[ he doesn't seem phased - which does not strike her as odd, necessarily. in another life, another version of her might have been worried by his calm. by the fact he's not reacting the way she would assume he should. but the truth of the matter is- she's felt this panicked before, lived through what felt like the walls closing around her. he's still, settled as she hangs onto him for her life, as she slowly comes back to her footing, her steadiness, and how he's okay to wait for her. it's a familiar enough feeling, even if karen has only really felt it by a couple of others in her life, she can't help but be drawn to it. it's not so simple as the calm in the storm, or the idea that he knows what to do - instead, it's the feeling, the knowledge that she has instantly, inherently, that he isn't going to leave her behind. that is he's that person. and Karen realizes how desperately she needs that right now.
she doesn't even know his name, but she recognizes just how much she's leaning on him. how it feels like the only thing tethering her to that moment, that place, and keeping her from getting swept back into whatever it was that had just held her so tight, is him.
whatever that was he says, say something. ]
There's something in the notes. I don't know how, but- [ she shakes her head, looking back to him and then extracting her hands from his arms. karen's not still, or calm, or fine by any means - but she's steady enough. ] Doesn't matter. It's fine- I'll be okay. Just- you too, okay? If you feel something, like a trance or if you start to see things you've never told anyone, just... don't look too hard. [ some part of her is almost embarrassed to have said that much, but she can't not warn him. some of what she read is still ringing, like a distant echo, in the back of her mind. she tries to shake her head clear of it, but it doesn't fade, so she focuses on something else. focuses, instead, on how even if she doesn't know how this all works, and if he falls into whatever it was that had taken her, she worries if she'll be able to bring him out of it, too.
and they have to get out - both of them.
he starts to search, and Karen moves to join him, keeping closer than she might have normally out of some latent fear of whatever that had been, and perhaps whatever that lingering, unsettling feeling of something in the water. she swallows it back and focuses. ]
no subject
she doesn't even know his name, but she recognizes just how much she's leaning on him. how it feels like the only thing tethering her to that moment, that place, and keeping her from getting swept back into whatever it was that had just held her so tight, is him.
whatever that was he says, say something. ]
There's something in the notes. I don't know how, but- [ she shakes her head, looking back to him and then extracting her hands from his arms. karen's not still, or calm, or fine by any means - but she's steady enough. ] Doesn't matter. It's fine- I'll be okay. Just- you too, okay? If you feel something, like a trance or if you start to see things you've never told anyone, just... don't look too hard. [ some part of her is almost embarrassed to have said that much, but she can't not warn him. some of what she read is still ringing, like a distant echo, in the back of her mind. she tries to shake her head clear of it, but it doesn't fade, so she focuses on something else. focuses, instead, on how even if she doesn't know how this all works, and if he falls into whatever it was that had taken her, she worries if she'll be able to bring him out of it, too.
and they have to get out - both of them.
he starts to search, and Karen moves to join him, keeping closer than she might have normally out of some latent fear of whatever that had been, and perhaps whatever that lingering, unsettling feeling of something in the water. she swallows it back and focuses. ]