{ People Get Lost In The Jungle Every Day.

[cantgetanyworse]

WHO: Jane & possibly you?
WHERE: varies, specified by thread
WHEN: varies, specified by thread
WHAT: open & closed top levels as required for the duration of the event
WARNINGS: to be updated as needed

Comments

[germhating_hypochondriac]

[This Au Eddie is older, all grown up.  He's lost some of his childhood fear.  He still carries a desire to be healthy and more importantly, he wants to be able to defend himself and his fiance, Richie if ever needed again.  Early morning is a perfect time for him to hit the gym.  He's always been the early to rise type and knows Richie likes to sleep in. 

He walks into the gym and immediately sees Jane vigorously attacking the punching bag.  He clears his throat, to let her know he's there and jokingly asks.

Is that your usual routine - or did someone piss you off and you're pretending that's their face?

[cantgetanyworse]

[When he clears his throat she swings, misses, and almost loses her balance entirely. She resorts to hugging the bag to avoid tripping over her own feet, and is beet-red when she turns around.

Purely from the exercise, of course, and not because her face is on fire with embarrassment.]

Eddie!

[She takes a moment to catch her breath, then makes a face.] Oh-- I'm not... No one specific.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

[Eddie instantly moves closer, ready to catch her if she falls.  Luckily, she catches the bag and he tries to hide his concern by glancing to the side for a moment.]  Sorry. 

[He looks back and gives an amused smile at the face.] 

Oh good.  You know, you might want to try bending your knees a little when you swing.

[cantgetanyworse]

I know how to punch. [She tells him with a wry expression. It has been a few years, after all.]

Maybe I was imagining it was someone.

[And maybe it was distracting. Maybe she just happened to lose her usual stance. Ugh, embarrassing.]

But it's fine. It's-- Hm. I wasn't expecting anyone to walk in.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

Hope it wasn't me you were picturing.  [He jokes and nods.] 

Yeah, it's early.  I like to get my exercise in before Richie wakes up.  So he's not cracking jokes while I'm trying to work out.  [Eddie offers as an explanation.  The truth is that he likes to get it done early so he can have time with Richie when he wakes.]

[cantgetanyworse]

Never.

[Eddie, being one of the people in this place who has never done a wrong thing by Jane as far as she's concerned, gets a crinkle-nosed smile as Jane steps away from the punching bag to join him.]

He's a terrible distraction, isn't he. [She says then, gently teasing him.] I'm sure it's not at all because you want to be back before he gets out of bed.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

The worst.  [Eddie replies with a smirk.]  Bringing me coffee when I haven't even asked for it, constantly trying to make me laugh, always making sure I'm okay.[He adds teasingly, pulling him back into bed to cuddle, joining him in the shower too, but Jane doesn't need to know everything.]  Not at all one of the best parts of my day.   

Everything good with you?

[cantgetanyworse]

Terrible. I don't know how you cope.

[She shoots a crooked smile in his direction, but then huffs out a breath and shakes her head. She scrapes a hand through her hair, pushing stray wisps back off her forehead.]

Mm. I'm just--... I keep thinking about Josh.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

One day at a time. 

[Eddie jokes and then his face falls at the reminder of their missing friend and the feeling that something terrible had happened to him.] 

You're worried about him too, huh?

[cantgetanyworse]

[Jane nods, and then looks very tired for a fleeting moment before she pushes through another smile and shakes off that weary expression.]

Of course. I don't think he would have left just like that.

[The weight of leadership had always been heavy for him, and she had known that for all she tried to do to make things easier for him, but still, she doesn't think he would have simply vanished.]

I looked for him, after... but I couldn't find a thing.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

He was ..stressed before he left.  Worried about some shit.

[He hadn't pushed for too many details, hadn't seemed like the right thing at the time and now he wishes he had been more insistent with him.]  But yeah, I don't think he would have just abandoned us.  Where did you look?

[cantgetanyworse]

Mm. I know.

[She still remembers walking into his office after he tore it apart. Not for the first time, but worse than she could remember seeing.]

I looked everywhere I could think of. I even went to White Tower and spoke with Kavinsky. We searched together and didn't find anything.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

Not even a sign that he'd ever been....anywhere?  [Eddie shakes his head.]  It's just not like him to take a minute for himself, let alone this long.  I've thought something was wrong from the moment he sent that message.  If he even sent it.

[cantgetanyworse]

Just dead ends.

[And she worried then, and she worries now. With the abilities she has, she should have been able to find him. Nothing should be out of her reach. So where was he?]

He can't have gone far, can he? Not far from the gates.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

That depends on a lot of things.  [Eddie says slowly.]  Like if he went of his own volition or if someone took him. 

[It's an unpleasant thought and certainly not what he planned on thinking about this morning, but there it was.]

[cantgetanyworse]

[Jane visibly winces, her expression flickering into a grimace.]

'If' someone took him? Eddie, the longer he's gone without any word, the more I'm convinced that someone certainly took him.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

[His other thoughts were equally unpleasant.  Josh was long dead.  Or instead of a someone, there'd been a something.  Pennywise wasn't here, but other monsters were.] 

If we can figure out why someone would want him, we might be able to figure out the who. 

[cantgetanyworse]

Why wouldn't somebody want him? He does more for this place than most people realise.

[She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.]

He'd be valuable to anyone who captured him, but if it was for ransom we would have heard something by now.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

  Unless Josh had fought back and been killed before they had the chance to ask for ransom.  Or had died due to mistreatment or negligence from his captors.  Or, or, or...it was so hard for him not to think of worse case scenarios. 

So if not financial, then maybe a political reason.  Or maybe one of the factions really needed medical care.

[cantgetanyworse]

Then they could have asked... you know we would have helped.

[She huffs out a sharp puff of air and her frown deepens.]

No, there's something strange about it. And I haven't given up trying to figure out where he went.

[germhating_hypochondriac]

I know.  Do they?  Or do they care?  Who the fuck knows what goes on in all the factions? 

[He's never been the trusting sort.] 

Don't give up.  But be careful.  We don't want you to go missing too.