savetheearth | Twenty-Ninth Message [Video

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Twenty-Ninth Message [Video | Sheet of Paper]

[Anthony's barely in the frame when the feed comes on. His voice is low and restrained, as are his syllables. (Restrained, anyhoo, clipped.)

Starts by apologetically rattling in a breath.]

It's -- been more than a - month; I thought I would mention - ...

[Partly for himself, admittedly. He's not the only one who has and would have missed at least one of these people.

Briefly brings his voice up vibrating in a little more focus:] Excuse me - I'm sorry, don't. Mind the noise.

[There is no noise. Alas, he continues.]

Alex -- ...Varista and Ms. Bainbridge from the library aren't. -- On the network. Anymore. Their -- numbers still won't work.

There aren't -- really any... Many of us who - were always around, either. Anymore. Uhmm -- are there...

And it's -- been more than a year. Since I. Erhmm. [Half a throat-clearing.] -- Left home.

[The sounds go increasingly padded - he isn't going to go feeling back for those ends to tie them together. He simply wound up slipping on the most immediate bit of stupidly wistful sentimentality and letting himself amble over the others.]

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Yeah, there's not a lot of people left from the beginning. [He doesn't know what that means, why it's happened. And maybe, just a little, makes him worry for himself. He doesn't want to forget.]

... You alright? [Easier to talk about what's bugging Anthony than that first line of thought.]

Mmhh - [Unfinished-sounding, even for something that wasn't intended to be a complete word.] - I'm fine -- !

[Ending in a dubiously-reassuring upward creak.]

It -- it just feels -

[And he will absolutely stop himself there. He's not going to risk faux pas be one to overtly skate into giving in and flat-out discussing feelings with Toshiro.]

Umm. Are you all right -- ? [That quickly sucks itself dry and stilted and he's half-wincing sorry for it as soon as it's said, as there was nothing he could detect to hint that Toshiro wasn't, but it was semi-compulsive.]

I'm fine. [The slightest bit too quickly said, perhaps. He doesn't want to think about forgetting.]

When was the last time you talked to 'em, anyway? Your family, I mean.

December. [Not quite as quick, but forcedly neutral. He doesn't want to overthink it, likewise.

He pauses mentally "looking" at the other subject. He'd however taken Toshiro's answer as his cue to shut up more immediately than a deflection. Tentatively circles back to tend to the dangling end on the possibly-more-welcome note.] I have -- been... thinking about - sending them something; I-I just, umm. Don't -- know what.

[Or what he'd say beyond the "I'm still out there and I'm okay", which might not be enough to be settling.]

A fearsome prospect.

Uh -- what is...?

[Not meant as a press and asked unassertively as possible = barely even inflected as if to consciously round any urgency.]

The thought that many of us are continuing to forget.

If there are going to be more and more people forgetting, then what can we do? It sucks but...

[Katie will admit. As much as she does want to forget, there was a part of her that didn't either. How odd]

[There - is a response here.

His brow pulls scrunched in a mild wince, it still feels much more awkward than it should pointing anything out here...]

Uhm -- if you're there, err - could you --

Would it be okay if I could. Hear -- you -- ? [Scratches and breaks off high. Twitches a hand up to his eye sockets.] I don't have, uhmm.

[Didn't work in an "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" verbally in that one, but it's shakin' up his tone in lieu of an opening.]

[Meanwhile, Katie will be raising an eyebrow. She couldn't quite understand what he was saying but she gave him a sigh. Without another thought she switched over to the video feed.]

Is this you wante-

[...Oh. Hope you don't mind Katie just starting at you. ....And staring some more.]

...Whoa, that's some....

Uh -- [Cuts off sharp.

The bit of wincing holds, but on her stop it flicks from "smite me, please" to "deer, meet flashlight". He can infer what it could very well be, but the staring itself's lost on him for the same reason that the text was.

Shallow:] -- uhh, I'm sorry, is uh -

[He clumsily pushes himself to lean away a little bit, whether to move out of the way or to tend to anything he's not seeing that might warrant it, whatever the issue actually is.] -- Is there... something -- I'm not doing...?

[She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him. Locke City was a strange place to be in and seeing someone like him shouldn't be any surprise. For a few moments, she struggled to find the words of what she should say.

The young girl had a habit of being rather blunt for her own good and this was definitely not one of those times. With a sigh, she said this instead.]

No but it doesn't help that your eyes are weird.

[Yup, blunt as ever]

[Another flinch for "I'm sorry", not offense.] Mm-mm, I - don't have them, umm.

I'm -- [Resignedly hoarsens.] -- sorry if it. -- 'Ss distracting, I can't - do... anything... about it.

-- Not now. I um. I mean... [He's talking insofar as, say getting glass eyes (which is what Angeline had said she would do for him, not that he'd taken it as a point to be hung on now - count one more person who he's missing). And who knows if that's ever going to change.]

[At this point, Katie just started mumbling to herself. Whoever this person was, he definitely was the type of person that she couldn't stay quite as mean to.]

It's not your fault, if anything, you should be blaming whatever's been going on here! You don't need to apologize for something you didn't do!

[He was rather submissive wasn't he?]

No -- yes, I - I do, uhmm, if I'm not -

-- If I am handling it badly; it's not, uhm - fair to everyone else -- er.

If I'm bothering you I can - ...I can move offscreen.

[He himself is mumbling more o' less the whole way through at a cowed semi-monotone. "Submissive" would be right.]

[There were a lot of things in this world that annoyed Katie and mumbling was one of them. On top of that, the way he spoke also annoyed her too.]

No, you're not. You should try to say stuff that doesn't involve mumbling! Like talk louder, I can't even hear you that well!

[But Katie was never good with people either]

I'm sorry -- [It's a little tighter and higher for sincerity, but regrettably domineering himself over the apparent annoyance came with a sort of reflex to bring his voice down even more unobtrusive.]

First of all, stop apologizing already! I said there was nothing to be sorry about!

[At this point, the young girl wasn't sure how to approach this fellow. For a huge age difference, she felt like she was the older one. However, she shifted her attention elsewhere]

But anyway, like I said, that's just how it is. Sometimes people come and go on this network. It sucks but...what can you?

-- Oh. [Bit of bashful relief of all things at that last bit - all this back and forth and sidetracking he's been doing and that's what she'd said!

Swallows. Turns his head aside a bit, as a tic.] I -- suppose...

[And breathes. It is audibly a conscious action.] Umm. ...How long have you -- ...had - had your numbers -- if um. I may - ask...?

[Creeps to a non-verbally apologetic end - just out of curiosity, in the moment!]

Edited 2014-06-29 19:21 (UTC)

There you go again!

[sigh]

2 months now but I keep hearing so many people not answering to them anymore on the network. It's starting to sound like it's becoming more frequent.

[She will admit, if she were ever to let go of this network, she would be much happier. But at the same time, there was a hint of sadness to her.]

I knew about Ms. Bainbridge....

[He's not sure how he feels about that. He's sure she's better off, but it had been nice having someone at least a little like him around.]

I know you're settled in well with Nick... and forgive me if this is prying. But have you contacted your parents at all, during all this?

[He sags a little at the first. Does make sense, he supposes, that he might've known - again, it's been more than a month now. Which meanwhile means that this is the first that's been mentioned of Alex, and with that there are two topics on the table that it'd probably be best not sticking any knives into.

He hoists his voice up and then drags it on surface level to move on to see if he can close the second of them as well, at least.]

Um. No -- not since -- December.

Umm, d - directly, I um. Sent them something in February. Thanks, to -- uhmm. Kk - Kara. That -- was the last time, umm.

[Last time he's made a move to contact them in any capacity - too much has happened since he last saw them in person; frankly, he's uncertain if they'd even recognize him at this point (or if it'd be better that they don't, irrationally enough).]

I don't think directly is really necessary, at this point.

[Delicately put, he hopes. His family would probably be pretty... disturbed by the changes in their son. If Lyall stops to think too hard about it, he probably would be, too. He just tries not to think about it.]

There are other ways, though.

And there are still some of us here from the beginning.

[He offers a little smile.]

[He doesn't see it - but somehow it still comes to mind to return.

Painfully sheepishly, but sincerely appreciative. Keeps his voice down and dry a bit.]

I don't --

...Suppose, uhh, people meet - still meet after school -- ...Uh -- Mr. Lyall.

[Nothing more than further asking after what has and hasn't changed.]

School is out for the summer now, I'm afraid. But I am considering starting up the club again when the year starts up in the fall-- it seems like we aren't going to be in danger of getting in trouble for it, this time.

[And he's lost track of all the kids at his school and others who could use the safe space, which means it's time to get to know them again.]

Have you contacted your family at all since you left?

[Swallows.] U -- used to. Uhmm - I used to - to call them often... -- Before December, um.

-- I actually went back to see them once, thanks to - Ms. Reynolds.

[Catches himself on omitted context.] -- She's a mortician and I, uhm.

Di - didn't look that bad yet - ...

Why did you stop calling them?

Had to get rid of my phone -- ... [There's an element of upward wavering at the end. He'll rein in that he's getting a cringingly guilty feeling preemptively of being chided and that any's most definitely deserved.]

You couldn't just get a new one?

I can't pay for one...? [The inflection was more in an embarrassed spirit but blast he hopes that it didn't sound rude.]

If I got you a burner phone, would you actually use it?

Don't, uh -- ...don't get me things, ma'am, please; I a - umm, I appreciate it - of course... [Of course indeed, hopefully!]

And why not?

[Misato's tone is one that broaches no argument.]

Since you left home? W-why'd you leave?

I, uhh... [Thickens. All in all it isn't a difficult thing to explain, but it's still peculiar considering and describing exactly how the way it started had worked, on his end.]

Started, umm. I -- first - found out I'm a zombie. I uhmm. Looked - different, and um. Back - back then they were still err -- looking - for us. To -- kill us, if we were umm. Too. Obvious.

I just didn't, ermm. Want my parents to find out, to - [Especially long "o" sound.] I was worried it'd. Get - make trouble. For them.

That's... Really sad...

Have you thought of writing them a note or something? Just to let them know you're still out there and well... alright.

I've thought about it, I only erhm.

...I just don't know -- what to tell them. Don't want them, um, knowing about my eyes. For - for example. I er - actually used to call them often but then I lost my phone. -- Can't buy a new one.

Excuse me if I'm -- ahh. Saying - too much. By the way...

[This is probably an awkward subject for two people to be talking over on both ends, if in different ways.]

Well... You could always start with an email message or something? I'm sure someone would give you a hand writing one.

I-I mean I would if you really want... If you're worried about what to say then why not just start with the basics? Just let them know you're still around and thinking about them.

A-and don't worry about saying too much! I kind of know how you feel a little? I've kind of switched around what parent I talk to on a regular basis though...

[He's thought about doing something of the kind, certainly, but as for the first, getting hand after hand from others hasn't stopped looming more and more the longer it's been going on, and he knows how that'd go. He's unsure if muscle memory would maneuver him correctly around a keyboard, and dictating would be a disaster.

He nods, if a little sideways - acknowledging, more than agreeing - head twitches upward and back down as a fidget. And then back on Robyn when at the conjunction.]

Uh -- are they... [He isn't sure if this is jumping to conclusions or if this is the way she'd want it put if it isn't - unfocuses a little.] -- separated...?

[She wont push the idea, it was something he had to decide whether he actually wanted to do or not.]

They are... -Have been for a few years now. I used to live with my mom but just recently started living with my dad.

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