casey-flint

[casey-flint]

“Ah, don’t worry about it. We’ve had worse before and have managed to get through the day – so there’s no need to apologise.” He smiled, hoping she wouldn’t continue to feel bad. It wasn’t even her fault, when it came down to it.

 “Yea, true.” Someone as controlling as Dalton, now that his tired brain was thinking over it again, would probably make less of a fuss if she came back sooner. ‘She shouldn’t have to do that,’ he thought in slight frustration, knowing there wasn’t much he could do to improve the situation. People should have to be chained to other’s whims.

“Well, I hope it goes well,” he said, giving her a hug as he stood - having finished his coffee and beginning to get things ready. “Remember – Joreth and Rach are there if you need them.”

Faultless

"Thanks," I murmured appreciatively, taking a deep drink of the tea. It made me feel more - hah - human. More alive. A little less actively stressed. 

"It will be. Probably," I said, forcing myself to be calmer while I drank my tea. "I mean. It’d be better overall, I think. Even though I’d be leaving you a bit in the lurch, and I’m sorry about that. It would be better."

I didn’t want to say ‘I don’t know what a worried Dalton might do,' or even 'Oh yeah, the Understudy probably wants my head on a spike but not because she knows but because she pretty much just doesn’t like me.'  Though that made a little more sense now. If she'd killed Diana in cold blood, there probably wasn't a lot stopping her from doing the same to me.

I needed to get back to the Facility. As soon as it was reasonable to do so.

"I appreciate it, Ronald. It’s nice to know. And I’m really glad you’re both my friends," I said earnestly. "But… I think I’d really like a quiet Sunday, though. I mean, sure, it might be hellfire at first. But it’d only get worse if I left it. Getting it over and done with, not procrastinating… I think that’s the key."

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

“Sure thing.” He whipped up a tea for Danielle before going back for two coffees, placing one in front of Casey – who gave a small smile before drinking.

Ronald could feel Danielle’s nerves through her Soul Voice, and he felt helpless towards her situation. “Ok, but only if that’s what you think is best.” He figured she was nervous about Dalton, understandably, and adding Casey’s conversation with him early in the night made him wonder if she didn’t want to be recognised just in case there were enemies of Cadenza here.

“Well, it might be tricky with all the Soul Voices – but you wouldn’t need to worry about being recognised. The regulars are Flats, and they usually just go about and do their own thing. Either way, you’re safe here.” And if not, Casey would kick their ass to oblivion.

Faultless

I listened as he talked about their friends, interested in the lives of people outside my immediate sphere of things and asking questions where appropriate. It was nice to hear about normal people. Because as much as I liked everyone up at the Facility, I was well aware they probably didn’t count much for normality.

"A tea would be lovely, thanks," I said, though I wondered if it might be an idea to start trying to like coffee. It was a much more effective method of getting caffeine, after all, and likely I’d need the boost while working sooner or later. The thought of going back prodded some nervousness into my mind, not about going but more the fact that I hadn’t gone yet.

I wanted to help the Flints. I really did. But Dalton would know I’d left by now. And I really did not know how he’d react.

"Ah, right," I began, increasingly nervous about the thought of staying much longer at all. "Not that I don’t want to help, but… I… I think it might be a reasonable idea if I headed back sooner rather than later, sorry. And… it’s probably better if I wasn’t around too many people, right? I… I’m not sure it would be all that good if people could recognise me, probably."

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

“Fellow Flats, like me and Casey,” he began, finishing off the omelette before describing the others that worked at the Pub. He owed them a lot, considering both his and Casey’s absence due to everything around Silas, and he was glad that he wasn’t alone in maintaining the family pub. Most were friends of the family, working at the pub either through their now gone parents or because they knew the siblings when they were growing up. In any case, he felt he had a good reliable team most of the time.

“Hah, yea – it would really be bad for business,” he spoke, smiling at his poor tired sister. “Alright, alright – I’ll stop teasing. You really look like you could use caffeine, sis.” He got up, figuring he could use the caffeine too. “Would you like a coffee or something too, Dani? Oh, we’ll be opening the store in about an hour or so – feel free to help out if you want. But staying out back here is completely fine too – just means we might be busy out here between maps hah.”

Faultless

"Ah, I’m pretty easy to keep happy, really. I can get used to just about anything," I said easily, though I was a bit guilty I hadn’t gotten up to help him with breakfast. He was clearly exhausted. 

I nodded mutely, feeling even more guilty. It was because of me. Not entirely - the Silas thing couldn’t be blamed on me. But a large portion of his more recent involvement with Cadenza was directly related to me.  Hell, his new found friendship with Joreth would be increasing his contact with the group - and that was more or less my doing, too.

"Oh yeah? What are they like?" I asked, half curious about other people in general, half wanting to change the topic from one that made me want to apologise profusely. "And I don’t blame your customers - I’m not sure many would want a death glare when they try to order a drink. I’m glad you’ve got something set up though."

Made me feel less like I was leaving them in the lurch when I went back to the Facility. But… there was no real rush, right?

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

“Ah, that’s good. I wasn’t sure, since I didn’t know what kind of set up you were used to – but it sounds like it did the trick,” Ronald replied, also eating as he listened – leaning on the table as he rested his head on a propped up arm.

“Yea, Casey kept me up all night wanting to talk about things,” he responded honestly. “Mostly Cadenza stuff – she was worried that I was getting too involved.” He nudged Casey opposite him, who grunted in response – too tired to produce anything more articulate to counter.  

“But we should be able to get some extra shut-eye today, since we got other people in to cover for us – otherwise I don’t think our patrons will appreciate a grumpy tired Casey.” He laughed as Casey pulled a face, smiling before continuing to eat.

Faultless

"Oooh, that sounds great and it smells amazing,” I said with a grin, gladly taking the food. “Bet it tastes even better, too!”

I settled down where he indicated, giving a nod and a quiet “Morning" to Casey before starting to eat. And it was damn good, not that it was surprising, of course. 

"The bed was great, thanks. And I was out like a light the moment my head touched the pillow," I spoke between mouthfuls, tactfully neglecting to mention my slightly odd dreams. No need to give them more things to worry about. "How about you guys? You both look pretty shattered." 

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

Ronald grinned when she entered the kitchen, appreciating the compliment. Taking an already prepared dish, he handed it to Danielle as he responded.7 “Morning! And no problem, I love cooking for guests – today’s dish is omelette!”

He wiped his eyes, still trying to wipe the sleep away as he dished his own. He would need a nap or two to get through the entire day. At least he had people who could cover for him.

Finishing up, he moved over to the table where his sister was eating, indicating for Danielle to take a seat before taking his own. “Was the bed ok? Did you sleep well?”

Faultless

I’d fallen asleep quickly - absolutely exhausted after two emotionally heavy conversations. I more than needed the rest, though my dreams were a confusing mess of anger and affection that ended up with me yelling at a bouquet wearing glasses. 

I woke up before Ronald’s knock, having enough time to gather my thoughts and go over what had happened the night previous while still snuggled in bed. 

Surely… surely he didn’t just like me because of Diana. Surely if that was the only reason, anything I did wouldn’t do her memory justice and would be more a cause for revulsion than affection. Surely I had some merits of my own that didn’t reflect her at all, some things which he liked about me. He did say every small thing added up. Surely that meant it wasn’t just her that he cared about. But I wasn’t so naive as to think it played no part in it. 

However I felt… better. Better than I had been when I left. Less flustered and confused and frightened by what it all meant. I still wasn’t sure what to actually do about any of it… but I figured I could just see how things went. 

"I’m coming," I called back, interrupted from my musings as I began to get up. It wasn’t long before I emerged from the guest room and made my way to the kitchen, still stretching.

"Morning. Thank you, Ronald, you’re a ray of sunshine, I swear."

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

“No problem,” he spoke, hugging her in return. “And sure– I’ll wake you up after I’ve cooked some breakfast for us.”

Turning, he gave a wave as he left to go to bed, “See you tomorrow Dani.” As he went he began to plan what he might cook for breakfast the next day. Eggs sounded good.

----

Dalton only noticed once he had changed the next morning, glancing at the security system as per his usual morning habit. He had to double-take to allow the information to take hold.

A chill crept through him as he realised, but did not allow it to progress any further before rushing to check on the trackers. She was alive. He exhaled slightly as he recognised the location. The Flint’s pub. Danielle was there. Why was she there? Dalton began to think over the reasons – he had certainly managed to turn the argument over last night, with her even reciprocating the feelings he had made her to believe. Then again, there were some pretty heavy things that were said. He could not blame her for wanting to have a drink after that. ‘So long as she returns today,’ he thought to himself, trying not to allow his paranoia to best his judgement. If he tried to force her back now, it may have the opposite effect – as he had learnt before. He would wait.

----

Ronald felt hellish when he woke up the next morning. Casey had needed to talk to him – to which she prevented him from sleeping until he was almost unable to stay awake. He understood her concerns – he wanted no part in the entire thing as much as she did. A secret as big as this was dangerous not just for him, but for anyone else connected to him too.

But he couldn’t see a way out. And as much as increasing hatred for Dalton was, he knew the man was far too smart to allow a slip up. He already conceived a cover story, and in the end who would believe them if they spoke the truth?

Hell, if Ronald had not been there he doubted Casey would have believed a single word Danielle said.

It didn’t take long for him to start on breakfast, however, and after waking Casey up from her own deep sleep Ronald knocked on the door of the spare room. “Breakfast is ready for you Dani!”

Faultless

"It’s perfect."

And it was. It was cosy, friendly, comforting. It was ideal.

"I’m sure I’ll be fine, but thanks Ronald. Thanks so much for letting me stay," I said, pulling him into a tight hug. "I don’t think I really need to know anything more. You think you can knock when you guys are getting up? I’d hate to sleep the day away."

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

“Ok – see you then,” Casey replied with a wave. She wasn’t sure whether she would get any sleep tonight – in any case, she was going to need to talk to Ronald at some point…

Moving into the back and down the hallway, Ronald turned a corner as he led Danielle into the connecting small house. Opening a door, he showed her into the small room. “It’s a bit small, I hope you don’t mind, but this is the spare bedroom. The bathroom is just opposite,” he said as he indicated to the door on the other side. “If you need anything, me and Casey are down here to your left. Just knock if you need anything – we’re not bothered if you need something in the middle of the night.” He could usually make up the sleep later on anyway - he would rather than then have uncomfortable guests.

“Need to know anything?”

Faultless

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan -  I reckon we all deserve a good rest,” I said with a nod. ”And yes thanks, Ronald.”

I stood, smiling at the siblings. "Catch you in the morning then, I guess Casey - hope you have a good sleep," I said before starting to follow Ronald. 

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

Ronald smiled again before nodding, “Alright.” He looked at Casey, sensing her calming down – although he figured the alcohol was helping with that too.

It had taken him a while to get over it. Heck, he was still having difficulty. “Well, I might head off to bed if you guys don’t mind,” he spoke, the whole thing having made him feel somewhat drained. “Shall I show you where abouts you’re gonna sleep?”

Faultless

"Thanks Casey."

I swallowed the immediate argument against her words. I couldn’t leave, I couldn’t just not go back. I mean sure, I was still a kinda pissed about the lying and incredibly confused and conflicted because of being cared about and all the Diana shit, but I didn’t want to go. The very idea made me nervous.

I knew my way around the Facility. I knew what was expected of me, I was safe there. And, even though I really needed some distance tonight, I’d taken it as a given as it being where I returned to.  It concerned me a little that it almost felt like home, despite it’s lack of emotional warmth.

"And thanks to you too, Ronald. Both of you. I appreciate it, really. And I’ll probably head back tomorrow sometime."

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

“Oh, right. Yea, that’s something that most Sonareans do.” She didn’t even think that Danielle wouldn’t know how to play an instrument. That was like being unable to read.

“What? No, of course not!” Casey exclaimed, the thought of kicking her out not even crossing her mind. “With all the shit Dalton’s done, I don’t think you should go be going back at all.” She sighed - she knew that it running away from Dalton wasn’t that simple, and she wasn’t even sure how to feel about the entire situation despite her reassurances.

Ronald nodded, placing a hand on Danielle’s shoulder as he gave her a small smile. “You’re always welcome here, alright?”

Faultless

"Most people can play an instrument, right? I’m supposed to be trying to fit in. Be as normal as it’s possible for me to be. I’d never had the need to learn an instrument before… so, might as well get started on it, cuz I don’t see any way to get back home. Dalton had me reading a load of history books too," I explained, shrugging. "Since I’m living as a Sonarean, I’ve gotta give it my best shot. No half-arsing things."

Nodding, I snorted a laugh. "Yeah it was pretty shit. Joreth helped me though - got me as far as we could be before the Wall starts reflecting things back," I said, smiling at her offer. "And thanks, I really appreciate it. I’m getting better with it all, though. Slowly but surely."

I was starting to feel a bit better about the whole situation - Casey seemed to be taking it alright, although I wouldn’t be surprised if she was in a bit of shock and would need to deal with it more later. 

"So… am I alright to assume you’re not gonna be kicking me to the curb tonight?" I asked after a few moments, and though the vibe around the place was one of acceptance, I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous about it.

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

“A cello lesson?” Of all the things, that was not something she had expected. ‘I guess I shouldn’t be surprised – with everything else going on…’ She glanced over to Ronald again, who gave her a half smile in return. ‘Damn it, I can’t believe I let you get sucked into this!’

She pulled a face at the mention of the Requiem. “Oh hell – that would have been awful!” Heck, the Requiem was rough on Sonareans as it were – she couldn’t imagine just how back it would have been for Danielle. “Well, if it gets too much again then just let us know and we can try to make things quieter for you yea?” The conversation still felt kind of surreal, and she still couldn’t get her head around most of it. She wasn’t sure the whole thing had hit her properly – just the initial shock of it all. Danielle felt Sonarean. That helped. A lot.

Faultless

I gave a small sigh, briefly making a half-hearted jazz-hands motion as if presenting something exciting. 

"Yep. Realising that he’d not only known about it before hand, but actually aimed towards it was the primary reason I yelled at him earlier this evening. Stellar timing, on my part, of course. Was only just starting a cello lesson when I realised… and it kinda put a stop to that. Poor woman was wondering what the hell was going on.”

I felt bad for her now, and figured I’d have to apologise next time she came by to teach me… assuming there was a next time, of course. I might’ve scared her off.

I nodded. “Yeah - it’s been a bit of a mission getting used to sensing people, and while I’d been getting better at coping with one or two people, having four in my head was a little bit much. Oh, it made the Requiem such fun, let me tell you,” I added a tad sarcastically, rubbing at my temples. 

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

“Fuck, you didn’t know until after?” That was messed up. She could understand the Sharp wanting to ensure she was Sonarean, although how the hell the man managed to do even that was… well frankly almost terrifying. Dalton would have been killed – as soon as he was found out, both Dalton and Danielle would have been killed.

But to do it without even telling her? ‘Shit. If he is able to do that kind of thing to someone without them knowing… just what is he capable of doing to us?’ The thought sent a chill down her spine. Rachel had accepted Dalton’s offer for the eventual removal of Myrrith – surely if he could change Danielle he could have changed Rachel already... right?

“Wait, is that why you suddenly left when I came out of the cell?” That would make that whole thing make more sense – she thought something was a bit off when Danielle had left, although she never really thought much on it at the time.

Faultless

I nodded. She was taking it… well enough. She wasn’t cursing at me or asking me to leave, which was definitely good, even though she didn’t seem too happy about it in general. Not that I blamed her.

I gave a tense half smile, followed by a nod. ”Yeah. He fucked around with my DNA… without telling me what he was doing or what would happen. So… I’m now officially one hundred percent biologically Sonarean. I’m feeling other people’s feelings, and they’re catching mine, apparently. All thanks to Dalton.” I tried not to sound bitter, but it was still a bit of a sore spot for me.

"He told me it was an unfortunate accident, to start with."

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

Casey took a swig of her drink before nodding at her words. ‘Ronald has been known about this for that long?’ she thought, looking at her brother. Casey had really hoped that Ronald wouldn’t get tangled with Cadenza, but now he knew too much. ‘Damn it. If I had been here…’

“It’s ok. I think… it is better that I know...” She knew how to keep secrets. She had kept Rachel’s for so long – although she knew this was much bigger than that. Treason. Actual treason. The idea was frightening, but looking at Danielle… She wasn’t at all like the other Outer Nations people. She was actually nice, and not scary in the least. Not an enemy of their race.

“And that cover story makes sense – I can roll with it.” She paused, thinking over her words again for the nth time. “So, you’re actually a Sonarean now? Like, Dalton actually made you into a Sonarean?” She could feel it, certainly – but her mind was having difficulty equating the information.

Faultless

I watched her carefully as she tried to work through my words, trying to ignore the confusion I was feeling from both the siblings, trying to be calm and rational about the situation as possible.

I didn’t blame her in the slightest for wanting a drink. Hell, I could probably do with one too, but I wasn’t going to be so rude as to ask for one. Not when I was asking for so much from her. I was asking her to be part of the lie, part of the treason. I was asking her to risk her life being associated with me.

"No, I understand. I’ve lived it, and there’s still a part of me in denial of everything. It’s big, I know," I said simply. 

"Joreth, Rach, Brian and Dalton all know because they met me before I had music playing. Ronald knows because the device ran out of battery and stopped when he came up and said you and Rach were missing. Paris… I… he’s not been told anything as far as I’m aware, but my music stopped when I was dying in the prison… and I was still moving at the time. But… my cover story, the one the Alto and the Understudy know, is that I’d been a Songless but Dalton managed to reverse the process," I explained, hoping the additional information wasn’t too much. "I’m sorry, Casey. I’m really sorry you have to know." 

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

Casey listened. Tried to listen. The words were unreal – she could barely understand just what Danielle was saying. Humans? Silence? Being changed to a Sonarean?

And she was the last one to know?

She took a seat, and looked at Ronald – who was looking equally bewildered. Judging by his Soul Voice she figured he had not heard the entire story either.

“I think I’m gonna need something stronger than this,” she spoke quietly, and Ronald took a moment to process that she was talking to him before scooting around to fetch her a beer – which he quickly gave to her as she spoke. “So… shit. Wow. Yea. Um. Yea.” She really didn’t know what to say – what did one say to that?

“Sorry, I just – it’s a lot.”

Faultless

"Look, I know. I know this is a big thing and a lot to process and I’m sorry. I’m really really sorry you’re finding out like this. But please just bear with me. I’ll try to explain as well as I can… and if you don’t want me around, I’ll go back up to the Facility. You have my word on that.”

I gave a small sigh, trying not to be too uncomfortable with talking about everything.

"Alright, so. First things first - I was born on an island called New Zealand, and while it’s not tiny, it’s not huge either. Where I’m from there are only Humans. There’s none of that mind-altering shit going on like with the Outer Nations arseholes. I lived a good life with my parents and sister for twenty one years. Got an education, worked a couple of jobs. And then one day, with nothing leading up to it at all to indicate things were going to change, I woke up in the Facility. Just. Woke up on the cold hard floor. I thought it was a really realistic dream at first.”

I took a long drink of my rapidly cooling tea and glanced at Ronald. 

"I met Brian. And to me, there was nothing, absolutely nothing, about him that indicated to me he wasn’t human like me. I couldn’t hear anything, you see. Didn’t have the physical capability to sense him. Only when Brian brought out his amplifier did I realise something was weird. It looked like magic to me,” I explained, trying not to talk too much about unimportant things. “Don’t ask me why Brian decided he wouldn’t get rid of me as a potential threat straight up - I don’t know his reasoning and I don’t really want to ask. But… we talked and I realised that my silence was kind of obvious. Fortunately one of the few things that had come with me on the way through was a device… which could play music. Which you’d have heard earlier. Which is why I probably don’t sound right now.”

I put my now-empty drink aside, sighing again. "Dalton helped keep the device charged. He tinkered with it so it wasn’t just an audible phenomenon, so it actually felt kinda okay rather than just empty noise - but it didn’t reflect my emotions. Anyway, that’s… sort of off topic. But the prison thing happened and… I was badly injured. Because of my own bloody stupidity, because I couldn’t just let Dalton be killed, I was near-fatally wounded.” I gave a bitter laugh. "Bleeding out and still managed to shoot Silas, how’s that for committed to a cause? And… and because of that Dalton got the opportunity to end Silas. So he did. And then he helped me. He saved me. But the healing tank couldn’t deal with my DNA very well. It rejected me. Dalton worked out a fix… but there was a cost I didn’t know about. It was changing me. Slowly. Turning my cells from Human to Sonarean.”

I breathed, feeling close to tears. "And when I woke from the tank the last time… I wasn’t alone in my head anymore and I had a Soul Voice. I’d had silence. All my life. And then suddenly… no more. Never again until my heart stops beating. And that scares the shit out of me." 

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

Casey blinked slowly, trying to process her words correctly as Danielle dumped the information all at once. An outsider?

She froze, trying to calm herself down, but Danielle’s explanations were only more confusing. “What do you mean? So you… you weren’t Sonarean but now you are? How is that even possible? And where are you from? How did you get in?!” The questions were spilling from her mouth, unable to understand the situation. She knew she was Sonarean, she could feel her Soul Voice, but now Danielle was saying she was not?

It would explain the weirdness she had been experiencing. ‘But no one in the pub noticed that,’ she thought to herself, figuring there would be a scene if everyone else had experienced the same thing.

Cadenza had known. Rachel knew. Ronald knew. She looked at Ronald, who gave him a nervous smile back. He had known… For how long? Wasn’t this a big deal? Wasn’t this treason?

Faultless

I took a sip of my tea as Ronald began to speak.

Oh. Oh dear. He was trying to be casual about it. Probably one of the most alarming pieces of information about me and he was trying, so hard, to make it as if it was as insignificant as idly chitchat. Not that I blamed him. Keeping the panic to a minimum was absolutely important.

I gave a small, nervous smile. "Casey… this might be a bit on the… worrying side, so before I say it… I just want you to know that most of Cadenza already know. Including Rach," I began, hoping that fact would make it a little less… awful. 

"Uh, well… I… I’m technically. What might be known… as an outsider?" I said, briefly making a face before quickly moving on. "But hear me out, please. I’m not like them. I hadn’t even heard of Sonarea three weeks ago and I wouldn’t wish harm on anyone and it doesn’t even. It doesn’t. It doesn’t matter now. Because I’m.”

I took a breath, hating having to say it out loud. "I’m Sonarean now. Biologically. Physiologically. Everything. I am completely Sonarean. But I was what’s known as Human.”

I paused very briefly. "If you want, I can give you the whole story."

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

“Yea. I think she will be ok with it, fairly sure.” They had already promised that she could stay, and if Casey really didn’t cope he could always keep Casey company over the night.

“Yes please!” Casey called back, more than happy to have a nice hot drink. “I’ll have tea thanks.” Ronald nodded, and making the teas (as well as his own) he could feel Casey wander back up to the counter. Passing her the drink he gave a smile, “Here you go! And one for you Dani.”

After a few sips, he began to muster up his courage before speaking again. “Oh, so there’s a thing you need to know about Danielle. It’s kind of important, and I don’t think Dalton’s told you about it yet…” Casey frowned, looking at Danielle with slight concern. Perhaps this was related to what she had been feeling? She could feel Ronald’s nerves… “What is it?”

“It’s, uh – kind of complicated. See, she’s…” Ronald frowned, trying to figure out a better way to phrase it. “She’s not quite… normal?” He glanced at Danielle, “I mean, not that’s she’s bad or anything, but she’s not, like… us…?” He cringed, scratching the back of his head as he tried to figure out a better way to say it, feeling Casey’s growing confusion over his words.

Faultless

"Oh, man. Yeah that’d be absolutely wonderful. Cups of teas are what the working world is built on, I swear,” I said, only half jokingly, as I followed him. 

I nodded in response to his whisper.  "It’d be for the best, yeah. Probably better than if you told her by yourself," I said. "… maybe. I think. Well… at least I’ve got the full story, first hand and as unabridged as anyone knows it. Surely that counts for something… I hope.” 

I made a face. Apparently tonight was the night of bravely and somewhat recklessly wrestling with uncomfortable topics. "Casey?" I called out - not sure where she was. "Ronald suggested a hot drink - would you like one?"

Surely that was a nicer way to sort of start to broach such a thing. Much better that we need to talk, which I was sure would be as anxiety-inducing here as it was back home. 

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

It wasn’t long before the pub had been cleared and closed properly, and finishing wiping the counter Ronald spoke, “That’s should be it for now Dani!” Placing the cloth down he indicated for her to follow. “Come on around back, we can have a good hot drink for our efforts.”

‘And hopefully we can talk to Casey,’ he thought to himself, feeling slightly nervous about it. He had sensed her become uneasy around Danielle already, and he hoped she wouldn’t be too shocked once they told her. ‘She was fine around Rach, this shouldn’t be too far off right?’ Although, given how much he had freaked out…

Casey was not in the room, and with a whisper Ronald continued, "So, keen to let Casey know now? It will be a good time for it."

Faultless

"Yeah I figured lending a hand wouldn’t go awry," I said with a small nod of my head. I was more than happy to help, plus it was preferable to sitting on my butt while my friends were working hard. 

"Right, yeah that makes sense. Just point me at whatever needs to be done."

I followed Ronald’s lead, gathering up glasses and dishes as people left and shuffling the seats into a more orderly location under the tables. I knew, more or less what a clean and tidy eating and drinking establishment should look  like - so when in doubt, I aimed to help make that happen.

#dani-steele #dani rp

[casey-flint]

“Ah, ok. Awesome.” She smiled back, glad that Ronald had asked, “And sure, that would be great! We can always do with a bit of help around here.”

Ronald nodded in agreement, “Well, most of the customers are leaving around about now – so we should start packing up soon.” He because going back to clearing the table, keen to get it cleaned up so he could be back at the counter again.

Casey moved, taking the ingredients into the back as she tried to ignore how much Danielle’s Soul Voice was unnerving her. It had to be a side effect. She couldn’t think of any other reason, and Ronald was acting fine around her too. ‘Damn it, do I have to see Dalton again?’

Faultless

"Yeah, it wasn’t the most fun I’ve had," I admitted with a shrug. There wasn’t much more I could say about it without giving away the whole ‘only just became Sonarean’ thing, and I was hardly stupid enough to do that in a public setting.

I’d just have to wait until things were shut and quiet before actually talking about things, I supposed. 

"Thanks Casey. Yeah, Ronald suggested it before, and I’d like to take you both up on that offer. Thanks," I said gratefully, given them both a smile. "I’ll do whatever I can to help out with tidying up and things too. It’s the least I could do."

#dani-steele #dani rp