☤ ninety-five

[as_damaged]

[ Accidental Audio; ]

--course I asked myself why you never came to visit. People do, here, even-- well, you know.

[A pause.]

I know, and that's what I told myself. Which is probably why you're telling me, since I doubt you're really here.

[Another listening pause, and she laughs. Softly, sadly.]

I suppose not. But if you were, maybe I wouldn't have to second-guess myself.

[She lets out a breath, not quite a sigh.]

I am glad to see you. Or to imagine I'm seeing you, if that's all this is.

[A longer pause, and then quieter-- lower in pitch, too, that soft nostalgia failing--]

I know. I know.

[And, fortunately for Cameron, that's where the recording times out.]

Comments

[clerical]

Better when the imagination comforts rather than torments, isn't it. If that's all it is.

Visitors?

[as_damaged]

That depends on your perspective.

[clerical]

I'm asking after yours.

[as_damaged]

I'm not sure if I trust my own.

[clerical]

The curses will do that to us after a while.

You're all right?

[as_damaged]

As curses go, this is the harmless sort.

[clerical]

The weekend itself seems a quiet one, in relation to some. But that's always easier to say from the outside perspective.

[as_damaged]

I'm not sure there really is an outside perspective, here.

[clerical]

Well, I mean uncursed.

[as_damaged]

Of course.

[clerical]

If you do want to talk, Doctor Cameron, you know where I am. We can keep it as secular as you like.

[as_damaged]

I'd consider it, but under the circumstances it might be too crowded.

[clerical]

There's always my place. It's pretty big.

[as_damaged]

Even so. They say three's a crowd, don't they?

[clerical]

I'd say three's companionable.

[as_damaged]

Maybe another time. Neither of us has ever been the religious sort.

[But not really.]

audio.

[paraveterinary]

[ Real curiosity. This City is fascinating. ]

Hallucinating?

audio.

[as_damaged]

In a sense, possibly. It's difficult to tell with curses, to what extent anything is real.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

Can I ask who you're seeing?

Re: audio.

[as_damaged]

Someone important to me, who has been dead a long time.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

It seems like you're having a pleasant conversation. Do you miss them a lot?

audio.

[as_damaged]

[She sounds, almost, surprised.]

Of course I do.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

Can anybody else see them or is this a private visitation?

audio.

[as_damaged]

I expect it's only me.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

Right. I didn't hear the other side of the conversation. This doesn't seem like too bad a curse. It's no sex change.

audio.

[as_damaged]

[There's a pause, and then she laughs a little, though it's anyone's guess whether she's laughing at what he said or at something no one else heard.]

Honestly, that one's pretty harmless.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

Stirred up quite the controversy earlier today. And made a helluva show.

audio.

[as_damaged]

Has it happened to you?

audio.

[paraveterinary]

Me? I just got here. Actually, everybody's telling me I'm cursed today. Yesterday, apparently, I was seventeen. Today I'm this. When I wake up here tomorrow, they'll realize they're wrong.

audio.

[as_damaged]

Or you will.

[There's a pause.]

I'm sorry, I don't mean to doubt you. But it's worth considering the possibility. Curses can be... persuasive.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

I remember being seventeen, but I haven't been for years. What other curses have you experienced?

audio.

[as_damaged]

After a while, it's hard to keep track. I've been younger and older; I've been a man, I've been a mermaid, I've been chased by monsters and sheep and statues, I've been forced to tell secrets. Sometimes I've imagined I was a different person entirely. Once I-- well.

[She doesn't want to talk about almost marrying a complete stranger in front of the hallucination and/or ghost of her dead husband, can you blame her?]

You get the idea, I'm sure. I don't remember all of them very well.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

You've been here for quite a long time.

audio.

[as_damaged]

Four and a half years.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

You were chases by sheep?

audio.

[as_damaged]

They weren't normal sheep.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

Were they vampire sheep? [ Stiles showed him a movie. ]

audio.

[as_damaged]

Not exactly. [She pauses. It's an uncomfortable topic.] Though they were-- carnivorous.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

[ He shudders. ]

Glad they got taken care of.

audio.

[as_damaged]

Me, too.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

Well, sorry to take up your time. You probably have a conversation to get back to. I feel like I'm being rude. But, it was nice to meet you. I never introduced myself. Scott McCall.

audio.

[as_damaged]

Allison Cameron.

Good luck, if you find yourself seventeen again.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

Thanks. I'm told I won't remember any of this. How fun is that?

audio.

[as_damaged]

You never know; some people do.

audio.

[paraveterinary]

We'll see. Good luck with your visitor.