text; + action options; (cw character death)

[sketchycharacter]

[locked to people who know Elena Fisher]

elena's dead

[....yeah that's all. Odds are good that Nate will not want to reply to questions, condolences or comments regarding the recent tragedy, though Chloe Frazer might. However, he can be found...]

wandering; Once the shock has passed—if it ever does—Nate wanders for hours. Fuck, maybe days, he doesn't know. He just doesn't want to go back to the house in Region 1 where she isn't.

Eventually he finds himself in a well-wooded park. For lack of anything else to do, he climbs a tree.

at home; When he finally does make it back, Nate parks his ass on the couch, where he'll be sleeping until—well, he can't count on there being an "until." Maybe he'll just live on the couch forever. Sorry, Pepper, Varric, etc.

at the ingress complex; Nate comes by the facility a couple of times, to ask for news or if they can guarantee that they'll be able to bring her back, because he knows that people have returned, and he knows that they don't always.

He walks away both times, unable to stand it if the answer is no.]

Comments

[tearmeanewone]

[Ironically enough, Elizabeth hadn't wanted to live in a world that Ivan had been ripped out of. She hadn't been doing such a great job of living without him, honestly. Twice now her inability to handle loss nearly killed her-- the lesson is lost somewhere in her mind, though, and instead she's climbing a tree after a guy who seems a little too down to just be dealing with a rough patch.]

If we're talking finders-keepers, I'm pretty sure this is your tree. But it seems like a good one to climb, and I've never climbed a tree before. Is that a problem?

[sketchycharacter]

Nope. Just stick to your own branch. My ass is too delicate to handle it if you climb on this one and it breaks.

[Nice to know the smartass in him didn't die with Elena, he supposes. Not that he's getting any amusement out of it. Nate stays where he is, and if he's a little unsettled that she'd feel the need to come up after him, he doesn't show it.]

[tearmeanewone]

I'll assume you mean I look sturdy, as opposed to the typical interpretation of that suggestion. [It's probably worth noting that as Elizabeth is pulling herself up one branch at a time, she's doing it in a skirt. And doesn't seem particularly bothered by it.] And you'd be right-- my ass is sturdy enough to handle a fall like this.

[It would hurt, but she'd live. Probably.]

[sketchycharacter]

I meant make sure the branch is sturdy.

[He wouldn't call her fat to her face even if he thought so, but she's obviously not. Saying it would make him look like an asshole and stupid.]

As long as there's room and no one falls, it's a free tree.

[tearmeanewone]

I'm not an idiot-- [Elizabeth says with a sharp sigh, mainly meant to blow her hair out of her eyes.] --just an inexperienced tree-climber.

[And there she is in a nutshell. Elizabeth 'I Read About This Once, Bet I Can Do It Just Fine' DeWitt. But she decides that caution is warranted anyway, and parks herself on a branch on the other side of the trunk, holding the one above her for balance and quiet insurance.]

...It's actually pretty nice, the view. [She says nodding outwards towards the horizon. It reminds her a little of Columbia, but there's more life to it. No unending, plain cloud cover catching all the light. There are buildings, noise, people.]

[sketchycharacter]

[Another day and he might have reached out to give her a hand. Today, though, the inexperienced tree-climber is on her own. Good luck.

He's quiet, half-listening to her and taking in the sights.]

Yeah. Looks peaceful.

[Like the people who live here can be happy.]