(no subject)

[dropkick]

Not something worth repeating.

[ Pause. ]

Justification for the auto-feeder though.

Comments

Re: I don't mind ancient!

[trenchknives]

Well, yeah, they weren't gonna read us our rights. Hell, d'you think they even have a fair trial system around here?

Re: <3 ;-; my shamefaced self appreciates this woejifkdl

[dropkick]

[ A slight if audible chuff, short of snort. ]

Not that I've noticed.

But knowing the City, it'd be a different readout anyway.

Re: <3!

[trenchknives]

Yeah, probably would be. Y'know, I'm used to corrupt cops, but I think this takes the damn cake. Maybe 'cause they've got magic powers, or somethin'.

Re: <3 <3 <3!

[dropkick]

Maybe. Power in general, magic or not.

Glad it's over [ for the moment ] either way.

Most of the curses aren't that literally confining.

[ he kind of trails off into a mumble in that last statement... ]

[trenchknives]

Yeah, that one was...

[A pause.]

I mean, they just kinda set us up to fail, either way.

[dropkick]

[ Almost like they were being brainwashed into the worst version of themselves. Arthur has his own mental armaments (and delusions -- though those help too), so he imagines it was worse for others. ]

And no reason why. On the surface.

[trenchknives]

To fuck with us. Ain't that always the purpose?

[dropkick]

Fair amount of the time, yeah.

But then there's just....the weird ones.

Beer in the pipes. Cake falling from the sky. Dinosaurs.

[trenchknives]

None of those sound too bad to me, except maybe the dinosaurs.

[A pause.]

I guess the cake fallin' from the sky could be problematic, too.

[dropkick]

The dinosaurs were. The cake? Not so much.

Well...nothing a shower wouldn't fix.

[trenchknives]

Yeah, but then you get the dumb shit like the mistletoe curse.

[dropkick]

[ Mild whistle... ]

Yeahhh that one's....dumb's a word for it.

[ AMONG OTHERS. Arthur agrees x 99999 ]

[trenchknives]

Hey, maybe we'll get lucky this month 'n they won't be bad.

[dropkick]

A guy can hope.

[ Though he wonders how long this one's been in the City to even say that sort of thing. In fact... ]

How long've you been here anyway?

[trenchknives]

Uh, shit, seven or eight months? Can't remember exactly. You kinda stop countin' after awhile. You?

[dropkick]

[ HUMORLESS CHUCKLE GOES HERE but then a sort of sigh, equivalent to a shrug. ]

Hit the two-year mark April-ish.

Time flies, I guess.

[trenchknives]

I'm gonna guess you're not a fan of bein' here?

[You never know. There're some people that are, or at least like it better than home.]

[dropkick]

[ A longer pause than the rest because it's true that some people do enjoy it in the City -- curses or no. Some people prefer it. Some never want to leave. Arthur ultimately wants to return to the reality he left because it...is his. This, whatever one calls it, is temporary. Right? It still bothers him on some level to be building....whatever of a life one can call it, somewhere it won't last. Hypothetically.

Depends how much a person remembers upon leaving though, he supposes, or how many people -- if that's the case.

He clears his throat. ]

I used to hate it.

[ Determined to 'wake up' more like. ]

Now...well it's what most seem to do here: I live with it.

[ Less about being a committed citizen versus a determined escapee and more about...coping. If he spent his years trying to leave always failing...well by now he'd be crazy. Probably.

And it doesn't really bear thinking about...that route. ]

[trenchknives]

Yeah, I know what you mean.

[He sighs. It's hard to explain exactly why he's gotten used to the City -- sure, he wants to get out eventually, but it's not the worst thing that's happened to him, not by far. He knows it can't last forever, knows people go home, but he doesn't know when it'll happen to him.]

I miss my kid, but I guess we just kinda... learn to accept bein' here and deal with it.

[dropkick]

Th--

[ He starts to say one thing but stops himself when he fully registers 'my kid'. ]

How old's your kid?

[trenchknives]

Almost four. He's a good kid. You got any kids?

[dropkick]

No -- not my own anyway. A friend's.

I'm more...

[ he pauses, frowns on his side of the device... ]

...honorary uncle. I guess.

What's his name?

[trenchknives]

Honorary uncle is good -- means you get to give 'em back when the day's over, 'n then their parents have to deal with their whinin'.

[There's affection in his tone, though, even through the sarcastic complaint.]

His name's Tommy.

[dropkick]

[ He laughs but there's a softness that could be read into if one wanted. ]

Good name.

Honorary niece is Phillipa, honorary nephew is James.

[trenchknives]

Hey, James is a great name, too. It's mine. Well, I mean, I go by Jimmy, but it's James on my birth certificate, if you wanna get technical.

[dropkick]

I like both. 'Jimmy' beats 'Art' by a long shot.

[ 8( and let's not even mention 'Artie' or so on... ]

[trenchknives]

Well, don't worry then, I won't call you Art. That does sound kinda silly.