[ video ]

[hostage]

[From what's visible behind him, Jesse's seated at the nurse's desk of the Xavier School infirmary. That's not really relevant to anything, just that he's at work and he's bored and out of anything useful to occupy his time. He's currently wrapping a gauze bandage around an empty soda can. An art piece, maybe. Or just keeping his hands busy.]

What's up? Anything exciting going on?

[He's talking to the comm device, but his eyes are on his "work".]

We got new guys coming in, right? How 'bout you? Freaking out about this superhero thing? It's pretty wild...

[That might be touching on sardonic. He knows it's no fun to be new here.]

You guys wanna talk or anything, I got nothing better to do.

[As thrilling as it is to keep winding this bandage around a soda can.]

Comments

[cephalothorax]

I'm still relatively new... well, new enough to remember how disconcerting it was.

But people seem to adjust relatively well, even if they come from places without that kind of thing. Maybe it's the nature of humanity to be adaptable.

[hostage]

I guess.

I kinda thought maybe I'd gone crazy or something when I first got here. You know? Like... It didn't seem like it could be real.

[cephalothorax]

Yeah... I can understand that. Are you from one of those worlds without...

"Superpowers," I guess is the word these days.

[hostage]

No powers, no magic, no monsters or superheroes or gods or talking animals. Don't get me wrong, I got nothing against all this stuff, but I totally thought I lost my mind.

[cephalothorax]

Ha! Yeah, that's really understandable. It's pretty different from my world too, but if you didn't even have powers and talking animals then I'm guessing the transition was much tougher for you.

In a lot of ways this place is less fantastical than mine. At least based on the perspective I've gained reading Earth literature.

[A TON OF EARTH LITERATURE. ALL THE EARTH LITERATURE.]

...what's with the can?

[hostage]

[He's listening with so much interest that he's forgotten what his hands are doing. Jesse glances down.]

Ah, this? Nothing. Just ADD as hell.

[cephalothorax]

[Speaking of things he learned from earth literature.]

ADD, really? Well... I guess it's good to have something to do with your hands.

[For example, he likes to play with pens. Which is what he's doing right now, as evidenced by a pen flipping briefly onto the screen and then back off it.]

[hostage]

Is it good? It usually drives people crazy.

[His former partner, for example.]

[cephalothorax]

I have a high tolerance for fidgeting. Anyway, I can understand restlessness.

[hostage]

I can tell.

[The pen-flipping, he means.]

[cephalothorax]

Ha, it's that obvious, is it?

...anyway, someplace like this can really lend itself to that kind of thing. Constraints breed restlessness in general.

Physical ones, I mean - limited travel, that kind of thing.

[hostage]

Hell, I travel more here than I ever did back in my world.

[cephalothorax]

Really! I rarely stayed in one place for more than a week or two at a time. Here, I'm a little restless, actually.

[hostage]

Nothing stopping you. I mean, it ain't like you have to stick around here.

[cephalothorax]

...true. Although I guess I do have reasons to stay where I am...

Is it the case that new residents arrive around the same time each month or so?

[hostage]

Yeah, usually like the first couple weeks. Comes in waves, I guess. Sometimes something goes wrong and nobody comes, though. I dunno much about how the Porter works, so I can't say's to why that is.

[cephalothorax]

Excellent. That gives me a good range of times for travel.

The Porter is pretty interesting, but I can't claim to understand it very well either. I just like to be within range of the Porters in case anyone important shows up.

[Flipping his pen again.]

[hostage]

Anybody special you're hoping to see?

[cephalothorax]

Of course. Well, eleven of them.

[He smiles a little.]

You could call them family, but by choice rather than blood. I'd like to think everyone has someone they'd like to see, though.

[hostage]

[Jesse nods, understanding. Family-by-choice is definitely something he gets.]

Eleven. Some good odds at least one of 'em might show up.

[cephalothorax]

It's down to eleven because one of them already did.

[A DEAD ONE, TOO. He's extra-happy about that.]