seventh install | video; backdated to 3/17

[cava]

[Cain flicks a little wave in greeting, leaning back in his chair and pushing his goggles onto his forehead. he's wearing a Canadiens jersey, hockey night and all that. there's a bottle of red wine in the frame, about three-quarters full.]

Bon, bon, bonjour, Network. [unlike his usual greetings, it lacks a teasing edge. He doesn't look particularly excited.]

I hadn't had the opportunity to check in, between the nonsense last week and what happened to my workplace, but. Well. [he frowns somewhat, chewing on the inside of his mouth. his eyes briefly flash red - and are those numbers at the center?]

For those that know her, it appears that my sister Calista has lost her Echoes. [he shrugs, pouring himself a glass.] I must confess, I'm not entirely sure how to feel about it. As long as she's safe, I suppose that's what matters most, though it's hardly going to make things any easier for me. [he manages a wry laugh, bringing a hand up to his forehead.] Tabarnac, I knew that I was selfish, but honestly... [Cain's gonna need that glass of wine now. he picks it up and waves again to sign off, closing the video.]

Comments

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[epimethean]

Honestly between the earthquake and this I think I'm giving up on working in an office forever.

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[cava]

It could certainly be worse, couldn't it?

[epimethean]

I mean I can probably think of a few ways.

[cava]

We might be filing unemployment right now, for a start.

[epimethean]

We could freelance. We could start our own company.

[It's 'we' now, Cain.]

[cava]

[... yeah, he'll humor this. he probably shouldn't, but here we are.]

Our own company doing what, exactly?

[epimethean]

Programming. Coding. Websites. People always need people to do their websites.

[ursoreckless]

It's better to remember things when there's someone to share them with, right?

[cava]

Something like that, yes.

[ursoreckless]

At least she didn't stop being your sister.

[cava]

That would take something much stronger, I'd imagine.

[ursoreckless]

Something a lot stronger than that bottle of wine. [ignore him; break ups are never easy despite his track record with them.]

[cava]

The wine's a start, certainly?

[Audio]

[dead_black_eyes]

There should be a support group by now for people who are jobless as a result of their workplace getting trashed.

I don't think we've spoken before.

audio;

[cava]

I'm sure someone must have put it together.

I don't recognize your voice, in any case. Cain.

audio;

[dead_black_eyes]

Maybe someone will. And they'd better provide the coffee I'm having a harder time affording, now that I'm jobless.

It's L on the network. I don't give out the real thing unless it's a face to face meeting.

audio;

[cava]

A sensible enough policy. I tried something similar in the beginning.

audio;

[dead_black_eyes]

In the beginning? What changed your mind?

audio;

[cava]

It proved impractical too quickly. I knew too many people from before the network.

video; i'm almost sorry

[sucrosity]

[Things about Cain are clouded by her memory of Dark Buster, who had been so imposing and so frightening in her Echo. She'd been afraid of Enter, before, but it had never been so gut-deep.

But he looks like shit, and Calista was his sister, after all.

From the look of it, she's holed up in her room. Not, of course, that it's super visible - her phone is set up next to her cockroach cage, and she's in the midst of doing something that involves rubber gloves and an egg carton.

Just... be glad the cockroaches aren't crawling all over the phone? Yet.]

Your... place is okay, right?

[Not that she's worried or anything. Really, she's not sure what to say, about Calista. Sympathy, perhaps, but weren't people off the Network better off?

Would he even take her sympathy?]

Are you drunk every time you get on the Network? Do we need to have another meeting?

[She's half-kidding, anyway. The video feed shifts suddenly as the phone falls over - she yelps, but then the feed is covered by bug leg. So much for nothing crawling on the camera!]

Nori-ko! Ah, geez-- [The feed cuts out, momentarily. Thanks for nothing, J.]

video;

[cava]

My place is fine. I do have to keep up my end of the apartment, after all. [did he just imply a roommate?]

And in any case, no. [he recognizes it's not entirely serious, but still.]

... Is everything fine over there? [that seems a little out of the ordinary, tbh.]

[sucrosity]

[ Rustling noises, then, clearly not directed at Cain, a robotic woman's voice, not so different from a GPS device - ]

(Yo-ko, you're standing on your homework!)

Shut up, Usada!

[ More arguing, a door slamming, some rustling, the sound of air rushing, then a click, and she smiles somewhat tightly at the feed as it comes back on, a cockroach hissing in her palm. Usada can still be heard grumbling from the other side of her bedroom door. ]

We're fine! I'm working on the cage. [ A beat. ] Who do you live with, anyway? Your sister? [ Aaaawkward, if so. ]

[cava]

[He blinks at that.]

If you say so, I suppose... [and at that he just laughs.] No! God, no. I live with an old friend.

[sucrosity]

[ Ah, he can laugh. Like a normal person. (Why would that be a surprise?) ] ...oh! Oh, okay. Better than your sister, I guess - they're not on the Network, right?

[cava]

[Rude.] If he is, then he's done a remarkable job of hiding it.