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

[substitutable]

[Shin just stands back at a distance where he can hear their voice but won't really be able to make out their conversation! He's put in an earbud and turned on the music on his phone, too. He's just waiting.]

[pheromonecoffee]

[It's quite the conversation. Matt's surprised he's still there when he comes back.]

You need a life.

[substitutable]

[He said he would be! Even if he's pulled out a book by then.]

I'm in school to pursue my lifelong dream....?

[pheromonecoffee]

You need. A life.

[substitutable]

Uh-huh. [He closes his book.] What else?

[pheromonecoffee]

Registration paperwork, Mr. Bodyguard.

You realize if somebody comes after me, it's going to be me protecting you, right?

[substitutable]

I would prefer if we could also run like hell, but I wasn't going to pretend I could take down any assaulters no.

[pheromonecoffee]

Then wouldn't you just be dead weight?

[substitutable]

I can run. You can just run in that case.

[pheromonecoffee]

We run and they just attack someone else.

[substitutable]

You beat them up and they'll get back up or there will be more after them.

[pheromonecoffee]

There's a way to fix that.

[substitutable]

I think your first order of business is properly registering for school.

[pheromonecoffee]

I'm registered. I just need to get classes sorted out.

[substitutable]

Applying edit to order of business.

[pheromonecoffee]

I've been registered for months. They wouldn't let me in if I took this long.

[substitutable]

Right, right...

[He runs a hand through his hair.]

Think you'll have a decent time here?

[pheromonecoffee]

I don't think I'll struggle. My old school gave me a head start.

[substitutable]

That's never a bad thing. You're pretty smart, anyway. I doubt you'll have to worry much.

[pheromonecoffee]

Not smart. I just went to a private school.

[substitutable]

Just going doesn't automatically make you smart. You are though. [A shrug.]

[pheromonecoffee]

Smart enough to make posts without thinking.

[substitutable]

I doubt that'll affect your grades much.