text | un: kovacs

[kovach]

[ after attempting to follow some small footprints from the dining room, kovacs briefly hears some strange and suspicious laughter that echoes out for only a short time before it's gone.

— the fuck? ]

Has anyone heard some creepy fucking kids giggling in the hallways?

Or seen some tiny feet trailing around?

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[kovach]

[ if it were anyone else, he'd absolutely be annoyed right now. and even still, when she brings her hand atop his head, his lips purse a bit like he might complain, though he doesn't, of course. ]

Oh, yeah? So how much ghosts did you bust? Or if it wasn't what you thought, then what was it?

[ if it's of any aid to what this is. he carries her along the hall, following along the faint hint of steps still partially visible, up until the point of where they disappear in the middle of the hallway. he stops there, hoping he might hear the laugh again, but nothing. ]

[bossily]

[She uses her hand on his head to turn his head upward, as if it's going to help her see better. It doesn't, of course, and she just winds up grinning in amusement. Her own head tips back though, trying to see if there's any flicker of light that seems out of place.]

It ended up being a love story, actually. What seemed like ghosts in our world were just aliens in love trying to find one another across other dimensions. One was trapped in a pocket reality. We were seeing flickers of movement and hearing things. So our giggling children could be a key to ditching everyone else and hopping to another dimension entirely.

[So basically: the story is of no help to anything here, apart from the mention of the possibility of there being layers of reality and dimensions at play here.]

[kovach]

That's not a control panel.

[ he mutters it like a grumble, but it's not like he does much to resist her operating him like some sort of vehicle, tilting and turning his head with use of her hand. she's clearly having fun with this so who is he to stop it. ]

Lovers yearning for each other across pocket realities. Sounds romantic. [ which might seem sarcastic from a mouth like kovacs', but in reality, he does appreciate a good love story. he's been part of his own in the past, though it didn't have a happy ending. he doesn't particularly imagine getting one. ]

So what if we do find that here? [ he gives slow turns of his body, peering around that central area like maybe something might be out of place. ] If we find some sort of pocket door — would you jump right in? Ditch everything here for a happy little pocket life?

[bossily]

[That question does wonders to sober her up. She goes still and quiet, hand slipping off the top of his head.]

It's a lovely thought. Us popping off somewhere unknown, having a new adventure together. Knowing what's waiting for me when I go back...I'm not against running forever.

[There's a slight pang when she realizes that actually does sound incredibly appealing to her. She has to swallow down the guilt she feels at the realization, and winds up sliding off his back so she can stand at his side instead.]

Would you actually take my hand and go if it was a possibility?

[kovach]

[ it's meant as an offhand question, just a casual slip of the conversation while trying to inspect the mystery he's somehow gotten himself into. but potential ghosts or castle pranks, or whatever this is all meant to be, is nothing compared to what might be going on in clara's mind, especially when he feels her loosen the clutch of her limbs around him, sliding off his back.

he turns to look at her, knowing what the question carries for her, how it's all much more complicated than just a theoretical fantasy.

of course, it's something for him to think about too, carrying its on appeal. unlike clara, kovacs is still very much alive in his world — but he's felt dead for over two centuries, even while he'd been put under ice in that prison. quell is gone and there's no future with kristin, not when ryker exists.

escaping all these worlds away for a new one with clara? it's all a dream, but not an unpleasant one. ]

If you wanted to — [ he reaches carefully for her hand with his fingers, wrapping around hers gently, stroking the tips lightly, his eyes watching them. ] I would.

[ he can't. but he would. ]

[bossily]

[His answer causes the corner of her mouth to tug upward, and she glances from their hands to his face. Her fingers lightly curl against his, and she knows that neither of them would actually be willing to do it.

Even if they were presented with the opportunity.

They're caught in a quiet moment of meaningful looks and gentle hand caresses, right in the middle of a ghost hunt.]

Maybe someday we'll get the chance.

[It's a lovely thing to imagine. But it's not going to be reality. Their reality is here, on this mission. And before the moment is broken completely, she rises up on her tiptoes and uses her free hand to guide him to lean down for a kiss.]

Someday after we find all the orbs.

[kovach]

[ no, they can't do it. and he knows it, just as well as she does, that neither of them have the willingness to just run off, not when they're in the middle of something they've started, where they are people who depend on them to follow through. he knows from what he's seen of her, from what she's told him, from the very predicament she'd found herself in, that she wouldn't abandon anyone for herself.

and as much as he likes to insist he doesn't care, that he'd ditch this all just for the chance to make it all stop, he wouldn't either.

still, it's a nice fantasy. with her. the feel of their joint fingers just further prove it and when she reels him down to kiss her, he doesn't care for where they are, for who's lurking around, solid or ghost or otherwise, his lips press to hers earnestly. ]

Maybe someday. After.

[ although he knows that might not be possible either. because by then, he'll have to fulfill his end of the bargain, giving whatever he needs to in order to make sure clara lives. and that's more important than even the chance to somehow find a sense of peace with her. ]

[bossily]

Maybe. But for now, I suppose we ought to focus on the ghosts.

[She agrees, the corner of her mouth curling upward. Her gaze holds his for a moment before she pulls back, hand slipping down into his. She's the one leading as they head off down the hallway once again, though she doesn't necessarily have to tug him along after her anymore. He just seems ready to follow at her pace.]