[entranceway] ic inbox

[nascensibility]

Hello, this is Evie. If I haven't picked up, it means I'm probably deep into research and may require digging out.
Please leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I possibly can.

Comments

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[nascensibility]

[Aaaaaand coming in all the way out from left-field is this message, which leaves Evelyn staring at it for an egregiously long time, sporting an indignant expression. Dean's murder - which, by the way, she was not invited to investigate and she's still sore about it - was the most recent crime against humanity and is still an open case.

She wishes she could do more to assist, but some people wouldn't let her near the body when it was still on display.

Blake makes it sound as though there's been a recent killing spree going on under her nose.]

I was not aware that I was Will Graham's keeper.

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[oversight]

[ Of course, he hadn't meant her to think he was keeping her out. If nothing else, he was protecting himself: Evelyn has a way of seeing right through him in a way that's mostly unparalleled in Wonderland.

Nevertheless, he has concerns and he's already feeling as if these murders have gone by the wayside for far too long. ]

Well, now you're aware. Is there something going on that I don't know about?

[ And he means that entirely innocently. He really doesn't care what they're doing as long as they're keeping some focus on the current threats, and keeping him in the loop when new information comes up (something the Winchesters have already neglected to do). ]

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[nascensibility]

[At this very moment, Evelyn is sitting in the parlour reading, bereft of company (which means bereft of Will Graham), and finds Blake's demanding tone to be rather irksome.

To say the least.]

Specify, John.

Pertaining to my interpersonal relationships, or the murder investigations?

You will recall, of course, that I was not privy to the details of the latter.

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[oversight]

[ Thank god someone's willing to ask before jumping to conclusions. Blake could probably learn from this example... ]

The murder investigations. Why would I care about your interpersonal relationships??

[ But wait, there's more! ]

Please tell me they're not connected.

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[nascensibility]

They're not connected.

[Glossing over the fact that a criminal profiler has been sharing her bed of late, her other interpersonal relationships have nothing to do with the string of grotesque and abhorrent murders in Wonderland.

Of this Evelyn is entirely certain, being of firm opinion and even firmer mind. She couldn't be more wrong, of course, but c'est la vie.]

To my knowledge Will is still working on Dean's case. As I understand it, professional investigations require teams of specialists, and we only have one at our disposal.

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[oversight]

[ Some part of him is offended all of a sudden. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding, but as far as he can tell, she's waving Will's flag pretty emphatically. Whether that's giving her blinders equal to Blake's or not remains to be seen. ]

Right, just the one. Thanks for clearing that up, Evie.

[ Honestly, he'd been running on piss and vinegar to get this far, but suddenly he doesn't feel any bit like arguing. He's not even sure he'll bother continuing to respond at this rate, since he's so obviously unimportant and unprofessional and not any bit a part of this team. ]

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[nascensibility]

[Is that-? Is he-? Oh, of course, now after attacking her with the implication that she is distracting Will from his work, she's apparently the one at fault.

She did say specialist, didn't she? Suddenly so defensive about her not recognising him for something - Evelyn must be out of the loop.]

I distinctly recall you telling me once that you were an officer. If that has changed, you never saw fit to inform me of it.

[Dash it all, this is cursedly impersonal.]

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[nascensibility]

I asked you to help me that day in the library. I still need your help, John, but baseless accusations that I am...that I could possibly be detaining scraps of information aren't going to get us anywhere.

[Disorganized infighting already, bloody Hell.]

Why would I be shutting you out? Where is this coming from?

voice;

[oversight]

[ He's already having a hell of a time with Will, so getting on the phone with Evie seems like a awful idea, but he's definitely not going to ignore her. This is already bad enough without completely ostracizing himself from the people he ultimately cares for.

When he responds, his voice is raw and quiet, but controlled in a way that his texts obviously weren't. ]

Evelyn... [ A breathy pause passes through the connection. ] It's comin' from the place in me that says I can't lose anyone else. Half-dead, dead, gone — can't happen again.

If you know somethin' — or Will knows somethin' — then I gotta know, okay? All I'm— [ Fuck. ] I-I'm just gettin' pushed aside every time I go askin' questions and time's passin'. [ He swallows and it feels so difficult, Blake wouldn't be surprised if she can hear it on the other end. ] Time's passin', the risk's not gone, an' all I'm hearin' is "we'll take care of it, you just sit down an' let the big kids handle this," except, not even in that many words.

Was a detective, y'know. Wasn't just pretendin' to be a beat cop with with a hard on for— for makin' people pay.

Don't wanna see another person splayed out like that — not one more.

[ That's... a lot of words for John. Very controlled words, for all the bubbling anger brewing beneath the surface. ]

voice;

[nascensibility]

[Blake's texts were defencive, worrisome, and frankly, accusatory. Hearing how torn he sounds now makes his hurt more evident, but it doesn't excuse his behaviour.]

John. [Evelyn is firm and far from dismissive.] I know it's hard. Believe me, I know.

[The last two occasions when there was a notorious psychopath in Wonderland, she paid the price for getting in the way. Evelyn hasn't forgotten Jim Moriarty; the bloodstained photo album in her dresser drawer can attest to that.]

I'm not telling you to take this lying down, but I will tell you the same thing that I told Sam: this killer is a narcissist. These murders are performances. You know that. We have very little to work with and as terrible as these crimes are, we are not permanently losing people. Don't lose yourself trying to find the grain of salt in a handful of sand.

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[oversight]

[ He huffs. They're all good points, of course, and it's not news to him, but he's still feeling awfully raw to be so far out of the loop, and consistently pushes away. ]

The sufferin's real. The aftermath these people've gotta deal with is real. By passin' this stuff off as impermanent, we're— we're sayin'— feels like we're sayin' it's okay. It's not.

Rather prevent as much sufferin' as I can. That's my job, just as much as solvin' crimes. [ His voice takes on a firm tone. ] Serve and protect.

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[nascensibility]

I'm not- [She breaks on the first words. As if she didn't already know what it felt like.] I'm not trying to trivialise it, John.

[She realises how callous she must sound, to brush it all away when it's not a 'real' death. Two lives in, Evelyn knows perfectly well how terrifying it can be. Her intention is to be stronger than she thinks she is capable of being, having lost so many loved ones already - whether to Wonderland's fickle Roll Call Sheet or the distance of time when people leave and return again, damaged or changed.

She tries to be objective. She tries to remember what Sherlock used to tell her. She tries not to be clouded by emotion when all she wants to do is drown in it, and it is the single most difficult feat to stay afloat.]

You are one of my oldest and dearest friends, [Evelyn finally says, finding her voice again.] But you are being rash, and I think that's dangerous.

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[oversight]

[ It's probably not the first time he's heard such things, but it might be the most personal time he's heard it. Digging deep, he lets her words settle and really considers the intent behind them. Evie would never purposefully lead him astray and he knows that. ]

...you're right. [ He needs to admit that. ] Got too close. I'll— [ She's absolutely right. ] Sorry. You're right. Thank you.

[ And that's all he'll bother with saying before hanging up. He has a lot to think about. ]