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

[fridgeflower]

Yeah, uh... Sorry. I didn't really mean to jump out at you out of nowhere. I'd have assumed you'd gotten a heads-up, but... I mean, that wouldn't necessarily soften the blow or anything.

... Hi?

[electricblu]

Uh, yeah.

[ She's just kind of dumped her arrival on someone twice already so she probably had this coming. Though it doesn't make it any less awkward. ]

Hey.

[fridgeflower]

[ And they're off to a great start! ]

So... When are you coming from?

[electricblu]

[ It's not everyday you're dead friend comes back. The other X-Men? Yeah, sure they come back all the time. But those from her class, from her team? Not so much. ]

New Year's day 2014.

[fridgeflower]

Yeah, I... I guess I wouldn't know the significance of that, huh? That might've been a dumb question to lead with.

No new mutant nation, though, I assume. Apparently, that's a thing now.

[electricblu]

Yeah, I guess not.

[ Awkward silence for a few moment. ]

Wait? Another mutant nation?

[fridgeflower]

Yeah. Krakoa. With resurrection protocols, I'm told.

I don't know how I feel about that part, but... I guess that's my new timeline landmark, BK and AK.

[electricblu]

[ She sighs. A new island sounds like a phenominally bad idea, resurrection protocols or not. ]

Yeah, I guess that sounds like the best way to go about things at this point.

[fridgeflower]

Mmhm.

[ Annnd, yeah. She feels like she's suddenly completely out of things to say. Hooboy. ]

So... Which city did they stick you in?

[electricblu]

[ Nori's out of ideas too. ]

Nonah. And the job they gave me... It's like they pick these places on purpose.

[fridgeflower]

Oh, they definitely do.

I worked at a perfume shop for a while. Pretty good joke on their part, now that I'm not living it anymore.

[electricblu]

[ She groans. ]

Well, the club doesn't seem too bad. But making me a manager? Ugh.

[fridgeflower]

Yeah, that's a lot to put onto somebody who just got here.

... You're not going to school, too, right?

[electricblu]

No, no. I guess since I'm over the age of eighteen they didn't enroll me anywhere.

[fridgeflower]

Makes sense. Probably good, though. That'd be a lot to expect of someone right off the bat.

Unless, like, you want to go back to school... Then I'm sure you can make things manageable one way or another.

[electricblu]

[ She's quiet for a moment. ]

Honestly, I don't know.

[fridgeflower]

It is weird, right? You probably haven't had to consider whether you even want the normal routine for a while.

I kept going to school when I got here because it was already something I'd been doing before M-Day. It just felt stable. And then I kept going because I still wanted all the boring, standard shit in between all of the chaos, in the face of my inevitable demise.

Gotta have it all, y'know?

[electricblu]

It's really weird. I mean, I had kind of returned to the normal student routine before coming here. But I was also doing some X-Men stuff if needed.

I guess it would make sense to continue school, that's what normal folks do right? Go to school to figure out what they want to do with their life?

[fridgeflower]

Mostly seems to be the routine, yeah, not that you have to fall into that. As much as it's pushed as a standard, it's not what's best for everybody.

You have time to think about it, though. You're in-between semesters, so… Hang out, I guess? See how you feel after summer?

[electricblu]

Yeah, I guess I can do that.

[ But that still leaves her with so much free time to fill and no idea what to do with it all. ]