Opening the door [Forward dated to day 11]

[nobasisinfact]

[There's no message, just this,followed by laughter. The laughter doesn't sound right. It's like nails on chalkboard and static all at once.]

Comments

[11calls]

I'm not an idiot.

[And another step.]

You're forgetting. Richard's the one who's supposed to the door. That's why Warren is doing everything he can to get him to Geneva. If you hurt him, he won't be able to do that, and your general isn't going to be very happy with you.

[nobasisinfact]

And you believe we need him alive to open the door?

[11calls]

I think that if Thomas Warren could have killed him and used him to open the door than he already would have. I think that if Thomas Warren would have kidnapped him to get him to Geneva he would have too. And Richard needs to be the one to make the choice to go there. To do it. And you can't make any choices when you're dead, demon.

[Another step.]

Get. Out. Of. Him.

[nobasisinfact]

You can't intimidate me, vessel.

[11calls]

Yeah, well, you can't intimidate me either. Because I'm not going to leave him alone like this. If you know anything about me, you know I don't give up. Especially when it comes to people I love.

[nobasisinfact]

I could kill you.

[11calls]

But aren't I an important vessel for your general? You really should keep your story straight. If you kill me then he doesn't get to do that.

[And that's another step.]

[nobasisinfact]

We can find another vessel.

[11calls]

Not like me. Not after three years of nightmares, not with the personal connection to the person who's gonna open the door.

[And then Alex laughs, and it's more like Richard's angry laugh than her own.]

Besides, if it was okay to kill me then Warren would have done it by now. Especially after the last time I saw him.

[nobasisinfact]

Thomas Warren isn't here.

[11calls]

Neither are you, not really. You're a nightmare. Nothing more.

[A beat.]

My nightmare.

[nobasisinfact]

Are you so sure? We're everywhere,

[11calls]

You would have done a lot more than this a lot earlier than this if you were everywhere.

[nobasisinfact]

Would we? Do you really know us?

[11calls]

Yes.

[nobasisinfact]

I assure you, you don't.

[11calls]

[Jutting her chin out and standing just out of reach of the demon, Alex crosses her arms over her chest, staring it down. When she speaks, it's in her huffy reporter voice.]

So, tell me about it then.

[nobasisinfact]

You don't need to know. Once you've become a proper vessel you'll have no need of it.

[11calls]

Tell me anyway if it doesn't matter.

[nobasisinfact]

Why would I both-

[Another push.]

G-o.

[11calls]

No! You're insane if you think I'm leaving you down here with that thing!

[Alex knows that it's Richard pushing, and she knows that whatever he's doing isn't physical, and that's something that they're going to have a talk about later, but for now, she just pushes back against the wall, using it to hold onto so he can't shove her away.]

I love you and I'm not going anywhere until it's gone!

[nobasisinfact]

How quaint. I'm not going anywhere either, vessel.

[11calls]

Then tell me what I want to know.

[Alex moves through the distance between them until she’s closer than she was before the push.]

[nobasisinfact]

I have no reason to do so.

[11calls]

Really?

[and then Alex draws back to slap him good and hard.]