seas_open | (no subject)

April is restless.

It's an itch under her skin, the feeling she most closely associates with the times she lets herself really be free, when her scales surface and she slips into the water. That's where she goes when she feels like this. That or she disappears, but Siren Cove has done something to her and she can't just disappear into thin air.

Her father would probably find her, for one, and right now she's still at a place where she doesn't want to give him a reason to contact her. Right now she's still of the mind that as little contact as possible is best.

But she's restless and she's twitchy and she's sure Coop had sensed it all afternoon. She'd bid him a distracted goodbye before standing on the sidewalk, undecided, then turned toward Caden's. She should go see Les, he's always made her feel better, but there's still that little sting that's worked its way under her skin. Like a fish hook, a little barb that's dug into the side of her throat and is tugging, tugging every time she tries to move.

She'd come to the cave for him. He'd gone home with Corrine.

She doesn't know what she really feels, not yet, but tonight she goes to see Caden instead, arms wrapped around herself to ward off the chill in the air when she knocks on his door.

Threaded | Flat

Caden had explained away ignoring his sister's calls for almost a week by telling her that he was on a writing binge. Being kidnapped was terrifying and surreal but he doesn't really feel the need to tell his sister or mom about it. There's nothing they could do but worry after the fact, so he kept it to himself. His sister is used to the way he gets when he writes, distracted and hyper-focused, so she let it go with minor grumbling.

Now, he's actually in one of those grooves. He's been awake for nearly two days with only tiny cat naps here and there, only getting up from his desk to take a quick shower, during which he takes notes on the waterproof pad his sister got him.

He's been at his desk for the six hours since he left the shower, twitching slightly as he stares at the screen with tired eyes. Food is a lower priority than words, so he's been surviving on tea and the chocolate covered espresso beans that he has shipped in from San Francisco.

It takes a moment for him to register the knocking on the door and his first thought is to ignore it, but he tears himself away from the screen. His fingers keep typing even after he's turned his head away and he stretches them out, knuckles popping as he stands.

God, he needs to find a good chiropractor in this town.

All he's wearing are black boxer briefs and a blue v-neck tee, so he opens the door a crack. His hair is a little messy, fluffy and soft and free of product, and his shoulders draw up against the chill that opening the door allows in.

"April?" He's suddenly very glad that he did not ignore the knock. He opens the door wider and ushers her in, shivering a bit as he closes the door. "Hey, let me take your coat."

He helps her out of it and kisses her cheek before going to hang it up, and tilts his head slightly when he turns back and sees the way that she's holding herself. Last time she showed up on his door, it was because of bad news. He hopes that isn't the case here. One, he doesn't want anything to be wrong, and two, it'd be nice if she just wanted to see him.

"Is everything okay?" He looks around and then down at his clothes, or lack thereof, and blushes. "Sorry for the mess. I've been writing for the past two days."