004. Video; un: driver

[killertrack]

[ When the video starts, nothing shows but a Cadelle street. It's the middle of the night and the streetlamps are all the light around. There's music playing, obviously coming from the phone's speakers, tinny. But it's half covered by Baby's humming. ]

Hellooooo everyone! I thought I'd sing you a lullaby.

[ It's obvious that Baby is drunk when he starts speaking, even without being on the screen, and it's even more obvious when he moves the camera a little, half his face appearing, shadowed by the streetlights he's walking under. He's wearing sunglasses.

Eyes half closed, the unsteadiness of the video shows how much Baby has had earlier. He stumbles for a step, then stops, laughing to himself as he runs a hand over his face.

Then, he starts singing, along with the song playing: ]

So take a look at me now
Since I told you it's over
You got a hole in your heart
I'll find a four leaf clover
You can't tell me this now
This far down the line
That you're never, ever gonna get over me

[ He might be drunk, but at least he's not a bad singer. It's a bit wobbly, and there are tears in his voice as he sings, the words feeling like they're stabbing him, over and over.

Isabelle's gone.

He stops singing, looking ahead at the mostly empty street. He stumbles again, closes his eyes while he takes a deep breath, head tilted up to the sky. When he opens them again, and then turns to the camera, he's grinning. ]

Feels like a perfect night for a joyride, right?

[ The words are slurred, and Baby's smile is already wavering, but then he turns the camera to his car, parked a few feet away. ]

Comments

ACTION. | bc i do what i want

[risers]

[ it's with a sigh alec regards baby's current state. he can feel the grey hairs beginning to transform his thick, black mop into a sign of his stresses. walking around the town while he can't sleep was meant to be simple — walk, overthink, grab something to eat, and then wander for a little longer before getting back to his assigned place. first izzy hightails out of this city after he arrives, and now he has to clean up the mess of her … whatever friend. ]

[ he doesn't have to ... but he's going to. the impulse to mom everyone is incredibly high right now. ]

[ he doesn't reply, as his long legs obviously get him to cadelle street within seconds (or a couple of minutes). when he spots the car — it's only familiar by the video of baby wallowing — he moves quicker, hands no longer in his pockets until he's resting against the side of the driver's door. arms crossed, he looks at baby with his usual expression — guarded, unimpressed, tired. ]

Nice car.

[ alec wouldn't know what a nice car is if it bit him in the ass. ]

▸ it's baby's party and he can cry if he wants to.

[recoined]

( it's been snowing these last few days. the roads are newly covered in a thin blanket of soft snow that crunches under her feet, recently fallen leaves just barely hidden under the surface; the crack of dead leaf and stick echoes out in the stillness of night with each step she takes, a low rustle that barely registers under the thump of music playing through her headphones as she runs.

you see, the middle of the night is exactly the right time to run through the city, practicing climbing up and over a building every block or so, or testing her landings as she leaps off a roof into the snow. just the kind of thing to do in the middle of the night, where no one can question it or ask her what she thinks she's doing. and while she's a bit preoccupied — and therefore hasn't had the downtime to watch baby's somber broadcast — it's nearly impossible to mistake the tell-tale gleam of red metal, baby's challenger parked on her route, a familiar silhouette leaning up against it.

it might have helped if she didn't spot said car and silhouette after leaping off a building, though. with a bit of a sheepish grin, kimberly sweeps her hair out of her face with her palm. ) Hi. ( observant as ever, it takes her a moment or two to realize just how unsteady he looks. )

What's going on?

video;

[righthandgirl]

( She might not know this guy, but he sounded and looked really sad...and drunk, and it's kind of hard to ignore that. Especially when he finishes by mentioning joyriding and pointing the camera at his car. If nothing else, that's what eventually spurs her to respond to the stranger. That's a dangerous thought, for him; for anyone else on the road. She can't turn a blind eye to pain that would drive someone to even joke about that.

Jo's face pops up on the screen and she smiles a little, trying not to appear too sympathetic because she worries that might actually be kind of off-putting since they've never met. )

Hey, that was a really cool song, what was that?

( She actually really hasn't ever heard of it, so that's a genuine curiosity. )

Having a few drinks for fun or not so much?

( For all Jo knows, it could've started out as having fun and maybe he's just a really depressed drunk. She's met some of those. ...a lot of those... )

voice }

[wildkingdom]

Don't get in your car.

[YOU ARE DRUNK BABY, DON'T YOU START DRIVING. She's going to come find you just stay where you are.]