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[ephemerios]

OOC: As always with her, assume Stranger Things spoilers are likely to show up in threads here.

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[ Hello, network — here's Chrissy with one of those thoughts that you have either in the middle of the night when you can't sleep or when your mind is wandering in the bath or shower. ]

I'm just going to get right into it:

Do you think (or know) if time stops at home while we're here or if it just ... keeps going?

[ She knows about stuff that happens after from when she's from, but that could just be Weird Timeline Shit. Like hers separating from other peoples', or something like that; it makes her brain hurt if she thinks about the wording too hard, but, that's the general idea. ]

It's just been on and off going through my mind lately, no reason.

Comments

[doubled_speed]

[Are we shocked Tommy is awake at this hour? Let's not be.]

I used to think so. But then there was that room with the beds in the Agrii ship and now I don't know anymore.

[This wasn't easy to face. He's been having a LOT of trouble with it since they got back to the Agrii ship and started repairs. And...]

I got cocoa powder from a great kid. And I picked up something to 'irish' it up with. If you want to come by the dinner. And just, you know, get a sleep aid.

[text]

[in_extremis]

Contrary to popular belief, I don't think the world revolves around me. It's still turning, back where you left it, and everyone is doing their damndest to find you, I promise.

[ephemerios]

[ look, she won't question it ok ]

I am pretty much trying to delete that from my memory, but...yeah.

[ Somehow. It was unsettling. ]

It's not as though I'm doing anything else right now, obviously, so yeah that sounds good. I'll do that

[ And sounds like he could use the company too ]

[ephemerios]

but that means thinking about time here versus there and...???...how is that supposed to make sense? I do not like having these thoughts when I don't have nearly the scientific background to think deeply (or at least productively) about them.

[in_extremis]

Alright, how do we make this productive for you? We're thinking about time, we're thinking about home, and we're looking for some answers. How do we build that?

[doubled_speed]

Awesome. I'll start the water heating. Opinions on cinnamon in cocoa?

[ephemerios]

hm. I guess to start, have you ever been sent back home or know anyone who has, then arrived back here?

[ephemerios]

did you even have cocoa if there wasn't cinnamon in it?

[in_extremis]

Jon has. You can find him in the library. He'll have coffee on.

[doubled_speed]

Of course. Some people are allergic.

Action

[playingtough]

He hears the comm device ding in his pocket and when he checks it - huh. It's Chrissy. Billy looks around the hotel hall he's in (the floor where all the Hawkins people are save for himself) and shrugs. He had dropped off another borrowed tape so since he was already up here...

He goes over to where Chrissy's room is and knocks. "Having an existential crisis in there, Cunningham?"

[ephemerios]

you know what? fair and I respect that answer.

[ephemerios]

That gets a short ha kind of laugh from inside the room. “Always. You can come in, if you want.” She'd been flopped on the bed dressed in a plain shirt and sweatpants, but sits up and tosses her device on the pillow, legs hanging over the edge of the bed.

[ephemerios]

hopefully he's cool with some questions. I hope there's a lot of sugar and cream for the coffee.

[doubled_speed]

Thank you. I try my best.

[ephemerios]

excellent, five stars, etc. I'll be over in a few minutes.

[ time to actually start hauling her ass over to the diner, she supposes. ]

[doubled_speed]

Remember to leave a good review on Yelp or whatever it is back then. I'll start heating milk.

[ephemerios]

[ A few minutes later, she does show up, dressed in her pajamas of a plain shirt and sweatpants, and her hair in a loose fishtail side braid. At an hour like this, it's not the time to care about better clothes and a full face of makeup and perfect hair. ]

[doubled_speed]

[She looks perfectly fine as she is. Tommy's already there to open the door for her.]

I've got a mug of cocoa made with milk, and one with water. Whatever you want.

[ephemerios]

Milk, please, I'm not lactose intolerant either. [ Just in case that was the concern. Dump ALL THE MILK and ALL THE CINNAMON in the cup. ]

[doubled_speed]

Wonderful. Come over here.

[He moves to a nearby table where two steaming cups and a shaker of brown powder wait.]

If it starts to cool down, tell me. I can warm it back up.

[ephemerios]

Thanks. [ She nods and takes a seat, then: ] Oh, this isn't going to be in the cup long enough to get cool, I promise. Do you usually night owl?

[doubled_speed]

Good to hear. If you need some 'irish'ing, then I'll help you out with that too.

[Night owl, huh? Tommy chuckles.]

I'm not fully human. What it means for me is a number of things, including only needing four hours of sleep in every twenty four. So I'm often up at this hour.

[playingtough]

He hears her in there, though can't quite make out that 'ha' noise. With a click of the door, Billy lets himself in enough to lean in the doorframe.

"What brings up this train of thought? Do you get nightmares of Hawkins?" The 'too' goes unsaid really, because what Hawkins kid doesn't have nightmares at this point?

[ephemerios]

“Frequently,” She admits. “So, that mixed with not wanting to go back — obviously — and have my time here ended, but also like .. wondering what they're doing back there. The people we left behind.” Either from death or from being pulled here. Or, in their cases, both. “If they even know we're here or if time's just paused where we left it.”