[slightly panicked] Lenalee? It's Allen. I don't know if you heard about what happened, but I'm worried about the school. Please stay away from there if you can -- I don't know how things are about to unfold, but I think it's best if you're not there. Maybe lock yourself in your apartment, or... something.
Unless it's dangerous there? [distractedly] The vines shouldn't be-- well, never mind.
If you need company, I can stay with you and try to help.
[a tiny, dim voice pipes] Right, 'cuz she needs your company. You haven't completely ruined her life yet. Looking to break her heart some more, are you? I guess it beats what you did to Mana--
Shut up, already! --Just give me a call when you get this so I know you're all right. [hurriedly, and then click]
Hello, it's Allen again. I haven't heard from you yet, and it's been a few hours now -- I think, or maybe just two, but -- sorry. It doesn't matter.
I really just wanted to talk to you as soon as you get this. I know a lot is happening and you probably just haven't checked your telephone, but I want to remind you that even if this is a very tense situation we have plenty of time to think about it. So you shouldn't make any reckless decisions! Please give me a call when you get this message, and we can talk about it, okay?
I'll try not to call at 2 in the morning, so, I suppose I should wish you a good night.
[fumbling in the dark he hits the button to repeat the last call, muttering darkly to himself. he just wanted to check the time. in the background there is high-pitched wailing from the tiny Allen]
--almost three in the bloody morning, can't believe you're still hollering in my ear, you persistent little monster. If I could put you out of your misery it'd solve both our problems, now wouldn't it--
Oh, hell. [click]
[voicemail] 4/a dignified hour of the morning, t-minus 36 hours
...Hello, Lenalee. I'm sorry if you received a call in the middle of the night last night. After I explicitly said I wasn't going to do anything like that. Slightly embarrassing. Please ignore it. It was a mistake, and I was very tired.
Anyway. I didn't hear from you yesterday, and I wanted you to know that, well. If you're trying to be a hero, please -- don't. Heroics are the worst, as I've been told... repeatedly. [a faint smile] So please, let's talk this over.
I'll drop by later to make sure you're all right. If you get this, let me know, please.
Hello again... I kept an eye out for you at the school, and I stopped by your room to see if you were there, like I suggested, and maybe... lost your phone, or something of the sort. I must be the worst sort of optimist.
[a few long beats] Lenalee, those children are wrong. They're angry and they're misguided and they're just -- wrong. Yao is their enemy, but we are all victims here. Punishing other victims, especially for things that were beyond their control, things they didn't even know they were doing, is senseless cruelty. It's wrong.
[the apparition is present again, but its voice is not distinct enough to be heard properly; maybe the word "convenient" is in there... after a beat, not responding, Allen continues]
And anyone who stands by and allows victims to be punished for Yao's actions is also wrong.
[it has finally occurred to Allen that she might already be dead. nope nope nope]
Hi, Lenalee. I'm starting to -- get myself worked up a bit with some silly worries, so...
Well, you know the drill. Call me. Even in the middle of the night, okay? Whenever you get this. I'm going to be up all night if I let myself keep thinking about it, so I'm -- going to try not to convince myself that you're back in your room safe and sound, just like I told you, trying to sit this one out. You'd be perfectly entitled to, so... Sleep well.
[voicemail] 7/T-MINUS 5 HOURS: A DISCOVERY IS MADE
It's Allen again! Despite being constantly hounded by what feels like the worst sort of demon, [the tiny petulant echo of your own innermost self-loathing] I managed to find a substantial can of that canned meat and I ate it with this weird canned drink? Something-cola...? I couldn't really make out the rest, it was somewhat worn off. It was very fuzzy going down and I feel kind of energized now!
Anyway, I was going to offer to share some of the "spam" with you. I have some rice pudding! You're probably doing fine in your room, because that's what I keep telling myself, but I do have some food. I'll even share the next something-cola I find with you.
Good afternoon, Lenalee. Update on earlier, I think that was a soft drink, in a small tin can. Maybe that's why it tasted so odd, I still don't understand-- Anyway, you're lucky you didn't join me for lunch, I'm sure I was a fright.
I just wanted to let you know that I'm not a lunatic, and... you should call me. I'm sure that comes as a surprise.
...If you're worried about what's going to happen -- don't be, all right? We're going to be fine. [almost stubbornly] I'll talk to you later.
[these are running noises] Lenalee?! You weren't in there, were you? Oh my God, if you took my advice I could've killed you. I really am the worst. [breathlessly]
I'm going in -- call me! I might not answer right away, I'm not hearing very well after all that noise, but keep calling.
[much quieter; he's taking a breather from digging] Hi, Lenalee... It's Allen. I'm all right. And you're -- not, probably. I know that you'll be back, because there's still this little picture of you on my telephone. I've been looking at it a lot.
There's a lot of work that needs to be done here. Everything is -- kind of a mess. I'm sure that you'll call me when you can, so I'm going to go back to work. On the off chance that you're in there now, and because I know lots of other people are.
So I'll try not to leave you another million messages. I've already embarrassed myself thoroughly, no doubt. [probably not as bad as the ones Lavi got, though, lbr] Just know that I'm thinking about you, and I'll be here.
[she listens to each and every message, one by one, over and over again. each one sinks a little deeper in her chest, and she's hard pressed not to cry by the end of it. She really disappeared then, she left Allen alone, she worried him when she promised to stay by his side.]
[She couldn't keep that promise at all. She could only imagine what happened in her absence, bad things, dead things. Waking up in the remains of the apartment left her heart pounding her chest and the growing fear that that was all that remained to greet her. So in a way, she's glad to hear Allen's messages, if only because it meant that he was still around.]
[But what if he wasn't?]
[then it's what she deserves, for leaving him behind. so she calls him, after staring at the picture on his phone, wondering how he could have possibly felt]
...Allen? [i'm sorry] ...Where are you? [I'm the one that left you, but now I'm the one who needs to see you. She's selfish, she knows, and she won't ever deny it]
[he answers the phone unthinkingly, bringing it to his ear and -- there's a swell of relief and worry when he hears her voice] Lenalee! You're here.
I'm nearby -- I went to the church. Are you all right, how are you feeling? [he's already heading for the door so that he can go to... he's not sure. the apartment wreckage?] I can come to you...
...I'm -- [not okay. she's physically fine. she can wiggle her fingers and toes. but that's only the tip of the iceberg she's feeling right now.] I woke up at the ruins. I'll meet you half-way.
[he beams at her as he draws closer, his gaze flicking over her to take her in quickly. she looks all right -- there's nothing visibly wrong with her, no visible wounds or blood, but he knows that's not nearly enough]
[he keeps running up to her and gathers her right up into a hug]
Don't be ridiculous. [he's not going to let go until he thinks she doesn't need this anymore to feel okay] You didn't leave us. You would never do that. You mustn't blame yourself.
...Thank you for staying with me. [for waiting, for still being alive. while she had cried and sobbed out loud the first time she met Allen in Haven, she does her best to keep it quiet and short. It's silly to cry when she's already back... She only draws back once she's sure she won't start crying again-- ] Were you okay? I heard that the ghosts destroyed the building...
[he shifts enough to smile at her warmly, staying close] Yes, I was fine. Most of us were still at the school when it happened, so I think few people were really injured. It's just been a little difficult finding shelter, but everyone's looking out for each other.
That's good... [that everyone's cooperating and not running around like headless chickens.] Then -- that means it's all over, right? No more ghosts or people acting strangely...?
No. It all seemed to stop after the apartment complex went down. I haven't been back to the school since then, but... [but he's avoiding it now, even though it makes him feel guilty]
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[voicemail] 1/backdated to death, doom, and destruction
Unless it's dangerous there? [distractedly] The vines shouldn't be-- well, never mind.
If you need company, I can stay with you and try to help.
Shut up, already! --Just give me a call when you get this so I know you're all right. [hurriedly, and then click]
[voicemail] 2/ghostly reverse hostage situation
I really just wanted to talk to you as soon as you get this. I know a lot is happening and you probably just haven't checked your telephone, but I want to remind you that even if this is a very tense situation we have plenty of time to think about it. So you shouldn't make any reckless decisions! Please give me a call when you get this message, and we can talk about it, okay?
I'll try not to call at 2 in the morning, so, I suppose I should wish you a good night.
[voicemail] 3/this one's not his fault
--almost three in the bloody morning, can't believe you're still hollering in my ear, you persistent little monster. If I could put you out of your misery it'd solve both our problems, now wouldn't it--
Oh, hell. [click]
[voicemail] 4/a dignified hour of the morning, t-minus 36 hours
Anyway. I didn't hear from you yesterday, and I wanted you to know that, well. If you're trying to be a hero, please -- don't. Heroics are the worst, as I've been told... repeatedly. [a faint smile] So please, let's talk this over.
I'll drop by later to make sure you're all right. If you get this, let me know, please.
[voicemail] 5/t-minus 30 hours
[a few long beats] Lenalee, those children are wrong. They're angry and they're misguided and they're just -- wrong. Yao is their enemy, but we are all victims here. Punishing other victims, especially for things that were beyond their control, things they didn't even know they were doing, is senseless cruelty. It's wrong.
[the apparition is present again, but its voice is not distinct enough to be heard properly; maybe the word "convenient" is in there... after a beat, not responding, Allen continues]
And anyone who stands by and allows victims to be punished for Yao's actions is also wrong.
So please call me. [click]
[voicemail] 6/death? in haven?? inconceivable!
Hi, Lenalee. I'm starting to -- get myself worked up a bit with some silly worries, so...
Well, you know the drill. Call me. Even in the middle of the night, okay? Whenever you get this. I'm going to be up all night if I let myself keep thinking about it, so I'm -- going to try not to convince myself that you're back in your room safe and sound, just like I told you, trying to sit this one out. You'd be perfectly entitled to, so... Sleep well.
[voicemail] 7/T-MINUS 5 HOURS: A DISCOVERY IS MADE
It's Allen again! Despite being constantly hounded by what feels like the worst sort of demon, [the tiny petulant echo of your own innermost self-loathing] I managed to find a substantial can of that canned meat and I ate it with this weird canned drink? Something-cola...? I couldn't really make out the rest, it was somewhat worn off. It was very fuzzy going down and I feel kind of energized now!
Anyway, I was going to offer to share some of the "spam" with you. I have some rice pudding! You're probably doing fine in your room, because that's what I keep telling myself, but I do have some food. I'll even share the next something-cola I find with you.
[voicemail] 8/t-minus 4 hours
I just wanted to let you know that I'm not a lunatic, and... you should call me. I'm sure that comes as a surprise.
...If you're worried about what's going to happen -- don't be, all right? We're going to be fine. [almost stubbornly] I'll talk to you later.
[voicemail] 9/KABOOM
I'm going in -- call me! I might not answer right away, I'm not hearing very well after all that noise, but keep calling.
[voicemail] 10/death, doom, destruction acheived
There's a lot of work that needs to be done here. Everything is -- kind of a mess. I'm sure that you'll call me when you can, so I'm going to go back to work. On the off chance that you're in there now, and because I know lots of other people are.
So I'll try not to leave you another million messages. I've already embarrassed myself thoroughly, no doubt. [probably not as bad as the ones Lavi got, though, lbr] Just know that I'm thinking about you, and I'll be here.
[...click]
[voice] beautiful
[She couldn't keep that promise at all. She could only imagine what happened in her absence, bad things, dead things. Waking up in the remains of the apartment left her heart pounding her chest and the growing fear that that was all that remained to greet her. So in a way, she's glad to hear Allen's messages, if only because it meant that he was still around.]
[But what if he wasn't?]
[then it's what she deserves, for leaving him behind. so she calls him, after staring at the picture on his phone, wondering how he could have possibly felt]
...Allen? [i'm sorry] ...Where are you? [I'm the one that left you, but now I'm the one who needs to see you. She's selfish, she knows, and she won't ever deny it]
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I'm nearby -- I went to the church. Are you all right, how are you feeling? [he's already heading for the door so that he can go to... he's not sure. the apartment wreckage?] I can come to you...
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[and he's going to hurry, because he doesn't want her to be alone]
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Allen...!
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[he keeps running up to her and gathers her right up into a hug]
I'm sorry.
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...No. I should be the one apologizing. [and gripping him tight] I didn't mean to leave you and Lavi, Allen. I'm -- sorry.
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...I really came back, didn't I? [voice wavering] This isn't a dream...?
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...Thank you for staying with me. [for waiting, for still being alive. while she had cried and sobbed out loud the first time she met Allen in Haven, she does her best to keep it quiet and short. It's silly to cry when she's already back... She only draws back once she's sure she won't start crying again-- ] Were you okay? I heard that the ghosts destroyed the building...
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...I'm glad you're okay. [even if the entire building is gone]
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