking what i’m thinking you’re thinking? ❝ well, then. ❞ he rubs his hands together, exhaling rather harder than he expected to. ❝ you didn’t have any plans for tonight, did you? ❞ they look him up and down, ❝ i feel like you could use a wardrobe change anyway. unless . . . you want to race for the quilt? ❞ and it feels rather inappropriate to make a light hearted comment about it. as if there wasn’t a possibility a monstrous thing could be awaiting them behind a simple door.
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OPEN TO everyone.
LOCATION a hallway , who's surprised.
“ you’re NOT . . . ” lips press together , frustration manifesting in the form of furrowed brows and a tongue that he has to bite down on to prevent from slipping. eyes move towards everyone else , the chaos that had BROKE THROUGH momentary peace as hobbs lowers his voice. “ you’re not listening , okay ? ”
hand lifts , finger swiping just beneath his nose and across his upper lip before his arm extends to tug them closer to a small nook off the hallway - A MOMENT OF SOLITUDE WHILE HELL ROSE TO THE SURFACE. hobbs doesn’t know what to say. the truth ? no , fuck that. “ in case you haven’t heard , we’re at the end of the fucking world. people are gonna die , that's inevitable. now can you get a fucking grip , please ? ” totally normal , hobbs. great job at comforting someone else.
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Told you there’s not much to see.
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“ don’t be. ” rita murmured , offering another small smile towards devon before she returned her gaze to the kids. she liked to believe she was fairly strong for a someone in her position , in all of their positions , but that didn’t mean she wasn’t prone to jump scares in the most mundane of ways. she should be thankful when people approach without DRAGGING FEET and LOW GROWLS. at least the infected usually came with plenty of warning , or so she’d seen and heard from other people.
rita kicked herself for not knowing more names , just barely remembering jeremy’s as it was brought up again. a nod came in return , gaze now following the other’s before it lingered on the door. well , she should call it just an entrance now. that’s all it was - a place to come and go through. “ i’ll ask him about it whenever he’s not busy. i don’t know what they’re working on. ” as much as she was in the loop , she also felt like she’d been left in the dark. there was a suspicion in her gut about things being worse than they were presented. not that that’d been well in the first place , but still. “ i don’t know. is it wrong to say i’m still feeling HOPEFUL ? ” optimism was lacking after the meeting , brows furrowing a bit as she shrugged. “ things definitely aren’t better , but . . . what can you do ? how about you ? ”
It was interesting to see how everyone coped with the world turning upside on its head. Taught from a very young age, remaining pragmatic and observant was the way to go about things when they were seemingly out of one's control. It's how she was able to adapt every two to three years when she left one town for the next. Being immersed in a new military home and community of people, each with diversifying traits, habits, and commonalities. Why be consumed by the unknown? That energy was better used elsewhere. So, she remained level-headed while those around her started to unravel bit by bit. With some people missing from the meeting, she decided to go backdown and take a look over things to see if she missed something earlier.
"Sorry Rita, didn't mean to startle you." Rita was a perfect example. Someone she had known to be as incredibly poised and confident had shifted. The stress levels were high and there was no invalidating that by any means. In the same token, if more of them didn't get their heads on straight, this place would no longer be a fortified safe zone in her opinion. "I'm pretty sure Jeremy was some type of engineer. I'm sure he can rig something up for you," she nodded looking over the threshold of the door that once used to be there. "How are you holding up, considering you know..." There was not much more to be eluded too. Everyone was thinking the same thing. What happened to the others?
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hobbs pauses for a moment , fingers at his sides curling and uncurling at the confrontation before shoulders move to lift slowly. “ isn’t everyone ? ” brows pulled together at the animosity that seeped through every syllable of devon’s tone , but somehow . . . he understood. there were a lot of people who didn’t need his help , didn’t need any help , but there was also a self - assigned amount of responsibility he felt inclined to respect.
“ well , i didn’t say holland died. ” it was implied , but even their neighbor’s fate remained unknown. all hobbs knew was that one day she was there , one day she was gone. THAT WAS LIFE NOW. that’s how life was before and it’s how it’d always be , right ? “ listen , do you want a fuckin’ blanket or not ? ”
It was freezing. Beyond freezing. How penguins and polar bears thrived in this climate was beyond her. Being the kind-hearted individual she was, Devon had given most of the winter-gear in what was previously her and her father's apartment to those who were more vulnerable. Hence her favorite old man she got to play cards and learn poker from to the pregnant woman downstairs and the kiddos who lurked around the hallways. Devon though she had stashed away an extra fleece, but she was wrong. Now she was slightly regretting being so kind in the first place.
Situated on a chair as she was re-reading the Great Gatsby for the hundredth time, she looked up as Hobbs approached. "Who says I was freezing?" she muttered as she watched the condensation leave her breath. Devon was trying to minimize her movements as if it would preserve the heat she was trying to contain within her body. She's always been the type of person to wear sweatshirts in the dead heat of summer, always murmuring that she was cold. The fact that she hadn't turned into an ice sculpture yet was rather jarring. "Are you asking me to break into a dead's person room? If you're feeling so heroic to come to my aid, why don't you do it?" Devon countered.
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As if the footsteps weren’t enough, the cook knocked his knuckle against the daycare doorframe as he made his entrance, shooting a smile and wave at the remaining children inside the room. “Hey hey. What’s cookin, good lookin?”
Jun would on go on to lean his back on said doorway as Rita spoke, arms crossed and eyes fixated on the growing bags under the woman’s eyes. He hummed and looked back at the way he came from. “Ehhh, I don’t think so; you caught me just in the nick of time. Besides, flashing something big, shiny and noisy in range of these prepubescents? Absolute chaos incarnate. They’ll knock themselves out that fast.” Jun snapped his fingers. “You’ll never know a quiet day ever again.”
“Me? Uhhh.” Jun grimaced and shrugged. Obviously everything was not fantastic but… “Could be worse. Gotta stay grateful; keep humble and all that. Just coming in to ask if you’re gonna drop by that big meeting later? Obviously, I’ll be there to b-” Bitch and moan. “B-Bumble and mumble.” Yeah, that’s it. Nothing to see here, kids. “But it’s totally fine if you decide to sit out of this one. I know someone’s gotta keep these guys company. Wouldn’t trust anyone else with ‘em.”
count on jun to lighten the weight of any situation at hand , presence alone bring a bit more of a posture check into play as rita straightened up against the desk. her back and shoulders ached from being still for so long , not even realizing it’d been hours since she’d gone to the back to check on the other teacher. they slept in alternating shifts most of the time , leaving rita with a decent sense of what DAY VERSUS NIGHT had been anymore. she only got a glimpse of it through boarded windows. even then , sundown and sunrise could be easily mistaken in a sleepy state.
“ i suppose that’s true. ” rita had to laugh in return for his words , urge to roll her eyes coming in strong as she just shook her head. “ i don’t think i know what quiet days are with a certain sociable cook around , though. ” jest fell accompanied by a grin , something a bit more natural as she stood up completely and dropped her arms. the pause makes her eyes wander towards the kids , very few of them even glancing their way as they continued to go about their night. she needed to have them in bed and out of the room by the time the meeting came around anyway. “ yeah , i’m planning on sticking around for it. we can . . . bumble and mumble about it in the back together. ” censored language is enunciated , a nod that she UNDERSTOOD what he’d been getting at. she shrugs , offering another small smile at the compliment. “ flattery will get you everywhere . . . but food might get you there a little quicker. ”
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rita fights the urge to pin every moment as a bad time in this new world , has to physically bite her tongue for just a second before allowing her gaze to stray from the kids. their innocence was still preserved as much as it could be , as much as rita would force it to be if it was the last thing she did on this DECAYING PLANET. shoulders offer a subtle roll before they relax a bit. one of the other teachers had been taking a nap in the back , alternating shifts working nothing but wonders nowadays. “ never a bad time. ” the smile she offers is forced , but it’s soft. she’ll blame her tired state on that one !
eyes move towards the coffee , one hand lifting to take the offering from the other as rita finally recognizes the scent of something normal for once. it’s not a natural scent , not full of dread and the outside , but something that brings back decent memories to keep herself sane. “ thank you. ” rita glanced towards the kids , still unaware of their visitor , and she’s grateful for that much. peace and quiet seemed to be rare now. “ it’s no STARBUCKS , but it’ll do. ” the joke comes in a weak fall , attempt at lightening the mood present as ever now while the femme took a sip from the cup. “ how’re you feeling after the meeting ? ”
day whatever and counting, however many hours gone ticking by since apartment became a shell of it's former –– the furniture sticks out now, tapping against windows become an alert & they don't think they've seen a clean shirt in weeks. micah's considered praying for the first time in twenty six years, although praise seems faulty; begs to hold the question of : if jesus was real, why did this happen? saviours weren't real in this world, they had to learn that rather quickly. seems like it'd be pointless in attempts now, but at least they could keep a slither of normalcy –– innocent beverage run when the coast was clear, stuck to the hip of someone else at fear of surprise attack ( that, and it's forbid to travel solo ) and additional warmth never killed anyone … no, that would be the viruses job.
“ is now a bad time ? ” question is posed calmly, senses the possible hinderance their presence brings; disturbance, and last thing she wants to do is pester. in fact, micah wonders when a good time would be, their current environment not exactly screaming positivity. but, olive branch is extending in the form of coffee, silent apology for interruption, tied together with a small smile as they enter, weaving through little legs, pressing hip to oak surface as mug is settled silently. hopes action is enough to speak for itself, but just in case it isn't : “ i had leftovers… and thought you'd need it more than me. ”
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hobbs was never good with planning. despite his career , it was a miracle he even knew what day it was anymore. that’s how busy his schedule got and might have been part of the reason he was so inclined to believing the world revolved around him and whatever he was doing. still , if he was truly interrupting micah , he’d take a step back. after all , there was still respect for them lingering in the air whenever they passed each other every so often. “ you’d think you would have picked up those valuables by now then , wouldn’t you ? ” it’s not spoken with ill intentions , almost obviously not as a smile seemed to flash across his lips for just a few moments in return for the laugh. this was THEM , though – full of jest , barely serious , and inevitably equivalent to a snake that would eventually bite itself in the end. “ grubby ? well , now you’ve crossed the line. ” hobbs tried to remain serious , if only for a second , but it didn’t last long at all before his attention moved towards sam’s door. tempting , yes , but he’d still rather spend his time with micah. “ oh , shit. i forgot you had work soon. sorry. ” brows pulled together briefly before he gestured towards the door. “ i can go , y’know. i just wanted to get all this stuff back to you. it’s been . . . a couple weeks , i think. ”
well, this is only slightly awkward. actually, pause & rewind –– it's more so impromptu, a surprise visit that she was not at all prepared for. no longer each other's concern, a whirlwind relationship that was never destined for greatness… wishful thinking, to say the least. but at least, unlike previous ventures, there wasn't malice; so micah had no worry in letting male into home. “ not like i have valuables in that box, hobbs. ” spoken half muffled, toothbrush shoved between lips, pushed to one side of cheek ( trust him to interrupt her getting ready for work ) while laughter spills softly. takes their time, letting hobbs in before closing the door behind him, “ could have something worth money in there, and you're using your grubby boot to give it back… classy. ” although emotion devoid from statement, familiar free smirk on her lips as arms cross over chest, nodding head slightly. “ mhm… why ? y'wanna talk to them ? could keep you entertained while i get ready for work, might put a smile on your face for once. ”
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rita stood with crossed arms , heart heavy enough to weigh down every optimistic thought that graced her mind. fingers flex nervously against triceps before the burrow between her arm and side in attempt to conceal her anxiety. PLAYING BABYSITTER was her job , if nothing else , but she didn’t know it’d run to this extent when she’d started a few years prior. still , the brunette held high expectations for herself , even after such a disastrous meeting – low on supplies , the coldest moments of winter approaching. insanity was threatening to breach the surface.
trance is broken by alfie’s voice , causes her head to turn in the slightest before a smile ( such a foreign reaction in their world’s state ) broke through for merely a second. “ that’d be nice , wouldn’t it ? ” deep inhale , deep exhale . . . then rita’s shifting the majority of her attention towards them now. “ what do you think THE SHOW would be called ? desperate housewives of zombieland seems kinda fun. ”
❨ open for anyone יִ ❩ ╳ location: lobby .
it was nearing nightfall which was ever - the - more eerier, now that they were finally beginning to understand what was awaiting them. it was frustrating, to say the least. not having much skill to fight, let alone negotiate some harmony. alfie understood people were restless, but they were beginning to run short on water and food. the weather was getting colder, too. it wasn’t exactly an ideal living situation. let alone the fact they had a handful of children under their roof to take care of. it would be understandable for one to feel as though they were beginning to lose their mind.
alfie turns to the other, perhaps a face they had recognized during the meeting. ❝ i don’t know about you, man. i’m still waiting for someone to yell, ‘ cut ’ ! like i’m on a weird tlc reality show or something. ❞
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“ i’m not saying anything. ” even he didn’t know the truth , or any truth really , when it came to where holland went. people seemed to go as they pleased , some tired of being locked up while others just vanished into thin air. of course , there were complications that came with the secrets he knew about certain things , but that didn’t mean he’d RUN HIS MOUTH at the first chance he got.
jaw fell slack at the question , but hobbs barely gives himself a chance to think properly. IMPULSIVE IN NATURE – that was his downfall. “ personally ? no. i know some people who said she hasn’t been back in a couple days. i just know she used to make quilts and shit , y’know ? ” if jj didn’t go , hobbs sure as hell would. was it stealing if she was ALREADY GONE ? maybe it was a morally gray area for him.
❝ wait. so . . . ❞ jj pinches the brink of his nose, groaning. as if poor holland’s death were more of an inconvenience to him than another catastrophe. it wasn’t like they were . . . too unfamiliar with the process. still, it was strange to talk about a person who was here one second ── and gone the next. ❝ you’re saying that — ? ❞ he gives hobbs a look like ‘ really? she kicked the bucket, that soon? ’ and another moment passes before jj realizes what this really means. stealing wasn’t something he had considered, not yet. especially from the undead, but it wasn’t like they were leaving in grace anyway.
jj watches his breath freeze in the air. it had all happened so fast, the destruction of everything they knew. ❝ did you, y’know . . . get a chance to . . . look around? ❞ a very strange way of saying ‘ did she have anything worth making a second trip for? ’
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CLOSED FOR @revoults .
LOCATION micah's apt .
CONTEXT flashback , t - minus 1 hr until lockdown <3
discomfort befriends him the second the door opens. ( part of him hoped micah wouldn’t answer. ) box that was previously set aside is kicked slowly through the door , inevitable laze in every movement taking over as hobbs failed to offer a proper greeting. “ you had a lot more left behind than i thought. ” there’s not really ice in his tone , no hard feelings obvious as instinct allows him to take a few more steps inside to glance around. something felt off , but he couldn’t place a finger on what EXACTLY it was. a new lamp ? no. books rearranged on the shelf ? no , that wasn’t it. hand lifts to rub at the back of his neck as he turned to glance at the other half of the room. “ sam home ? ” gaze returns to them , hands moving to his pockets now as hobbs made a weak attempt at small talk. things weren’t bad between them , but they certainly felt . . . different.
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OPEN TO everyone.
LOCATION some hallway of the complex.
hobbs took precaution in his analysis of those with trembling hands. the cold was inescapable at this point , but so was the infection. besides , he didn’t exactly know the whereabouts of everyone all the time , but he’d seen ENOUGH out there to tell the difference between early infection and someone who needed a jacket.
“ listen , you didn’t ask for any advice , but my suggestion ? ” tone remains unwavering at his approach , steady and calm before his gaze wanders in the slightest towards their surroundings. with a clear coast at hand , hobbs returns his attention to them before dropping to a lower volume when he speaks next. “ holland used to be a fuckin’ fabric fanatic. if you’re cold , her door’s not exactly gonna be locked all the time anymore. ” confirmation of the neighbor’s disappearance , not just inability to show up , comes through minor implications. she’d failed to show up at their latest meeting , even the morning before that , and it didn’t take a GENIUS to put two and two together.
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