ONE [Video]

[rocksforbrains]

[When the video starts, it just seems like whoever recording it dropped their communicator. It's a still image of slate grey stone.]

Ugh, still feels like I'm gonna break this damn thing. Hey, this on?

[The same twists around to show that, no, that was the palm of someone's hand. Specifically, a tall, bulky rock man frowning down at the device, stone brows furrowed over faintly glowing white eyes.]

Alright, cool. So. Hey! Dropped off in another realty again. Super awesome. I love going to sleep and waking up in freaking Florida. On an army base. Surrounded by humans. With no gate in sight.

[He pauses, presumably for effect, before quickly adding.] That was sarcasm, by the way. This whole thing sucks. Like, it sucked the first time I was here, but now it's a brand new level of suck 'cause now I don't even know if this is a real alternate reality or another trip inside someone else's head. Sure, I remember this happening before, but memory doesn't count for jack when it can be changed, right?

[With the set-up delivered, his grimace suddenly switches into a big smirk.]

Luckily, I'm a genius and I've got a foolproof scientific method to figure out if this place is real or not with just two simple questions.

[He holds up a finger.] One - has anyone seen a Fake White Jesus-looking dude with one-glowing eye running around? If the answer is yes, then this is totally his fault, and I want to punch his stupid face in.

[A second finger goes up.] Two - and I wanna remind you guys, this is just a scientific question - are people allowed to bang in this reality? Don't laugh! It's super important. Just gimme a yes or no answer. Or send some photographic evidence I'm not gonna say no to that.

Okay, got all that? Good. Now while I wait to see if this is all bullshit or not, I'm gonna go run a test by going to the nearest sandwich place and seeing if they'll give me a free hoagie. Y'know. For science.

Comments

[vexant]

Nonah.

( he doesn't get why the fuck josh is acting like this. they haven't been around each other in years. sure, julian--has plenty of reason to act like a petty asshole if he really felt like it (hint: he always does) but he hasn't done fuck all to foley in a while. as far as he's aware. )

The hell's wrong with you?

[goldtoxicity]

[ could he feasibly get to tibet without being noticced? no, probably, right? right. ]

Dude, the last time I saw you, you were about to die and it's been, like, six years since then.

[vexant]

Whose fault is that?

( julian didn't leave. he didn't fuck off and come back just long enough to fix one thing then take off again. )

Who's the one who took off and didn't come back?

[goldtoxicity]

[ shit. josh winces. ]

It was complicated.

[vexant]

( he brought it up. not julian's fault. )

Yeah? I'm down a spleen. I lost my hands. Where the hell were you?

[goldtoxicity]

You -

[ lost your hands? lost your spleen?

where the fuck was angel during all of this? where was doctor mccoy?

there's a half move, like josh intends to get up and run there right here right fucking now. until he realizes that's stupid. there's no words for that kind of thing. just the weight of all the guilt he knew was going to come crashing down on him hitting like a freight train.

this is the kind of nightmare reunion he'd deliberately avoided everyone to avoid. ]

I'm... I'm so sorry, Julian. My healing powers were gone...

[vexant]

So what? I didn't say shit about them.

( would it have been nice to get his spleen back? yes. his hands? definitely. it would have saved a fuckton of time, prevented several issues. probably kept everyone else from fucking off and leaving him behind, but you know. )

You should've been there! But no, you abandoned us. You made that choice. I don't care how complicated whatever was, everything's always complicated. But we don't abandon our own!

[goldtoxicity]

[ he flinches. a physical reaction to the words, because of course, julian is giving the exact reaction he'd spent so much time being afraid he'd get. he starts to try to say something, stops, starts again.

what the fuck do you say to that? i'm sorry doesn't feel like it has enough weight. ]

... I work at De Chima General. When you want to, come see me about your hands and spleen.

[ coward. ]

[vexant]

( coward. )

I don't need you to fix me.

[goldtoxicity]

I know.

[ julian's not that kind of guy. ]

[vexant]

Later, Foley.

( he's not coming. he's not going to sit here and have a one sided conversation over this thing, and he's not going to stand here and watch foley visibly flinch and not even--do shit about it. not that he expects anything worth while. but this is just pathetic. )

[goldtoxicity]

[ god. god damn it. he doesn't know what to say, how to fix it. just... ]

I'm sorry, Julian.

[ just gonna go ahead and turn that communicator off and go!! he doesn't know. get shitfaced? get shitfaced. ]