3rd Song // Video (Webcam) // forward-dated to about 2am on the 14th

[wordsgate]

[Sam doesn't look very good. Actually, he looks downright exhausted. He's sitting in his room with a desk lamp giving just enough light to make the video clear and is propping up his chin with his hand. He clearly hasn't slept all night, between his bloodshot eyes and the dark circles underneath them. It could be that he's been visited by that "ghost" that seems to be following people around...

But if it is, he's not going to say anything. That's not how he rolls. Of course, after staying up for this long he's frankly bored, so he's turning to the Network for entertainment.

He speaks in a slightly hushed tone, probably trying to avoid waking up his mother.]

Hey, so. I've mentioned this to a few people, but I haven't really shown it off yet. Thought it might interest you guys. It's good for a laugh anyway.

[He holds up to the camera a wooden cup-and-ball sort of toy. The ball is painted purple, and it looks a little worn.]

This is a kendama. It's a toy that's popular in Japan. My grandfather got this for me as a kid--said it would be good for me to learn concentration. [He snorts and shakes his head.] I guess I was too energetic for his tastes.

I've never been very good at it. I mean, I can catch the ball in one of the cups...sometimes. Maybe one out of ten tries. But the pin here? [He lifts the ball up to show a wooden pin at the top.] I've never been able to catch the ball here in my LIFE.

But...

[He stands up and moves far enough back from the camera so that his movements can be seen. To warm up, he first drops the ball and then catches it in one of the bigger cups. He does this a few times and succeeds every time, before switching to alternating the ball between the two cups on the side. After a few rounds of that, he tosses the ball up in the air--and catches it on the pin. He bends down to look at the camera and points at the ball with a look of disbelief.]

Isn't that strange? But this gets better...

[He straightens back up again, then starts to juggle the ball between the big cup on the side and the smaller cup on the bottom, humming a song softly to himself as he does. He keeps it up for about two minutes, never losing the beat or missing the ball. At that point he seems to get bored, so he tosses the toy up in the air, catches it by the handle, and once again catches the ball on the pin. He walks back over to his computer chair, points at the ball on the pin with a look of amusement, and then sets the toy aside.]

I think I'm in the running for "most impressive unimpressive Extra ever." Maybe I should start training to be certified. I bet my grandfather would be pleased.

Comments

[espigeonage]

Yeah. He was like that at me too on the Network, weeks ago. Wasn't so bad, but you know I don't mind being insulted, and it wasn't my first foray into this stuff either. I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd be more put off, and rightly!

This stuff is hard enough without him being like that, in and out of person. But especially out.

[wordsgate]

Maybe it's a military thing? He expects all of us to go through boot camp?

[espigeonage]

Gah. I ever tell you I tried the military once and boot camp defeated me? lol. Maybe I'd have stuck it out if I could really imagine myself as a soldier.

He has some points about taking this seriously, and with guys willing to murder kids about it I know it'd have to go to violence eventually. Right? But we're trying to be covert.

[wordsgate]

What, really?? You don't strike me as the military type at all.

Those are good points. But I don't think scaring people half to death is going to get them to take it seriously.

[espigeonage]

Really! I don't remember my reasoning like at all, but it was around when I worked out that I owed my first hundred grand? Or maybe one of my friends talked me into it, idk.

Yeah. We might end up needing everyone, and if they're scared off altogether that's going to make things hard.

[wordsgate]

$100,000? Geez, no wonder why you were trying to get a job somewhere...

Right. We're all in this together, so we've got to start acting like it. Of course, I guess that extends to General Mass himself.

[espigeonage]

More than that now. lol, this is the problem with getting into good colleges with no idea what you want to do in life.

lol, now if someone could just tell *him* that and he'd take it to heart...

[wordsgate]

Ah, geez, college. I'm lucky that my mom is paying for me so far. Although I'll be in trouble if I don't keep up with everything...she's threatened to stop paying if I fail a course before.

I'd try but I think I left a bad impression on him!

[espigeonage]

lol, ouch. Still, it's good of her! My sister offered to help but I said no, and anyway her job then wasn't as good as the one here.

lol, so did I! And it'd be bad if he decided to go after someone... idk, he just doesn't seem like a stabilizing element.

[wordsgate]

It's probably even better of you to not rely on someone paying.

He is the exact opposite of a stabilizing element. He's like Mentos in our cola.

[espigeonage]

Maybe, maybe not. It's my debt, I ought to be the one to handle it.

lol! And we with no idea if the bottle is pointed in a productive direction!

[wordsgate]

I don't know if he even stays pointed in the same direction. It's probably just spinning around in circles.

[espigeonage]

Which swings us right back into flippant territory. Hey Sam, should I make a kissing joke now or one about bukkakke?

[wordsgate]

Hah! It depends on how classy you want to be.

[espigeonage]

They said I was high class, but that was just a lie.

Either way I suppose I *could* intercept, if someone who'd be scarred was in the way. He's offputting in a lot of ways, but the man's got a certain charisma.

[wordsgate]

Charisma, really? The only pull I feel toward him is the need to diagnose him with something.

[Yeah, he's being a little immature about the argument they had when they first spoke to one another...]

[espigeonage]

Lol, well, that's pretty natural. I'm not saying charisma outweighs catastrophic! Or even that he's unusually attractive. But there's that force of will, and I can kind of see why people decided to follow him there.

...If there are subsequent times, well, I'm not sure.

[wordsgate]

I guess we'll see. I'll just hope we get some sort of experienced leader that isn't quite as dangerous.

[espigeonage]

I'd say Aaron Strider, I know he's creepy but I trust him. He doesn't really seem inclined tho.

Someone around steps up - no pun intended, I can't think of a synonym rn - or there ends up someone new. I hope it does happen. We might need someone with a level head.

[wordsgate]

Yeah. A level head would be good. Someone that doesn't have so much of an ego that they won't listen to suggestions, but someone that's assertive enough that they can take charge when they have to.

Honestly, I'd be fine with Strider being the one that becomes a leader, from what little I know about him.

[espigeonage]

Exactly! And of course someone people will still listen to, and all those other things.

Well I know a little more, he's sort of my boss! He's great, honestly. Kind of intense in person, that takes some getting used to. Not all that friendly either. Still.

...actually, it's kind of weird. I felt like I could trust him almost right away. That's not usually how it works.

[wordsgate]

Oh, is he? Do you work at the clinic?

Personally I prefer friendly leaders, but I'll take what I can get. Trust is more important than someone being friendly, in the end of the day.

[espigeonage]

Yup. Mostly I clean and help with stocking and organization, honestly, the only doctoring I even know is the first aid he taught me.

He can be kind and he's got a sense of humor, he's just... reserved, I guess. And he's friendlier than the Captain. Not that that's saying much.

[wordsgate]

I see. I've known a few people like that. He sounds like a pretty cool guy!

[espigeonage]

I respect him. ...yeah, I know, *me*, right? Just don't let on that I'm apparently in his fanclub, that'd get awkward.

[Jules respects plenty of people, he's just mostly more casual and less aware of it. Mister Strider is the one person whose respect and approval he really craves.]