capeandcowl | [ 3 ] [ voice; forward-dated to early saturday morning ]

Entry tags:

nelson gardner | captain metropolis

[ 3 ] [ voice; forward-dated to early saturday morning ]

[ He doesn't speak immediately, though there's the very, very faint sound of the radio in the background. A breath is drawn and when he does finally talk he sounds some combination of very concerned and upset while also trying not to be. ]

Um -- uh -- hello. I wouldn't normally use this thing for such a simple question, but I figured this would be the fastest way to get a real answer, since-- well, I know that protocol here doesn't always allow for just calling the police.

So: Has anyone else disappeared... recently? Unaccounted for?

[ He clears his throat and there's a pause as he takes a drink of something. ]

You see, I can't reach my friend Sally. [ Another pause. ] Jupiter. She's not normally very difficult to get ahold of, but it's no use. Now, my coworkers went missing for about a week last month without any warning, and they're all back now. But they weren't alone, either, and I know -- I know that these things can depend on if they're individual or en masse. That is, it's what I've heard.

But if anyone has seen her... or heard from her... I'd just like to make sure she's all right. I want to ensure that--

[ You don't want to know how many times he's tried calling her to bring him to the conclusion that, yes, something may be wrong. Like. It was a lot of times. Just in case: ]

Sally, if you're listening to this, I really hope you aren't just avoiding me.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, then. It seemed like she was well-liked around here.

She was fun.

Is she a friend of yours from home?

[ A little fondly: ] She usually is.

Yes. We go back quite a few years -- it was nice seeing her.

Sorry to hear she's gone so soon, then.

It's all right. I'll see her again eventually. That's how it works, isn't it?

The Porter's unpredictable, but yeah, you'll see her either way eventually. [ Either getting ported back home or she'll be brought back here. ]

That's something, at least. Truth be told, I don't see her that often back home either.

[ Trying to comfort himself. ]

Busy schedules?

That and distance. She moved across the country a few years ago.

Were you co-workers? [ Or something else... ]

[ He pauses. Secret identities... ]

Something like that, yes.

I see. [ LOVERS?? No, she actually doesn't assume anything like that at all. She doesn't assume anything of the two. ] She and a couple of other imPorts hosted a charity ball once.

Oh, really? [ Intrigued. ] That's splendid. Did it do well?

It did. [ There's a smile in her voice. ] It was pretty fun.

What sort of charity was it?

It had been raised for the City to repair damages of public property.

That sounds wonderful. I wonder if we couldn't organize something like that again -- this City could certainly use the help.

Asking around would be a good starter.

You've run charities before?

A few. Sally and I used to organize a number of public events back in the day.

What was it you two did?

Dinners and fundraisers, mostly. The typical sorts of things. Where the proceeds went would vary on the event and the year. [ Sometimes just... to the Minutemen... ]

Sally really knew what she was doing when she held that fundraiser. No wonder why.

Sally really knew her stuff when it came to good press.

I'm sure if you're interested in hosting something like that, people would help.

That's very promising. I'd love to -- uh, it's a great idea. I hadn't even considered organizing something here.