maskormenacelogs | i hate to see you leave

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i hate to see you leave

WHO: CHRISTINE and KATE
WHERE: Residence #002, Maurtia Falls.
WHEN: Backdated to early evening of 7/3.
WHAT: Delivering the news.
WARNINGS: Mention of death.

[ As Kate grows closer with each soft step to the house Renee and Christine share (shared, she corrects herself), she begins to wonder what the place looks like inside. Is it homey in feeling or appearance? Are there any others who live with them? Did Christine and Renee share a bed? They must have, she thinks. Not too long ago, the very idea of Renee sleeping with another woman would have earned Kate's jealousy, let alone actually being committed to someone enough to move with them to a different state.

She stops at the porch, glancing at her surroundings to gather a better sense of what this place is like. Was Renee happy here? Though they had once been in love, the subject of moving in together had never come up ― Kate had ruined everything before it could ever.

Looking at the door now, she suspects she's supposed to feel even an inkling of jealousy, yet there's nothing. She feels almost saddened; Renee had been able to come this far with someone who cared enough to keep looking for her. She didn't have her parents to condemn her or an entire precinct ready to take shots at her.

A quiet, bitter sigh escapes her. She lifts her hand and presses a finger against the doorbell, already steeled for what comes next. ]

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[There's no smile when Christine comes to the door, heels clicking on the floor without haste. She doesn't know who it is until she looks through and opens the door, but the prospect of seeing a familiar face brings no comfort.

She can guess what she's going to hear.]

Kate.

[A pause. Then she steps aside.]

Come in.

[ When she hears the soft clack of heels, she steps away from the door before she's invited in. Kate nods in greeting and moves through the doorway, but doesn't stray too far from Christine once inside. She doesn't want to come across as nosy and honestly, as curious as she is, she has the self-restraint to keep her eyes from wandering anywhere else in the house. Her gaze stays with Christine mostly. ]

Hey.

Sorry for barging in on you like this.

You aren't barging in, [Is all she says before she turns her back and walks over to the coffee table, picking up a small, silver box with cigarettes. She draws one out and clicks the lighter on.] You're welcome in this house whenever you want.

[Gesturing,] Sit down.

[ So she shared Renee's bad habit. Kate's never been and could never be a smoker, especially after Vic withered away so horribly. Renee quit after that, too. Sobered up. But this Renee had yet to meet the Question who would change her life and help her pick herself back up. From what John's told her, her life had begun to spiral out of control here.

Kate seats herself, pocketing away her sunglasses. She's quiet, letting the silence linger for a moment before she decides she needs to bite the bullet. ]

I'm sorry, Christine. I looked and asked around everywhere. Even had a friend check around. [ She shakes her head. ] Her communicator is offline.

She's gone.

[There's an exhale of smoke, slightly shaken, like there's a shiver running through her body as soon as the words land. She holds the cigarette between her fingers.]

... I thought as much.

[She rests her free arm on her waist, lowering her gaze. After a beat she shakes her head, voice lowered almost to a whisper.]

That fucking porter.

[ For those who knew Christine well, perhaps this reaction would have taken them by surprise, but not Kate in spite of barely knowing her. It's hardly untypical of anyone to react so strongly when their partner's been ripped away from them in some fashion.

Kate's gaze remains steady, but soft, shoulders taut. ]

It's a bitch, I know.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[a bitter remark, like she's suddenly decided, 'it can't be helped'. But it's obvious there's a quiet fury somewhere in there. She'd aimed at love and happiness at last, and was getting the most of it. She doesn't even allow herself to think she was starting to feel bored with how perfect it all was.

How dare anyone take that away from her.]

Does anyone else know?

[ Kate feel genuinely sorry for her. Maybe Renee would have been better off with her. Happy in ways Kate couldn't provide. As always with her disappearances, she'll never know and. ]

Matt Murdock and maybe Kate Bishop since they helped look for her.

[a quiet nod. She brushes the back of her hand against the tip of her nose.]

Okay.

[The names mean nothing to her, but she trusts Kate enough to know they won't be a problem.

Silence settles in; she doesn't look at Kate.]

Want a drink?

[ Matt and Kate don't remember her, but they've been nothing but kind and patient with her despite her reluctant to get into more personal details they shared over the years... especially with Matt.

Kate's shoulders fall and she exhales with quiet amusement at the offer. She's spent so much time in bars the past two days and yet has barely touched a drink. The invitation is tempting. ]

Whatever you've got, thanks.

[ She glances around the living room, though it looks similar to the government housing she still resides in. ]

She got transferred up here?

[She licks her lips and nods again, turning her back to walk on over to the bar and prepare a drink for the both of them. It's going to be a strong one, whether Kate likes it or not.]

Yes. [A soft sniff, cigarette set down on a marble ashtray.] I asked her to move here with me.

[ The stronger, the better.

She leans forward in her seat, leaning her arms against her thighs. Most of the tension seems to have lifted (but it'll be back when she least expects it), so her only concern now is how Christine is going to handle this. ]

How long have you two... [ She trails off, realizing how that sounds. ] It's not a crazy, jealous ex thing.

[She's in front of Kate soon enough, handing over the glass. The cigarette is in her other hand, somehow held with her own drink. She takes a seat across the coffee table, crossing her legs, gaze still avoidant.

She takes a drag before answering.]

February.

Thanks.

[ The cool glass is a welcome sensation against her fingers. The humidity is bearable here, sure, but she's been on her feet for nearly two days straight. It's much easier to manage when she's in a uniform made to endure heat and cold.

She takes a sip, gazing into her drink when she's finished swallowing. ]

... I'm glad she had someone who cares.

[No answer to that. Instead she swallows and takes another sip from her glass, pressing her lips softly to lick the remnant of taste.]

... Thank you. For looking.

[ She raises her eyes, meeting Christine's. There's a small smile ― tired, but it's genuine. ]

Even if you hadn't asked, I would have.

[ And Christine would have still been the first to know. It's what Renee would have wanted. ]

[and maybe on any other day that would have made Christine feel jealous, possessive, but it doesn't. She's actually... strangely numb.]

I thought Harvey had done something to her, at first. That's why I went to him.

[a pause.]

I made him tell me the truth.

[ The corner of her lips twitch hearing his name. She hates to think about him at a time like this, but what Christine's said has seized her full attention. She leans forward again after taking a longer sip, brows furrowed and the rest of her attentive. ]

The truth tends to be a funny thing with him.

Maybe, [she admits, because lately she can't be all too sure her power is infallible. It hasn't failed her yet, though.] But I guess he was right this time.

What did he say again?

[ Harvey's been able to spin the story before. She doesn't know how other falls for it so easily, but it warrants concerns. ]

First he said he wouldn't hurt her. Then he pointed to you and said you couldn't be trusted.

[that was the gist of it, but she continues, smoke trailing upwards.]

He said you turned Renee against him.

[ Full of shit, as usual.

She's not even surprised. ]

Renee warned you about him, didn't she?

She did. About him, about Cobblepot, Bane - [a number of people who couldn't be trusted, and Christine had almost struck a friendship of sorts with all of them.

Not that the warnings did anything to stop her entirely. She always enjoyed a little danger, it seems.]

She was always protecting me.

[ She'd tried to do the same for Kate despite her not needing it. Despite Renee knowing what Kate had gotten up to after their break-up years ago. But that was Renee, always trying to protect others without their say in it. ]

Gotham's full of loonies, but they're dangerous. Dent's no different. [ She hesitates. ] He's hurt Renee before. He tried to ruin her life.

Edited 2014-07-13 01:01 (UTC)

[Silence. Renee never did tell her the full story. She was always full of secrets, no matter how deep Christine managed to dig.]

What did he do?

crashes into this log at last!

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