Video

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[Despite the fact that he'd largely been managing to avoid them, he's not without his own balloon companions today, and while he's been able to get rid of some of them, some of them are still following him around. And that's why, of course, this video is entirely accidental, inadvertently posted while he's dealing someone a round of cards at the casino.

The balloons are alternating languages -- sometimes they're speaking Yiddish, sometimes Russian, sometimes English, sometimes even Italian, but their messages are all very similar.]

You'll never amount to anything
You're no better than your father
You'll never succeed
You're pathetic
You're a cheater and a liar
You're wasting your time
Why would anyone trust you?

[The odd thing is, his balloons aren't speaking particularly loudly. No, they're almost whispering their comments, insidious and irritating as they are, and he casts a particularly dour look over his shoulder at them, before realizing his video is recording and shutting it off with a long-suffering sigh.]

Comments

[deadmanbusiness]

[Theo walks in for his shift a bit blurry eyed and he almost doesn't notice the balloons. Which is surprising. He walks right past the Meyer and his balloons ... then stops and turns to stare.]

Are those balloons speaking Russian?

[Because that's the thing he needs to pick up on, right?]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Some of them. Others are speaking other languages. They're a multilingual bunch of irritants.

[That he's doing his level best to ignore.]

[deadmanbusiness]

I didn't know you spoke Russian... or... [he listens to the languages] Italian.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Russian's my second language, Italian is my...

[He has to think about it.]

Fourth, although I wouldn't consider myself fluent.

[deadmanbusiness]

Four languages, that's not too bad. What's that... it's not German?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Yiddish. But it isn't far off from German, so good guess.

[He also speaks some Polish, but he's not here to brag about his linguistic skills.]

[deadmanbusiness]

I should learn German sometime.

And brush up on my Russian.

video;

[mortemscintilla]

... Rude.

[ Because really, what else can you say? ]

Re: video;

[recognize_an_opportunity]

To put it mildly.

[At least they're both in agreement. These particular balloons are hellbent on making themselves heard, and only whisper louder when Meyer begins speaking into the communicator.]

video;

[mortemscintilla]

[ It's habitual for him to tuck any semblance of insecurities or weaknesses away, though all that shows on 'Li's face is a wince at the susurration of whispers. ]

Have you considered playing really loud music? To muffle the noise?

Re: video;

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I thought that would suffice, but unfortunately, that just made them louder. I'm afraid there's nothing to do but wait for midnight.

video;

[mortemscintilla]

In the circumstances, I'd be amazed if you make it to midnight without a migraine.

Re: video;

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I exist in a constant state of migraine as it is, so this is only an added annoyance.

[thenormalsquint]

Oh, like nobody's ever cheated or lied. They need to stop pointing you out like the only one.

[Trying to look on the bright side here.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Most people have cheated and lied. I'm generally more suspicious of those who say they haven't. Still, having these following me around haranguing me for it is... tiresome.

[thenormalsquint]

I don't believe anybody who says they've never lied and cheated, even in Monopoly. Being good at it is a different story, but doing it at all is a general everybody does it thing.

Have you tried popping them?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

If I could pop them, they'd be popped by now. Unfortunately, they're sturdier than I'd hoped.

[thenormalsquint]

Hmm... what about pushing them in a room and closing the door on them?

[Inventive, yet runs the risk of more popping up.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I tried that, too. Would you believe that balloons can open doors?

Late in the day;

[candothat]

You would think that one language would be enough for them.

Have you tried being agreeable towards them? It makes them quieter, maybe only because they are confused.

Re: Late in the day;

[recognize_an_opportunity]

You would think, but they feel the need to use four languages, as though I didn't get the message clearly enough in one.

I've tried ignoring them entirely. I suppose that isn't exactly the same as being agreeable.

Late in the day;

[candothat]

Perhaps they think the insults will have greater impact in a certain language.

What did they do? Mine only became louder when I ignored them.

Re: Late in the day;

[recognize_an_opportunity]

They're not entirely wrong about that.

They got louder, yes. And much more insulting. They're being downright pleasant, at the moment, compared to some of their earlier tirades.

Late in the day;

[candothat]

But surely they are exaggerating in all languages.

Ai, I hope this ends at midnight. More than one day of this would be maddening.

Re: Late in the day;

[recognize_an_opportunity]

As far as I'm concerned, they're exaggerating. There may be those who disagree.