savetheearth | Forward dated to the 10th at around 9am, private texts

[Unfortunately Anthony's not immediately certain he's got a text .

Response comes a touch late, with a voice humming in and going dry from a cough offscreen.]

-- I apologize, uhh. -- Who is this...

[Voiced quality shrinking back - that's certainly awkward to ask a network-texter...]

[[...the hell. Did something...

oh fuck. It was Anthony. With that guy's luck of course something happened.

Switching to audio]]

It's me. Bakura. You okay?

[He's actually relieved to hear a familiar voice coming through even though he at least half expected it, if not necessarily the particular one. Comes through with maybe a small vocal hiccup.]

-- Yeah - ! I'm sorry - it's not - ...

[It's not that he forgot how to recognize Bakura's number.]

-- I, uhmm. -- Just can't, uhh. Read for now... -- Did you, uh --

Make it out of everything... okay?

[Hasty pickup:] -- I'm sorry if you said that you weren't! But you, uh -- ...sound fine.

Yeah, I'm fine. Just super tired.

What happened? Why can't you read? Did you get hit?

Er -- don't ask! I'll be fine. [Shaking his head off the screen - and he doesn't expect it to show up, either.]

Anyone else? Uhm. -- Do you - know if anyone else was... - hurt?

[Obviously several were hurt - but who, how badly, he doesn't know of anyone dead, does he...]

For the love of hell, Anthony, just fucking tell me so I don't worry like mad that you were decapitated or something stupid like that!

[[Deep breath. Just because he was upset and on edge even after sleeping was no reason to snap at Anthony just... being Anthony.]]

...Sorry....

And I don't know. I dug so many people out... [[he trails off, voice shaking just a touch before he pushes it away]] the family's okay, I'm trying to check in with everyone else...

I'm fine... [Earnest as he can. Please don't press it, please don't press it, please don't press it.

And, likewise, takes a deep breath. A completely unnecessary one of course, but still, thought of show of empathy!]

- That's good -- I mean, that - that your family's okay...! [Not that it's unsure who's not fine! Coughs.] Who, uh - have you heard from, so far?

[[a super deep sigh]] Fine but you can't read, you say... goddamn it, Anthony.... [[it's said quietly, however, and in a defeated tone. He doesn't have the energy to argue this]]

Mr. Lyall, L, the grandma with the email forwards and a couple others I don't think I ever got the names of...

You?

...I mean who have you heard from, obviously I heard from you already. Goddamn, I am still not awake...

[He is (again, offscreen) deflating a bit. Response a bit more thing, keeps clipped and laconic.]

-- Sorry -- uhm. Alex Kusnitz, and Alex Varista. -- Alex - Kusnitz said he heard from, umm. - Xander. Nick's all right. -- And I saw - Tessa Hart, before, um.

- The fight - was over.

's a start... Here's hoping we hear from everyone else before the end of the day.

I feel like we need a role call or something when this shit goes down. Just so we know...

Not everyone would check in - it's why we -

[Coughs.] -- It's why we haven't been more or -- organized, anyway - isn't -- isn't it...

[His first sentence isn't argument; it's statement of an assumption he's assuming they both agree on.]

-- That -- not everyone would be willing to take part in everything, I - mean...

Yeah, I know. But at least everyone can check in with the people they actually want to talk to so we can get an idea or something.

I er -- [Clears throat.] -- understand that - ...

...But that, um. I -- [Voice slips thin and sheepish.] -- ...sort of wish that we were -- more -- organized, that we - that we had to keep each other uhm. -- Accounted for - actually...

[[a small snort]] Would be, but I don't think that's going to happen. We only organize when there's something going on, you know?

Yeah -- I know - ...

[And he doubts he's ever going to be so opposite-of-enthused about it - the lack of structure's not a comfort to someone authoritarian.

Pause.

And some part of him a couple layers below what's dealing with the subject at hand has gone from derailing to tightening to a snap, and a bite for the bullet.

Edges back in hoarse] -- I could -- ...

Uhmm. If you really want to - know what's wrong, I could -- close the line, uhm. Please -- believe me though when I, uh. - ...Say I'll be fine.

[Didn't smooth, necessarily, but picked up volume to the most reservedly normal tone he could manage.]

[[There's a bit of a pause]] Fine for you is always a tricky thing, isn't it? [[said with a soft sigh]] As long as you're still you and still moving... it doesn't really matter what else happens, does it? So no matter what happens, you always say you're fine because there's not much else that can happen, since you're already dead....

[[another small pause]] If you want to show... it's up to you. I know I push things too much sometimes.... so....

[[he trails off awkwardly. Because he's hellishly curious.]]

[Bakura hit the nail on the head and sunk it. One of a couple, at the very least. And... Anthony believes he might detect a bit of that curiosity.

Pause and, after it, a small sigh on his end likewise, mutters a - ] -- All uh - all right.

[And he quickly feels along the edge of the paper he's connecting with, confirms the best he can that he's got the bottom, and pulls it in.

He's not entirely centered, or focused on the center for that matter. Has a hollowed-out right eye socket with something bright and red set and flashing in the back. The left one is much more simply empty, behind the lids.

On-the-spot high "Hmmnnh" sound that doesn't make it to a cough.] I -- haven't -- been... - able to see at all. Erm. Actually - ...

[[There's a pause as Bakura just.. stares]]

...yeah, I can see why. You lost your other eye...

...looks like there's another gem in there like was in the other one.

Fucking hell...

There has got to be something we can do about that. Some way to like... enchant that gem so you can see or something? Maybe you need both gems in there for them to work?

[[sounding just... at a loss there. Because goddamn. Bad enough to be dead, bad enough to be decaying, but to be BLIND as well?]]

[And the staring, naturally, doesn't give him pause.

He shakes his head, tone is high but projected from the chest.] Uh -- no - ! Uh - that's the first gem, I've been - putting it -- ...putting it back, since I think it - looks -- better, than... [Coughs.] - nothing.

[As he speaks a hand edges up and over his cheekbone, slides to fingers into the socket to tap the ruby.]

I don't 00 know though; I -- ...still don't know if it's -- for -- anything.

[[A blink. That is just... surreal. Just that casual action. Anthony's just... so well adjusted to this already. It's kind of impressive.]]

Just decorative, huh? Wonder if you could get glass ones, if you worried about something like that... Though somehow I think that might make it look worse or something.

[[and he covers a small yawn. Yep. He's totally at his best here]]

Something has to be up with it. Can't imagine you'd have something like that in your head without it being important or something like that.

Maybe -- I don't -- ...

[Not quite another cough - just a thicker "uhm" sound.]

- maybe -- maybe glass could work - for the -- left eye, I would -- this would have to be filled in - more, for it - for it to stay. [Flicks the fingers in place between the bottom and top and back to the bottom edges of the socket.]

-- Maybe for if I have to - turn back, a - ...gain.

[Even with the fixing, a corpse with fairly normal-looking false eyes might look off - especially off. For a living person, any would probably look better than emptied-out sockets.]

Yeah, you'd definitely want something for there if you do go back to normal again. Double eye patches don't really do it.

[[a pause, and you can almost hear the frown in his voice]] ... fuck, you won't get those back if you leave Locke, will you? That really sucks...

[Jerkily shaking his head - also not a fact he wants to dwell on!]

-- No -- I don't think I will - ... I don't --

[He opts not to finish that thought, as it'd be teetering into another subject he'd rather leave shelved.]

...Sorry. I should... I should keep my damned mouth shut, huh? [[a long sigh]]

[The direction his head's facing meanders a bit - before he shakes it again, a bit less erratically.] -- I'm not mad - I'm, uhmm.

[Swallows.]

-- Just -- thinking. - I suppose. ...About what I have to -- [Have to do to adjust to the fact that this isn't "getting better", not foreseeably.]

-- I'm sorry, if. -- I shouldn't have started talking - about this -- ...

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[Video] My last was certainly typo-ridden. >8/a

[Voice] Channeling Anthony too much? ;)

[Video] FUNNY, MY FINGERS DON'T FEEL THAT STIFF!

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