TEXT

[shiniestmeatbicycle]

[Krieg doesn't really know how to communicate with anyone - and ordinarily, that suits him just fine. After the swear-in, however, things are so quiet, too quiet...even he, far gone as he is, can tell that something is wrong. He needs an ally.

And so he turns to the comm system, struggling and twitching to bring across his point. To him, communicating is already like speaking a language he doesn't understand any longer...but now, he's doing it without even the whispers of an interpreter.

He still doesn't quite have the hang of video, so instead he goes with text.]

SMOKE AND PURPLE BURNING BROKE THE SKY BROKE THE DAM OPEN BROKE HIM OPEN QUIET TOO QUIET NOW IF EGGPLANTS HAD LUNGS THEY WOULDN'T EVEN SCREAM SPINAL TAPS AND DRIPPY BAGS HES BURIED UNDER THE TEARDUCTS CAN THE HOUSE SHOW ME MERCY TALK ABOUT THE GOSSIP AROUND THE WATERCOOLER THE NEXT DAY ABSENT ABSENT BAD MARKS FOR TARDINESS SONNY JUST WAIT UNTIL YOUR PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE OOOOOOH YOU ARE IN TROUBLE WAIT UNTIL YOUR MOTHER GETS HOME YOUR MOTHER WITH NEVER GET HOME SHE WILL NEVER GET HOME THAT HURTS DOESNT IT IT REALLY SMARTS SOMEWHERE IN THE RIBS AND THE SKULL THE SKULL CAME APART AND LOOSED THE BLOOD UNPINNED UNLEASHED MADE IT GO AWAY BULLETS AND GUNSHOTS REMEMBER BACK IN THE DAY THINGS WERE SO DIFFERENT YOU COULD BUY A HARMONICA FOR A FEMUR AND IT DIDN'T EVEN MISS LIKE A HYPERION GUN IM A HYPERION GUN HAVE TO SHOOT A LOT BEFORE I CAN HIT RIGHT JUST KEEP SHOOTING KRIEG JUST KEEP SHOOTING UNTIL THEY KNOW SOMEONE WILL KNOW ALL THE COLORS OF THE WIND AND THE RAIN AND THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE REDS AND REDS AND REDS AND SILVERS AND TUBES AND SLAG HES BURIED BURIED BURIED LOUD BUT QUIET MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT GO GREEN LIGHT GREEN LIGHT CATCH A RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE MAN THE TURRET SPLIT THE TORSO SPILL THE SPLEEN AND THE VOICE PLEASE SPILL THE VOICE KEEP SHOOTING KRIEG LIKE A HYPERION GUN KEEP SHOOTING





NEED


HELP


NEED


ME


BACK

Comments

Video

[redplainsrider]

[All things considered, that's some fine texting from someone like him. That or auto correct was a blessing for him. But, still, this doesn't seem like the usual ramblings she's heard him spew.]

...Howdy, Krieg.

You ain't still sore about the swear-in, are ya?

Video

[shiniestmeatbicycle]

[On video, it's easy to see that there's something wrong with his body language. He's markedly hunched over, almost withdrawn...and his voice is still loud, but not as loud as normal.

He doesn't look angry at the sight of Red, though.]

BREAK THE SILENCE. PHOTOGRAPHS ARE FLICKERING BY. FLIPBOOKS HURT MY HEAD WITHOUT A SOUNDTRACK.

Re: Video

[redplainsrider]

[Lack of anger is definitely good. And she can tell by the body language SOMETHING is up, but she's not a great judge of the body language of gigantic psychopaths anymore than she is the vocal language.]

Darn, I'm sorry, hombre, but . . . er . . . is the other voice there? Reckon he might be able to tell me what yer all in a tizzy about better.

Video

[shiniestmeatbicycle]

[He understands the words 'other voice' - and that's enough for him to know that she at least might be able to piece SOMETHING together.

In place of screaming anything right away, he raps on his own bald head, as if testing for an echo.]

BREAK. THE. SILENCE.

[redplainsrider]

[That she can understand, and she actually looks rather sympathetic to his current plight. She frowns.]

Oh, no, he's missin'? Maybe I can help track 'im--

[Beat. Then she mumbles more to herself:]

Wait, what'm I sayin', can ya even track a voice in someone's head?

[shiniestmeatbicycle]

[She understood! She really understood!

He whines, holding his head with both hands.

Not that he usually LISTENS to that voice...but it's so quiet without it.]

[redplainsrider]

[Frowns a little deeper, completely out of her depth here.]

I...er...anythin' I can do fer ya, big fella?

[shiniestmeatbicycle]

OPEN THE MOUTH. PULL OUT THE WORDS?

[redplainsrider]

[She lifts up a finger, inhales, pauses as she shakes her finger a bit in thought, trying to think of the kindest way to let him down.]

IIIII dun think'm gonna be able to do that fer ya, as much as I would like ta, hombre. An' I dun think you oughtta either, so no tryin' to do that, ya hear me? [She says that a little more sternly so he gets the message.]

[shiniestmeatbicycle]

[He reads the sternness just fine, even if the words don't make sense to him - he bobs his head in agreement, eye narrowing a little bit in anxiety.

He just...doesn't know what to do.

A whining sound escapes him, smaller than most noises he makes.]

[redplainsrider]

[Wow, that's a heart breaking sound coming from such a large buck like him. She doesn't know what to do, she doesn't even know what to do for her best friend or boyfriend when they're similarly sad.]

Er...

Ya like ice cream?