Cobalt Hill

<Suzthulhu> Meanwhile... out in the courtyard... sits a Willow. How long had she been there? Days, really, in and out of her tree from time to time, but too upset to go back home or to Conrad's apartment for anything other than necessities. It's too empty there, too cold, too lonely. Her tree is covered in hanging moss now, moss even growing in her own hair, adding to the dullness of her appearance. She's sitting on a branch in her tree, the largest oak in the courtyard, feet swinging a bit, hands folded in her lap, and a sad, listless expression on her face. She hasn't heard anything from or about Conrad since he left, no... since he was taken away. Granted, it had been his choice, but that didn't make it any less upsetting. Happy at least that Kayla is home, any joy Willow had at the girl's rescue had been blotted out by Conrad's absence. Looking down at her hands, she rolls her engagement ring, an amethyst shouldered by two diamonds in platinum, around her finger again and again.

<Brad> Willow isn't all by herself out in the courtyard. Rick's out and about tonight, too. He doesn't show it much, but he's nervous about everything that's going on, and just waiting to be told what to do about it. There'd been an email just a short while ago, from YOU KNOW WHO, about the new team arrangement, and suddenly Rick found himself in the position of possibly leading from time to time. Not something he really thinks he's ready for. Maybe a small team, made of some of the newer recruits, but he can't see himself giving orders to veterans like Gina or Krys or Shannon. Not really his place. He's sure they wouldn't try to force that kind of awkwardness on anybody, though. But to quell his unrest, he'd grabbed up his bag and his violin case, intending on practicing a bit out in the cool night air. He'd hopped out his window, walked down the wall of the apartments (Pablo hates him doing that, which is probably why he does it), and was heading for a bench when he spotted Willow out there, alone. His mouth twists into a frown. It's not hard to figure out what's got her so down, and she's got good reason to be down. After a moment of deliberation, he walks over to her, then announces his presence by softly clearing his throat. "Hey." He says, violin case carried in his right hand, his left resting on the top of the messenger bag at his hip.

<Suzthulhu> Conrad has to be alright. He just has to. She can't let her thoughts roam elsewhere or she'll just start sobbing again. The tree rustles as she lets out a sigh, and then, there's a Rick! Gasp! Wide-eyed, Willow looks up as Rick speaks, startled back into the present, her expression not unlike a deer in the headlights. She blinks a time or two before her mouth twitches faintly, almost a smile. "Oh, hello, Rick. I haven't seen you around in awhile... but I've been, sort of, busy. Working, and everything. You know." You know, being sad and lonely, bordering on becoming angry at the lack of action or news. Her face darkens for a moment, and the shadow of her tree elongates just briefly, looking like clawed hands reaching across the courtyard under the artificial lighting.

<Brad> 'Yeah, been a while." Rick manages a brief, weak smile to the woman, and shrugs his shoulders. "Yeah it's.. busy right now." Not really busy enough, but there's only so much that can be done without a plan. He sighs, and nods to her. "I was.. just.. coming out to practice a bit, I guess." He lifts up the violin case slightly, and looks away for a moment. Awkward. He clears his throat and looks back at her, trying to think of something to say, but it's difficult. He stays silent for a moment, glancing around, looking everywhere but at Willow, and then speaks again. "I don't... I don't really know what I can say right now, I'm sorry."

<Suzthulhu> "You're going to play? I would love to hear you play. I think some music would be good right now." She smiles then, a bit more than before, and certainly genuine. The tree branch she's in bends and lowers, and then sets her on the ground lightly. It returns to its normal growth after she's on the ground, feet bare as usual. The hem of a dusky pink skirt brushes her ankles. Rick's awkwardness is noticed, of course, and when he finally does speak again, she shakes her head. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault... it was his choice. It's just... I'm worried. I know he's strong, and I know what he's capable of. Hayden won't break him, no matter what he does. But, well..." Slender shoulder shrug, and she looks up at the sky for a moment before looking back to Rick, gesturing toward his violin. "You were going to play, not have an awkward conversation with me. I'd love to listen, if that's alright?"

<Brad> "Yeah..." Rick nods again, and then moves over to a bench nearby. He settles down onto it, and sets his bag and violin case at either side of him. He opens the bag and gets out his collapsible music stand, and sets it up on the grass in front of him, then begins to leaf through sheet music. Something... not depressing. Well, Vivaldi's always a good choice. And Spring is an upbeat piece. It's not the same without a full orchestra, but the first chair violin piece still sounds nice when it's being practiced, and it's one that Rick's practiced more than a lot of other pieces. He clears his throat, and having already tuned his violin before he came out here, sets it in position, and then begins to play.

<Suzthulhu> Music soothes the savage beast, or so they say. In any event, while he's setting up, Willow moves to a bench across from him and takes a seat on the ground in front of it, leaning back against the seat. Folding her knees up to her chin, she just watches quietly. When he begins to play though, her chin perks up a bit, another slowly spreading, soft smile coming to her lips. He really does play well, showing his time spent practicing in the happier notes of Vivaldi. Even though her mood is sad, the music brighens it quite a bit. Conrad would like this, too, she thinks, staying quiet while he plays. The grass around her greens a little, even in the night of the courtyard, and strands of her hair, turned mossy green and dull with sorrow, brighten a little as well.

<Brad> He plays very well, and as he moves into the second piece of "Spring", the tone does become more downbeat, but not necessarily in a mournful way, more in a quiet, contemplative way. It's one of the shorter parts of the full piece, at any rate, and the third movement goes back to more upbeat, quicker, higher tones. The full piece takes just under ten minutes, and while he's not a virtuoso, he doesn't stumble through any of it. After the last few notes fade in the air, he takes the bow from the strings and moves the violin out from under his chin. "It's one of my favorites." He says, just to fill the sudden silence with something.

<Suzthulhu> Willow listens to him play, feels the music move through her really. Without her conscious control, things around them have brightened, resembling the music Rick so skillfully played. The grass is greener, daffodils and primroses have sprung up ad bloomed in it, and even her tree seems to hold itself up more proudly, leaves green and vibrant once again. For Willow's part, she takes in a deep, shuddering breath, letting it out slowly. Her cheeks are wet with tears she wasn't aware she'd been shedding, but she looks much less sad and drawn than when he'd first come across her. "Thank you, Rick." Reaching up, she wipes the tears from her cheeks with her fingers, wiping her hands on her skirt then, leaving little damp marks. "I really needed that. Sometime, you should play for Conrad, too. He would like it very much."

<Ahriman> And then Willow's phone rings. Ominously.

<Brad> "Well, when he gets back, I'll make a point of it." Rick smiles a bit, trying to sound upbeat. He's usually an upbeat person, but circumstances around the Sanctum are pretty grim these days. He's not letting it wear him down, but at the same time, he's not exactly being a social butterfly. At the ringing of the phone, he looks over to Willow, one eyebrow raised just slightly.

<Suzthulhu> Willow jumps to her feet as her phone rings, hand failing to fish it out of her pocket until the third ring. Looking at the display, her mouth falls open. "Rick, it's Conrad!" Fumbling further, she finally manages to swipe her finger over he screen to answer it. "Conrad! Where are you? Are you alright? Please tell me you're coming home!"

<Ahriman> "How very sweet," comes Hayden's voice when Willow answers. "It's so nice hearing people in love sound so frantic, so far away and helpless." There's a brief chuckle, followed by a satisfied 'ahh'. "No, he's not coming home yet. But I thought it would be amusing to let you hear his voice, to keep all those emotional wounds fresh." There's a bit of a 'kathunk', like the sound of something heavy being moved, and a bit of intelligble chattering. And then the phone is in Conrad's hands.

<Brad> Rick pales a bit, and goes silent for the moment. On the other end of the line, Conrad is indeed handed the phone. "Hello, love." He says. He sounds as calm as he's ever been, honestly. "I am sorry, I am not coming home just yet, but I will see you again soon. I promise."

<Suzthulhu> "Hayden..." Her face darkens again, all the recent growth around her withering to blackness in the span of a few heartbeats. "You son of a bitch..." Whoa! Such words rarely, if ever come out of Willow's mouth, let alone with such venom. "Let him go! You don't need him for anything! Please!" The last is said with a pleading tone. The emotional wounds are fresh, indeed, and she sobs as Conrad's voice speaks up. "Conrad! Are you alright? Please be alright... where are you?" She sounds frantic, sad, and angry all at once.

<Brad> 'Yes," Conrad responds over the phone. "I am alright." It's hard for him to think of what to say here, and his lips tighten a bit, wherever he is, before he speaks again. "I do not know where I am at the moment. It is a... room. Hayden's sense of decorating is very poor." The tracker attached to his stomach lining was letting the Sanctum keep tabs, though not exactly pinpointing his location. Conrad, of course, has no particular idea where he is at the moment. "I will be coming home to you, I promise."

<Suzthulhu> Another sob, her voice quiet, sad. "O..kaay... I will be here, waiting for you. No matter how long it takes." Willow reaches out for Rick, just needing someone to lean on right at that moment. "I love you... don't let him get to you. Don't let him... use me against you." Because that's the sort of thing men like Hayden did. Her voice cracks when she speaks again, "I miss you so much. Please... come home..."

<Brad> "I will. I miss you too." Conrad sighs a bit through the line. It was difficult, putting her through this, but he has to right now. "I love you, Willow." With that, he doesn't have anything more to say, at least not where Hayden can hear it. He hands the phone back. Rick, on the bench, puts one arm around Willow in his best comforting gesture. He hadn't heard the other end of the line, but.... it's not difficult to suss out how that conversation went.

<Ahriman> "How very sweet," he repeats his greeting. "So saccharin, so sanguine. It warms my heart knowing how much his absense pains you." Another satisfied hum, before the call is ended.

<Suzthulhu> "You son of a bitch, give him back!" But there's nothing to yell at but dead air. Willow slides her phone shut, then turns to Rick, fresh tears on her face. "It was him... it was Conrad... he's alright, but... oh god..." The lump in her throat cuts off her words, and she just leans against Rick and sobs.

<Brad> Rick puts both arms around the woman and hugs her. "It's okay." He says, but it really isn't. "We know he's alright. That's good, right? I mean, it's something." He sighs, and squeezes his arms around her a little.

<Suzthulhu> Sniffle. Sniffle. Cough, sniffle again. Then sob. Poor Willow. Still, she manages to nod against Rick's shoulder. "Yes, he's alright." Another hitching sigh, and she pulls back from Rick. "Thanks... I'm glad someone was here. I don't know what I would have done if I'd been alone." Probably uprooted half the courtyard and replaced it with cactii or something equally as dramatic. At least this way it's just the grass in the immediate area that's been turned to black ruins, and her tree is withered again. So much for the nice music. With a sigh, Willow swipes at her eyes again. "I should go. It won't do any good to sit here and cry all night." Again.

<Brad> When Willow pulls back, Rick looses his arms from around her. She looks like she's having a rough time of it, to put it very lightly. He nods. "Okay, Willow." He doesn't really have any sage advice, or comforting words. He is, ultimately, an eighteen year old kid, and this is someone's fiancee that's in danger. Sure, Rick would be worried sick if Ash were in danger, but it isn't quite the same thing.

<Suzthulhu> "Thank you again, Rick. You're a good friend." Standing, Willow offers him a soft smile before she turns. A few steps, and Willow is gone, fading into her tree just like a dryad. The breeze seems to sigh through its leaves before the mighty oak goes silent again.

<Brad> For a little while longer, Rick picks up his violin and plays again, then goes to bed for a fitful night's sleep.