action // video

[othersdie]

[Midday, a new arrival--or perhaps someone familiar to those who have been in the City for more than a few months--appears by the fountain. His button-up shirt (buttoned all the way to the top, as usual), khakis, and loafers aren't exactly seasonally appropriate, but at least he managed to avoid the icy fountain.

It's not as if the cold can bother him that much, anyway.

He looks around for the device that he knows will be nearby and--yes, there it is, just like always. He dusts stray snowflakes off of it, checks the date, and switches it to record.]

This is Justin Pendleton. If anyone who knew me is still here, I'd appreciate a response.

Who's currently running the City? Anonymous? What state is the police force in? Again, answers would be appreciated. Thank you.

[He moves to end the recording and hesitates.]

Neil, Todd. You'd better still be here.

[There, good. He cuts the video short and pockets the network device. Until he hears from his flatmates, Justin resolves to check out the City and see what has changed in the four months he's been gone himself.]


[ooc: Feel free to contact him via the network or run into him in person! And don't forget that it's National Hug Day. <3 Justin does so hate love hugs.]

Comments

Action

[trenchknives]

[Jimmy's on his lunch break from work, going for a stroll, despite the cold weather, and... Well, that's a face he didn't expect to see again. Okay, wait, phrasing it that way is weird. He sees that face every day. Just not attached to that particular person. Okay.]

Justin?

[He's approaching him quickly, curiously, oddly glad to see him.]

Action

[othersdie]

[Justin almost catches himself smiling when he sees a familiar face. No, poor phrasing, but the point is that being dead is incredibly lonely, Jimmy is fucked up in a comfortingly familiar way, and this is good.]

Jimmy. [He neglects to, like, move to intercept Jimmy. Some things never change.] How are you?

Re: Action

[trenchknives]

I'm okay. Things've been...

[He shrugs. And then... shit, what's he doing? Is he throwing his arms around Justin and squeezing him tightly? Yes, yes, he seems to be, and that's odd, because as much as he likes the guy, he'd had no intention of expressing his affection quite so... affectionately. A pat on the back would have sufficed. A friendly handshake.]

Uh...

[He draws back after a few seconds.]

Things've been fine.

Action

[othersdie]

[Oh, that's--what. Justin isn't cursed himself (perhaps it's a benefit of coming in partway through the day) or particularly fond of human contact, so he freezes and waits for Jimmy to stop.

Huh.]

Fine? Is there a curse today?

[valentineluke]

The deities haven't returned, and, welcome back.

Re: Action

[trenchknives]

Um... well, shit, I guess there might be.

[Come to think of it, he had impulsively hugged that one guy who'd come into the shop, hadn't he? Great.]

Sorry. It ain't personal. I mean, not that I ain't fond of you, but y'know...

video;

[dignity_misery]

There you are.

video;

[mumbled_truth]

Justin?

[ It's not much of a question, since he clearly knows the answer. And he's even visibly happy. ]

We're still here.

Action

[othersdie]

It's fine. I understand.

Has anything here changed?

[othersdie]

Thank you.

[His tone is clipped; Luke's being pleasant, but Justin really doesn't like vampires. Still. Ever.]

video;

[othersdie]

Were you looking for me?

video;

[othersdie]

[LOOK, a real smile!]

Good, since you're not allowed to leave. Would I be intruding if I came to the apartment?

video;

[dignity_misery]

Everywhere.

video;

[othersdie]

Do you want something?

Re: Action

[trenchknives]

Well, Anonymous still runs the place, we've still got the goddamned curses... not a whole lot's changed, no. Some new arrivals, some new disappearances, y'know, the same old shit.

video;

[mumbled_truth]

[ Amazing. ]

Of course not.

Action

[othersdie]

That's almost comforting.

How are you?

[Besides about as emotionally damaged as Justin. He asks because he knows, face-twin.]

video;

[othersdie]

Thank you, Todd.

It'll be good to see you again.

video;

[dignity_misery]

Of course I do.

Re: Action

[trenchknives]

Yeah, it kinda is, in a weird way.

[A shrug.]

Well, I got killed a couple months ago, so y'know, been better, been worse.

video;

[othersdie]

What?

Action

[othersdie]

[Justin's face twitches in an involuntary wince. Dying is not fun.]

Are you still technically alive?

Re: Action

[trenchknives]

Yeah. It was one of those curses where we got some kinda exemption 'n didn't come back all fucked up, thankfully. I mean, I still came back plenty fucked up, but not physically.

[He knew Justin would understand.]

Action // Private

[othersdie]

How have you been handling it? The first time I died, it was... [Wow, that was three deaths ago. Remembering that throws him off for a fraction of a second.] It takes time to recover, mentally.

Re: Action // Private

[trenchknives]

I...

[Shit. How's he supposed to talk about this? But it's easier with Justin, somehow, maybe because Justin has his face, maybe because Justin's been through it before, so he just shrugs uneasily again.]

Not great. 'n I mean, part of it's the fact that I know that as soon as I go back home, I'm gonna die there too. 'n I knew that before, but now that I've been through it once, I really know what that means, and it's fuckin' terrifyin'. How'd you... come to terms with it?