( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ )

[mantlepieces]

[ It's dark -- mostly because it's late, but there aren't an excess of lights on, either -- though Reggie's face is faintly illuminated by the light of his communicator screen and also something off-screen that might be a TV or bedside light. Either way, he's recognizable enough, and though he's smirking faintly his expression is otherwise somewhat blank.

He's been staying out of most of the current drama as best as any survival-oriented, cowardly narcissist can, which is pretty damn well. All things considered. Basically he hasn't been leaving the house if he can avoid it, for which has his reasons. ]

So, all right. Hear me out. Anyone else ever noticed how once you're here, you have to just start believin' in everything? Like that any kinda crap is possible and you just gotta get used to it... after a while you don't even have to think about it anymore. [ Which is, you know, nice. In his opinion. ] Nice thing about that is not having to worry so much about whatever happens, I think. No matter how bad things have gotten here, it's never been the end of the world.

... Well, not yet. [ And his brow crinkles at that, but only briefly. ] Kinda makes you think, huh? Like what's the best way to take advantage of being stuck in some world that actually takes okay care of us? Don't even bother arguing with me about that part, it's true and everyone oughta know it. We get a lot of free, fake time to kill being here, so I say it should be obvious: we can do whatever we can't do back where we came from. Anyway, what I actually wanna know is--

Anyone here made a bucket list yet?

Comments

[deadtective]

Is it summer??? Wow, shit, and here I'd thought my calendar had been lying to me for no reason!!

A lot of resorts stretch their season out into June, you know. And if the one I want to hit up decides to be a wimp about it there's still South America and that year-round place in Oregon. I've got options.

[mantlepieces]

crazy but true

r u even allowed to ski in ur "condition," if u never done it before its not exactly like riding a bike

not like we dont usually come back when we die here but if u wanna take that chance

[deadtective]

My mom works at a ski resort at home. I've been tearing up the slopes and exploiting half-price employee discount lessons since before I could walk on my own.

That fucking car could have put me in a wheelchair and I'd still be able to go skiing. It's not a problem.

[mantlepieces]

okay then what the hell

ur just gonna go do something u do all the time anyway? u know how boring that is right

[deadtective]

It's not boring when I haven't done it in fucking forever. And I'm bringing a friend who can't ski for shit. It's going to be amazing.

[mantlepieces]

[ Thank goodness this is text, because he just sighs. Not that it isn't pretty fun when someone is less easy to piss off; more of a challenge. ]

riiiight. maybe not to u but if Id been doing something all my freakin life my first thought now wouldnt be to keep doing it

I like being an expert as much as the next guy but u gotta branch out eventually

[deadtective]

No. I'm going to reconstruct the most comfortable metaphorical box I can and never ever leave its borders. It's going to be amazing.

[mantlepieces]

does that word mean what u think it means

what makes that amazing as opposed to sad and pathetic

[deadtective]

Because it'll be boring as fuck. I'm so ready for monotony again.

[mantlepieces]

[ He... agrees, actually, but. Dammit. ]

wow a regular party animal then

at least I know who to call when I'm in the mood for monopoly or need a study buddy, which is never for both

[deadtective]

That's good, because I'm all booked up on study helpers and I'd maul you beyond recognition in any game. Safer this way.

[mantlepieces]

yeah, yeah, u and ur "safe"

skiings probably the most interesting thing ur ever going to get up to huh

[deadtective]

If I actually have a choice in things this time, yes.

[mantlepieces]

we get some choice at least

been pretty easy for me to stay out of whatever shit I dont want to deal with, works for me

[deadtective]

The shit must not actively follow you. How fortunate for you.

[mantlepieces]

[ There's a delay, but not much of one. ]

it doesnt so I guess I must just be blessed, yeah. what r u, cursed or something?

[deadtective]

I wish. Curses you can break by going on bullshit quests and learning about your inner self or whatever. I just have the shittiest luck known to man.

[mantlepieces]

quests? like in a video game? r u messing with me cuz thats messed up. also doesnt sound real

whats an example of bad luck aside from the whole car accident thing

[deadtective]

The supernatural is real in my world. I don't think you can have worse luck than that.

[mantlepieces]

maybe, maybe not

did u accidentally summon a demon with a ouija board

[deadtective]

I shoved a guy into his own summoning array once. That's pretty close.

[mantlepieces]

his own what? whats that even mean? what happened

[deadtective]

Why do people keep asking me that? It's pretty self-explanatory.

In my world people can summon like, terrible eldritch horrors from another universe and bind them to their will for a while. But they need a summoning circle and a bunch of other shit to do it - so when this asshole tried to use a really big one to fuck me up, I shoved him into it before he could finish.

[mantlepieces]

uh not exactly. normal people arent going to know what the hell a summoning array is supposed to do, fyi

so like what... he died? got sucked into hell? I dont even get the point of a weird creepy ritual like that. screwed up doesnt even begin to describe it

[deadtective]

It's right there in the name, though. Most people at least have basic reading comprehension.

Hell if I know; I sure as fuck didn't stick around to find out. Those kinds of things are super powerful, so I guess that's why people take that risk. Or something.