(no subject)

[lvpd_sidle]

OOM: Directly after this happens.

Sara is back at the bar. At the moment, she wants nothing more than to find oblivion at the bottom of a bottle.

Instead, she curls up on a couch near the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket. Despite the heat, she feels cold.

Comments

[silverageflash.livejournal.com]

Barry sees his new friend. It doesn't take much for him to see that she's a wreck. He has no idea if whe'll want him or anyone aroudn, but he's good at trying.

"Sara?"

[lvpd_sidle]

She jerks up at the sound of her name, rubbing fiercely at the tears coming down.

"Barry. Hi."

[silverageflash.livejournal.com]

"Er, hi." He has no idea how to start. So he fumbles through.

"What happened?"

[lvpd_sidle]

She sighs, rubbing at her forehead.

"The husband of a woman who was raped, shot, and left brain dead called me this morning. She passed away last night. He said . ." she pauses, voice shaking," . . that I was the last person to truly care for her as a person and. . he wanted to let me know."

Putting her head in her hands, she tries not to break down again. "She..couldn't have ever woken from that coma. And it's better that she isn't suffering. But goddammit.."

[silverageflash.livejournal.com]

"Dear God." Barry goes silent for a moment. He almost says a prayer, but isn't sure that would be right for him.

"I'm so sorry. If there's anything I can do..." His voice trails off as he remembers the friends lost to violence and crime. As he remembers his wife.

[lvpd_sidle]

"And it was done by a kid. A guy who was 16. He didn't even care and was bragging that his record would be cleared by the time he left juvie. Hell of it is, he's right. He'll be released...." Sara's fists clench.

Looking up, she sees the same anger and horror on Barry's face. "It's a bitch, isn't it?"

[silverageflash.livejournal.com]

"Very much so. The door revolves and out come the worst.

"And we just have to watch."

He sits next to her, keeping a little distance.

[lvpd_sidle]

Her pager beeps. Unsurprising, it's Grissom. Adler's husband must have contacted him as well. Grissom would be concerned.

Sighing, she calls him. "Yes, I'm upset. No, I don't want to see anyone. Yes, I'm with some friends right now and I'm talking to them. No, I don't need you to patronize me right now. I'll call later." Snapping the phone shut, she turns it off.

She smiles without humor. "He had the nerve to tell me at the time that I shouldn't let cases affect me. But the day they stop affecting me is the day I cease to be human...at least that's how I've always seen it."

[silverageflash.livejournal.com]

"I didn't know you could even take phone calls here," he mutters almost under his breath. Any other time, he'd ask to see the cellphone as well.

"Sounds like he's doing what a watch commander is supposed to do. Doesn't make him right, but it is his job."

[mnt_mike]

There is nothing in this world that warms like hot chocolate. A large mug of which finds its way over to the floor beneath next to the couch where Sara is nestled.

[lvpd_sidle]

Sara blinks at the appearance of chocolate. She smiles slightly.

"Whoever sent this over--thanks. I love chocolate."

[mnt_mike]

"Doesn't everybody?"

Comes the reply. It...it sounds like it's coming from behind the couch.

[lvpd_sidle]

Sara glances behind the couch, depression momentarily forgotten at the sight of the . . . person, standing behind her.

"Um..hello?" She tries to smile rather than gawk. I did not think this place could surprise me again.

[mnt_mike]

He smiles.

"Hiya. You just looked like you were down in the dumps. I'm not sure if you know this, but it's one of those universal things: Chocolate solves everything."

[lvpd_sidle]

Sara gives a shaky laugh. "No...not everything. But it does make a person feel better at times. And thanks."

[mnt_mike]

"Hey, no problem. I'm Mike."

He extends a gree, three fingered hand. It's only slightly warmer than room temperature.

[lvpd_sidle]

"Sara." She shakes his hand. It's only slightly odder than when a faery had greeted her the first time she was here, after all.

She tries smiling. It doesn't come across well. "I was called at home...told a..friend had passed away. I couldn't handle it there." She shrugs.

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

Ace doesn't know this person. However, since they're both huddled by the fireplace in blankets, that's a sort of kinship, right? She flags down a passing waitrat and orders another mug of cocoa for her comrade in blankets. When it arrives she slides it over to Sara with a weary sort of grin.
"It's good stuff."

[lvpd_sidle]

Sara laughs shakily. "So I've been told. Thanks."

She attempts to smile. "I'm Sara."

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

"I'm Ace. You new then?" Ace has gathered she's only been gone for a few days, but there's always the option that this is just another person that she's continuously missed for the last four months. Well, with over 900 people, it gets hard to meet everybody.

[lvpd_sidle]

"Relatively. I've been around a week or so," Sara replies, rubbing at her forehead. "And I'm prefering this place more and more to home. If I ever quit my job, I'll move here full-time."

No death. No violence. No families needlessly destroyed by someone else's sick perversions. Sounds almost like heaven at the moment to Sara.

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

... Sara's not been around the bar long, has she?

"Seems to be a popular choice. Lots of people settling down here. More..." different? Exciting? Ecclectic? Who knows. "More like home to them, I suppose." She finishes, a tad lamely.

[lvpd_sidle]

"Home." Sara snorts. "Well...could be worse places."

Sara isn't as naive as she sounded. She knows that this place isn't perfect. The explosion, Charlie's ordeal have taught her that.

She can dream though.

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

Dreaming is good. Even Ace can understand that. Especially Ace?

"Oh yes. Visited a few. Blew up a couple more. Bar looks better 'n' better all the time." Ace nods, agreeing.

[lvpd_sidle]

She laughs a bit. "I've never been greeted by a faery, or warned not to mention the dwarves to Snow White before. This place makes Vegas looks positively...sane."