video;

[pullsheavendown]

[Roxas doesn't address the entire network a lot, but he's reasonably social (well, kinda-sorta), so some people might recognize his face. Those who do won't see much difference, but his voice is a touch more gravel-y, as though he's been through a lot and gargled sand recently, or maybe he's just completed the journey of Boy Becomes Man and reached the bottom of his register. Who knows.]

Hi.

[He raises a hand in greeting and lets it drop to his lap, smile fading at the same time. He doesn't look upset so much as he looks really tired.]

It's been a while. Even before—I didn't want to talk to anyone for a while, because my best friend left and I didn't know how to deal with it.

But then I went back, too, so it's been even longer for me. I'm not sure how long, exactly—I didn't have a good sense of time. Months, for sure. Maybe a year. I don't know. Anyway, I'm back now, if anyone missed me. Or...either way.

[He moves as if to end the transmission, but then stops himself.]

A lot of you guys have done this before, right? Ported out and come back? Is it weird to feel like not much has changed, but everything has changed, at the same time?

Comments

[pullsheavendown]

[That gets him a sympathetic look of understanding.]

There's a little more Sora still has to do, but he'll make it. I know he will. And then we can all relax.

But that's there, and I'm here. So I guess...I'll try to get back to normal here. Whatever that means.

[justlittle]

Sora is... a friend of yours?

[ Bean tuts. ] I'm not sure there is a normal around here.

[pullsheavendown]

He's important to me. He helped me become whole again.

[He helped a lot of people.]

Honestly, I'm not sure I ever knew what normal is. Here or anywhere.

[justlittle]

I would say that that's a common trait for the people the Porter brings to this world. Not knowing what normal is.

But then, there are always outliers.

[ Looking at you, Tina Belcher. ]

[pullsheavendown]

[He would have considered Tina normal until she just now told him she stopped aging back home.]

That might be the only thing we all have in common.

[justlittle]

Guess that's why the Porter wants us so badly. We're special.

[pullsheavendown]

I used to wonder what that means a lot.

[justlittle]

"Used to?" What about now?

[pullsheavendown]

I found out what it meant when people called me special. But then I figured out it didn't actually matter what they thought.

[justlittle]

Being special is overrated, anyway.

[pullsheavendown]

No kidding.

[He agrees completely.]