milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Claudia has decided that the best way to deal with the immediate situation is to not think about it if she can possibly help it. Staring at the lack of a door and angsting isn't going to make her feel better, and it's probably like that 'a watched pot never boils' thing.
So after breakfast, she leaves a note with Bar for Ray:

Ray-

Long story, but do you have anything that could tell if someone's been screwing with my head? I know bad Artifact juju isn't exactly bad ghost juju, but anything that might help would be good, right now. My door disappeared so I'll be around... for the foreseeable future, I guess. I'll be in the garage today.

-Claudia

And after that, she heads down to the garage, sets up the stereo (now with 100% fewer Lord of the Rings references on her 'work time!' playlist) and starts working on the El Camino again. Long as she's here, she might as well finish the damn thing.

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"I asked Ray if he has anything that can make sure, but... Mythbusters call it plausible. I sure as hell wouldn't do anything to hurt my home on purpose."
Claudia sighs again. "I actually left. I can't - if I'm a liability, I can't be there right now. Didn't even mean to come here, but now I'm stuck."
Which she knew was a risk of making use of the interdimensional space that occasionally traps people, but she doesn't have to like it.

Alyx gently rests a hand on Claudia's shoulder.

"I don't blame you."

"Thanks."
She does need that reassurance right now, that someone at least believes she wouldn't hurt anyone deliberately.

The little hovering robot looks at Claudia for a moment, then buzzes over to give her a reassuring pat on the other shoulder with his own tiny hand.

Skitch gets... as much of a smile as Claudia can muster, at the moment. It's still not much, but it's a lot better than she was doing yesterday.
"Gonna kick his ass if he comes in here. Nobody screws with my family like that, especially not twice."

"What's he look like?" asks Alyx. "So I know who to shoot."

James MacPherson is in for a world of hurt if he ever finds himself in Milliways. Multiple worlds, actually.
"Tall, skinny, darkish hair, British accent. Completely bugnuts." (She may be slightly biased on that last point.)

Alyx nods and rests her hand meaningfully on the butt of her gun. "Got it."

"Thanks. What about... whoever screwed with you?"
She knows she'd have to get in line behind Gordon, probably, and she's not sure what all she could do without a Tesla. But she might be able to techie-wizard something up.

"He's a tall, skinny white guy in a business suit with a briefcase who looks like he's been dead for a week but hasn't stopped moving yet," says Alyx. "Or so I'm told. I don't remember ever meeting him in person."

"How... charming of him."
Claudia can at least say she's met the asshole in question, in her case, even if it was thirteen years ago. (That she's last aware of, anyway.)

"Apparently, he's the one who saved me from Black Mesa when I was two. So he could use me as a fucking sleeper agent whenever he pleased."

Bitter? Alyx? Surely you jest!

"Oh, epic fail." She says, gunning for Understatement of the Year.
"It's - I had no idea at the time, of course, but looking at MacPherson's pattern with other stuff... he was probably going to let Joshua figure out how the compass worked and then take off with it." Claudia sighs. "Never thought losing my brother for twelve years would actually be the best possible outcome, but..."

"We'll get everything sorted out, don't worry," says Alyx. "I won't let him use you again."

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