maskormenace | [03] Video

[03] Video

[ The video feed starts with Walt in a room in his Heropa home, an open box on the bed filled with Kaylee's things -- coveralls neatly folded and tucked inside, wrenches and other tools laid delicately on top...the whole process seems exceedingly painful for him as with each item he pulls out of the closet, the efforts become slow and labored. ]

I don't know who knew Kaylee Frye. If you didn't, you should have. I've never met anyone so genuinely cheerful and kind. She was the sunshine in this dark, cloudy world.

[ There's a very sad, forlorn smile. This feels more like a funeral, like saying goodbye to someone who passed away. And in some cases it's worse -- them vanishing to another universe, never to remember their time here, never to be seen again. ]

She helped me when she didn't have to. She cared when she shouldn't have. She took care of me when I couldn't take care of myself. And what did she expect in return? Nothing.

[ With a long pause, it's very clear Walt is trying to maintain his composure. A breath in and a breath out. ]

I hoped I was wrong. I hoped to god I was wrong. That her disappearance was only temporary. But it's been a few weeks, and there's been no sign of her returning. I will miss her. Every day I will miss her. I already do.

This world -- it's done nothing but take things away. From me. From everyone else. Can you honestly say you've gained anything from being here?

[ Walt goes to reach into the closet for one of the final items and his hand twitches back. The sadness in the lines of his face increases as he pulls out a wrapped present -- a card reading: To Mr. White.

That's when Walt can't hold it back anymore. He sits on the edge of the bed, pulls the square-shaped present to his chest and cries. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh --- no, I couldn't ask you to pay for it! But I'll go with you.

[Always bribe kids with ice cream, Walt. It totally works, even if Jaime would feel too bad taking money from a crying man.]

Here, I'll text you the address. You live in Heropa, right?

[ It's the best way to win over millions of sons. ]

Yes, I do live in Heropa. And please, Jaime. I insist on paying for you. It really is no problem and I never did get to pay you back for helping out with the pharmacy anyway.

Okay, okay, if you say so!

[He will reject the offer once, for etiquette's sake, but... he doesn't make a lot of money. He'll absolutely take the free ice cream once it's offered a second time.]

So, uh -- would you like to go now, or...?

Whenever is best for you. I could honestly use the company sooner rather than later.

[ And later he's fleeing the state anyway, sooooo that ice cream outing might be postponed if Jaime wants to go later on. ]

[GOSH GOLLY GEE what would a nice man like Mr. White be doing fleeing the state?]

Hey, I don't have any plans. I'll meet you there.

[ OH YOU KNOW. Sudden, spontaneous, extended vacations are totally normal things that normal men do, right?? But Walt smiles. ]

See you soon.

[ With that he hangs up before heading to the ice cream place in question. It's a little nostalgic arriving here when he thinks about taking Abduxel out when things were good between them and then Abduxel's ultimate betrayal. But he forces the thought aside because that isn't his life anymore. His life is missing Kaylee and having ice cream with Jaime. A good life.

Walt steps inside the parlor, looking around for Jaime. ]

[Jaime's already there when Walt arrives, standing close to the back of the ice cream parlor (he doesn't want anyone to think he's in line while he's waiting), eyes scanning the menu. It's a good old fashioned American establishment, which means that they've got everything from egg creams to a huge list of different candies and confections to fold into the ice cream.

When he sees Walt, he waves him over.]

Hey, Mr. White, over here! [He gives him a warm smile. He can't offer much in the way of condolences for his loss, but...] You're gonna love this place. It's really good.

[ Upon seeing Jaime, Walt's mood lifts a great deal. He offers a warm smile, heading over to his side. Simpler things. Happy things. Making good memories. Maybe that's what he should be focusing on. ]

You have anything in particular you recommend?

[ Walt eyes the menu, looking at the list of specials -- like the mint chocolate brownie sundae or the peanut butter cookie dough. ]

The one with pretzels and peanut butter in it's good. Back home, my little sister always went for gummy bears and marshmallows, but I'm pretty sure that'll rot her teeth away by the time she's twelve, [he adds on with a little grin. Walt's got a son too, so he probably knows the drill; when it comes to the really little kids, the sweeter something is, the better.]

I figure you should probably splurge today, though, right?

[Don't worry about your teeth for one day, Walt! This ex-dentist's apprentice is giving you the okay!]

I never understood how people could like gummy bears in their ice cream. They get so hard and impossible to chew and then stick to your teeth. It amazed me that kids were attracted to them like moths to the light. Must be the colors.

[ He takes out his wallet, stepping up to the counter. ]

The peanut butter brownie one sounds good.

[ A brief smile. ]

My wife would probably kill me if she knew I wasn't watching my cholesterol.

[ And the smile instantly leaves his face as he thinks about Skyler. ]

[Jaime lets the topic go until the ice cream's paid for, and they're seated at a table. It's not for a lack of caring -- rather, Jaime's wary of bringing up any sensitive issues while they're still so visibly in the public eye, not tucked away at a far-off table.]

Hey, was your cell-phone on you when you got Ported in? I know you miss your wife - and your kids - and... it's not really a great solution, but it might help to print out some of the pictures you have of them off your cell. If you don't know how to do it, I can do it for you.

[Jaime did something similar with his family. Maybe it would just be a sad reminder for some people, but Jaime finds that it helps an awful lot.]

[ After their orders and Walt exchanging the money, he grabs a few napkins and follows Jaime to the table. ]

I didn't have a cellphone with me. Not one that could take pictures. I do have a couple in my wallet, though.

[ He reaches in his pocket and pulls out his wallet without thinking. Because Jaime might notice just how loaded Mr. White really is when he opens it up and sifts through it with all of those hundreds in there.

But Walt pulls out three individual pictures. One of the whole family in some holiday portrait. A school picture of his son. And then a baby picture. ]

This is my wife. Her name's Skyler. And son -- Walter Jr. [ Even now Walt still refused to call him Flynn. ] And my daughter, Holly.

[Jaime does spot that stack of hundreds in Walter's wallet, and he can't help but stare for a second. Holy crap! How much does working at a pharmacy make you? He's starting to regret not looking further into the idea of helping Mr. White at the pharmacy, because if he's making that kind of money, Jaime sure as heck wouldn't mind being in on it.

He had dentistry pegged all wrong. Pharmacies are, apparently, where it's at. Jaime's tempted to ask Mr. White what he even needs all that cash for, if he's planning on going somewhere, or something, but he holds his tongue; he's too polite to pry into financial affairs.

Recovering from that surprise, he looks down at the pictures with a smile. His wife's really pretty, he thinks (prettier than he'd expected, if he's being unkind), and his son looks like a nice guy. His daughter, though...]

Oh, man, she's adorable. [He likes kids, so sue him.] How old is she now?

[Mr. White's a family man. Kind of blows to be apart from all of that.]

Man, I don't blame you for wanting to go back home.

[ Walt, oblivious to Jaime's notice of his money, simply smiles after the question. ]

Two. She'll be almost two.

[ Not even a full two years is how long it took for Walt to single-handedly destroy his family and his life. There's a solemn smile offered over in Jaime's direction and he takes a bite of his ice cream. Wow. Jaime was right. This place is good. ]

It doesn't matter if I go home. Either way, I won't be able to see her.

[ He doesn't go further than that, not remembering whether or not he had told Jaime he passed away in his world. He had told so many of his surrogate sons that it's pretty hard to keep it straight. ]

[He won't be able to see her...?

Right away, Jaime thinks to himself: divorce. The wife is the one who usually gets custody of the kids, right? But if they really were divorced, then Mr. White wouldn't be carrying his wife's picture around in his wallet, wouldn't be showing her to anyone who asks.

Did something happen to his kid?]

Why not? Is she -- did something happen?

[It's a little invasive to ask, he realizes, but he can't help the curiosity.]

[ And apparently he hadn't told him. At Jaime's concern, Walt shakes his head. Holly is just fine as far as Walt's aware. ]

No, it's nothing like that. It's...

I passed away in my world.

Oh! [Jaime can't quite help the fact that his hand flies towards his mouth. It no longer comes as a surprise to him that dead people walk among them - many of his friends are dead - but that throws the rest of Walt's post in perspective.

No wonder this has shaken him so badly.]

God, I'm so sorry, Mr. White, [he says, earnestness bleeding through in his voice.] That must be so hard.

[His poor family, to have lost a father and a husband at such a crucial time of their lives. His son looks about his age, and little Holly will never get to know her father.]

You're not alone, though.

[ Walt offers a smile. He can't really say it's okay, but it is better for them this way. In the long run, hopefully it would be better.

Though Jaime's second statement caused surprise to sweep over his face, and he immediately leaps to the worst case scenario. ]

You're not...? Are you?

Oh! No, not me! [He holds his hands up in front of him in protest. He's not dead -- or at least not yet, thank goodness. He wouldn't want to have to deal with that too.]

But a lot of people I know are. It's not, um... it's not an easy thing for people to deal with. I just mentioned it, 'cause sometimes it makes it at least a little easier for people to talk about it with other people who understand.

[ It's relieving to hear Jaime isn't dead. He's so young! It would be such a tragedy. But the real tragedy is the fact that Jaime knows all of these people who have passed on. Walt frowns a moment. ]

I haven't really met too many people who are in the same situation as me. Or maybe it's just the sort of thing not too many people talk about.

Has anyone made a network post about it? Just to try and see how many of us were no longer alive in our worlds?

Someone did, but it was months and months ago. If you wanted to find more people like you, you could always make one too. Not everyone will respond, because it's sort of private, but...

[Jaime frowns, considering how many people keep it a secret, and how many people wear it on their sleeve, as flippant with the information as they are with what they ate for lunch.]

There's bound to be a few people who'd want to talk. At least in private.

It's an idea. I might do that.

[ Because for as much as Walt hated the network, it would be nice to have an actual conversation with someone who died in their world. With someone who understands how jarring and terrible it is to be dragged back to life when you finally thought it was over. ]

But enough about me and my depressing, old man topics. How have you been? Did you find a new job yet?

Oh, um.

[Jaime has to take a minute to switch topics. It seems tacky to start talking about his new job and his life so soon after the news that Mr. White is dead, leaving behind a widow and two fatherless children, but it's not like there's much more to say.

Maybe he can at least cheer him up.]

There's nothing that exciting! I graduated, so the guys at the garage stuck to their end of the deal, and I'm working there full-time now. You'll have to let me know if your car ever breaks down, 'cause I could totally get you a good deal on it.

[It's not the work he saw himself doing, but he's happy enough doing it. Without a family to provide for, isn't that enough?]

If you've got one, I mean. They're kinda hard to afford when we all come here with nothing, but I hear pharmacy work pays pretty well.

[In this world especially, it seems.]

[ Walt laughs, goodheartedly. ]

That's handy. I may have mentioned this before or maybe you already knew -- but Kaylee was a mechanic. She was my go-to-girl for car troubles. And trust me, I had a lot of them with my first car here.

But the one I drive now is newer.

[ Like brand new. Like paid for all in cash kind of new. ]

But the pharmacy is fairly decent as far as pay goes. I'm in a good spot monetarily because I have been supplementing my income through part time teaching at Xavier's and a few chemistry-related side projects. I'm hoping to be able to afford a nice house fairly soon. You know, on the off chance my family shows up. It would be better than cramming them all into the government complex shared with other people, too.

Yeah, that sounds great. I know there's a couple of empty government houses around too, but I think there's something about having your own place, right?

[You can certainly have a lot more fun with it, Jaime thinks. He's lived in government housing for over a year now and doesn't really intend to leave, but the fact of the matter is, the houses are a little scary in a Stepford Wives kind of way. There's not that much room for changing things up, and they all look absolutely identical.]

You guys could even fix it up, make it seem more like home. Only... what sort of chemistry-related side projects are there? I didn't even know that was a thing. Are you working for someone else, or...?

[03] Video

video

video

video

video

video --> action?

action!

action!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

thank you for this tag, i love it so much

hahaha. It's not Walt if he's not failing at life!

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)