Disappearance

Decipherer:  Elias had been gone for eleven days now, with no end in sight to his absence. It was more than concerning; it was terrifying in its implications. Artemis couldn't stop his mind from entertaining itself by wandering into every possible direction, through every conceivable scenario. The imagery that ensued twisted his stomach.

Distraction, he thought.''It'd do me well to stretch my legs.''

With no pause to allow his thoughts to emerge with worse ideas, he headed down for the kitchen. No sooner had he returned to his room, where the door was --

... He'd closed the door, hadn't he? Or was he just noticing things on account of his missing brother?

With a huff, Artemis slid it closed behind him and tossed himself onto his bed, to which it let out a groan. His gaze fixed onto the ceiling as he fought the hollow feeling in his stomach, and his eyes flitted across the room. It'd been mainly untouched; especially Elias' area, as he awaited his return with a strict order to let his things be.

He sat upright, shoulders drawing into themselves tightly. He rushed to Elias' bed, and he felt his heartbeat rise into his throat. There, rested albeit hastily on a pillow, was a parchment. Elias' normally eloquent script had been rushed, loops and sweeps abandoned in favor of scrawling letters.

'''I'll be around eventually. - Eli'''

His breath hitched. It was supposed to be reassuring, right? That was how he was supposed to interpret this.

But it... wasn't. ''It seemed so out of place. Why expend the effort to get it here and not face me?'' He took it in his hands with a strange gentleness, loathe to hurt it somehow.

Artemis decided that perhaps poking about would be the wisest move, given the situation. He started at the first name that surfaced in his mind, and who was also, thankfully, watchful of Elias already (though perhaps not for a good reason).

He knocked on Alice's door, and it was all he could do to halt his fidgeting. Even then, he only half-succeeded.

Hyde without a Jekyll:  *The door creaked open to reveal a small disheveled girl. Alice, to put it politely, looked like a mess. Her eyes were red and held dark rings beneath them and her features exuded exhaustion. If Arty had thought her informal appearance, that she normal held, couldn't get worse then he was wrong. Alice's feet were bare ,her pants legs pooled around her ankles, shirt was un-tucked and wrinkled appearing to be more a dress than a dress shirt, and all other accessories (the gloves, hat, scarf, goggles) had been thrown into a large pile next to her satchel on the desk. But what was the oddest of all was her hair, as it was not put up in it's iconic pony tail but instead hung loosely around her like a shawl. It spilled over her shoulders and down to her ribs, and the shorter, wild strands that normally framed her face seem to intertwined themselves into the longer locks forcing them to double in volume and chaos.*

Artemis? *She seemed to ask, unsure of what was dream and what was reality.*

Decipherer: Artemis is, almost comfortingly, an equal mess. Sharing in the down hair and sleepless appearance, he lets out a small, hollow chuckle. "Would you like it if I came back later?" His fist tightens around the paper in hand. I've no time for this.

Hyde without a Jekyll:  *Alice takes a moment to understand his words before muttering something under her breath (...there might not be a later.) and then opening the door to let Arty inside.* No. Please come in.

Decipherer:  "N- nono, I was just going to ask if you've, uh, seen Elias around?" His eyes shift around and past the doorway.

Hyde without a Jekyll:  *Her rooms a mess with bits of papers, blankets, and books all piled onto one another.* I haven't. Have you tried the bars? ...I found him coming back one night completely drunk....

Decipherer:  "A few nights ago, yeah..." His voice lingers on the words, dropping into silence before he adds in a strained voice, "It's been eleven days."

Hyde without a Jekyll:  Eleven days...*Alice repeated, rubbing her forehead with her palm.* The aquarium, the stabbing, the writing, and now this?!

Decipherer:  His words seem choked. "It's not that he just popped off, he just -- our mom just..."

His speech abandons him again, and he adds quietly while extending the paper, "And then this, I'm just-.."

Hyde without a Jekyll:  *Alice reads the note, twice, before handing it back to Artemis.* ...So he's not in the Society?

Decipherer: "No, he isn't," he huffs. "I'm just.. poking around. Seeing if anyone's seen him."

Hyde without a Jekyll:  *She looks up into his eyes with a mournful sadness about them.* Why?

Decipherer:  He tilts his head, face contorting with confusion. "What?"

Hyde without a Jekyll:  Why do you care about him? Why do you try to save him from himself? Why do you make his problems, your problems too?

Decipherer: "He's my brother, we-- we're family.."

Hyde without a Jekyll:  But he doesn't seem to do the same for you. He never told you about the writing, those "Scientists", and he never even talked of you until you arrived on our door step.

Decipherer:  "... He didn't?"

Hyde without a Jekyll:  *Alice shook her head.* Not that I ever heard.

Decipherer:  He gulps down the lump in his throat, shaking his head and smoothing out his curls with a hand. "I firmly believe that he would do the very same for me."

Hyde without a Jekyll:  Has he?

Decipherer:  "He--" He stops, the strangled tone creeping back into his voice, "He hasn't had a reason to, but.."

Hyde without a Jekyll:  But nothing. *She thinks for a minute before continuing.* Maybe he's trying to tell you something. *She gestures towards the note in his hand.* Maybe he doesn't want you do care about him, worry about him, look for him.

Decipherer:  His grasp on the paper tightens, abandoning his previous gentleness. "Why wouldn't he want me to care about him?"

Hyde without a Jekyll: *She looked at him, pity in her blue eye.* ...Just look at what it's doing to you.

Decipherer:  "Wh-- huh?"

Hyde without a Jekyll:  *She gestures towards Artemis's disheveled and panicked state.* If Elias does care about you as much as you say he does...then he wouldn't want to see you like this.

Decipherer:  "I-- he just needed time!"

Hyde without a Jekyll: ...Then why aren't you giving it to him?

Decipherer:  Artemis pales. "Beca-..."

Hyde without a Jekyll: He'll come back...eventually. *She once again gestures to the note.* He just needs time and space to think about... whatever he's thinking about. He doesn't want you worried about him. If he does love you, then he would never want to see you hurting like this. I think that's what the note is for, to calm your fears... *Her voice trails off into a slight, halfhearted chuckle.*

Decipherer:  He stiffens at the small, sudden laugh. "What?"

Hyde without a Jekyll:  *A melancholy smile plays across her lips.* If I'm right... *She pauses as a small laugh bounces from her mouth.* ...then Elias and I aren't that different, after all.

Decipherer:  "... How do you mean?"

Hyde without a Jekyll:  *She looks at the ground, resigned.* Let's just say I am trying to make a similar decision...

Decipherer:  ".. Er- right." He draws in a small breath. "I should, uh, go ask the others..."

Hyde without a Jekyll:  *She smiles at him. It was sad.* If it will quench your fears then do so but just remember to respect his wishes as well.

Decipherer:  "Y- yes, of course," he mutters.

Hyde without a Jekyll:  I wish you luck, then. *With that Alice retreated back into her room and closed the door, having one step closer to making her decision.*

Obtained From
Role-playing page for pg.72!