After a wild night, a Goblin girl wanders through the mess of her apartment, trying to piece together what happened the evening before. As she pieces together evidence; a horrifying realisation dawns on her.
We didn't, did we?
- Thread starter TheWordsOfTyr
- Start date
- Original Short Story Mystery
- Created
- Status
- Complete
- Watchers
- 2
- Recent readers
- 0
- Threadmarks
- 1
-
Statistics (1 threadmarks, 3.8k words)
User Total TheWordsOfTyr 1 Threadmarks Reader mode
We didn't, did we?
The hard buzzing of a digital alarm clock slammed through the silent city morning like a hammer through glass. A sharp intake of breath brought the slumbering Goblin back to life, her eyes cracking open to the unpleasant glare of the morning Soeul piercing through the shutters. Through mumbled expletives that cursed her past self, she swung a wild hand off to the side and whacked the snooze button with unwarranted aggression. Letting one more look of disdain linger on the clock that dared perform its intended function, she allowed her eyes drag closed once more. Turning away from the alarm, she nestled back into her covers and gave them a meek tug to surround herself in a cocoon of fabric. However no cocoon came to her in spite of how she pulled. With her brows furrowing in annoyance, she cracked an eye open to investigate. Her eye widened in shock before the other snapped open. She stared at the back of a hulking figure that lay next to her. She sat up quickly, taking in a few panicked breaths as her duvet fell to her lap. A sudden wave of pain struck her head like an unexpected slap on a bitterly cold day. She brought a hand up to rub the side of her head in the feeble hopes that the throbbing pain would just go away. She winced and muttered another few soft swears. The different waves of emotion hit her like consecutive punches to the mouth, none giving her enough time to even fully process the previous strike. As the initial greeting of the headache bid its farewell, she let her hand fall down onto the bed. She took a deep breath in to calm herself as she felt the cool air of her central conditioning hit her bare chest. Her eyes snapped open once more and darted downwards as blood rushed to her cheeks. A short, panicked wave of embarrassment forced her to quickly grab the covers from her lap and lift them to conceal her breasts from the nobody that stood in her apartment to judge her. She inched herself closer to the edge of the bed as the question of the figure that lay beside her returned. She looked back to it, only able to stare at the back of a head and a mostly covered torso to glean some form of identity in spite of her groggy, hungover senses.
"What did you get up to last night, girl?" She thought to herself.
Long hair. Really long hair. Just extremely hairy in general. Incredibly tall and broad, probably huge arms. Definitely a Haariese and a male at that. There was something else, though. A pang of familiarity brought another wave of disbelief onto her emotionally overloaded mind as she struggled to search her memory for any events of the night before. She knew this man, or at least she thought she did and if this situation was how it looked then she was in for a long conversation with the Boss later. The Bear was incredibly clear about his thoughts on mixing work and intimacy. While she dreaded that lecture, she wasn't convinced of her own misdeeds. Another wave of embarrassment forced her out of the bed. Awkwardly shuffling out of the covers so as to not disturb her slumbering 'work-friend', she edged away from the bed and took another moment to calm down. She looked down at herself again, a familiar pang of dissatisfaction at her poking out stomach pudge took mental priority. The possible partner nearby told her that perhaps others didn't see her in that same light. Coming to a bit of a realisation, she took an exaggerated step forwards, her lower half still protected by a pair of her very unflattering boxers. She felt no soreness beyond her head, no pain and no numbness. With a confused expression, she looked back to the man that was easily three times her size. Assumptions of his endowment and passion made her feel a small amount of pity in the side of her that was still convinced something happened between them.
Unable to decide on either possibility, she started to lightly pace back and forth, muttering all manner of rationalisations to herself. Needing more evidence, she started to look around her room. She kept her footfalls as quiet as possible, dreading the awkward conversation that would surely follow his awakening. Her pants and socks lay in a relatively neat pile on her side of the bed. She crouched down to dig through them, finding them all damp and reeking of alcohol. She felt a strange lump in one of her frustratingly tiny pockets. Clawing the object out, she retrieved a violet, translucent gem that was about the size of her palm. It was silent, but in the instant it touched her flesh, she began to hear a soft hum in her head. It immediately intruded on her mind with the unwanted presence of magic and felt icy to the touch, sapping her hand of warmth and heat in a single moment. She dropped it in shock, the precious stone quietly thumping into the pile of clothes as she recoiled. It wasn't anything she owned, that was for sure. It had to be his. Her curiosity continued to demand more answers, her attention turning to his possessions for more information. His clothes were much more spread out but equally wet. To her incredible relief, she didn't spot his underwear or shirt among the strewn about outfit but did spy a large augmented arm resting against the wall, propped up like a broom. It looked about his size. She passed by a closet on her next patrol around the room, stopping to open one of its drawers and grab a tacky oversized t-shirt. She pulled it over her head, struggling to fit her ears through the hole and once more cursed the human-designed world she lived in. A graphic of a seven headed serpent in sunglasses surrounded by bottles of water stared up at her as she took another moment to look at herself. It hurt her to read the words "Stay Hydra-ted" but at the same time it brought her unexplainable joy. Perhaps it was the memories of her brother's face of utter disgust when she pointed it out to him years ago. Perhaps her sense of humour was just that simple. Regardless, returning her attention to the crisis at hand, her clammy palms lead her to consider her underarms. Her body still wasn't used to how warm the nights got in Nova. They often lead to her waking up sweaty and uncomfortable, just as she was now. Unfortunately, it was impossible for her to discern whether it was the heat of the northern island or the heat of passion that caused her current state. If there was a concrete answer to be found before he woke up, it wasn't in here.
She crept to the closed door, her eyes over her shoulder on the sleeping figure for the whole journey. With the finesse of a bumbling ninja, she slipped out of the room to explore the rest of her apartment like it was her first time seeing the place. She cast her gaze around the living room, the shades all closed to hold back the blinding light of the morning Soeul. Her couch was in more of a state than she remembered. A few of the cushions were out of formation, overlapping with some of the others and edging out onto the floor like someone fell over its back and tried to take some of the couch with them. If she strained her ears, she could just make out the distant sirens of the NPD, out on their morning hunts. A common occurance ever since they started getting quotas from the City Council. She paid it little mind as she continued forwards to fix the cushions. She lazily shoved them down and slid them back into place with her knee. When she did, she found her eyes first focused on the scrapes and scuff marks on her kneecap. This attention was short lived as her gaze was quickly drawn to an unfamiliar stain on a large part of the upholstery. With the lights off, she couldn't tell what it was. A prodding finger determined it was dry, something from last night at the earliest. It was dark like red wine, spreading out like someone had left a leaking bottle on the centre of her sofa. Another pang at the back of her head brought a muttered swear from her lips about having another thing to scrub clean once whoever was in her bed was gone. Turning to the coffee table, she felt her heart sink as she spied the crumpled up form of the shirt she remembered putting on the day before, next to a shirt she didn't recognise. Strewn across the glass slab and tied in a strange ring, the turtleneck was marred with the same stain as the couch and damp just like the rest of her outfit. So too was a black dress shirt which she could only conclude to be the Haariese's. Settling her expression into a deep frown, she slapped her hands against the sides of her head in frustration. Could she have fallen for that old trick? A conveniently spilled drink encouraging her to change out of her wet clothes. With a silent prayer to whatever Gods would listen, she tried in vain to recall anything from the previous day. The last memories she had were that of leaving the apartment, dressed up to go somewhere. Even her destination eluded her, the attempt to recall it bringing another throbbing pain to her head. The young Goblin let the attempt die then and there, knowing there must be more clues somewhere.
She lumbered on towards the bathroom, sending a glance towards the kitchenette and deciding to check there afterwards. Sucking a breath in to brace herself as she slid the shoji door open, she flicked on the light and walked past the threshold. The fluorescent bulb erupted into a blinding light that forced the woman to wince, narrowing her eyes to let them adjust to the early morning assault. A light groan of disgust for all things stimulating fought its way out of her throat. When she could finally see, where she hoped to find clarity only filled her with more confusion. Scanning the room from left to right, her eyes locked onto her missing bra, stained a bespeckled crimson red and sitting on the seat in her shower, the glass doors dotted with water stains from recent use. A number of used tissues surrounded the toilet as if whoever placed them had little interest in aiming for either the bowl or the nearby trash can. Lastly she looked to the sink below the mirror, small flecks of red lingered around the drain, like the beginnings of rain on the city sidewalks but dragging inwards towards the centre like the porcelain was wet at the time. Taking a few careful steps inside, she let out a soft hiss as the cold tiles greeted her bare feet. She allowed herself a quick glance in the mirror, the brief flash of her thoroughly messy hair hardly surprising her at this point. The signs all pointed to the answer she was hoping wouldn't be true. She turned to face herself, letting out a long, slow breath as she rested her hands on the rim of the sink. Putting her weight onto the cold porcelain as she resigned herself to guilt and shame. She needed to bite the bullet and look herself in the eye, to accept this mistake and move on. When she did, something new took her by surprise. In her own reflection, she saw a nasty looking bruise she didn't recognise. Amidst her dishevelled hair and eyeliner that ran down her cheeks, staining them with a fading black, it looked like she attempted to get a very rapid and excruciatingly close look at a lamp post. Her left eye was sporting a painful looking black eye that she did not feel until attention was drawn to it. She slowly brought a hand to her face, lightly touching the afflicted eye and wincing as it stung back against her fingertips. A tidal wave of varying emotions crashed over her, each vying for priority in her mind and only muddling her own thoughts. She was paralysed with uncertainty for a few moments as each new concern battled it out in her head, the victor being a deep, very immediate feeling of danger as an invisible line was drawn between her eye, her scattered clothes and the man currently in her bed. Assumptions and jumping conclusions screamed at her to act, instinct pulling her away from the mirror and back out into the living room.
Wrapping her arms around herself as an uncomfortable shudder rocked her entire body, she fought against the thoughts that had invaded her mind. Unable to dismiss them, she did all in her power to force them to the back of her mind and shove back the sudden, overwhelming feeling of vulnerability and weakness that they brought with them. Once steadied that extra bit, she carried on towards the kitchenette, praying to the silent Gods that she had done the smart thing and left her phone charging in the answering machine like usual. She had people to call, friends who she could stay with while she tried to figure everything out. She just needed to grab it and go. She could borrow a coat from the apartment caretaker and wait in a coffee shop. There was one nearby that opened unreasonably early. It all hinged on the phone. Her stomach churned at the thought of having to return to her bedroom with the thoughts she was burdened with now, whether they were correct or not. He had seemed so caring when they interacted at work, could it all have been an act? Nonetheless, she rounded the human-sized counter that blocked her view of the kitchenette, resting a hand against it for support as her feet dragged indecisively forwards. Just ahead of her, waiting right where it always was, sat a foldable plastic step. Only a foot high, it seemed like a mountain to the groggy Goblin. She braced her clouded mind for the task ahead, staggering to the base of the stool and straightening up. Taking this journey one step at a time, she held onto the handles of the drawers built into her countertop as she raised her steadiest leg. Placing it firmly on the rough plastic, she winced in anticipation as she pushed down, raising herself up with support from her arms, reaching this painful summit in an instant that took an eternity. With her head finally above the countertops, she spied around for her phone. Still desperate to escape the home she no longer felt safe in, her unfocused eyes shifted around. Passing over an open cabinet, its contents haphazardly strewn across the surface below. Not stopping to examine it further, her gaze came to a stop on the blocky brick of technology that was her phone. It lay, perfectly upright, in its charging port. She let out a relieved sigh, appreciating the one thing about this morning that was simple. However, as she moved a slow hand forwards to collect the device, the light at the base of the answering machine blinked. An unheard message. Curiosity clawed its way back from the hidden corner of her mind that dread had chased it off to. Sending a hesitant gaze over her shoulder towards the door to her bedroom, she reached a tentative finger forwards to let it play.
The button clicked in compliance as it was pressed down, the machine coming to life with an electronic sizzle.
"You have... three... new messages. Received… yesterday at… 9:25 PM." It whispered, petering out with another sizzle to let the message play.
"Hey… Are you alright? I know you said you'll be fine but getting dragged into work stuff so late… Look, I'm worried. Just message me in the morning to let me know you got home safe, okay? We'll have our night out eventually, I promise." A familiar voice projected from the answering machine.
Rizzy's voice brought the Goblin no small amount of comfort. Having something she could recognise with certainty cut through the silent dread that had gripped her body and mind. She attempted to remember last night once again, emboldened by the new information she had. A night out cut short by work. Her mind resisted just as it had been doing the entire morning, fighting back against her prodding thoughts with worsening throbs of pain that worried her the more she had to struggle with it.
"Received… yesterday at… 11:23 PM." The machine buzzed again, giving her little time to continue sifting through the haze of her clouded mind.
"You picked a real bad time to have your phone off, lady. Listen, you better hear this quick; the NPD network is lighting up like Sunburst on Dragonflight. Get the fuck out of Aperture! What in the Gods non-existent names did you do over there? I heard -… Doesn't matter. Just get fucking moving!" The speaker ordered with authority he didn't have.
Lil Mac's nasally voice brought with it a new level of anxiety. The fellow Goblin's usually dismissive tone was replaced with the closest to fearful that Mac had ever let it get. In the pause between messages, she considered Mac's words. Whatever she had been called into work to do, clearly it didn't go well. In fact, the NPD having any presence in the Aperture Docklands was incredibly strange. The Steel Purpose were supposed to have that entire district under their robotic thumbs. As she briefly considered the part she had played in the gang's sudden loss on their 'cop-free zone', the answering machine buzzed for the final time.
"Received… today at… 1:03 AM." It began, the following voice muddled with the background noise of a raging blaze and shouting.
"Gaz? Gaz! Gods damn you, girl, pick up!" Rizzy shouted at her phone, her voice undercut with a few distant gunshots. "I'm coming to find you. The whole fucking districts gone crazy!"
Rizzy panted, clearly running as she spoke while the chaos around her bled into the voicemail. Inhuman and unnatural chittering and screams undercut by the sounds of fighting and a city burning to ash.
"If you get this, call me right away. I-" The Kobold was cut off by a nearby screech.
The grotesque cry followed by the creak of bending metal, sounding very close to the speaker.
"ST OH NE!" An unnatural voice demanded.
She edged closer to the phone, resting her hands on the counter as the sounds of Rizzy struggling overtook the riot in the background. Fear gripped at her throat before a sudden bang caught her off guard, the Goblin jolted back as a firearm was discharged right next to the phone. Her eyes widened as her fingers gripped at the counter, the following silence lasting for what seemed like hours.
"... What the fuck. What fucking stone…" Rizzy's haggard voice broke the quiet. "Gaz… where are you…?"
The voicemail ended abruptly, the Goblin left in an uncomfortable silence. She staggered back off of the step, almost falling onto the cold tiles below. Still reeling from the messages, she turned aimlessly around and started moving. Her body carried her onwards while her mind found itself unable to pick a direction. Before she could even process the repeated cold shock from the kitchen tiles, she found herself back in the living room, grabbing at the cord of her shades. With an aggressive yank, the shades were forced open. The souellight burst into the room, the building adrenaline allowing the Goblin to stand firm against the following headache. Letting her yellowed eyes adjust to the outside light, her fears were confirmed. Through the gaps in between the man-made towers that scraped the sky, she could see numerous thick plumes of coloured arcane smoke rising from what was once the Aperture Docklands. From where she stood it looked like the entire district was put to the torch. With her mind going a mile a minute, the woman backed away from the windows as NPD cruisers raced up and down every street, sirens still blaring like an alarm clock for the entire city. Her senses came back to her all at once as she felt her back impact with the arm of the couch, having backed across most of the room without noticing. Turning to steady herself, her eyes locked once more on the stains that marred the upholstery. With the new light illuminating the room, she felt her breath catch in her throat as the filth she had so quickly dismissed earlier was viewed with full clarity. Blood. Lots of it. Her gaze snapped to the bedroom door once more, the stillness of her bedpartners form screaming at her as something she should have noticed sooner. Did she hear him breathe? Did she see his chest rise and fall in the darkness? Did he stir at all as she traipsed around her room, digging through their collective belongings? As the questions berated her mind, she edged towards the door, hands wringing with each other as her earlier fears seemed so insignificant. Among the racing thoughts, the voice of the creature over the phone returned as she tried to make sense of it all once more. It demanded 'Stone' with such urgency. It couldn't be that little gemstone that lay wrapped in her stained clothes… could it?
A heavy fist thudded at the front door. She jumped in fright, her hand retracting from the bedroom door handle as her entire form spun to face down the seemingly endless hallway that led to the outside. She held still for a few seconds, unsure if she could even trust her ears at this point. Three more thuds followed, confirming for her that this was at least real. She darted her eyes between the door beside her and the hallway, really wishing she had taken up Dario's offer of a gun when she started working for him. Hesitation held her trapped in its unforgiving grip as she prayed to the Gods for the knocker to assume no one was home.
"Nova Police Department! I'd just like to ask you a few questions." A reptilian voice broke its way through the door.
What the fuck did we get up to last night, Gaz?
"What did you get up to last night, girl?" She thought to herself.
Long hair. Really long hair. Just extremely hairy in general. Incredibly tall and broad, probably huge arms. Definitely a Haariese and a male at that. There was something else, though. A pang of familiarity brought another wave of disbelief onto her emotionally overloaded mind as she struggled to search her memory for any events of the night before. She knew this man, or at least she thought she did and if this situation was how it looked then she was in for a long conversation with the Boss later. The Bear was incredibly clear about his thoughts on mixing work and intimacy. While she dreaded that lecture, she wasn't convinced of her own misdeeds. Another wave of embarrassment forced her out of the bed. Awkwardly shuffling out of the covers so as to not disturb her slumbering 'work-friend', she edged away from the bed and took another moment to calm down. She looked down at herself again, a familiar pang of dissatisfaction at her poking out stomach pudge took mental priority. The possible partner nearby told her that perhaps others didn't see her in that same light. Coming to a bit of a realisation, she took an exaggerated step forwards, her lower half still protected by a pair of her very unflattering boxers. She felt no soreness beyond her head, no pain and no numbness. With a confused expression, she looked back to the man that was easily three times her size. Assumptions of his endowment and passion made her feel a small amount of pity in the side of her that was still convinced something happened between them.
Unable to decide on either possibility, she started to lightly pace back and forth, muttering all manner of rationalisations to herself. Needing more evidence, she started to look around her room. She kept her footfalls as quiet as possible, dreading the awkward conversation that would surely follow his awakening. Her pants and socks lay in a relatively neat pile on her side of the bed. She crouched down to dig through them, finding them all damp and reeking of alcohol. She felt a strange lump in one of her frustratingly tiny pockets. Clawing the object out, she retrieved a violet, translucent gem that was about the size of her palm. It was silent, but in the instant it touched her flesh, she began to hear a soft hum in her head. It immediately intruded on her mind with the unwanted presence of magic and felt icy to the touch, sapping her hand of warmth and heat in a single moment. She dropped it in shock, the precious stone quietly thumping into the pile of clothes as she recoiled. It wasn't anything she owned, that was for sure. It had to be his. Her curiosity continued to demand more answers, her attention turning to his possessions for more information. His clothes were much more spread out but equally wet. To her incredible relief, she didn't spot his underwear or shirt among the strewn about outfit but did spy a large augmented arm resting against the wall, propped up like a broom. It looked about his size. She passed by a closet on her next patrol around the room, stopping to open one of its drawers and grab a tacky oversized t-shirt. She pulled it over her head, struggling to fit her ears through the hole and once more cursed the human-designed world she lived in. A graphic of a seven headed serpent in sunglasses surrounded by bottles of water stared up at her as she took another moment to look at herself. It hurt her to read the words "Stay Hydra-ted" but at the same time it brought her unexplainable joy. Perhaps it was the memories of her brother's face of utter disgust when she pointed it out to him years ago. Perhaps her sense of humour was just that simple. Regardless, returning her attention to the crisis at hand, her clammy palms lead her to consider her underarms. Her body still wasn't used to how warm the nights got in Nova. They often lead to her waking up sweaty and uncomfortable, just as she was now. Unfortunately, it was impossible for her to discern whether it was the heat of the northern island or the heat of passion that caused her current state. If there was a concrete answer to be found before he woke up, it wasn't in here.
She crept to the closed door, her eyes over her shoulder on the sleeping figure for the whole journey. With the finesse of a bumbling ninja, she slipped out of the room to explore the rest of her apartment like it was her first time seeing the place. She cast her gaze around the living room, the shades all closed to hold back the blinding light of the morning Soeul. Her couch was in more of a state than she remembered. A few of the cushions were out of formation, overlapping with some of the others and edging out onto the floor like someone fell over its back and tried to take some of the couch with them. If she strained her ears, she could just make out the distant sirens of the NPD, out on their morning hunts. A common occurance ever since they started getting quotas from the City Council. She paid it little mind as she continued forwards to fix the cushions. She lazily shoved them down and slid them back into place with her knee. When she did, she found her eyes first focused on the scrapes and scuff marks on her kneecap. This attention was short lived as her gaze was quickly drawn to an unfamiliar stain on a large part of the upholstery. With the lights off, she couldn't tell what it was. A prodding finger determined it was dry, something from last night at the earliest. It was dark like red wine, spreading out like someone had left a leaking bottle on the centre of her sofa. Another pang at the back of her head brought a muttered swear from her lips about having another thing to scrub clean once whoever was in her bed was gone. Turning to the coffee table, she felt her heart sink as she spied the crumpled up form of the shirt she remembered putting on the day before, next to a shirt she didn't recognise. Strewn across the glass slab and tied in a strange ring, the turtleneck was marred with the same stain as the couch and damp just like the rest of her outfit. So too was a black dress shirt which she could only conclude to be the Haariese's. Settling her expression into a deep frown, she slapped her hands against the sides of her head in frustration. Could she have fallen for that old trick? A conveniently spilled drink encouraging her to change out of her wet clothes. With a silent prayer to whatever Gods would listen, she tried in vain to recall anything from the previous day. The last memories she had were that of leaving the apartment, dressed up to go somewhere. Even her destination eluded her, the attempt to recall it bringing another throbbing pain to her head. The young Goblin let the attempt die then and there, knowing there must be more clues somewhere.
She lumbered on towards the bathroom, sending a glance towards the kitchenette and deciding to check there afterwards. Sucking a breath in to brace herself as she slid the shoji door open, she flicked on the light and walked past the threshold. The fluorescent bulb erupted into a blinding light that forced the woman to wince, narrowing her eyes to let them adjust to the early morning assault. A light groan of disgust for all things stimulating fought its way out of her throat. When she could finally see, where she hoped to find clarity only filled her with more confusion. Scanning the room from left to right, her eyes locked onto her missing bra, stained a bespeckled crimson red and sitting on the seat in her shower, the glass doors dotted with water stains from recent use. A number of used tissues surrounded the toilet as if whoever placed them had little interest in aiming for either the bowl or the nearby trash can. Lastly she looked to the sink below the mirror, small flecks of red lingered around the drain, like the beginnings of rain on the city sidewalks but dragging inwards towards the centre like the porcelain was wet at the time. Taking a few careful steps inside, she let out a soft hiss as the cold tiles greeted her bare feet. She allowed herself a quick glance in the mirror, the brief flash of her thoroughly messy hair hardly surprising her at this point. The signs all pointed to the answer she was hoping wouldn't be true. She turned to face herself, letting out a long, slow breath as she rested her hands on the rim of the sink. Putting her weight onto the cold porcelain as she resigned herself to guilt and shame. She needed to bite the bullet and look herself in the eye, to accept this mistake and move on. When she did, something new took her by surprise. In her own reflection, she saw a nasty looking bruise she didn't recognise. Amidst her dishevelled hair and eyeliner that ran down her cheeks, staining them with a fading black, it looked like she attempted to get a very rapid and excruciatingly close look at a lamp post. Her left eye was sporting a painful looking black eye that she did not feel until attention was drawn to it. She slowly brought a hand to her face, lightly touching the afflicted eye and wincing as it stung back against her fingertips. A tidal wave of varying emotions crashed over her, each vying for priority in her mind and only muddling her own thoughts. She was paralysed with uncertainty for a few moments as each new concern battled it out in her head, the victor being a deep, very immediate feeling of danger as an invisible line was drawn between her eye, her scattered clothes and the man currently in her bed. Assumptions and jumping conclusions screamed at her to act, instinct pulling her away from the mirror and back out into the living room.
Wrapping her arms around herself as an uncomfortable shudder rocked her entire body, she fought against the thoughts that had invaded her mind. Unable to dismiss them, she did all in her power to force them to the back of her mind and shove back the sudden, overwhelming feeling of vulnerability and weakness that they brought with them. Once steadied that extra bit, she carried on towards the kitchenette, praying to the silent Gods that she had done the smart thing and left her phone charging in the answering machine like usual. She had people to call, friends who she could stay with while she tried to figure everything out. She just needed to grab it and go. She could borrow a coat from the apartment caretaker and wait in a coffee shop. There was one nearby that opened unreasonably early. It all hinged on the phone. Her stomach churned at the thought of having to return to her bedroom with the thoughts she was burdened with now, whether they were correct or not. He had seemed so caring when they interacted at work, could it all have been an act? Nonetheless, she rounded the human-sized counter that blocked her view of the kitchenette, resting a hand against it for support as her feet dragged indecisively forwards. Just ahead of her, waiting right where it always was, sat a foldable plastic step. Only a foot high, it seemed like a mountain to the groggy Goblin. She braced her clouded mind for the task ahead, staggering to the base of the stool and straightening up. Taking this journey one step at a time, she held onto the handles of the drawers built into her countertop as she raised her steadiest leg. Placing it firmly on the rough plastic, she winced in anticipation as she pushed down, raising herself up with support from her arms, reaching this painful summit in an instant that took an eternity. With her head finally above the countertops, she spied around for her phone. Still desperate to escape the home she no longer felt safe in, her unfocused eyes shifted around. Passing over an open cabinet, its contents haphazardly strewn across the surface below. Not stopping to examine it further, her gaze came to a stop on the blocky brick of technology that was her phone. It lay, perfectly upright, in its charging port. She let out a relieved sigh, appreciating the one thing about this morning that was simple. However, as she moved a slow hand forwards to collect the device, the light at the base of the answering machine blinked. An unheard message. Curiosity clawed its way back from the hidden corner of her mind that dread had chased it off to. Sending a hesitant gaze over her shoulder towards the door to her bedroom, she reached a tentative finger forwards to let it play.
The button clicked in compliance as it was pressed down, the machine coming to life with an electronic sizzle.
"You have... three... new messages. Received… yesterday at… 9:25 PM." It whispered, petering out with another sizzle to let the message play.
"Hey… Are you alright? I know you said you'll be fine but getting dragged into work stuff so late… Look, I'm worried. Just message me in the morning to let me know you got home safe, okay? We'll have our night out eventually, I promise." A familiar voice projected from the answering machine.
Rizzy's voice brought the Goblin no small amount of comfort. Having something she could recognise with certainty cut through the silent dread that had gripped her body and mind. She attempted to remember last night once again, emboldened by the new information she had. A night out cut short by work. Her mind resisted just as it had been doing the entire morning, fighting back against her prodding thoughts with worsening throbs of pain that worried her the more she had to struggle with it.
"Received… yesterday at… 11:23 PM." The machine buzzed again, giving her little time to continue sifting through the haze of her clouded mind.
"You picked a real bad time to have your phone off, lady. Listen, you better hear this quick; the NPD network is lighting up like Sunburst on Dragonflight. Get the fuck out of Aperture! What in the Gods non-existent names did you do over there? I heard -… Doesn't matter. Just get fucking moving!" The speaker ordered with authority he didn't have.
Lil Mac's nasally voice brought with it a new level of anxiety. The fellow Goblin's usually dismissive tone was replaced with the closest to fearful that Mac had ever let it get. In the pause between messages, she considered Mac's words. Whatever she had been called into work to do, clearly it didn't go well. In fact, the NPD having any presence in the Aperture Docklands was incredibly strange. The Steel Purpose were supposed to have that entire district under their robotic thumbs. As she briefly considered the part she had played in the gang's sudden loss on their 'cop-free zone', the answering machine buzzed for the final time.
"Received… today at… 1:03 AM." It began, the following voice muddled with the background noise of a raging blaze and shouting.
"Gaz? Gaz! Gods damn you, girl, pick up!" Rizzy shouted at her phone, her voice undercut with a few distant gunshots. "I'm coming to find you. The whole fucking districts gone crazy!"
Rizzy panted, clearly running as she spoke while the chaos around her bled into the voicemail. Inhuman and unnatural chittering and screams undercut by the sounds of fighting and a city burning to ash.
"If you get this, call me right away. I-" The Kobold was cut off by a nearby screech.
The grotesque cry followed by the creak of bending metal, sounding very close to the speaker.
"ST OH NE!" An unnatural voice demanded.
She edged closer to the phone, resting her hands on the counter as the sounds of Rizzy struggling overtook the riot in the background. Fear gripped at her throat before a sudden bang caught her off guard, the Goblin jolted back as a firearm was discharged right next to the phone. Her eyes widened as her fingers gripped at the counter, the following silence lasting for what seemed like hours.
"... What the fuck. What fucking stone…" Rizzy's haggard voice broke the quiet. "Gaz… where are you…?"
The voicemail ended abruptly, the Goblin left in an uncomfortable silence. She staggered back off of the step, almost falling onto the cold tiles below. Still reeling from the messages, she turned aimlessly around and started moving. Her body carried her onwards while her mind found itself unable to pick a direction. Before she could even process the repeated cold shock from the kitchen tiles, she found herself back in the living room, grabbing at the cord of her shades. With an aggressive yank, the shades were forced open. The souellight burst into the room, the building adrenaline allowing the Goblin to stand firm against the following headache. Letting her yellowed eyes adjust to the outside light, her fears were confirmed. Through the gaps in between the man-made towers that scraped the sky, she could see numerous thick plumes of coloured arcane smoke rising from what was once the Aperture Docklands. From where she stood it looked like the entire district was put to the torch. With her mind going a mile a minute, the woman backed away from the windows as NPD cruisers raced up and down every street, sirens still blaring like an alarm clock for the entire city. Her senses came back to her all at once as she felt her back impact with the arm of the couch, having backed across most of the room without noticing. Turning to steady herself, her eyes locked once more on the stains that marred the upholstery. With the new light illuminating the room, she felt her breath catch in her throat as the filth she had so quickly dismissed earlier was viewed with full clarity. Blood. Lots of it. Her gaze snapped to the bedroom door once more, the stillness of her bedpartners form screaming at her as something she should have noticed sooner. Did she hear him breathe? Did she see his chest rise and fall in the darkness? Did he stir at all as she traipsed around her room, digging through their collective belongings? As the questions berated her mind, she edged towards the door, hands wringing with each other as her earlier fears seemed so insignificant. Among the racing thoughts, the voice of the creature over the phone returned as she tried to make sense of it all once more. It demanded 'Stone' with such urgency. It couldn't be that little gemstone that lay wrapped in her stained clothes… could it?
A heavy fist thudded at the front door. She jumped in fright, her hand retracting from the bedroom door handle as her entire form spun to face down the seemingly endless hallway that led to the outside. She held still for a few seconds, unsure if she could even trust her ears at this point. Three more thuds followed, confirming for her that this was at least real. She darted her eyes between the door beside her and the hallway, really wishing she had taken up Dario's offer of a gun when she started working for him. Hesitation held her trapped in its unforgiving grip as she prayed to the Gods for the knocker to assume no one was home.
"Nova Police Department! I'd just like to ask you a few questions." A reptilian voice broke its way through the door.
What the fuck did we get up to last night, Gaz?