99. [Text/Action for travel group]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[SO YEAH, UH. IT'S BEEN. A FEW DAYS. SINCE... YOU KNOW.]

[Since the whole thing on the weekend that they all remember now.]

[In those few days, Heather has been holed up in her hotel room like a dysfunctional pop star hiding from the paparazzi. What's she been doing in there? GOD ONLY KNOWS. Actually, the people IN that hotel room know and it's mostly being quiet and sleeping a lot, but there you go.]

[BUT LO AND BEHOLD: a text!]

[A text with a request.]</sub>


SUP PEOPLE

I have a mission for all of you


send me funny shit

any funny shit

I don't care if it's a joke or a story about the time your drunk uncle bill mistook your annoying aunt sally's drink for a spitoon or a video of that fat Meowrth that likes to get in boxes i forget his name it's like Maroo or something

1 2 3 GO

Comments

[audio, earlier]

[tapestodiane]

_{[A pause, then,]}

There's a café by the Center. My treat.

_{[That's about as unthreatening as he can make it, right?]}

[audio, earlier]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[... A cafe. Inviting her to a cafe.]

[Almost immediately, her thoughts fly back to the tiny Ecruteak diner where they had first spoken about BOB. It's a memory that makes her heart ache, after everything that had happened in between.]

[It's also one that's a little confusing.]

[But can she refuse it? Hell no, she can't.]

[Not when he asks.]

[Still, there's a moment of uncertain silence before she speaks up again, almost quaveringly.]</sub>

... Um... now?

[audio, earlier]

[tapestodiane]

I ... I'll leave that up to you.

_{[Tomorrow works. Right now works, even if he hadn't thought that far. He's not sure which option he prefers, either.]}

[audio, earlier]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[UH OH, A QUANDARY.]

[Heather wasn't totally expecting the choice to wind up in her hands, and at first she's not totally sure what to do with it.]

[Because, well, despite her reluctance, it's pretty clear that this ... talk, or whatever it's gonna wind up being, is going to happen at some point. HAS to happen at some point. Because Cooper won't take no for an answer, even if she sort of wishes he would.]

[And there's a couple of options... her first impulse is to say 'Tomorrow', because putting off the unpleasant inevitable is human nature. And she'd have a little more time to mentally compose herself.]

[But then, on the other hand... a cafe is public, and tomorrow there'll be people. ... Well, more people, anyway. If they do this right NOW, there'd at least be a little more privacy.]

[... And hell. Maybe... maybe it'd just be better to get it over with.]</sub>

... I can...

... I can be there in like... half an hour. I guess.

... Y- ... you said it was by the, uh, Center, right?

[audio, earlier]

[tapestodiane]

Yeah. Follow the street on its righthand side.

_{[Right now, okay. He can do that no problem. He takes a breath and starts looking for his jacket.]}

See you soon.

[audio, earlier]

[foolishwren]

_{[THEY'RE DOING THIS. THEY'RE MAKIN THIS HAPPEN.]}

... 'kay...

Uh.

... Bye...

<sub>[And then with that devastatingly uncharacteristic farewell, she hangs up, a hollow feeling ironically filling her from head to toe.]

[Well... better steel up ...]</sub>