Text > Video | discussion of parent death

[pheromonecoffee]

Let's set the scene here.

Bridge. Late night. Green full moon.

Six year old alone in the backseat of a car. Front seat? Two coffins.

Giant explosion. Car destroyed. Boy not destroyed. Coffins in car probably destroyed. 90% chance of coffin destruction.

Giant monster. Robot teenage girl fighting monster. Robot girl losing.

Robot girl stuffs giant monster into six year old. How? Fuck if I know.

Moon stops being green. Bridge is on fire. Car is on fire. Six year old is not on fire.

[Video flashes on. Matt's hanging around LCU's campus. It's pretty dead since it's only summer sessions and he's not by the library or anything. He'd come to pick something up, and... Well, the walk here had been eventful. He should drive more, as attested to the scrape on his cheek. He's a lucky kid.

That aside, he looks... not very amused.]

So if we're playing the crazy echoes game anymore, I think I'm winning. [He laughs a little, covering his face with his hand in sheer exhaustion.] Coffins in a car? You know what the craziest shit about this is?

I seriously think I just watched Minato's parents die. That's... that's some fucked up kind of thing to show a guy. And that... thing. That monster.

[And Matt completely freezes. And then he laughs. And it's not a good laugh--it's a kind of crazy, kind of broken laugh.]

No wonder he had to die. That thing inside of him... [And then his laughter just completely stops and he drops the phone he's recording on. That thing. That thing looks so similar to Thanatos. And Thanatos... Thanatos is Phillip. His friend. He curls himself up where he sits, resting his head on his knees and the video just shows the summer sky.]

Let's just pretend. This never happened.

Comments

audio; filtered

[substitutable]

[Partially to gather more information on the stuff Matthias talked to him about when they met, and partially to continue research for his own thesis, Shintaro happens to be on campus today. And checking his phone when he sees the post go up on the network. Having been a student here for years and because he practically lives here, it's not hard for him to recognize what part of the school Matthias is at.

Scenario: car crash. The cut on Matthias' face. Echoes are received through events that parallel the events in the past life. He frowns before dialing the number he's come to dial more than anybody else's.]

... Hey. Stay where you are. I'm coming to get you -- don't try to walk home.

audio; filtered

[pheromonecoffee]

I'm fine. Don't bother.

audio; filtered

[substitutable]

I'm bothering. Stay where you are, Matthias.

video

[hyper_rain]

[This does not sound good. Death of family members (even those of your past self's) is not fun.

Basil sympathizes so much.]

Matt...?

Text;

[pheromonecoffee]

I'm fine, Basil. Don't worry. Not hurt or anything.

Text;

[hyper_rain]

[switches to text for Matt]

No injuries is not the same as not hurt

do you want to come over? we have gelato

Text

[sjokolade]

...Where are you right now?

I don't care what else you're going to say, just tell me you're somewhere safe.

Re: Text

[pheromonecoffee]

LCU. I'm here to pick up paperwork.

Text

[sjokolade]

Good, I'm coming on over! Just stay where you are and I'll come get you!

audio;

[orangehoodie]

[He responds a couple minutes after most people.] ... How'd you get the cut? Are you gonna be able to get home?

text

[pheromonecoffee]

I'll be fine. I'll catch the bus or get a ride.

text

[orangehoodie]

I hope you can get a ride. It'll probably be safer.

[seconds later]

I hope you can get some rest. It sounded bad.

[Text]

[lightsoflife]

Are you all right?

Re: [Text]

[pheromonecoffee]

Better than I was in Vegas, worse than I was in New York.

[lightsoflife]

It seems like you've gotten the short stick when it comes to echoes.

video;

[saviorsoul]

[ Well, that all sounds pretty damn terrifying. Alexi's face is full of pain and empathy, as he watches Matt. He can't speak at first, too overwhelmed by the emotions displayed by someone he has only seen to be fairly casual up until now. When he does find his voice again, it's hesitant and disarming, afraid to push too much. ]

Matt... are you okay?

text

[pheromonecoffee]

I'll be fine. It was a little overwhelming. I made the call too fast, without thinking.

action; midnight

[darkhourdear]

[Phillip sees this post when it goes up. But he doesn't say anything. Matt doesn't want to talk about it now, and that means he might just not talk to Phillip at all. But there's a way Phillip can get to talk to him.

When midnight hits, he's a little surprised it worked. It's not a full moon, or anything. But apparently knowing he needs to talk to Matt is enough for him to be able to do so, the boy just appearing on the edge of Matt's bed, wide awake and waiting.]

...Hi.

Re: action; midnight

[pheromonecoffee]

[That... that was weird. Matt is sitting in shorts, legs crossed, playing a video game. He's used to weird things, but--

He blinks, pausing the game and setting the controller down. He seems pretty unfazed, all things considered. He's doing better than he was this afternoon, too. He just looks very tired.]

Shouldn't you be asleep?

voice

[sunshinethatwarmsherup]

Matt...

[ Linda really has no idea what she was thinking with even coming to reply to this message, because whatever she was thinking to say to comfort him has completely vanished from her mind. Stupid brain with it's stupid not working... ness.]

... I guess asking if you okay would be pretty stupid, wouldn't it?

text;

[pheromonecoffee]

I'll be fine. I've been through worse.

text;

[bombgasmic]

What happened to your face?

text;

[pheromonecoffee]

It's just a scrape. I'm fine.

[hungryhunter]

...You gonna be okay, dude?

[Yeah, not like she needs to ask, it's a 'probably not.' But what the fuck else should she open with? God, she's a shit girlfriend.]

text

[pheromonecoffee]

Fine. It surprised me is all.

[Second text a moment later]

sorry