Twenty-Sixth Message [Video | Sheet of Paper]

[scramasax]

Excuse me -- excuse me.

[It opens with voice for once, hasty and dry, but with actual words bringing the connection in.]

I'm sorry -- I don't...

[Starts over. Coughs. A moan solidifies into an "uhmmm". Tapers off and presses out through Anthony's nose.

Takes a breath to stall, gets the message together, and... speaks up again. Actually steadily - halting but articulate.]

...This is Anthony. Janvier, and I -- just -- thought I would say, um. In case, that -- I've been hallucinating, since -- fall. I think. And it -- uhh. ...Something happened last week - 'mmh not sure what's - happening. ...Exactly, but I.

[And that's where the organization of his train of thought ends.]

In case it -- might be interesting -- to someone.

[He'll put the fact that he's legitimately scared at where this might be going out of his head as far as possible in favor of what he's just said - it might be interesting to someone! There was that suggestion before that it could be due to his brain deteriorating, on one hand, and on the other, there'd been the boy who'd brought up "monsters" going insane, and the psychologist a while before, had touched on the idea of "treating" what had sounded to be that sort of thing.]

Comments

video

[imbibing]

[Misato's tone starts off angry...]

Why didn't you tell somebody something about this before now? Don't you think that people are worried about you?

[...but is quickly tempered.]

Do you need to see somebody? Or talk about it? If you need a psychiatrist, I can make some calls for you.

[A beat.]

And... you know, it's okay if you come to me too. I can't say I know what you're going through, but I'm a pretty good listener.

...and a pretty good talker, too.

video

[scramasax]

[Face's tensing at the starting tone; any coming lambasting accepted.

The evening-out makes it a tad tenser, somehow, and - well, there's another very sudden, generous offer.

Pauses, gets himself planted with an "uhh", and mutters. Syllables are short and padded.]

No, thanks. [He's used to the kind of response a "you don't have to do anything" gets by now.] It's um. Actually pa - partly because of you that I -- mentioned it. [Attempts to flick up a hopeful polite smile. Just too tentative to quite be clear as such.]

video;

[shineonyou]

Holy shit. Uh.





Woah. Just listenin' to you makes me uncomfortable, dude.

video;

[scramasax]

[Stop.

High-pitched:]

...Excuse me?

[wonk]

what tho

i listend 2 this 3 times bc i thought i missed something and u didnt actually say what the interesting thing might be

[scramasax]

[This... is either a text response or an open connection left without a word.

Awkwardly sinks a bit. Is this going to be a stupid-sounding way to clarify, yes, most likely, but alas...]

...Is uhh... S - someone there?

[Picking up from a rushed pardon-me cough.] I don't -- sorry - ! I just can't, uhm. [Dry drop-off. Lifts a hand a tad in no particular direction - and gestures vaguely to his face. The lack of eyes comes with what it implies.]

Voice

[dominateartimus]

[Xander was taken by surprise by Anthony's reveal that he had been suffering more hallucinations since October and didn't mention anything about them until now. He wondered if the younger man dealt with them when John or his other room mate wasn't around and another part of him silently commended Anthony for managing to get through them, regardless of how frequent they happened.

When he addresses the post, he sounds concerned but keeps his tone soft.]

Are you not sure that what happened last week is real?

Voice

[scramasax]

Uh -- [With trace of should-be-conversational clarity of tone - ] No, er.

I'm -- have to apologize if this doesn't make sense but.

[Which starts stumbling right there.]

I'm not, uhh - sure... what happened last week at all. For... Not - not for everything! Only - small... amounts of time; I'm not - completely sure what I was doing.

audio;private

[detectivetroll]

...why haven't you told me about this before?

video;private

[scramasax]

[Freezes up dead a moment.

He's certainly on the spot - he can't even say he feels quite as if he's in trouble, since this next bit is at least half true, even if it's not the main reason.]

Uhh, I-I thought you might've already knew.

[Or suspected something was off. Alas, in the event that Nick's ever caught him shakily muttering to himself in tense situations and/or subjects, all the more likely if it contained any variant of the words "this can't be happening", that might've been what was going on.]

[private; video (ipad)]

[amberhearted]

[ Alex is at a loss of how to respond. He is not qualified to handle this sort of a case -- and Anthony is now undeniably a 'case'.

After a bit of metaphorical handwringing, he finally replies. ]

Hey, Anthony. It's Alex. How are you doing?

[private; video] And no problem! <3

[scramasax]

Uh --

[The fact that it opens with a plain olf greeting half distracts him from the context.]

H -- hi, Alex. [Bit cowed, but that distracted half keeps it almost-normal.] I'm fine -- I've - if-if - if you mean, umm...

[He's not going to say what he thinks Alex means; if he's answering along the lines of a guess that's in fact wrong, he figures he'll be called out for it...]

I've been fine since uhh - last week...

( audio. )

[duette]

[ Are you ready for some affront? Because you're getting some affront. ]

Hallucinating what, exactly? Anthony?

( video. )

[scramasax]

Only -- [Deer meets sudden highbeams.]

Nothing unusual! Since -- my eye fell out - and not uh - often.

...More often! Actually. Since my eye fell out but -- I don't know if all of it's related, uhh. Angeline said that - supposedly happens...

["Most of my hallucinations have been perfectly innocuous since my eyes fell out!"]

[not_good_not_wicked]

And you waited until now to tell us? It's been almost six months!

[scramasax]

I didn't think -- I. It isn't that bad most of the time - and it - goes away - ...! [Little defeated high break-off, yesss, it's sounding like he's in trouble.]

Did-didn't seem important.

[stavros]

Wait, you have? And you did not think it pertinent?

[scramasax]

[Shakes his head.] No -- I didn't. It uhm. Never lasts long, I always - I always get over them.

A-a-and they don't happen often. Usually - ...

audio;

[telvanni]

Details, boy. Spit them out. I assume your hallucinations are auditory in nature, considering your affliction?

video;

[scramasax]

I --

[Should he apologize or should he get on with it?

He should get on with it.

Flinches a moment - a little from Column A and a little from Column B.]

Uhm. A - I do see things too, uhm. Actually, but it -

[It's pretty obvious at those times that something's up.]

...umm. Auditory is - more common, yes -- excuse me, sir.

voice;

[bravelyspoken]

[ ... Ah. Somebody is... struggling. Emery feels his heart lurch in sympathy, because just the halting nervousness of Anthony's voice is enough to tell him this is difficult.

Emery thinks for a moment -- because he's not a proper psychologist, he can't exactly claim to be a proper qualified person here -- but he has studied psychology and he knows something about the mind, cognition, and lot about speech impediments.

Also, he is horribly weak willed and can't leave a person suffering without at least trying to help. Let's be honest. When he finally replies the sound of his British accent is soft, calm and even. He doesn't want to spook him. ]

Hello, Anthony. I don't think we know each other. My name's Emery. Might be a weird name to you -- it's Welsh. Think it's a surname sometimes here.

[ Start calm and simple. That's how you're meant to do it, right? Put the person at ease. ]

video;

[scramasax]

[An introduction in a calm, pleasant, and indeed unfamiliar voice.

If Anthony's own heart was capable of giving an actual pang, he'd be getting a sensation comparable to an ambivalent one, as he's feeling a tad watched now.

He'll bow under any figurative microscope, however, then. Throat's stuck quiet for a moment - clears it.]

No -- ! [Bobs in and up from a hasty crack.] It's not weird -- I mean...! [And then pressed and ironed out. "Emery"'s not weird as a name, that is.]

Y -- ou're right, we... haven't - spoken, I think... -- Nice to meet you, sir.

[Forced a bit throaty for fluency and not a hundred percent stable, and it's a bit of an obligatory thing to say, but there's heart in it as well-meant, and it's mild and soft enough.]

[Video]

[onecream_fivesugar]

[Sorry Anthony. Robyn was not prepared to see you on video. She is thoroughly disturbed by your appearance though.]

Th-Wh-Hu-G-Gross! grossgrossgrossgross!

[Video]

[scramasax]

[Quick, thick, tensing-down:]

Mm -- 'mmh sorry.

[It isn't a first but it's simultaneously true that he's gotten used to people being used to him and forgetting to be conscientious.]

video;

[earnedmystripes]

Take a deep breath and start over. What's wrong?

[He...doesn't really expect Anthony to calm down, but he's gotta try, right?]

video;

[scramasax]

[Ah-ha for all the technical good a deep breath would do, but that's an aside!

He flinches a little, does press a little air out of his lungs through his nose, and drags some back in. And pauses. Lets it sink in that he "obeyed", as it were - for whatever imagined amount it might count, at least to him.]

...Nothing's wrong -- [Shallower:] ...actually...

[And picks up speed.]

I was talking about - something that happened last week, erm - I'm fine.

Video; sorry late! been busy!

[buildyourworld]

[ He listens to this several times but couldn't figure out what's going on but he knows that this is that zombie person he's seen around the network. While he doesn't usually care about people unless they are related to him somehow, the response he got from people when he asked for help had him reconsiders his approach. Perhaps it would be wiser to pay more attention to people, even if they don't benefits him in any way. ]

Are you alright? Your hallucination, have you gotten professional help for them? I don't know if we have psychiatrists among us but it might prudent to ask?

Video; Nonsenssse, and of course! <3

[scramasax]

[Another unfamiliar voice, pauses. Sticks his voice down to a mild point, hopefully just loose enough not to be excessively pressurized, deliberate.]

Er - ...no, it isn't - help that I'm - asking for - ! [Though what was said seems to imply awareness of the fact that was not an original factor, moving along.]

It's just, uhh... [Stalling breath in. Compulsive:] Excuse me, sir, I - had... s-someone suggested that it, might, uhmm. [And thins and floats heightened a little.] Mean - something... -- That - that it might be interesting related... -- to being a zombie -- I'm a - I've been all right since last week.

[Just in case:] I apologize.

[Voice]

[gobybessie]

Another pattern. Plenty of people get hallucinations.

[Video]

[scramasax]

Uhh... p -- ? [It sounds more like "hhp".

Voice sort of knocked dizzy spinning in midair.] Uhmm... What do you mean by "pattern" -- if I... - may ask -- ?