video;

[disdainfully]

[The feed comes on to the plaza before the entrance hall of Locke airport, for a moment only showing general scenery before focusing on the fountain that is located there. And on a certain blond man who seems to just have been thrown into it, as he's currently sitting up from a position that he clearly did not get into voluntarily, face down in the rather shallow and gross water.

The voice that speaks up is Thorir's, impatience, threat and disdain mingling into a tone of touchy annoyance. Thorin might not have cared about being short, but Thorir has always been tall and comes from a culture that has an issue with short males. Plus he has lived fifty years without having to learn how to not be the tallest/one of the tallest people in any given group of peers.]

In case any of you feels the need to point out any physical changes about myself in the future, I request you to simply keep such thoughts to yourself.

[He breathes. This was only a side point, all things considered, but one that he wanted to make. The camera now turns towards himself. He looks tired, weary, not so much from lack of actual sleep but from family trouble and now the vanishing of the younger of his nephews, and the worry connected with it. This only made the family trouble more complicated, really.

Curiously, no physical change is actually visible on him, at least not on screen.]

That said, I'm back in the city now. If anyone has seen Killian since my brother inquired about him, or should see him in the future, it would be helpful if they could request either of us, or Fil or Gabriel. I doubt that he has left the city, and since his contacts either mainly exist within the confinements of the network, past and present...

Should whoever is offering him a place to hide right now see this, it would be helpful to both him and his family, as we worry about him, if you could facilitate contact between us - even if it is just through emails. We won't force him into anything, and if he wants to keep a distance for the next few months, that can be talked about as well. But a solution would definitely best be found together, as family.

[He seems to want to say more, but then the camera suddenly sways and his mobile phone clatters to the ground, and a loud splash can be heard. Someone stood too close to the fountain that he just kicked his bff into.]

Comments

Action

[thebalrogslayer]

[Gabriel rises from the not-really-depths like some kind of slime beast. He grabs hold of Thorir's shirt and pulls, past caring at this point that to pull Thorir in he has to fall back in himself. He's laughing again, not really that put off by the state of the water.]

Come here, you wanker! [If his car's going to get soaked anyway, he might as well get Thorir in on the pool party.]

Action

[disdainfully]

[Aaaaand there is a flail and a stumble, and then Thorir falls back against Gabriel, throwing both of them back into the water.

They only marginally go under, the water is too shallow for anything else, but it's still enough to get Thorir just as thoroughly wet as Gabriel before he surfaces again and sits up, blinking dirty water out of his eyes.

At least he dropped his mobile before going under, so that won't be completely ruined?]

Action

[thebalrogslayer]

[Gabriel was expecting that, and he cushions Thorir's fall a little, keeping him from falling too hard. He wants to get revenge, but he also doesn't want him to actually hurt himself. He then flips Thorir off him, though, and onto his front, making sure his friend is thoroughly soaked. Serves him right.

Standing up, he shakes himself off like a dog, cleaning his hair out of his face, tucking it behind his pointed ears.] You're paying for my car to be cleaned.

Action

[disdainfully]

[Is he also expecting Thorir pulling at his legs to make him fall back into the pool?

Because that was more than one time that Gabriel took the piss out of him for now being shorter than the blond man.]

[Video]

[espigeonage]

[Julien blinks his inner eyelids.]

Uh - did something happen? To you, I mean.

[He's sent Thorir cheerful text-based updates on things of little consequence every couple days during his absence, and a couple images of things he got for his birthday. The latest was less cheerful, more concerned; he'd asked if Hjalti had told him.]

[Video]

[disdainfully]

[There had been a short, terse answer, sent from the taxi to the airport, only reading "Yes".

And when he replies he's soaking wet still, sitting in the passenger seat of a car judging by the noises around him and the bit that can be seen.]

It seems that I finally started to pulse back Thorin's height.

[espigeonage]

[Julien had been kind of relieved that it hadn't been on him to explain. He'd mulled it over and then texted that he'll help in any way he can.]

...oh, no. You're short enough as it is! -was. [Those times since March when he'd talked to the man had been weird to Julien, who isn't happy with his new height.] Sorry.

[disdainfully]

[He blinks for a moment, and then has to laugh despite himself. It's short lived and more a bark than a real laughter, but he relaxes in is seat, some of the tension seeping out of him.]

I was only ever short to you before this.

[Which, now that he says it, makes him wonder if encountering tall Julien caused this... not that it changes anything.]

text

[mood2wiingiing]

what if we dont want two keep those thoughts two ourselves then what??

Voice

[thebalrogslayer]

[Because texting while driving is a bad idea, even if it means Thorir gets to hear what he has to say.]

He's a grumpy bastard that will throw you in the nearest body of water, that's what. [But there's laughter in Gabriel's voice. He doesn't really think that Thorir would toss a stranger in a fountain. Well. Probably not, anyway.]

Video

[disdainfully]

[And hitting the driver while they are driving is a bad idea, too, so he won't do that (at the moment, anyway), but Gabriel does get thrown a dirty look.

The camera briefly points at Gabriel to show the still soaking wet man at the steering wheel.]

With good reason.

[text]

[sylvanguard]

Glad you're back uncle. Missed you.

[text]

[disdainfully]

How are you?

[It's not a greeting, it's a question. Not as a part of pleasantries, either; between her being numbered and having issues in relation with that, she apparently also got more involved with the Thorsson side of her family at the worst possible time. And with her situation at the moment he feels some form of parental, or rather head-of-family, responsibility to make sure that she is at least as well as she can be with the situation at hand.]

Re: [text]

[sylvanguard]

Not doing great tbh. Hows things with you?

[Now is not the time to start sharing about how everything is going wrong with her life at the moment.]

[text]

[disdainfully]

A lot is happening at once.

[Mildly put.]

Is there anything that I could help you with? [He'll sit her down for a talk eventually, when things have calmed down enough to allow for that without is seeming too forced, but if there is anything that is more urgent, he'd like to know.]

text

[proudbraveandtall]

[He's got nothing new to add about Killian, but the fact that Thorir felt the need to open his message with that bit and the fact that Gabriel is in a fountain? Clearly something's happened.]

What do you mean?

text

[disdainfully]

I'm roughly Gabriel's height now.

[In other words, he is shrinking, and Gabriel finds it hilarious.]

text

[proudbraveandtall]

[It takes him only half a second to extrapolate from there.]

Shit

text

[disdainfully]

Well said.

[There isn't even irony in there. He's just tired; it really couldn't have come at a worse time.]

It's probably unavoidable that you and Fil will lose height as well now. [Considering how the ears kind of went around the elves once one of them had started.]

Voice;

[moreweaponsthanyou]

Uncle....No... [Fil doesn't want to shrink! Not yet! Not ever!]

Voice;

[disdainfully]

It had to happen eventually.

[His voice is grim, and he sounds anything but happy. That he's pulling his nephews down into this mess (pun intended) with him doesn't help the situation, either.]

Voice;

[moreweaponsthanyou]

[Fil's slumping at the other end of the connection even if Thorir can't see it.]

Killian warned me it'll probably happen eventually. I guess I was stupid in hoping it won't happen for a long long time.

[Phone call]

[gobybessie]

[ He'll just make this a call, to keep it off the network. He's not spending much time on there at the moment anyway.

Your phone's ringing, Thorir. If it didn't break, that is. ]

[Phone call]

[disdainfully]

[It will take a while, but if John ends the call before Thorir gets to it, he'll call him back. He sounds a bit annoyed, but also worried if something is up that makes the other man call him like this. Is something up?]

John. How are you?

[gobybessie]

Fine, thank you. And you? What changed?

[ Pause. ]

I won't laugh.