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a text to Finley from Calamity: hey theres this old as fuck warehouse that i wanna go explore, wanna come with?
Finley :: Oh, sure! Send me the address?
Calamity does - it's in northeast Philly, close to the river. It's gotten a little chilly, since the sun set, and the wind isn't helping things. Calamity also texts that they're waiting around the corner from the place, and there they are, the cherry of their cigarette announcing their presence even though they're standing in shadow.
Finley texts back that they're on their way. Some time later they're walking along, brightening when they spot Calamity. They hurry over, lifting a hand for an awkward little wave.
Calamity waves back and puts their cigarette out on the wall of the building they're leaning against, shoving it back in a battered pack. "Hey!" they whisper when Finley's close enough to hear them. "Ready?"
"Mhm," Finley hums a reply, bobbing their head. They're in their usual oversized coat, baggy layers underneath. Tonight's mask:
"I like your mask." They flash a grin. They're wearing their same old ratty sweatshirt, zipped up all the way. They're maybe shivering a little, but they're bouncing on their toes, and dart forward when Finley replies, slipping around the corner toward the warehouse in question. It's small - much smaller than the place they two of them met - and built of brick, with small pane windows that are mostly smashed in. The ones that aren't boarded up, that is. All the visible doors are covered with plywood, and Calamity trots toward one side, where a rusted looking fire escape half hangs off of the side of the place. "D'you climb, or shit?" It seems to occur to them that they haven't ever seen Finley actually get into anyplace.
Finley trots after Calamity, but definitely not as fast as Calamity. "Mm... not very well," Finley admits. "But can try..."
"How d'you get into places that're like, decent about closing up the bottom level then?" They eye the fire escape for a few seconds, before taking a few steps back.
"Oh, um... Just... look for places to squeeze in, mostly..." Their eyes widen as Calamity jumps, looking impressed. "Ooh... You're good..."
"Thanks!" They're hanging from the bottom lip of the fire escape, a tiny bit breathless, and they use their weight to pull it down. It screeches, rusty metal on metal, and Calamity winces at the noise.
Finley flinches at the loud noise as well, hands wringing a bit. They look relieved when Calamity is back on their feet. "Do you like climbing a lot...?"
"Yeah! It's fun." They test the fire escape steps, and slowly make their up. They're excited and impulsive, but not completely stupid. And these steps are really rusty. "Usually I'll look for the easy way in so I don't have to do this shit, but sometimes..."
"Are you just... showing off? For me?" Finley asks with softly creased eyes. Were they trying to make a joke?? But they climb up the rusty stairs carefully. Far more clumsy than Calamity.
"No it's just the easiest way to get in here. Probably." They're quite defensive. Like more than they probably should be. "Plus I bet the windows up here are easier to get into. Than the ones on the bottom floor. 'Cause nobody thinks about it." They may be rambling a bit.(edited)
The defensive note has them shrinking back, brows knitting together faintly. "Oh... mm... Sorry," they murmur softly, falling quiet after as they follow them up.
"Usually I just find somewhere to slip in too though, people are so bad at locking up their shit..." They've made it to a window on the second floor. "You wanna try to open it?"
"Um... I can try..." They step past them, fiddling with the window to try to get it to push open.
...There's a minute two of very, very awkward fumbling before Finley seems to give up, stepping back with an embarrassed look to their eyes and hunched shoulders.
Calamity futzes with the window for a few seconds and finally is able to slide it open. They gesture for Finley to get in first, if they're comfortable.
Finley still looks awful sheepish at having failed, but look relieved when Calamity manages it. The touch makes them shift their weight between their feet nervously, but then they're carefully climbing in, squinting into the dark once inside. They turn, offering hands to help Calamity climb through.
Calamity takes the offered hand, and once they're in they close the window behind them, leaving a tiny gap to make it easier for them to get out that way. Or get back in later, if they decide to come back. "Okay. Where to?"
"Mm..." They look around thoughtfully, taking in the inside of the dark dusty warehouse. "Up...?"
"Ooh sure. All the way to the roof?" They pull their zippo out of their pocket while they speak, and look like they're about to light it. It's not like they can see in the dark all that well, especially with the boarded up windows.
Finley gives a nervous glance towards the lighter, but says nothing. They nod in reply then start searching for stairs up, moving quietly though theres still some eerie creaking. "Ever... seen... a ghost? In these places?"
A quick shake of their head, and they flick the lighter on, casting a pool of yellow light around them. "Never seen ghosts. I mean I...I never really thought about 'em, most people think they don't exist...?"
"Mmm... I've seen... weird things? Never an actual... ghost..." They sound a bit sad about this? Weirdos.
"What sorta weird things?" They glance at zhem before continuing forward.
"Umm... Like... weird sounds... things that move..." Their hands fidget. "Nothing... certain. Proof. Might just be... old buildings or my imagination..."
"I mean I bet a lotta people think that we're ghosts and shit. Especially 'cause you can go invisible." They stick their tongue out at zhem. "I think most of that shit stays away from me though. Maybe it knows I'm not afraid to set it on fire."
Finley giggles softly at that, glancing away sheepishly. "Mmm... sometimes... ...Sometimes it's... kind of fun... to scare people..." Zhe huffs softly at the mention of setting things on fire. "I won't... scare you."
Calamity grins. "You scare people? That's...okay no offense but that's kinda adorable. I won't set you on fire, don't worry. Even if you scare me."
Finley glances sideways towards them a moment, unsure how to take that. Did Calamity just call them adorable? That's not what they meant, surely... "Mm... Thanks..."
"Okay but now I wanna hear about scaring people stories." They peek into a room with an open door and then shake their head. No stairs.
They make a soft strangled flustered sound in the back of their throat. "Mm... It's stupid, mostly..."
"Wanna hear 'em anyway."
"U-um... mm... just... you know... banging on things in other rooms, then hiding, and--mm... opening doors... an' stuff... Or just standing in the shadows looking... spooky..."
"In like...people's houses? Or more in like..." they gesture to the building, "to scare 'em off?"
"Oh! Nn-no! I don't... not in people's... homes... Just in places... like this..."
"I mean I figured, but I didn't figure you for the type to scare people, so...?" They shrug. "Hah - stairs." They're at the very end of the hallway.
"Nothing... bad... Just... a little..." Finley murmurs in a very small voice, looking down until zhe gets to the stairs, following Calamity up.
"Nah it's cool. And kinda adorable. But cool. You said you like horror shit too, right? So I guess that makes sense..." The dust is thick, and Calamity leaves footprints as they trot up the stairs.
Zher shoulders hunch more when called adorable again, eyes lowering again as zhe quietly follows them up. "Mm... I like horror... Do you...?"
"Yeah. I don't watch a lot of it, just 'cause of..." a vague gesture, "shit, but. Definitely."
"Mm..." Finley stares at the floor for a moment, hands stuffing deep into their coat pockets. "We could... watch some... movies. Sometime...."
"Ooh yeah." They nod as they carefully push the door open on the next level. "That'd be cool, I don't get the chance to just sit around and watch shit a lot. Usually just reading or dicking around on my phone."
Finley glances up just long enough to get their bearings before looking down again. "Okay. Mm... My place isn't... very nice, but... I have... a tv..?"
"Better'n where I live! I've got a fuckton of movies and shit on a hard drive, but I haven't been able to get a laptop so they're pretty much useless right now. Don't remember how much horror's on there, though..." This floor is pretty identical to the one below it, the same dusty hallway with rooms off of it.
"Bring it? I can hook it to my laptop, or... mm, whatever..." Theres a bit more of a bounce to their step now, hands shoving further into their pockets. "I have lots of movies too, if you don't have one you like."
"Will do." They nod. "Ooh, wonder what's in this room..." Most of the doorways are open, but this one in the middle's shut. And even has a padlock retrofitted onto it.
Finley blinks, stepping closer to peer at the padlock curiously. "Mm... do you know how to pick locks...?"
"Mhm. D'you?" They dig around in one of their pockets for a second, and pull out a piece of metal that looks like it was cut from a soda can.
Finley shakes their head a little, leaning in to watch with wide curious eyes.
"Ooh mk so - a lotta padlocks don't even need picks, you just..." Calamity bends the metal so it'll fit not through the keyhole, but down the side of the shackle into the body of the lock itself. They frown slightly in concentration, and wiggle the metal bit around a little. Half a second later, there's a clik and the padlock pops open. "You just have to move the latch that holds the shackle closed. Some locks have 'em on both sides, but then you just use two shims..." They carefully remove the lock and push the door open.
Finley's eyes go wiiide as zhe watches the lock pops open. "You're... so cool..." Finley murmurs, clearly impressed and a bit starry eyed.
"Nah, 'm not 'cool'. But I can teach you, if you want?" They shift, a little uncomfortable with the praise, and take a few steps into the room. Locked filing cabinets line both sides, and there's a narrow table running down the middle. "...Huh." Calamity's face falls a little as they see what's in the room.
"Nn... no, you're--" zhe starts, but seems to belatedly catch Calamity's discomfort, so lets it trail off. They look around, head tilting curiously, then heads over to try to open a cabinet to peer into--but it's locked. "Mm... weird..."
"'S probably just like...records and shit. Of whatever shit went on in here before it got abandoned, or sold, or whatever. I can try to get into one, if you want?"
"I am kinda curious," Finley murmurs. "But you don't have to..."
Calamity inspects the lock on the closest cabinet, and then pulls an altoids tin from their pocket. It's full of picks and tension tools (and a few keys), and lined with something to keep things from rattling around. "Can you hold -?" They flick their lighter on again and hold it out to Finley.
Finley hesitates, staring at the lighter for a few moment before very, very carefully taking it and holding it with just two fingers to hold up. But then they're watching Calamity work with obvious fascination.
They gesture for Finley to hold it just so, so they can at least see what they're doing a little, and go to work. It doesn't take long, they have a steady hand and they know what they're doing, and soon they take the picks away and slide the cabinet open with a triumphant grin.
Zhe starts to bounce on their heels with excitement, until they realize thats making the flame shift around so zhe instead goes very, very still. "So c-cool!"
"I mean it's...cool I guess?" Calamity shrugs and tucks their tools back in the altoids tin (and digs the padlock shim out of their pocket to stick in there, too.) "I can take that...back...?" They do seem to be aware that the flame makes zhem uncomfortable.
"Very," they murmur, offering the lighter back quickly.
"'F you say so," they mutter. The filing cabinet is full of...files. Business records, by the look of it, well over a decade old.
"You don't... like it... When I say you're cool?" they ask tentatively. They open the cabinet to start poke through the records curiously.
"I...I dunno? I just don't think I'm that cool." They shrug. "And like, most anyone could learn how to do this, doesn't make me special or anything."
Finley stares at them quietly for a moment, then looks down to poke through more files. "Okay..."
Yep, more business records. This place made a variety of different kind of glassware, when it was a functioning factory. "You don't like getting compliments, either," Calamity points out. "Any exciting paperwork?"
Finley pulls out a few to take closer looks at, but ends up stacking them on top of the cabinet. "Not... really..." Zhe looks to Calamity. "Mm... some compliments... I don't think I'm... adorable, either..."
"That's...that's fair, I guess? I dunno, most people who say nice things about me usually want something from me. Like the uh...my boss always says nice shit before he sends me to do some shitty errands. It's annoying as fuck." They grimace. "Wonder why this room was locked, if it's just like...records and shit."
"I don't want anything from you," Finley murmurs in a small voice, shoulders hunching a little. "Dunno... maybe there's old... bank stuff here or something..."
"Everyone always wants shit from someone eventually." They say it like it's a fact of life. "Mmm...maybe? Shit's like...older'n me probably. D'you want me to open more or d'you wanna keep exploring?"
"...We can keep exploring," zhe replies, nudging a bit of dusty paper on the floor with zher foot.
"Wonder what the roof is like..." They gesture for zhem to put the folders back in the cabinet before shutting it. They lock the padlock on the way out, too.
Finley stuffs the folders back into the drawer without caring if they're back in order or not. They follow Calamity out of the room, rubbing zher arm slowly. "Roof would be nice..."
Calamity bounds ahead, back toward the stairs, and stops to wait for zhem at the door. "This place isn't tall enough I don't think, but that other factory's really good for like...looking out over the city, if you climb to the tallest part."
"That sounds really nice..." Zhe follows along, watching them. "Um... what is your favorite comic book?"
"Oh that's hard. Um..." Their nose wrinkles as they think. "I mean I really really like Doom Patrol. Especially the old runs, it's...it's weird and real and sad and messy and good."
"Sad is okay, sometimes. Um... maybe I can... read them? Sometime..."
"Oh yeah, totally. I...I'm borrowing them from a friend, and she's got them back right now, but I can totally see if she'll let me lend them out. Or like. I'll steal them back and bring them over for you to read." Calamity grins.
"You... don't need to steal from your friend," Finley assures. "Just ask. I can... mm... buy them, if I need to..."
"You can get trades of a lot of it, but she's got single issues of some shit that's hard to get ahold of. There's one run that was written by a trans woman, it's got some awesome gender shit. If you're into reading about that sorta thing."
Finley perks at the mention of a trans woman writing it, nodding quickly. "Mm, I'd like that..."
"Lemme text her..." Calamity slows their steps up the stairs and fires off a quick text. "She was lending them to someone, but I'll see if I can get 'em for you when she gets them back."
"Okay." Finley stops beside them, hands fidgeting as they watch them text. "Thank you..."
"Yeah, 'course." They tuck their phone back in their pocket. "I like sharing shit like that. Hmm..." They've reached the final landing of the staircase, which actually has what looks like an exterior door. "Wonder if this is gonna lock behind us...guess it doesn't matter that much, there's probably other ways down."
"We can prop it open to make sure it doesn't...?" Finley looks a little nervous about the idea of climbing down.
"Sure -" They nod and glance around. What's there to prop open a door with, around here?
That........ is an interesting question. Probably not a lot of random stuff laying around. After a moment Finley slides off their coat and carefully folds and rolls it up so it can be used as a doorstop.
"I mean I guess I could probably get it back open if we had to, but...yeah that works. You're not gonna be cold...?" It has gotten quite chilly, and the wind whistles through the door as Calamity tugs it open.
"I'll be okay," they murmur, tugging their sleeves down past their wrist. With as baggy as zher sweater is, that's easy enough to do.
It's still cloudy, neither the moon nor the stars visible, and Calamity takes a big breath as they step onto the roof. They wrap their arms around themself, hands tucked into their sleeves, and start to make their way over to the opposite edge of the roof.
Finley continues to fidget with the bottom of zher sleeve as they watch Calamity, following behind them. The wind whips their mop of hair around their face, but they don't seem to mind. Zhe looks around slowly, shoulders still hunch a little. "Not a bad view..."
"It's pretty nice, yeah." Calamity glances at zhem before looking out over the city again. "There's so much light, even at three in the morning...wonder how many other people are hanging out on roofs like this, right now."
"Mm... some, probably..." Zher arms cross over zher chest, looking out over the edge of the city. After a few seconds they glance back at the mortal. "Calamity...?"
"Mmm?" They look over at zhem, and flop down to sit near the edge of the roof.
"Thank you... for being my friend."
Calamity goes pink and ducks their head. "Yeah...yeah 'course. Don't have to...to thank me for that."
...
"...Thankyouforbeingmyfriendtoothough."
Even with the mask on it's more than obvious that Finley is smiling widely. Zhe ducks their head as well, then steps over to sit down on the roof beside Calamity, looking out over the nearby buildings with a content, happy stare.
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