04 ⚜ Video

[restingstitchface]

[Pristine is how Crane appears when he flicks on the video feed; it's a lovely display of smoke and mirrors that he's pulling off, after the events of the last three days. He has a clean, elegant, ascetic appearance - and enough calm professionalism to mask his excitement.]

You're all handling this outbreak remarkably well. It seems you're all keeping to the boundaries of the law, as the Major-General expects you to. That's a good thing, mind. It would be terrible news to hear people have been shot for breaking quarantine.

Anyway, I am here to help if this event has caused you psychological distress. I am a doctor, after all.

[A pause, and he tucks in his chin and folds his hands in his lap. He half-closes his eyes.]

Fears and phobias are my specialty, and there is much to fear in this situation.

[His head comes back up. He's staring at the lens.]

Be that as it may, fear is something everybody needs. It keeps you safe and keeps you on your toes. It will do you all well to remember that. That it's good to know we must always feel a little scared. It's good to see that most of you haven't submitted to bravado and dagger-tongued bragging.

[The corners of his lips lift in a boyish smile. He tilts his head slightly. His voice is disarmingly gentle. His soft inflection on 'most of you' is meant for one person in particular.]

And I wouldn't like to think that those with guts would put everyone in danger. I trust everyone to make the best decisions for each other in combating this disease.

It would be terrifying to think we couldn't trust each other. Wouldn't it?

[He crosses his right leg and rests his hands over his knee. His graceful fingers smooth his trousers, and he waits for his audience to speak.]

Comments

[pushtheboundaries]

Mm. [that's a yes...to his name, at least] I'm used to wrangling kids, not being wrangled by them. And certainly not around a...dragon.

[few days later and all on schedule in terms of him sometimes still wondering if it wasn't all a nightmare]

[restingstitchface]

My. That sounds embarrassing. If not outlandish.

[Robert had sounded resentful. He's certainly striking Crane as being uncomfortable, at least.]

Are you afraid of being judged by others, then?

screw it, i'm setting this after that magical girl log and nobody can stop me

[pushtheboundaries]

It's a new experience. [resentful, who, him? dry. so dry.

...and now, his voice is even drier than the Sahara]

And I believe that's inevitable, at this point.

[restingstitchface]

And I would ask why you believe that.

Have you done something bad, Robert? Something that makes you break out in a cold sweat?

[pushtheboundaries]

[such as accidentally killing one of his students for no reason, then deciding he'd passed the point of no return and that his only option was to charge full speed ahead?

Robert pauses for a moment, seemingly taken back from the comment- that silence and expression probably says it all, that flash of guilt that's gone a moment later as if it never existed...]

...I've made some choices. Suffice it to say I wouldn't have made them if I'd had more information.

[beat]

That, and these powers are coming with unexpected side effects. Do you have to juggle any with yours?

[restingstitchface]

Of course.

[Not that he cares about their side effects on others. He'd been given a power that could, amongst other things, remove fear from people entirely. And when he'd tested it on the population, they'd seen no problem with running into burning buildings and injuring themselves. Some had died. Would you fancy that?

It's all rather fascinating.]

But I'm more interested in hearing about the misinformed decisions you made. You don't strike me as a foolish man. How did it escape your notice?

[Give him deets.]

[pushtheboundaries]

[what an example. it's not like part of Callaghan's guilt lingers over the fact that someone did run in to a burning building for him, when they didn't need to...]

Scientifically speaking, it flew in the face of all the information we had at the time.

[restingstitchface]

[Guilt doesn't enter into it for Crane. Knowing someone could be stipped of their fear, enough to bypass reason and their fearful instinct? It was relevant to his work. So it happened.

And it might happen again.]

There's always a puzzle to solve. The scientific mind is curious, after all.

Perhaps you should look on it as a chance to expand your knowledge.

[pushtheboundaries]

I'm not dismissing it, that's for sure. Though my knowledge is certainly being challenged by everything here- that is, it's blowing open the realm of possibilities.

[restingstitchface]

Yes, and people like us dwell in possibilities. [A pause, and he says softly.] There are plenty here who don't appreciate the potential - I find it relishing. Don't you?

[pushtheboundaries]

I don't see how people can't, to be honest. It has its down sides, to be sure, with how far you realize you don't yet understand [such as borrowing a young lady's powers and winding up regretting even getting out of bed that day] but at the same time...that's the fun of it. Gaining such knowledge.

[restingstitchface]

[For Crane, gaining the knowledge he needed was only one part of his enjoyment. The thrill of using it was another matter entirely. To use his knowledge of fear, his mastery of it, against others...]

Yes, and the pleasure of using that knowledge - does that appeal to you?

[pushtheboundaries]

Absolutely.

[there's no hesitation. in this place, there's the solution to 50% of his problems; making it so they never happened at all.

all he has to do is find it.]

[restingstitchface]

[Crane isn't silent for too long. When he speaks, there's no hesitation in his voice.]

Perhaps you ought be careful of saying that round here - anybody could be watching.

[pushtheboundaries]

[to that? that he 'hnhs' a bit at, but he's still smiling a bit]

And why would that matter? Is there something wrong with idea of using what we learn here, of applying it to ourselves and to improve the world around us? Or even the ones we have at home.

As you said, there's potential here- there's concepts and ideas that further fly in the face of what I used to take for granted. To utilize that, for a chance to use it to make a real change...

[restingstitchface]

[This feels a more productive alliance than the one formed with Walter White; there is no compulsion to collaborate, to share progress, to discuss ideas.

He is alone with his beautiful solitude - perhaps because that is what the other man is seeking. There is an understanding of personal space. Although it's presumptuous to assume what he wants, he is no stranger to allying himself to further his work - or to protect himself.]

To ignore that potential would be a criminal waste, yes. I'm actually rather disappointed more people don't see it that way.

[pushtheboundaries]

[Callaghan doesn't see this as an alliance. and he's certainly not against collaborative production- he is, however, finding Crane someone to talk to who can appreciate intelligence, even if there does seem to be a few things off about him.

but he's met strange people in the past. taught a few. heck, there's plenty here. shouldn't he at least try to take it in stride?]

Their loss.

[restingstitchface]

[Crane simply thinks Robert might be useful; he might protect him whilst he works, and become part of his experiment at the same time. He doesn't view it as an alliance as others would define it; he doesn't care if the other person reaps the rewards, not in the end.

Really, he only cares about himself.]

Yes, and that loss will teach them the value of things.