05 ▸ VIDEO. ( forward-dated to tues )

[bragnificent]

[ The feed turns on, and some people may recognize the familiar face of Reggie Mantle that graces the screen-- albeit, looking slightly differently than the last time he was here. His hair is a little bit longer, and he's rocking a very classy, tasteful black-shirt-black-vest ensemble, topped off with a pair of dark, dark sunglasses and a toothpick idly perched in his mouth. ]

Yo. Don't call it a comeback or anything, but you can all relax now and stop missing me so much. It's me, Reggie-- or "Mantle the Magnificent", as some of you may know me better. Here I am. [ Whether he likes it or not, babey...! ] And apparently some of you wasted no freaking time before robbing me. You know who you are: give me my shit back. Give me my car and my dog back.

[ He's pretty sure he knows who you are, too, and so is being extremely generous by not making this a naming-names sort of call-out. But his much-emptier-than-usual apartment is probably somewhat visible behind him anyway.

Reggie's not interested in dealing with that right now, though, not after everything else he's just been through. Investigating the looting and the other messes made in his apartment can... wait, at least one night. ]

Has it really only been like, a week since I left, though? Cuz for me it was almost a year. I mean, at least I didn't miss Christmas, but suddenly I'm like, five months away from turning 18.

[ N B D. On either count; Christmas is still a few months away back home, so that would have sucked, but he's not nearly as close to his 18th birthday there as he is now. He reaches up as if to adjust his sunglasses, then catches himself, dropping his hand before he touches them and focusing instead on just opening his bedroom door. ]

The age of lap dances. Just in case anyone wants to start planning the surprise party now.

[ He sets his communicator down, moving off-screen to change into something a little more comfortable, but he doesn't switch the feed off yet-- it isn't long before he appears on-screen again, still wearing his sunglasses, but now also wearing a blue hoodie instead of (or possibly over) his other clothes, and has swapped his toothpick out for a candy cane (since of course he picked some up). Wasting no time trying to settle back in, apparently. ]

But y'know, it feels weird as hell going home and then ending up back here... and I don't mean just cuz some people will break into your place and either rob you or bleed all over it. [ He's not dealing with that right now. Moving on: ] More like how it feels like having whiplash and a hangover at the same time-- like, that can't be that good for our brains.

Comments

[bragnificent]

[ Now he frowns. ]

What the hell's wrong with candy canes?

[killtime]

Nothing inherently. Very festive. Simultaneously says "oral fixation" and "too young to buy cigarettes."

[bragnificent]

That isn't why I don't smoke. It's just not my thing.

[ He has a fake ID, but-- well, his mom would kill him. Straight up snatch him bald-headed. Not that it matters here, but... old habits, etc.

Oh, but maybe he should try to argue the oral fixation thing. Can he really, though? He just breaks the stalk of it with his teeth. ]

And this is better for my breath anyway.

[killtime]

Eh. [ Mildly: ] You'll probably live longer too.

[bragnificent]

Nah. There's like, a hundred things that could probably kill me before smoking ever would-- but it might help take the edge off, I guess.

[ Now he wonders if nicotine would help distract from drug withdrawal; maybe that is worth looking into. ]

[killtime]

I wouldn't know. I think my experiences with death and dying are a little fucking biased.

[bragnificent]

What does that mean?

[killtime]

Oh.

I'm 6,700-something years old.

[bragnificent]

[ ... ]

But you're like, hot. [ A beat. ] So what's your secret, like, no cigarettes?

[killtime]

[ Ha. ]

Good one. [ Dryly: ] Sure, kid. No cigarettes. Or maybe it's the virgin blood. Who the fuck knows.

[bragnificent]

That might be doable. As long as I don't have give up booze to live forever, not smoking should be a piece of cake.

[ Not that he wants to live forever, but he isn't trying to die young either, so. ]

I don't buy it. Virgins only ever live longer in horror movies. [ That's... science. Probably. ] Or are you more into the whole virgin sacrifice thing?

[killtime]

You tell me. Do I seem more like the virgin or virgin sacrifice type?

[bragnificent]

[ He leans close to the screen, squinting through his sunglasses as if trying very hard to answer her riddle, then answers her question with another question of his own: ]

So what do you do with non-virgins?

1/2

[killtime]

Impale them on pikes, I guess.

2/2

[killtime]

Just kidding. That's Jack's thing. [ The other old-as-dirt asshole. ]

[bragnificent]

Who...?

[ Reggie should probably know, considering he also works at the hospital... but, eh. He tries to only ever pay attention to what interests him, and that includes people. ]

And here I thought maybe that was gonna be like, a euphemism for something.

[killtime]

I'm not that coy, or that clever. [ Shrug. ] Also don't happen to have any pikes.

[bragnificent]

You don't have to be coy or clever. Just creative.

[killtime]

Creativity's a lot of work. Anyway, I already had my whole bloody killer phase. Now, most of the time? I just want a cold beer and some quiet.

[bragnificent]

Well, I didn't mean creativity for killing.

[killtime]

What do you even use creativity for at your age, getting out of homework?

[bragnificent]

Don't need to. I'm not even in school here anymore. [ Waste of time, tbh. And he's obviously already so smart and mature. ] So for having fun, obviously.

[killtime]

Yeah? What do kids do for fun these days?

[bragnificent]

Oh, you know-- getting laid, getting loaded, playing games, partying, driving cars... same things they always do. At least, that's just on the record.

[ Off the record, several types of crime and just straight up dying probably deserve honorable mentions, since both have rising steadily in popularity amongst the youths where he's from. Intentionally or otherwise. ]

[killtime]

[ With a faint wryness: ] Is there an "off the record" even worth mentioning when you're still pubescent?