Room 504, Sunday Evening

[intraspective]

To say that Ino had been well pleased with her week was understating things more than a little, which meant that today (other than the brief period wherein 'today' had meant 'afternoon'' and she'd wound up talking to Squall), clearly, was a day meant for a) having chocolate and b) sprawling out on her bed in a tank top and shorts and playing with her new phone.

While her weetiny plush ninja rested beside her and, okay, she might've had her new Materia keeping her company on the bed as well. Shush. Don't judge her.

While she nibbled on chocolate and poked around the settings for her phone. The wallpaper, at least, was totally staying.

[Open door, open post!]

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[intraspective]

"I'm good," she said quickly, wanting to reassure him. "But Hurley--you don't... you okay?"

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

Hurley was definitely not okay. When talking with his accountant earlier, he'd been told that a factory he'd bought burnt down, and then when he started arguing about the curse, a man had fallen past his accountant's window.

"You know anything about breaking curses?" he asked, completely serious.

[intraspective]

"Not my area of expertise," she said slowly, "but I can get a few people to look into it. What sort of curse?"

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"There are different kinds?" Hurley said, a little baffled. "I just know I used some bad numbers, Ino. I won the lottery and now bad things are happening to people. Really bad stuff."

[intraspective]

"Are you alright?" she asked, frowning at the phone. "What sort of bad things? Why do you think that's connected to the lottery?"

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Oh, nothing happens to me," Hurley said, his exasperation evident in his tone. "But like, my Grandpa Tito died, and then at the funeral Father Aguillar got hit by lightning, and I bought my mom a house and it caught fire, it just doesn't stop. And now things are happening to people I never even met but because my accountant thought I needed to diversify all these people are getting hurt and it's all my fault."

[intraspective]

Oh.

There was... well. What was she supposed to say to that?

"Where did you buy the ticket?" She could ask that, yes.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"It's not where I bought it," Hurley said. "It's the numbers. I shouldn't... when I was at Santa Rosa, when I was in the mental hospital, there was this guy Leonard. And he'd always repeat these same numbers, over and over. And those are the numbers I used on the ticket."

[intraspective]

"Can you tell me the numbers?" she asked, frowning even more. "And--do you know much 'bout Leonard at all?"

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"I don't know much," Hurley said. "Like I said, he never said anything but the numbers. Four, eight, fifteen, sixteen, twenty-three, forty-two. They're cursed, I know it. They drove Leonard crazy and now they're gonna do something... awful to me."

[intraspective]

Ino was quickly writing those numbers down, yes.

"Is that a feeling of yours?" she asked. "Or somethin' more concrete? Curse gettin' worse?"

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Dude, a factory that I didn't even know I owned burned down," Hurley said. "Eight people died. Eight."

He was sounding more than a little sad. "This is getting way out of hand, Ino."

[intraspective]

"I'll look into it," she promised. "Okay? Is this number a good one to call you back at?"

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Hurley said. "And do me a favor and... don't tell Hoshi?"

He was being stupid and didn't want her to worry.

[intraspective]

"Hurley," she sighed. "Are you seriously keepin' it from her?"

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"She knows about... some of it?" Hurley said, definitely sounding like he'd been called on the carpet.

[intraspective]

"What does she know 'bout?" Ino asked patiently.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Well, she was here after Grandpa Tito's funeral," Hurley said. "So, she knew some of the bad stuff that happened."

[intraspective]

"Okay," Ino said slowly, "but you didn't tell her 'bout the numbers?"

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"I didn't realize it was the numbers until today," Hurley said. "I'd just thought it was bad luck, but now... It's gotta be a curse."

[intraspective]

"Why do you know it's the numbers now?" Ino asked, frowning and tugging her plush ninja up to her chest.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"My accountant," Hurley said. "He asked me where I'd gotten the numbers from, today. And it just sort of clicked in my head. I gotta go ask Leonard, maybe he knows something. There's something about the numbers, there's gotta be."

[intraspective]

"Will you let me know 'bout what Leonard says?" Ino asked quickly.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"I'll tell you, I promise," Hurley said. "I'll call when I get the--my mom's coming home, I gotta go. I'll call you later, okay?"

[intraspective]

"Okay," she said, worried. "Take care, okay? I'll talk to you in a little bit."