[Video]

[espigeonage]

[You're treated to an unsteady, sort of skewed moving view of the inside of the apartment Julien shares with his sister. Visible mostly are the floor, the lower edges of walls and furnishings, and his legs and bare feet as he walks nervously through, but it's decent enough. Not entirely neat but clean, at least. To human eyes. He sounds... well, he's gotten so good at sounding normal, but right now Julien's talking with two nearly-identical harmonizing voices and a sort of flange, and doesn't sound good.]

Is this even working? Shit. I don't - it looks sort of like home but this doesn't make any sense, why is - what - dyes? Ugh, god, look at this. I don't... look, what is even with that! [It's a laundry basket full of haphazardly stacked clothes. Looks totally normal.] Even my hands, that's so gross. [There's a flash of one of them. Clean, with trimmed fingernails.]

That's her handwriting. [A note in blue pen on the kitchen table, saying did the headache pass? he might be sick if he's sleeping in this late and don't you dare try to tough it out, saying she took Valerie to the daycare, and go the other way if he meets sootballs again.] Pens don't come in that... color. Nothing is that color. Shit. Am I even... in Kansas anymore?

[The view starts to turn but stops on a shot that includes the window. Blue midmorning sky, barely a cloud in sight, but his phone trembles and he sounds even worse.]

Oh my god.

Oh god.

- I can't stay here.

[So yeah! Bird vision: not like ours. If the game was a series and people RPed him, this would be used as proof that he doesn't react well stuck in jamjars.]

Comments

[espigeonage]

Sort of? Yes. I mean it's smudged mostly... man... yeah, there's this color on skin, all skin, and whatever it touches it kind of - transfers to. Mine too. Actually it's a lot of colors and... they change after a bit. I don't... I'm not squeamish really, but this...

[argents]

Unreal. It must have always been like that, you know? But because you see differently now, or... see better, it's...

[ He can't even pretend like he understands. ]

[espigeonage]

I'm not wearing my glasses, I can... see without them?

I don't want this.

[argents]

I know. Remembering a different time, or a different world, even a different life isn't the same as having to change how you interact with the world now, I know that. You know how to be you, not — whoever this is telling you to be.

[ Always whoever, never whatever. ]

[espigeonage]

[It's a good while before Julien can get back to this. He sounds tired, mostly human, and like he's trying not to sound bleak.]


I'm getting really tired of this happening. But I'll get used to it.

[argents]

Anyone would feel that way. Being tired of all this.

[ Wish as he might, he knows these changes are irreversible. In the face of that, there aren't words. ]

I'm sorry.

[espigeonage]

Give me a couple days. I'll be more cheerful about it. Seems to be how it works.