[He appreciates the tight grip. She, at least, is something real, something tangible in this whole mess. He doesn't let go right away, but he doesn't really realise it. It's more subconscious than an actual decision on his part. ]
We can make a day of it. We can toast s'mores over their ashy remains. Take that, nightmare fuel.
[Ash isn't really too eager to let go either. She just sort of.... stares down at their hands. Just like the hair-ruffling before, there's a sort of warmth to his touch that makes her want to keep on holding his hand. It's a good warmth, not like the searing heat of the burning lodge....]
Can we.... d-do we have to wait till then to spend a day together? I don't... [Her grip tightens even more, so that she's flat-out clinging to his hand.] I don't want to be alone after all of this....
[She has her parents, of course, but they wouldn't understand. They'll be overbearing, as parents tend to be, and she can't really blame them for that. But she needs someone who actually knows what she's going through there with her....]
[His expression softens, his own hand tightening around hers, trying to give her some reassurance. An anchor against the storm. ]
Ash.
[Where 'they' are right now is still pretty confusing and he knows they'll need to sit down and talk about that, but one thing he knows absolutely without question. ]
You won't be alone in this, in any of this. I'll always have your back, I promise. No matter what. You need me for anything? I'm there.
[Now that they're not in any sort of life-threatening situation, or walking into impending death, those words... they actually make her blush a little. God, it's so cheesy, and something a lot of people in this day and age might think is just all lip service, but....
But Ashley knows Chris. Even before last night, he was always the kind of person to put others before himself. The events of last night just took that feeling of protectiveness to a whole different. level. And it... worries her, just a little.]
Just... promise me you'll come to me with anything you need, okay? I appreciate you wanting to help, god, I really do... but you need to think of you too. Got it?
[That's what Ashley gets. Terrible cheese. She needs to look at her life, look at her choices. He means it, though, every single word. He failed Josh and now he's lost him. He can't let it happen again. He absolutely cannot.
That would be a no on the looking after himself thing. Still, he shifts his crutch to cross his chest with his hand.]
[Psh, she won't complain one bit. His absolutely adorable dorkiness is one of the reasons why she loves him so much, and he wouldn't be Chris without it.
And if she can't protect him in the ways that he protected her at the lodge, if she can't be the knight in shining armor that he is to her, then she'll try her damned hardest to make sure he can still smile and joke. She'll make sure that Chris stays Chris. So she's gotta be serious here]
[So much for exploiting that loophole. He hesitates for a moment, know if he makes this promise, he has to mean it. She'll know if he doesn't. He gives a soft exhale. ]
Okay. I promise, Ash. But you know that means you're subjecting yourself to three am phone calls because I really need a sympathy pizza.
[Yes. Make it funny, then he can pretend it doesn't hurt as much. ]
I'll do you one better; pizza and ice cream. Two comfort foods you can't say no to.
And, you know. Ice cream's a lot easier to get at three in the morning than pizza, unless you want crappy toaster-oven pizza.
[They'll need to talk about all this shit in a serious matter at some point. But not when all their wounds are still fresh and bleeding - both physically and metaphorically.]
[He puts a hand to his chest, letting out a soft 'pshaw' noise. No seriousness here. He can't handle that right now. It means examining himself in ways he really isn't up to doing right now. ]
How you tempt me. Pizza and ice cream? Be still my beating heart.
...And yeah, no one wants toaster-oven pizza, that's an affront to humanity.
... We all deserve to be spoiled a bit for a while. Maybe more than a bit.
[Would anyone really argue with that? Even if they can't understand the scope of the situation...]
I'm thinking a queue of the cheesiest movies we can find on Netflix. Maybe a few Disney movies too.
[Well, Disney could definitely count as cheesy. Either way, that's really something she needs; stories about magic and legends where things all turn out right in the end.]
[Some more than others. He doesn't really count himself in that mix. The feeling of guilt, for not doing enough for Josh, for turning that handle and sealing his fate (or so he thought). He doesn't deserve to be spoiled for that. Not when Josh isn't with them. ]
Yeah. I could use a whole lot of happy endings, right now. All the cheese, all the time.
[They can pretend the world is really like that for a little while. That people get their wishes granted and no one gets hurt in the process. ]
[Psh, he would get plenty of arguments if he tried to say that he didn't deserve it. Sam and Mike would definitely back her up there, and if Matt and Jess were filled in on what happened, Ashley is sure they'd be on her side too.
Who knows what Emily would think. He didn't have any hand in what happened in the basement, but with how stressed out everyone was....
No. No thinking about that. Just. No.]
We'll probably get diabetes from that much Disney fluff, but hey. Worth it, right? Especially if it helps... [She waves her hand.] You know.... this.
[IT WILL BE A VALIANT FIGHT BUT THEY WILL DEFINITELY COME OUT ON TOP :|]
And speaking of this... [She doesn't wave her hand around this time, but she does scan the dismal-looking all they've been occupying for a while now.] We should probably get out of here. Or... find where they want us to go next. It's getting a little weird.
I feel you. I mean... what happened to me wasn't as bad as what happened to you, but my head feels like it's about ready to split open.
[Being knocked out twice in only a couple of hours is just.... not good for you, it seems. Her wrists hurt too, judging by how she's rubbing at them over her gloves. She's sure those cuffs that Josh used to string her up in the first trap messed her up somehow, but she hasn't really stopped to look....]
I guess. We're probably gunna be waiting a while longer, if that's the case. [She nods towards some doors still closed.] I think they're still talking to a couple of us.
A busted eye isn't anything compared to a busted leg. That you then had to run on a few times. I'll probably be fine with an icepack and some Advil.
[Sorry Chris. You put her before you? She's gunna do the same to you. Nevermind that getting hit hard enough to knock her unconscious twice in just a couple of hours would be enough to raise suspicions about a concussion....]
... I hope so, too. But... they're all strong, right? They'll be okay.
[Except maybe Jess. God.... she doesn't know what happened to Jess, and she almost doesn't want to. Seeing someone normally so carefree and peppy turned into that... she's not sure whether she should be angry, scared, or just. Cry.]
[He opens his mouth to argue, but...no, okay. His leg does really fucking hurt. Still, better to run on it than get caught by one of those...things. ]
They are, but...I dunno. There's being strong in the face of adversity, and then there's being strong in the middle of a waking nightmare. I mean, shit, did you see Jess?
[It looked like she'd got a broken everything, up to and including her spirit. It's no surprise Mike thought she was dead.]
[Ashley shakes her head. If they hadn't gotten into that mess with the wendigos, if they hadn't been thrown into Josh's fucked-up revenge scheme... just looking at Jess would've given her nightmares, probably.]
It's like... I dunno. It's like they picked up a different person, not Jess.
[It's deeply, deeply concerning. How much of her has been ripped away. He shakes his head, he's tried to understand this, any of this, give some REASON for it all happening. He can't. It's just a nightmare none of them will ever escape. ]
[Josh had suffered, and he hadn't done enough for him, and in doing so he lost his best friend forever. Over ten years of friendship torn apart in the space of one night. Josh had lost himself to the darkness, and he'll be damned if he'll let the same thing happen to Jess. ]
Or at least make it so she knows she's not alone in it all.
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We can make a day of it. We can toast s'mores over their ashy remains. Take that, nightmare fuel.
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Can we.... d-do we have to wait till then to spend a day together? I don't... [Her grip tightens even more, so that she's flat-out clinging to his hand.] I don't want to be alone after all of this....
[She has her parents, of course, but they wouldn't understand. They'll be overbearing, as parents tend to be, and she can't really blame them for that. But she needs someone who actually knows what she's going through there with her....]
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Ash.
[Where 'they' are right now is still pretty confusing and he knows they'll need to sit down and talk about that, but one thing he knows absolutely without question. ]
You won't be alone in this, in any of this. I'll always have your back, I promise. No matter what. You need me for anything? I'm there.
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But Ashley knows Chris. Even before last night, he was always the kind of person to put others before himself. The events of last night just took that feeling of protectiveness to a whole different. level. And it... worries her, just a little.]
Just... promise me you'll come to me with anything you need, okay? I appreciate you wanting to help, god, I really do... but you need to think of you too. Got it?
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That would be a no on the looking after himself thing. Still, he shifts his crutch to cross his chest with his hand.]
Got it.
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And if she can't protect him in the ways that he protected her at the lodge, if she can't be the knight in shining armor that he is to her, then she'll try her damned hardest to make sure he can still smile and joke. She'll make sure that Chris stays Chris. So she's gotta be serious here]
That wasn't a promise. You gotta say you promise.
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Okay. I promise, Ash. But you know that means you're subjecting yourself to three am phone calls because I really need a sympathy pizza.
[Yes. Make it funny, then he can pretend it doesn't hurt as much. ]
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And, you know. Ice cream's a lot easier to get at three in the morning than pizza, unless you want crappy toaster-oven pizza.
[They'll need to talk about all this shit in a serious matter at some point. But not when all their wounds are still fresh and bleeding - both physically and metaphorically.]
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How you tempt me. Pizza and ice cream? Be still my beating heart.
...And yeah, no one wants toaster-oven pizza, that's an affront to humanity.
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Besides, we've done so many all-nighters that I know what your favorites are, so it's not really a big thing at all.
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[Dorky grin. Guess what that thing is.
Spoilers: it's a romcom.
More spoilers: it's probably Sleepless in Seattle.]
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[Would anyone really argue with that? Even if they can't understand the scope of the situation...]
I'm thinking a queue of the cheesiest movies we can find on Netflix. Maybe a few Disney movies too.
[Well, Disney could definitely count as cheesy. Either way, that's really something she needs; stories about magic and legends where things all turn out right in the end.]
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Yeah. I could use a whole lot of happy endings, right now. All the cheese, all the time.
[They can pretend the world is really like that for a little while. That people get their wishes granted and no one gets hurt in the process. ]
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Who knows what Emily would think. He didn't have any hand in what happened in the basement, but with how stressed out everyone was....
No. No thinking about that. Just. No.]
We'll probably get diabetes from that much Disney fluff, but hey. Worth it, right? Especially if it helps... [She waves her hand.] You know.... this.
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Sure, totally worth it. Nothing like diabetes inducing movies to help -
[To help make them feel like they hadn't just been put through hell. ]
Yeah. This.
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And speaking of this... [She doesn't wave her hand around this time, but she does scan the dismal-looking all they've been occupying for a while now.] We should probably get out of here. Or... find where they want us to go next. It's getting a little weird.
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[Something good and strong so his leg stops ACHING.]
Maybe we have to all go as a group? I dunno. Someone around here's gotta have some answers.
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[Being knocked out twice in only a couple of hours is just.... not good for you, it seems. Her wrists hurt too, judging by how she's rubbing at them over her gloves. She's sure those cuffs that Josh used to string her up in the first trap messed her up somehow, but she hasn't really stopped to look....]
I guess. We're probably gunna be waiting a while longer, if that's the case. [She nods towards some doors still closed.] I think they're still talking to a couple of us.
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[There's still some bubbling anger there. That Josh would hit her. He turns to frown at the closed doors. ]
I hope everyone's holding up alright.
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[Sorry Chris. You put her before you? She's gunna do the same to you. Nevermind that getting hit hard enough to knock her unconscious twice in just a couple of hours would be enough to raise suspicions about a concussion....]
... I hope so, too. But... they're all strong, right? They'll be okay.
[Except maybe Jess. God.... she doesn't know what happened to Jess, and she almost doesn't want to. Seeing someone normally so carefree and peppy turned into that... she's not sure whether she should be angry, scared, or just. Cry.]
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They are, but...I dunno. There's being strong in the face of adversity, and then there's being strong in the middle of a waking nightmare. I mean, shit, did you see Jess?
[It looked like she'd got a broken everything, up to and including her spirit. It's no surprise Mike thought she was dead.]
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[Ashley shakes her head. If they hadn't gotten into that mess with the wendigos, if they hadn't been thrown into Josh's fucked-up revenge scheme... just looking at Jess would've given her nightmares, probably.]
It's like... I dunno. It's like they picked up a different person, not Jess.
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[It's deeply, deeply concerning. How much of her has been ripped away. He shakes his head, he's tried to understand this, any of this, give some REASON for it all happening. He can't. It's just a nightmare none of them will ever escape. ]
What the hell did those things do to her.
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[Because the LAST thing Jess needs is to be reminded of is what happened to her.]
If that's one thing about our night up on that mountain remains a mystery... well. That's okay with me.
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[Josh had suffered, and he hadn't done enough for him, and in doing so he lost his best friend forever. Over ten years of friendship torn apart in the space of one night. Josh had lost himself to the darkness, and he'll be damned if he'll let the same thing happen to Jess. ]
Or at least make it so she knows she's not alone in it all.
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