Eleventh Message [Audio | Cell Phone]

[scramasax]

[Anthony's defaulting to his typical least-preferred method of communication for two reasons - text isn't quote-unquote enough for his peace of mind about now, and video is for another package of sub-reasons not ideal - at least to start with.

He doesn't have much of a voice for speaking on the phone. Still, the particular brand of apprehension he's got in it presently pulls it through to register relatively well - and he's loosely rehearsed this in his brain enough times for his tone to be evenly-cadenced and -pitched on the whole, if just a little hoarser than his usual natural, and restrained. All the same best to clear his mind on this, better sooner than later than never.]

Hello. -- This is Anthony. ...Janvier.

I -- spoke - about this before, but I -- ...thought I should - be clearer. About it. Now... -- I -- am - a zombie. So please -- ... [Trip here - second-guesses phrasing.] -- don't be alarmed - when I use the network. -- Anyone. -- It's... - unpleasant-looking -- I know. However -- I promise that it's safe.

-- I can, er -- [Also second-guesses and wrings and waffles over making this offer, but again, if wanted it'd be better sooner than later!] -- also show anyone, who'd like me to... if it may help.

... -- And if you're - one of the new ones - in this, er... - Transforming - hasn't been common... among pulses - or Echoes... -- It happens, but - it's -- normally in ways that aren't -- extreme -- like - hair and eyes changing color -- [Bumbles quickly and back to a higher pitch through this next as he has no idea if he's being presumptuous in saying it but it must be worth something - at least he'll not name names!] -- ...others are becoming "monster"-like but they're -- all - ..."safe", also.

Thank you. Uhm. -- And please excuse me.

[For any and every way in which that might have been a poor move - and alas what's done is done - he'll see if it'll have appeared to have at least been benign.]

Comments

[stavros]

Less than a month. Maybe I should have tried it earlier.

[scramasax]

How -- how long have you had it...? [So-slightly pulling to trail off at the end on that one, in case he's going a tad too far in attempt to converse by question after question!]

[stavros]

The number? About a year, you?

[scramasax]

Only since -- [...Any certainty of specificity as to when is escaping him - the experience that it had come with hadn't exactly been forgettable but hadn't seemed momentous exactly; number itself had gone to slip his mind until April.] ... - January, I think. I -- have been using it since April... after the - ...first - instance -- of the pink light...

[stavros]

So like some of the others, then.

[scramasax]

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<I[Unseen nod again.]</I> -- Some of them -- ...that's right.

[stavros]

This may all be strange, but I'll work to get used to it.

[scramasax]

Others will -- help. -- When you need them to... [Also reservedly-said; he's making a somewhat vague statement of the entire network population, but it has been the essential case, as far as he's seen as a fact to have reasonable trust in. -- Try to -- at least. However they can.

-- It's good to meet you. [That last said hastily but with more of an ease and politeness that anything preceding - he's just finished an introduction of sorts to someone new to this - it seems fitting.]

[stavros]

Nice to meet you too. My name is Tessa Hart. I'm human... so far.

[scramasax]

-- You -- ...don't go to Locke City High School - do you? [Nothing but pure-intentioned curiosity - she sounds young, but he recognizes neither her name nor her voice...]

[stavros]

Nope. Do most people here? I've already met a few people from there. I thought we had way more schools than that.

[scramasax]

[Quality of a polite, dry laugh.] So -- did I. Er -- there are - a lot of us... from there. We - met under -- the guise of a club after school. On Mondays... -- At, uhm - least two trachers - there - are on here also.

You'd, uh -- probably be welcome there, if you'd like... -- One of us is in middle school and he goes. ...Another one goes to Locke City Academy.

[stavros]

I guess you can't go to school if you're a zombie, right?

[scramasax]

[His tone thins back out a bit again, but he doesn't stumble on proceeding - ] -- I can't -- ...no; I - would go to the meetings... after school. Still. ...That won't - be -- that easy to do now. However. -- I think.

[stavros]

Tell me you don't have the urge to chew on people.

[scramasax]

-- I don't - ! -- I'm eating less and less - ...and also sleeping less - [A subject he's gotten to be ready to address and address as so done these past few months - attempting to turn it back around to the reasonably casual, conversational:] - ...I never understood why - zombies can eat things. ...In fiction... ["In pop culture" is what he knows he means, but he's slipping up the words.]

[stavros]

I'm sorry. That was too much. I've just been remembering things that make me worry.

[scramasax]

No - don't be -- ! I've been asked that before...

-- You mean, um - you mean through pulses... - ? ["Remembering", that is - drags thin through to inflection of a question.]

[stavros]

Yes. I remember being told some things that are scaring me.

[scramasax]

Did it -- ...have to do - with... - "monsters"? [He's asking it gently; he knows and has pushed his luck for some quickly-regrettable reminder in his past that it's easy to step too close nosing for details of others' pulses, but still, from the context in which it arose, he's assuming a variant of "yes."]

[stavros]

I remember being recruited to fight these weird aliens, but for a long time, I was told I had to kill vampires.

[scramasax]

[Oh.

This next bit is asked lowly again, in a hesitant and sorry sort of - apologetic-ness, in spite of himself, awkwardness, at any rate; some sympathy, some vague, faint worry, excessive and uncharitable as he knows that it.]

...Have you - talked -- to any of ours...? -- Yet. -- ...There are a few.

[stavros]

I know. I don't want to hurt any of them, really, I don't.

[scramasax]

- I'm sure you don't -- ! I'm sorry if I - ...sounded like I was asking if you would -- I uh...

[How to say this as he means it, without it sounding in the remotest like an attack, or even simply something ominous...] -- It's only, erm -- ...I hope they don't give you - alarming -- visions. ...If you meet - any...

[stavros]

I will do my best to deal with it should that happen.