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[saidrepent]

It feels I've been here almost four months now... I don't know. [Raymond runs a hand through his hair and speaks without looking directly into the camera, almost as though he doesn't realize it's on.] I used to keep track of the time by my own clock, but obviously that doesn't work here... That's four months of it being stopped while the big one here just keeps ticking, and ticking, and ticking.

[He pauses.] Maybe that's why I keep checking it. Just in case whatever's keeping it stopped changes its mind.

[And again.] Maybe it's just a hard habit to break.

[His eyes lower for a moment, mouth hanging open as though he has something more to say, but he doesn't. He reaches to turn off the camera instead.]

Comments

[valentineluke]

Been over this, Sandman: The rules of your world don't apply here.

[saidrepent]

I'm well aware of that, thank you.

[valentineluke]

Then relax and enjoy the freedom from continuous counting of every second. There must be something you've always wanted to do, but never had the time for it.

[saidrepent]

[Raymond is in no mood for this today.]

What makes you think that's so easy to do?

[valentineluke]

Because I speak from experience.

Read a book from cover to back, go for a long walk, take up fishing, wander the zoo, nap, soak in the hot springs - it's not hard to while away a few hours doing pleasurable things.

[signatures]

What do you mean, that your own clock has stopped?

[saidrepent]

[Of course. He still shouldn't expect others to know what he means.]

The clock that measures how much time I have left to live.

[signatures]

So, what, you've become immortal?

[saidrepent]

[That's a good question.]

Not exactly. [He glances down at the mentioned clock.] It doesn't run down here, so I don't need to replenish it before it kills me. But that wouldn't keep anything else from killing me. [And he pauses.] Maybe even old age.

video;

[dignity_misery]

There you are.

video;

[saidrepent]

Did you miss me?

video;

[dignity_misery]

[She actually barks a little laugh.]

Yeah, sure.

video;

[saidrepent]

You made it sound like you were looking for me, at least.

video;

[dignity_misery]

I got tripped up over one of your twins.

[video]

[sympathyforme]

Try smashing it.

[video]

[saidrepent]

Not that kind of clock. [But if only.]

[video]

[sympathyforme]

What kind of clock then?

[video]

[saidrepent]

[Raymond pushes up his left sleeve and flashes his forearm in the camera's view, just long enough to give him a glimpse of the row of glowing green digits embedded in his skin.]

This kind.

[video]

[sympathyforme]

[He does lean forward for a closer look.]

Ever tried cutting it out?

[...he's just hard to faze.]

text;

[duplicities]

Old habits have a tendancy to die hard.

text;

[saidrepent]

tell me something I don't know.

audio

[freedrinkplease]

Two clocks tickin' for you? [ Have a whistle. ]

audio

[saidrepent]

[This kid again? Maybe he should have expected it.] Just one at the moment. The same one that's ticking for all of us.

audio

[freedrinkplease]

Why you got two?

Two brains maybe, yeah?

[ A laugh, amused. ]

Or you two people?

audio

[saidrepent]

[Ray just snorts.] That's a new one...

No. I have a different clock, one that stopped as soon as I showed up here.