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Post by Phantom of the Paradise on Mar 31, 2009 21:17:50 GMT -5
The back of the building proved itself very useful to Winslow. Up the side of the apartments hung an iron fire escape, which he found himself scaling up with ease.
Peeking into the windows, it took him a while to locate where Phoenix and the other girl had ended up, but he found them, just barely able to see them from where he sat, hunched by the window. He would either have to wait for Phoenix to leave, or for the other woman to make an exit.
Very carefully, he wedged the knife he carried into the frame of the window, just starting to get it open so he could hear them talking.
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Post by Sally Bowles on Apr 2, 2009 13:12:43 GMT -5
Sally smiled at her too, unable to not feel sad and drained, but able to at least keep up a brave face, too. Well, if Phoenix could do it! What was Sally left to do, be selfish? So it was upsetting to her that this had happened to Phoenix, but good Lord, what had it done to her?
Sally swooped in at a slower pace than usual, but quickly, nonetheless, and gently took the dirty dishes away, piling them in the sink and rinsing them off. It wasn't quite cleaning, but it would make cleaning a hell of a lot simpler when she did it the next morning. Sally wasn't too keen on things like dishes, but thankfully living alone and rarely spending time in while she ate made that less of a problem. Besides, dishes'd be easy to do when she was trying to be busy and bright and bustly for Phoenix's benefit.
When she was done, she reached for a couple of glasses, and said, softly, to Phoenix as she went to get another decanter, "Gin'll help you sleep, I think. D'you want any?"
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Post by Phoenix on Apr 2, 2009 19:42:15 GMT -5
While Sally had cleaned up, Phoenix had removed herself a few paces from the kitchen area, her arms winding around herself as she gazed out distractedly at nothing. At the other girl's voice she started, turning around. She felt eyes on her, too many eyes. But that was stupid. Sally was here. Sally was watching. That was all.
She replayed Sally's words in her head.
"Oh." She blinked. Sleep. Could she? She wanted to. She wanted something harder than gin, something that would make her forget it all, just for awhile. She didn't want to ask if Sally had anything like that lying about, so she just nodded. "Yes, thanks," she said. "I'd like some."
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Post by Sally Bowles on Apr 4, 2009 14:00:10 GMT -5
Sally glanced over her shoulder at Phoenix once, quickly, then did it again as she realized that Phoenix had said something worth a smile and which needed a reaction from her. Sally had been mildly preoccupied with giving the impression of perfect listening and therefore her actual listening had been delayed. What a long damn night. The morning would be long, too, but at least it will have put the slightly bit of distance between things.
Although Phoenix would be sore. Sally's smile almost dropped at that, but she rinsed out her glasses and poured Phoenix a drink instead, swanning back over to her to hand it over and then returning. This was usually sort of endearingly put on in a childlike kind of way - where a child couldn't quite synthesize the action entirely, and therefore it wasn't superficial or false in the same manner - but it was clearly being done so deliberately to please and to uplift Phoenix's spirits, and even if it wasn't working, she was quite hoping it would.
"I'll get some extra pillows out from the closet," she said, already lowering her voice as though it were nearly bedtime. "The more, the merrier, you know?"
She'd poured herself a glass, but had totally forgotten it as she went to go fix up the bed. She hadn't thought of it in terms of dividing up the room for a place to sleep, but Sally was used to sharing beds with other girls in completely innocent ways and it wouldn't have occurred to her that Phoenix wasn't. Besides, the bed was plenty large enough, and the only other place to sleep would have been the armchair. It wasn't really a big room and did not have a lot of furniture.
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Post by Phoenix on Apr 6, 2009 11:52:45 GMT -5
Phoenix was vaguely aware that Sally's manner was meant to cheer her up, but otherwise she had no reaction. She wasn't sure how she felt about it, anyway, though she appreciated--as much as she was able--the effort. She took the glass of gin and tipped it back, rather too quickly but with obvious practice.
She also hadn't considered the sleeping arrangements, but neither did Sally's assumption really faze her. There was obviously only one bed, and she'd have argued against Sally sleeping in the chair or on the floor. And Sally... wasn't him. Wasn't even a man. She didn't know her very well, but she'd been awfully nice, and Phoenix--despite her recent experience, or maybe because of it in this particular case--was a fairly trusting and unimaginative soul.
The gin wasn't enough to make her drunk on a full stomach, but the full stomach was working its magic, too, and she began to feel pleasantly drowsy. She welcomed that, because it heralded sleep, which meant forgetting--for now. She'd work the rest out tomorrow. Right?
She realized she hadn't said anything in a bit and searched for words. "Sure," she said. "Can I... do something?"
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Post by Sally Bowles on Apr 7, 2009 15:44:24 GMT -5
Sally had lugged out an armful of pillows and blankets that smelled like the closet, but which would make the bed more of a sanctuary nonetheless (and which would make it easier to share blankets, as Sally was the sort of person who slept completely wrapped up in a blanket and which did not make it easy to share a bed). She was attempting to throw them out over the bed.
"Of course you can," replied Sally with a bird's cheer, "but I'd suggest sleep first. Long... day and all." Her voice had grown considerate and softer, but she didn't linger on the words. "Hmm. I could probably buy sausage for breakfast..." Her voice trailed off and she headed off to her suitcases - still mostly packed up as she'd only recently returned to the cabaret, so naive - to find a nightshift and then another, in case Phoenix wanted to change. There was a changing curtain in Sally's room off by the door, if Phoenix had seen it by now.
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Post by Phoenix on Apr 7, 2009 16:12:49 GMT -5
Phoenix did very much want to change, and what wanted a long, hot soak, but she supposed it could wait. Sleep was becoming more and more attractive, and she just hoped it would come without interruption.
"Right," she said, with a smile that had a touch of the grimace about it. "Tomorrow." She didn't know what it would look like--what she would look like--by then, but she was safe for now. She took the shift with a grateful, if quiet, "thank you" and went behind the curtain to change (after glancing about for just such an apparatus). She didn't want to be seen by anyone, just now, whatever she habitually wore in front of strangers at the club.
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