revivalproject | [Open] At Least The Hospital Isn't Haunted?

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[Open] At Least The Hospital Isn't Haunted?

WHO: Robin Buckley, Open
WHERE: Temba Hospital
WHAT: Post Attack Threads
WHEN: September 12th Onward
WARNINGS: Discussions (potentially detailed) of strangulation and attempted murder

I. Bedside Manners Please | Daytime - Good for Interviews

The hospital room is at least a nice one. One with a window so there is light coming in from outside. Right now the dog that had come rushing up when Billy Loomis was helping her to the hospital was stretched out in that pool of sunshine. Robin watches the dog in his happy resting.

At least one of them was happy.

Robin's fingers come up o touch the swath of bandaging around her neck, holding the salves that the ~~hot~~ doctor had worked into her skin before putting the bandages on. It's still painful. At least breathing wasn't too much of a problem right now. She sighed, something she immediately winced over the pain over. Then she looked back down at the communication device in her lap. She should do something to entertain herself. Or maybe message her friends to let them know she could really use some company.

No, though. There were reasons not to do that. Maybe later. So she puts the device back down in her lap.

When she heard someone at the door, though, she turned her head slowly to regard them. Nods briefly to them, because pain for a greeting wasn't worth it right now.

II. Friend Time | Afternoon/Evening - For pre-existing CR peeps not after questioning her

If there was one time that Robin absolutely refused to put up with questions during, it was meals. The food was better than the hospital in Hawkins, so there was that. But mostly, she doesn't want to try both the strain of talking to people about the new trauma and eating at the same time. So when lunch and dinner happen, she glares hard at those she doesn't want around until they figure it out and head out for a while.

It's different with her friends. Different with the people she already knows and trusts and believes could have had nothing to do with hurting her. Then when meals come up she shoos Little Bear from the bed, pulls the rolling tray closer, and scootches over so her friend can join her in the bed. Because being close to someone so she can keep talking is nice. Especially when she has to whisper even more quietly while trying to eat. Nothing like trying to swallow with a damaged throat and still trying to hold a conversation. Especially with her hands too taken up to be typing on her comm or writing on paper to answer.

III. The Night Shift | Nights - For Guards and/or Comforting a scared Robin | Please No Additional Here - Have A Lot Of These Now

Fear was something Robin was used to living with. Had been since things went wrong back at the mall. But that had never felt personal. That had never been so direct. It had never made her so afraid of being alone in the dark. Not that the hospital is fully dark. The lights in the room are just down low. And she's not alone either.

The dog that used to belong to the clothes lady was lying in bed with her after all, carefully stretched out on her good side and resting his big head on her stomach. His tail beat a slow rhythm as she lets her fingers stroke over his soft, curly fur. But her eyes... they're always on the door. Wide. Watching. Fearful.

She hates this. Having a new reason to fear the night. It was better when it was monsters. It was better when evil people were the government or bigots. It was better when she knew what people who would hurt her looked like.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh. That's something she can absolutely accept. She takes the thermos and holds it close to her chest. Once it cools a little she'll have some.

"Hopefully has honey," she says, her voice a torn up sort of whisper. "It will be nice."

Ooouugh boy, okay, he can put the pieces together on how she was attacked now.

“Of course it does! I’m not an animal.” His lips quirk up in a grin, and he grabs a chair and spins it around to sit in it backwards. He has never sat in a chair the right way and refuses to start now.

“How’re you feeling? I mean, besides the whole…” He gestures at his own neck.

Yeah, he probably can. But she smiles wider for the news. Honey would be nice. Too bad they don't have lemon, right?

"Bad," she admits, before reaching up to her own heavily bandaged neck. "Real bad."

His face falls, and he settles his chin on his arms on the back of the chair.

“That sucks. Doc’s taking care of you, though, right?”

He thinks she is, but might as well ask.

"Real good. She's scary."

Intimidating, but whatever. Which isn't here or there.

"Themis scares more."

But she can't do anything about that supposed dog thing. The demo-beast.

"Nooot the word I'd go with, but alright."

Leo grimaces, not really wanting to rehash what happened there. Though at the mention of Themis, he perks up a little.

"Oh yeah, Themis is super weird. But if you pet her weird... head... thing? If you pet it right she'll purr for you. At least I think it's purring..."

Robin looks offended at the very idea of touching Themis. Because of course she would.

"Looks evil. Demodog. Hate it."

And she would rather it not be around her.

“Eh, well, it’s not like it’s mine so I’m not gonna make you.”

He has no emotional investment in Robin petting Themis.

“Sorry to go from one scary topic to another, buuut… Think you’re up for answering some questions?” He gives an easy-going shrug. “Not a lot of people are investigating what happened so it’s gotta be me.”

Yeah, that's fair. She just doesn't like being 'protected' by a creature that reminds her of her greatest fears and nightmares. She'd rather Themis didn't even exist.

But of course he's here for questions. She sighs.

"Not. Eddie."

She says the words slowly. Firmly. Yes, she's heard about the investigation. And she stares Leo in the eyes. Listen to her. Take her seriously.

Leo is a little taken aback, only because he didn’t ask anything yet. Geez, everyone is so protective of this Eddie guy…

“…Yeah, okay. Someone’s out there stealing people’s tablets. Would have been really helpful if he had told us that…”

Leo grumbles that last part, because if they had known for sure that Eddie’s tablet was stolen then maybe nothing would have happened to Donnie’s.

“But that’s a good starting point. Did you also get a weird, creepy call from an unknown number asking you about horror movies? Did they try to lure you somewhere?”

Of course she is. She had to see him... No, she won't think about it. About how Eddie... For them... Thinking about it would make her cry all over again. And her throat can't take that.

"Bad cop experiences," Robin rasps out. "Persecuted at home. Accused murder Chrissy. Lies. People hunted him. And our friends."

The talking is clearly causing her a lot of pain, and her breathing is getting a little more messed up. Frustrated she starts typing quickly into the notation program on the device in her lap. Time for the smooth vocal stylings of the text-to-speech Jon voice.

'Eddie would sooner hurt himself than any of us. But people think the worst of him, even at home. Because he doesn't fit social norms. And likes his Dragons and Dungeons game. And loud music. They think he is Satanic and he's just stupidly sweet and protects kids that would get bullied by making himself a target.'

Yeah, she's got opinions of Eddie. Serious ones. He earned her trust.

Now that she's done with her vigorous defense, she does take a bit more time to consider the question. Even raises her hand in a 'wait a moment while I type this' gesture.

'There was no call luring me. Heard this Richie got lured. Not me. Went there on my own. Got called while I was in an area with chair cushions. Mocking asshole. Definitely talked about shitty movies.'

Because yes, she lived too much of a horror movie life to appreciate them.

'Worked at video rental store back home. Used to assholes going on forever about their crappy movie tastes. Didn't think it was important. Didn't know Richie got asked about horror movies.'

Makes sense that she can't talk. He doesn't mind waiting for her to get her... thingy (he doesn't know what to call it). Though he does take the lull to sullenly gripe, "We're not cops, though."

Which means there should have been no problem with talking to them! Even if this guy has been unfairly accused before.

Though now that his brother is facing the same potential, he can get it a little more than before. It's not like Leo himself hasn't been arrested (multiple times!).

He listens while she explains more to him (or rather, the smooth British man coming out of the device explains more to him). Coming from the year 2019, he has no idea why Dungeons and Dragons would mark someone as "Satanic", so that's kind of weird. But he gets the rest. He thinks.

"Alright, alright, I get it. It wasn't Eddie. But that still puts us back at square one..."

Well, not totally square one, but he doesn't want to reveal to anyone yet that Donnie's tablet got stolen. Especially not to someone Donnie wants to keep as a friend.

Moving on.

"Aha! So this really was akin to the Richie situation." Take that, Tae! He even learned the word! "I'm guessing whoever it was was wearing a mask, too? Like a melting ghost?"

No, they aren't cops. But...

'Town persecuted him. Formed mob trying to bring him in. They were armed.'

So yeah, this could be triggering old traumas, Leo. Which Donnie and Leo had no reason to know about, but it did explain Eddie's behavior. Hopefully, though, they wouldn't think to accuse Eddie of it now. Because Robin knew Eddie. Dude wasn't nearly coordinated enough to have managed what happened to her. Simple truth.

The questions continue and Robin looks at her communication device and seems frustrated. Like it can't do something she wants it to do.

'This doesn't have a drawing function. Otherwise I would draw the mask for you.'

“Ah, yeah.” Leo nods along. “That happened to us once.”

Ultimately it probably wasn’t quite as scary as what Eddie went through, but he doesn’t know that.

It’s too bad that she can’t draw the mask, but he doesn’t know what it looks like past what Richie told him, anyway.

“That’s alright. I’m assuming it’s the same.” He shrugs. “So what happened? You don’t have to tell me the… worst parts, if you don’t want to.”

Her look says 'then why did you inflict that on someone'. But she has to let it go.

As for the other part. God. Robin sighs. This isn't an easy or quick thing to talk about.

'You should sit.'

Don’t give him that look, they were doing real detective work!

Leo sinks into his chair and nods. “Alright, I’m sitting.”

Alright, she's got to do this. Go over what happened. Robin takes a deep breath and then starts typing after setting the system to automatically read whenever she finishes with a sentence.

'I couldn't sleep. Happens sometimes. Actually been happening more lately. When that happens I head out on my bike, and I usually end up at the department store like place. Been trying to get my room more cozy, so I keep looking for stuff. Had the music player Donnie gave me on, so I got to listen to music the whole time. It helps wear me out and calm my mind. My bike is probably still waiting outside of there. I wish someone would check. Anyway, I got there and went inside to start looking at things. You with me so far?'

Leo nods along. So she wasn't lured by the tablet... Maybe that will help Donnie feel better, at least.

"So you get inside the department store, and then what?"

Nope, not lured at all.

'While I was in there looking at things, my device told me I had a message. I picked up. Some messed up voice started talking about horror movies. I rolled my eyes over it because I work in a video store and I'm SO used to that ranting mess.'

So the horror movie thing is a thing, and not just something meant for Richie specifically. At least this pretty much cements for him that it was the same guy, because this is waaay too specific. Unless, like Tae said, it's a copycat, but then at least they can narrow the list of suspects down to people Richie told this detail to.

"Was it from an unknown number?"

Robin nods, because she can spare her fingers from typing the answer to that since it was so cut and dried.

An anonymous contact. She'd only answered out of reflex, because she was from the 80s. Knowing who was reaching out was out of the norm from her experience.

Leo nods back. Okay, so this is all lining up with the MO (he has no idea what MO stands for, but he thinks this is right).

“And… did the guy come after you then?”

'I was about to hang up. Turned a corner. Saw him.'

Her fingers hesitate then, stalling in the story. This was the part where she came out looking foolish.

'I may have screamed and flailed before I ran.'

At least Leo doesn't think it's foolish.

"Yeah, that's the normal reaction when some guy in a costume jumpscares you. Not everyone can be cool in that situation."

Leo included, he would have absolutely screamed and flailed.

"He was wearing a costume, but could you figure out anything about what he looked like? Did he talk at all?"

She didn't think anyone could be cool in that situation if she's honest. But she doubted anyone else would want that pointed out.

'He was taller than me at least. But with the robes how tall is hard to think of. Can't say much else because I turn and ran.'

Wait. No. There was something else. After she fell. Her brow scrunches as she tries to pick it out. What had it been? Dammit she could remember this...

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