5th Message - video

[justamessenger]

[Dulcie is seated by the window of her apartment, wing folded behind her, with a smallish mocking bird perched on her finger.]

Aren't they beautiful? I love seeing more birds around. Feathered beings unite and everything.

[The bird pecks a little at her finger, and then opens its beak and speaks in a perfect replica of Dulcie's voice.]

Everyone’s dying, Cameron. A little, every day. Make it count.

[Dulcie's face falls, quickly and dramatically, and she scrambles one-handed to end the feed,]

Comments

[justamessenger]

You can come in, Luke.

[She's curled into a ball on the chair in the corner.]

[infernoandhearth]

[He walks in, straight over to Dulcie in the chair and crouches -- carefully -- beside it. He rests his chin on his forearms, which he rests on the arm of it.]

Do you still have the bird? I thought we might roast it, you know.

[justamessenger]

That's a bit harsh. It's not the bird's fault.

[infernoandhearth]

Are you sure? Perhaps it's not a curse at all, just a rather rude bird.

[justamessenger]

Is it rude if it's just repeating?

[infernoandhearth]

It could have repeated any number of things.

[justamessenger]

It could have been a lot worse than picking that one.

[infernoandhearth]

Lots of things could be worse, but it doesn't make bad things much better. [He shuffles along the chair to put an arm around the Dulcie ball.]

[justamessenger]

[The Ball of Dulcie doesn't react much, but her wings wrap a little further around Luke's shoulders.]

[infernoandhearth]

[Ball of Dulcie gets strokes.]

Does David help, or does he make things worse?

[justamessenger]

Oh no, he could never make it worse. I'm happy for you two.

[infernoandhearth]

Would you want Cameron to show up here too?

[justamessenger]

Yes. But for his sake. He should have more time.

[infernoandhearth]

A lot of humans should, I think. How old was he?

[justamessenger]

Sixteen.

[infernoandhearth]

[That's like an eyeblink. Wow. Wow.]

I hope he does too. There are downsides to this city, obviously, but, you know, there are all sorts of other upsides that I don't imagine you can find many other places. I don't suppose you're allowed to follow him, where he goes?

[justamessenger]

It's kind of complicated.

[infernoandhearth]

It always is, isn't it? I've no idea what I'll be able to do, myself. I don't want Wedding--Odin, taking him. He does that rather a lot, and I'm banned from his hall.