No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.

[docconstantine.livejournal.com]

July 3rd, Friday night
Stumbling homewards along the bank of the river

I am not sure who is helping who to walk; Iago helping me or me helping Iago. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to grab him and take him over to La Fee Verte ... but he was mopey and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Admittedly, I don't have the best track record with good ideas. We got drunk on absinthe. Then I thought it would cheer him up ever more, so we went to see the show at The Grindhouse. Then Daiyu happened. Before I could say 'boo', we were back in her trailer, chasing the dragon. What happened next is still rather fuzzy. I am pretty sure we didn't have sex, with either her or each other, but I am pretty sure we got a private viewing of her contortion act.

But now my head just hurts, and Iago's giggling madly and stumbling over his own feet, and I may just need to sleep this off.  Maybe I just want to get back inside....

Shake my head to make that crawling feeling go away.  I'm being silly, it's not like I am out alone, after all.  Iago is babbling something about his cousins, and I can't follow any of it.  "You are an absolute mess, do you know that?" I say, half sighing, half laughing. "Granted, I am an absolute mess too." We both stumble and barely keep each other from going down face first into the river.

"We are never telling Glass about this, right?"

(open to Iago and Marbas and Kaeli)

Comments

[iago-excolo.livejournal.com]

It's a welcome sight to see Lucien moving again because truly, I don't know how I would've explained this to anyone. As it is, I still don't know. I ask about his comment regarding Kaeli and his answer pulls a weak laugh from me. "Glass and a shovel? I'm sorry I missed it as well." I grin because that hurts the least. "Being alive is better than being a zombie. Kaeli got it right this time."

My eyes dart over Kaeli's unconscious body and the rather impressive amount of blood around us. I look in the direction of Lucien's office and sigh heavily. "Problematic is one word for it." I cough a bit, trying to not laugh as Lucien falls back on his ass. "There's always crawling but if someone sees us, that'll take some explaining that we might not yet want to do."

I glance at Kaeli again. "She looks light though and I believe I could carry her. All I have to do is get up." It's not as easy as it sounds and my muscles and joints protest with every movement but eventually I stand, albeit a bit shakily but I'm standing nevertheless.

"Alright, I'm up. Need a hand?" I offer a hand up and say, "Lucien, how are we going to explain this? And who should we tell, if at all?" I pause, pondering the possibilities. "Certainly Mab and the deputy, but beyond that... Glass?"

[docconstantine.livejournal.com]

"Thank fuck Kaeli got it right. I think it all depends on how dead you... are we really having this discussion? Only in Excolo..."

Iago agrees that us moving ourselves is bad enough right now, let alone Kaeli. I mean... if we could fashion a sort of stretcher I suppose we could act as sled dogs... but he's right. How the fuck would we explain that, in conjunction with all the blood?

"She looks light though and I believe I could carry her. All I have to do is get up." I watch him dubiously, but color me shocked; he gets to his feet.

"Need a hand?" I wave it away. "No, if you can do it, I suppose I can get my sorry ass off the ground. Besides, I'm heavier than you think..." Groan loudly, and I must look ridiculous; but I manage it. I'd hate to have pulled you back down." I sigh, pushing bloodied hair from my eyes.

"Lucien, how are we going to explain this? And who should we tell, if at all? Certainly Mab and the deputy, but beyond that... Glass?"

"Glass? I mean... she see the raising of the dead or the meddling in the affairs of a corpse a massively bad thing. She may get pissed off that Kaeli managed to bring me back. And trust me; I. Was. Dead."

Look around, somewhere between glad no one's found us and irritated no one heard us. "Can't explain the why of what just happened... but the who? That just happened to be the demon I got yanked out of me. We'll have to tell Mab that Mr. Underhill, should he show his face again, should be shot on sight." Like that will work. Rub my face, feeling beyond exhausted.

"C'mon. Let's get Kaeli back to my place. Between the two of us I think we can manage it. Each of us take an arm, carry her upright between us?"

[iago-excolo.livejournal.com]

I'm quite pleased to see Lucien on his feet and if I have anything to do with it, it'll be as short a time as possible. This night's been like no other and I ask his opinion regarding who should be told this incredible misadventure, Glass in particular. Lucien's not eager to share and truly, I understand exactly what he's talking about and as much as I'd want to tell her, it's not worth the resulting trouble.

Nodding in agreement, I say, "I'll follow your lead and perhaps Kaeli might not suffer undue stress. As for Underhill, yes, telling Mab should be first." I'm exhausted but I certainly can't be worse off than Lucien and I heft Kaeli up, leaning most of her weight on me before saying, "I believe if we go slowly, I'll be able to carry her and more so, if you can manage yourself, we should make it." I stagger a step or two but regain my balance before trudging back to Lucien's office.

After what seems like an eternity, we make it to his front steps and I try not to pant overly much before saying, "Mind opening the door for me? And I'm claiming dibs on the couch as this is my last stop tonight."

[docconstantine.livejournal.com]

"Don't get me wrong, I don't not want to tell Glass, and I don't think we should hide it from her..." I curse under my breath and shake my head. "Let's re-examine this tomorrow, when I'm not so..." Wave my hand. "When thinking doesn't hurt. We can go to Mab's tomorrow."

I help Iago get a still unconscious Kaeli off the ground, and I am eternally gratefully when he takes the lions share--- I really don't care for that turn of phrase right now--- when he take's most of the burden on himself.

We do go slowly, and I find I have to help Iago steady himself and Kaeli more than once. Finally, oh thank you whoever still likes me! the office is there and we've made it!

"Mind opening the door for me? And I'm claiming dibs on the couch as this is my last stop tonight."

It takes a few fumbles and a lot of cursing, but I manage to get my key into the lock and open it. "You can have the bed. She get's the hospital bed in the room next to the office," I point to the dark room off to the left. "...and I'll take my couch in the office. I want to be near enough to hear her in case she wakes." Granted, I am not sure a stampede of elephants could wake me up after I drop into exhaustion.

We gingerly deposit Kaeli onto the hospital bed, and I grab a warmer blanket to cover her with. She'll be okay for about twenty minutes on her own, I'm sure.

I lean against the wall, and take a good look at both of them. They look like hell... I don't even want to imagine what I look like.

"I'm claiming first shower rights though." I say with a faint grin, then heading for the stairs and waving for him to follow.

[iago-excolo.livejournal.com]

I'd chuckle over Lucien's dilemma except that it's one I have myself and I say, "Don't worry about it now, Lucien. We'll chat about it later and decide how to handle it then. Honestly, it's a little more than I want to think about right now and I'm not thinking as clearly as I wish I were."

We make it inside after some stumbling and near-falls but my claim to the couch is challenged. I lay Kaeli on the hospital bed before asking in an amused tone, "Isn't Lannie in your bed? Does she come with your offer?" I chuckle before coughing lightly. "Fuck, I need something to drink. My throat's raw as hell and as loathe as I'm to say it, I'd like some water."

He heads off to the shower and if he hadn't just dropped dead, I might argue with him. I don't have the energy though, not after our mini-trek and armed with nothing but my stellar sense of humor, I say, "Your house so you get to shower first but I'm next. I feel like shit anyway so I'll just lay here for a bit 'til you get back."

[docconstantine.livejournal.com]

Iago points out there might be a Lannie in my bed, and I almost groan at that. "Shit, not used to having someone in it on a nightly basis." God these steps seem steep...

"Kitchens that way. Water, juice...whatever you want." I wave towards the kitchen and go into the bedroom. Lannie isn't here, and maybe it's for the best. Can barely think, imagine trying to explain this to your girlfriend who can turn into a wolf when pissed off.

Stip off the ruined clothes and start the shower. Clothes my eyes so I can pointedly ignore the water running red off of me. Finally realize I am snoring when I choke on the water getting into my mouth. Right. In long enough. Get out, dry off, find a pair of sweat pants...

and Iago is snoring away in the overstuffed chair that serves as a couch. Lean over and shake his shoulder; me wet hair dripping on his face.

"Your turn. No Lannie, so feel free to drop in the bed once you're done."