The woman's voice comes from behind the door again. "Who's in there? Is... it safe?" Through the window, a little of her profile is visible: the outline of her nose, her mouth, a lock of brown hair.
Cecilia's heart is pounding. This man - whoever he is - has presumably just shot someone, or avoided being shot himself. Is she really so desperate, to put herself in danger like this?
Yes. Yes, she is. There isn't much left for her to lose at this point. If she can't find Katie, how will she live with herself?
I'm a smooth criminal and a neurotic lawyer with a crush on a pretty-boy author, and I'm being controlled by my creepy older brother (twice!) while I worry about not having a can opener.
Jack pulled open the door and stepped out. "Well..." he paused. "Hey, I recognize you! Ash, was it? Or was it Cecilia? Welcome back to Annie's Bar!" Jack said friendlily, which, unfortunately, did not have the same effect when he was holding a shotgun by one hand.
"Come on in! I insist! You sound as if you need a drink, hon. I just need to get the electricity fixed. I'll be riight back."
Jack hurried back into the kitchen to fix the fusebox.
A curious meow sounds from one of the man's pockets and something bulging in one of the pockets seems to move. But then he's off and heading back into the kitchen where the corpse lies in a spreading pool of blood.
Cecilia shrinks away from the entrance when it opens. There's a man she doesn't recognize, brandishing a shotgun and talking to her like they're old friends. Really, there's only one response that comes to mind: "Who the hell are you?"
At least he seems friendly, even if he makes about as much sense as the rest of this town. Welcome back? She's never been to Silent Hill in her life.
"You must have me mistaken for someone else," she says, walking into the bar. At least there isn't so much fog. How does he know my name?
When he leaves, Cecilia spends a few seconds standing near the door until it swings closed, startling her. Her nerves are on fire today. She sits on one of the bar stools and glances around, fidgeting.
The electricity's out, so there's obviously no way to use the phone in here. Maybe she can get cell service now, but is it even worth trying?
I'm a smooth criminal and a neurotic lawyer with a crush on a pretty-boy author, and I'm being controlled by my creepy older brother (twice!) while I worry about not having a can opener.
"No... No... I definitely remember!" Jack yelled from the kitchen, jumping over the carcass. "You don't? Don't you remember? I'm shocked! I am Jack, the Bartender."
He tried to fumble open the fusebox. "All this floundering about in the darkness is really starting to annoy me. you?" Jack said. "Gotta admit, the place's falling apart! Your name is Ash, right?"
It's a fairly simple matter to replace a missing fuse with a new fuse and once it's all put together he flips the switch and the lights come back on. The air in the pipes have somehow managed to cool down in the interim, however, so they're both rewarded with blasts of cold air through the vents. At least with the lights on the place seems kinda homey and the music on the jukebox is kind of nice. There's even two pool tables in here (there used to be four but they replaced two for tables when Rochelle bought the pub). Unfortunately, the creepy fog outside the windows kinda removes some of the cozy mystique. As do the light smears of blood that head from the front door to the 'Staff Only' door. At least, judging by the coasters, this place is Annie's Bar.
"I've never been here, and I don't know you," she calls, tapping her nails on the counter. "I'm just here on vacation... at least, I was." Cecilia knows a few Jacks - the name is everywhere - but none of them are bartenders, and they don't act like... that.
When the electricity comes on, she shivers. It's May, which means she shouldn't need a coat, so she didn't bother to pack one. She crosses her legs and rubs her hands together.
Wait. Did he say Ash? That's the woman who called her. "No, I'm Cecilia. Cecilia Brooks. Is Ash a friend of yours?" She reaches into her purse and pulls out her wallet. Katie's picture is there, beaming at the camera, a gap in her teeth where she'd lost one.
"I'm looking for my daughter." She runs a finger along the edges of the photograph, waiting for Jack to return. If this Ash knows Katie, and Jack knows Ash, then maybe he can tell her something.
I'm a smooth criminal and a neurotic lawyer with a crush on a pretty-boy author, and I'm being controlled by my creepy older brother (twice!) while I worry about not having a can opener.
Cecilia pulls out a photograph but rather than it being the simple one of Katie on her own it's a family picture taken of them on vacation. Katie's the adorable one in the middle of the picture. It's odd, though. That wasn't the picture she was intending to pull out.
OOC,Up to Kadael if the woman in the picture looks as it does here or differently. If she wants it to look different, just super-impose THAT image over the one here and pretend they're the same. This one does fill in well for the ex-husband and the little girl though and has the right ambiance.
"I knew it!" Jack shouted from the kitchen. His voice had an oddly familiar tone "Cecilia! The lawyer! Yeah, I remember. You were here yesterday. Ordered Bloody Mary. Sorry, my memory isn't what it used go be, considering all the crazy stuff that happened today. Confused you with another woman. Do you know what happened to me today?"
Jack emerged from the kitchen, holding an armful of foods and a shotgun. "Do you want an apple? There was a lot of them in the kitchen. Maybe some cheese?"
OOC,It's a fine picture. Cecilia's a short-haired brunette anyway. :)
The longer she's here, the more she's beginning to think that this was some elaborate plot engineered by someone who works at the firm. If only she could really believe that.
"Tell me how you know me." Cecilia stands, pressing the heels of her hands into the countertop. She meets his eyes with a glare, and takes a long, shaky breath in. "Because I have never been to Silent Hill. Not yesterday, not ever, not until today. Are you listening?"
She glances at the shotgun among his armful of food. "Put the gun down, and give me a straight answer."
One thing that's really on her mind is whether or not this man is as crazy as he seems.
I'm a smooth criminal and a neurotic lawyer with a crush on a pretty-boy author, and I'm being controlled by my creepy older brother (twice!) while I worry about not having a can opener.
Jack frowned once she started glaring at him. "Uhh..." he said. "Sure," he dumped the food and the shotgun in the counter between them and turned around to the cabinets. "I didn't hit you that strong with the Bloody Mary, did I? I know I make too strong a drinks but..."
He trailed off. He sighed. "You were here yesterday. It was bustling with people. You gushed about your beautiful daughter, and then left. Listen uhhh... I need to call the police. Some... Whatever it is... WIth a knife snuck into the bar and charged at me. Sorry if I scared you earlier. So..."
He popped open a bottle of whiskey and handed it over. "Help yourself."
Cecilia relaxes a bit once the shotgun is on the counter, but keeps her guard up. The photograph lies under one of her hands, forgotten at the moment. Katie's face is obscured by a finger.
The town's atmosphere is definitely getting to her, because she's actually considering the possibility that she may have been here. All she remembers of yesterday is driving, then stopping in Brahms for the night... but the memory is as hazy as the air outside.
For God's sake, she's thirty-one; that's too young to be losing her mind. And yet this man insists that she was here, and he's got his general facts straight...
A rush of blood kicks her heart into overdrive when he mentions the police. "Wait! There's a police department here?" Frustration gives way to anxiety - this town, he must know something about this town. "But there's no one around for miles! Why- why are you here?"
I'm a smooth criminal and a neurotic lawyer with a crush on a pretty-boy author, and I'm being controlled by my creepy older brother (twice!) while I worry about not having a can opener.
Jack actually looked concerned. "Wow. You really don't remember, do you? Uhh... listen... have you recently been involved in an accident? Maybe fell from somewhere and hit your head?"
"What? No." Cecilia sits back down on the bar stool, folding her hands on the counter. "I just- look, this town is deserted. The buildings are falling apart, there are no people around... haven't you seen it?"
When the kitten pops into the conversation, she stares at it for a few seconds before looking back at Jack. "Why is there a cat in your coat?"
I'm a smooth criminal and a neurotic lawyer with a crush on a pretty-boy author, and I'm being controlled by my creepy older brother (twice!) while I worry about not having a can opener.
Cecilia lets out a long sigh, shoulders dropping into a slouch. "I came here looking for a police station, or somewhere with a working telephone." She picks up the abandoned photo, not really looking at it. "But it seems like nobody's been here in years. Except you, I guess. I keep seeing boarded-up windows and rusted scaffolding everywhere."
"But if the phone here works, I- I need to call the police." She doesn't say anything more, just looks at Jack expectantly, trying to swallow around a sudden lump in her throat.
I'm a smooth criminal and a neurotic lawyer with a crush on a pretty-boy author, and I'm being controlled by my creepy older brother (twice!) while I worry about not having a can opener.
