04 ✝ [video; laptop computer]

[dancingonapin]

[When the video feed comes on, a very tired looking Francis Fell is sitting at his kitchen table with a steaming cup of tea to his right, pinching the bridge of his nose. The fact that he looks tired is rather significant, considering he lost the need to sleep a long while back. He clears his throat a little, before looking up and gives a bit of a grim smile.]

I had no less than nine long distance phone calls in the past five days from the UK, all from family members worried about my well-being. It started with one of my younger cousins, who happened to catch wind of the chaos here in Locke City via the news. With a family like mine, news travels fast. Aunts, uncles, cousins... Eventually word came down to my parents, and my brother.

[He gives a bitter laugh as he rakes his fingers through his hair, looking obviously stressed out.]

I had two insanely long phone calls today, from my parents, and then my brother's family. They... I can not believe this, but they want me to move out of the city. Honestly the most outlandish of requests came from my parents who want me to move back to England, but my brother...

Do you know how exhausting it is to argue with a man who is way too logical for his own damn good for two hours straight? [His eyes grow wide and he gets an expression of great anger on his face as he gestures in the air.] I love my brother, but he can go to Hell for the dirty things he pulled, for how difficult he's made this for me!! After he couldn't convince me to arrange a transfer to another university, he tried to convince me to move out of Locke City and simply commute to LCU. It makes way too much sense, and under any normal circumstances, I probably would have agreed! But these aren't normal circumstances. I can not leave this city. I would... forget everything. And I can't let that happen. I want to know who I am, who I was, it means everything to me right now to figure that out.

I was able to get him off my back long enough to be able to hang up the phone, but I know I haven't heard the last of it. [Francis presses his palm to his forehead, propping his elbow up against the table, eyes fixed on the wood. It takes him about half a minute before he continues speaking, letting out a hefty sigh.]

Please, do any of you have any suggestions? Have any of you faced the threat of being forced to leave the city yet? How in the world can I convince my family that I can't leave the city, without telling them everything? The very last thing I want is to drag them into this, to put them all in danger. I understand it's a holiday, but I could use the advice...

Comments

[ladyofluminosity]

[This voice sounds young. Teenager young.]

I wish I knew, I really do. But honestly, would moving out and commuting really do any good? I mean, you're still going into Locke City, and your family still views it as dangerous.

[dancingonapin]

My brother viewed it as the least dangerous option that he was willing to settle on. Living outside of the city at least means I wouldn't be near all of this chaos every minute of the day. The fact still remains that I can't come up with a reason for why I wouldn't want to move away from all of this danger.

My career is the excuse I kept giving, but it's hardly a good argument. My life, and my family's peace of mind, means more to me than a job at this university.

[ladyofluminosity]

But why is it his decision where you live? I guess I don't understand that part. You're an adult, right?

[Not that she could really talk.]

What is your career?

[dancingonapin]

Yes! For Heaven's sake, yes, I'm an adult!

[He seems pretty offended that this is even getting brought up.]

I'm not saying my family has any right to tell me where I can or can't live, but they have every right to be concerned for my well-being which, frankly, is entirely at risk so long as I stay here, involved with this mess!

If I don't give them some good reason as to why I can't leave, they're going to persist in asking me. If I refuse to tell them any good reason at all, they'll think I don't trust them.

[He's not sure he can lay out his predicament any more clearly, because telling them the truth- a truth so absurd that he still has trouble believing it himself- would put them all in peril.]

I'm a professor at Locke City University... a position that most people don't, in fact, need to live in the city to maintain. And if I actually wanted to leave altogether, it's entirely possible for me to find another university to hire me.

[Video]

[scramasax]

[Video-as-audio, that is - the feed shows nothing but a ceiling.]

What, er -- what would be the problem if you - did -- forget -- ? If you kept coming back in -- ...

[Attempting to sound mostly matter-of-fact, there's a little height and roughness from honest if somewhat nosing curiosity.]

[Video]

[dancingonapin]

[Well, that's unusual, but he doesn't think much of it. Perhaps the video feed was on by accident and he'd only meant to do voice?]

I would only be useful- and have access to this network- while I'm here working. And the stress of forgetting, day after day, only to remember while I'm here that I keep forgetting... Honestly I can only guess how that would take a toll on me.

I want to be here, to figure all of this out, to help others figure it out as well. I'm not going to run from the city like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs.

[Video]

[scramasax]

[He pauses incoherently floating through a search for a response - he can certainly empathize with much of that...]

Do you - erm.

... -- What if you did - move but -- ...didn't stay - there...?

[He's aware that was probably less-than-coherent and isn't sure the idea's not stupid enough on its own that it'd matter if it wasn't - tone's been brought lower and the halting's partly repeated seizing and releasing it stumbling out.]

[Video]

[dancingonapin]

... I'm sorry, I don't think I quite follow you? Do you mean... lie to my family and tell them I've moved out of the city?

[He'd been heavily considering that one, though there would be kinks to work out, and severe consequences if they had ever found out the truth.]

[Video]

[originaloddcouple]

What if you told them that, even if its dangerous, you have... duties and stuff that mean you have to stay in the city?

[Video]

[dancingonapin]

They'd have questions...

Maybe I could convince my parents that I have my reasons, and that those reasons are private, but my brother is a stubborn bastard. He would never let it go. No duty to him could be more important than my own life. I'm not a soldier.

[Video]

[originaloddcouple]

Well, that is a real pickle.

...What if you told him you had a girlfriend then? Would that help?

[Video]

[dancingonapin]

[Francis can't help himself. He covers his mouth as he bursts into a fit of giggles, which turns into slightly louder laughing that he's attempting to suppress.]

You have no idea how bad of an idea that is... They've been wanting me to get a girlfriend since I was sixteen. They've been harassing me about it since I turned twenty. My mum would demand she come to England with me for Christmas, demand to give her hullos over the phone every weekend, my dad would never stop talking about how to 'properly treat a woman' and ask me how my dates have been going in great detail, my brother would never even believe me, and I would probably get a flood of letters that say 'congratulations' on them from the entire rest of my family.

A lie like that would be exposed in less than a week.

text;

[siesinddasessen]

Invent a girlfriend or boyfriend.

video;

[dancingonapin]

It's a really terrible idea... My family would never stop harassing me about it until they found out the truth, considering they've been trying to get me to date for over twenty years.

[He gives a nervous laugh, looking rather sheepish at his sudden thought.]

It wouldn't be a bad excuse, though, if I really did end up dating someone here in the city... Of course I would be using them, in that case.

video;

[siesinddasessen]

Sounds like it.

If it troubles you that much, find someone who would have an ulterior motive for the relationship as well.

[Voice]

[dododo]

You're a grown man, aren't you? How could they force you?

[Video]

[dancingonapin]

Of course I am!

[He seems a little offended that his autonomy was being brought into question here.]

This doesn't mean that they won't harass me at every given moment for reasons and explanations as to why I refuse to move. My family is the kind that doesn't keep secrets... Right now I think they're beginning to suspect that my reasons for staying here are something different than what I keep telling them, and it kills me to have them think that I don't trust them.

If I could find some reason, some lie that's good enough to convince them, I could get them to leave me be.

[Video]

[dododo]

Mm, I suppose.

No way of fooling them? Make them think you've moved?

voice;

[eras]

Not to mention, if you agreed to commute...you'd just forget and remember in an endless cycle. That'd probably be pretty annoying.

video;

[dancingonapin]

Annoying at best... Insanity-inducing seems to be the more likely scenario. I can't imagine the amount of stress that constantly having all of the memories of a city-wide conspiracy flood back to you day after day would cause. And I'd rather not find out.

video;

[eras]

I think I'd like to avoid that, too.

[moralizes]

...Could you tell them you've moved even if you haven't?

[dancingonapin]

With some clever tactics, I could make it seem like I've moved. Of course the issue is then, if I were caught for whatever reason, it could spell a disaster even bigger than my current one...

But I've been considering it.

video.

[betroth]

[ ...goodness he looks a mess. ]

My parents kept me on the phone for what must have been a few hours about this. But they live here as well, so they didn't take very much convincing... my sister, on the other hand...

[ A hapless smile. ]

Your brother must really care for you, even if he sounds infuriating. What do you think his next move will be?

video.

[dancingonapin]

I'm honestly waiting for families here to start fleeing the city, with how insane things have been.

[He's surprised they haven't been leaving in droves, especially since it's becoming apparent that the fallout is only going to get worse, not better.]

He does, which is the infuriating part. He's trying to play the role of protective older brother and it's just serving to piss me off. I'm sure he'll call again soon enough, he might play dirty and put my nephews on the phone. He'll likely never shut up about it when I visit for Christmas.