☠ A New 1 - Video

[heartstings]

[The video is a little dark -- it's still the early hours of the morning -- but Kenzi can be made out with her messy hair -- some leaves and twigs stuck in it. She looks calm despite her disheveled look, calm unless you get a good look at her eyes. There's a lot of rage there. A lot. Of rage.

Her lips twist for a moment before she presses them together, brow knitting as she closes her eyes and takes a breath.]

This is the last place I want to be right now. Why the hell am I here again? Why couldn't I have just stayed home? Why? Why?

Fucking why?!

I just--

I am so--

[As she speaks her voice shaking a bit, it's clear she's having trouble keeping her emotions in.]

I just need to--

[She lowers the comm as she leans forward, the video is dark as if the comm is pressed against her chest. The audio is a little muffled as Kenzi screams as loud as she possibly can. A scream that lasts for nearly a solid minute. A scream letting out some of that pent up anger and anguish that she's been holding in. The sound of something crashing can be heard, probably just some trees.

After a few moments of relative silence Kenzi's face appears again, a bit red now. She doesn't look at the comm, her eyes focused somewhere else as she raises her left hand to push back her hair. Anyone paying attention will notice a rather sizable ring on her ring finger. When she speaks again it's softer.]

I guess there's no changing anything.

[The corner of her mouth twitches as she glances back at the comm then switches off the feed.]

Comments

voice;

[slightlyoffchilt]

Ah -- hello? [A beat. Comfort isn't his forte.] Welcome back.

[heartstings]

[While comfort would be nice what she wants, right now, is to be able to go back and hunt down someone so she can torture him.

Her response comes some time later. She doesn't bother to turn the video on, just her hoarse voice.]

Hnn...yeah. So great to be back.

[slightlyoffchilt]

Sooo... [Would it be rude to ask what happened, so baldly? When she's so clearly agitated?]

What happened?

[heartstings]

What happened? Where do I even fucking start?

[She pauses, sounding like she's pretending to think about it.]

Oh, I know! I'm back in this shithole.

[slightlyoffchilt]

Well. You don't have to be sarcastic, I'm only trying to help.

[So helpful!]

What happened when you were -- you know, back within your typical universe?

[thanatophobias]

[Well. He can't say he likes to see someone freaking out like that.]

I'm sorry they took you from your home again.

[heartstings]

[Her response comes a little later when she's done with her tantrum. She sounds calmer although hoarse.

She wants to snap but it's that kid so she forces herself to be nice.]

Yeah...well, that's the thing they do. Third time now.

[thanatophobias]

[Third time. Jesus.]

You should find out why they keep bringing you back.

[heartstings]

[Deep breaths, Kenzi. He's just a kid, don't blow up on him.]

I don't think I'll get an answer for that, kiddo. Some people just come and go a lot and apparently I'm one of those.

[thanatophobias]

[she might just have to make another effort not to blow up on him.]

At least you get to go home.

[His voice is low when he says that - almost like he's aware that he's somehow being defiant. Inconvenient. And then-]

How long has it been?

Voice

[goodbadimthguywiththgun]

[Hello, Kenzi. ID reads Floyd Lawton and all you're getting is a smoker's New Jerseyan voice, because this new imPort wants it that way. The guy's current location? Could be in the vacuum of space, for all you'd know. Floyd, here, isn't a social guy, by any stretch of the imagination, but, right now, he knows he's in a position where it wouldn't be smart to stick to that route.

Not when his friends allies are in another dimension. Or so he assumes.] Ain't no need to be screaming your head off on the comm. Not gonna do you any good.

[It's prob'ly just a psycho-whatsit tactic, he wants to tell her. Them government-folk want you to break down like this. To make you more willing to take orders from 'em. And you shouldn't be giving them that or they'll keep at it. But, that's far too incriminating to say here. Instead, he says,in the least hostile tone he can manage,] Best thing to do is to stop questioning things and do what they want. 'til they feel like sending you back.

[heartstings]

[Like her other responses this doesn't come for probably two hours, after she's had a chance to cause more destruction to some poor wild life and blow off some steam and scream more. She's quiet for a few moments, all he gets is at first is some bird chirping. But then she speaks, voice hoarse.]

I'll scream if I fucking want to. And I'm really not the type to take orders from anyone and I doubt they could send any of us back if they wanted. We've done this shit once before and there's no controlling it.

[She simply doesn't care one way or the other what they label her anymore. Let her words be incriminating, what can they possibly do to her now? There's nothing left for her back home and here...well, here doesn't matter.]

[goodbadimthguywiththgun]

[Wow. That tone. Ok. Time to (somewhat) match it.] Alright. Scream if you want. Bust up those lungs of yours. [Because Floyd certainly wouldn't care; he wasn't her case-worker.] I'm guessing you're itching to be stranded here, then.

'Cuz I'ma figure you ain't from a place close enough to run back to. For all I know, you don't got nobody you want to be heading back to. [An obvious, dry lie. Floyd saw the ring.]

[heartstings]

[The ring is nothing but a memento of what she's lost. One she's not willing to give up because it's the only physical reminder she has left of him.]

Listen, bub, you don't know the first thing about me so don't go assuming I'm some weak little girl, you hear me? Being stranded and surviving on my own is what I been doing since I was fourteen. I know how to take care of myself.

[The last part almost sounds like she's trying to convince herself of that. It's been a few years since she's had to really fight for her life and only rely on herself.]

[goodbadimthguywiththgun]

[Welp. So much for attempting to find allies. Or whatever.] I don't. Thought you, you know, posted that thing on the comm looking for advice or something.

video ».

[nitidus]

[Rose sympathizes, really. It's been a long time since she's been home - but she remembers this feeling of frustration. ]

How long where you gone?

[heartstings]

[Especially when your world is going to shit just as you're yanked out.

Like her other responses she was in no hurry to respond to this. And like the others it's voice only.]

Two years.

[nitidus]

[Rose switches to voice too; better to walk around with.]

I'm very sorry. We always seem to end back here when it's least convenient.

[heartstings]

Yeah... If they'd just waited a few more hours maybe... [Maybe she would have had time to hunt down someone and kill him.]

[nitidus]

There's not much I can say that will help - but time does stand still, at home. Maybe you'll get a chance to finish your business.

voice;

[glowsferatu]

[ when she saw this, kanaya ended up just staring for a while. the whole thing felt like something she shouldn't be watching, too personal and voyeuristic. but, having done so, not responding would probably only be worse. ]

The timing's always been abysmal, but at least you had someone to blame for it before. You have my sympathies.

[heartstings]

[Like all the other responses this comes some time later, voice only and it's clear she did more screaming between the post and this response.]

Last couple of times wasn't this bad. [Okay, yes, there was that time she came back almost bleeding to death but luckily no one had died that time.]

[glowsferatu]

[ kanaya wonders if she couldn't argue that. she's ported in covered in blood and mid-kiss in the past. "worse" is an idea she's generally skeptical about, but if kenzi's already screaming then that would be the least prudent argument to have right now. ]

...How bad was it?

[heartstings]

[Dead almost husband because she craved power but couldn't pay for it kind of bad. But she's not about say that.]

Nothing to go back to kind of bad. [Except revenge, that's something to go back for.]

[glowsferatu]

[ not getting revenge, that's something she'd easily accept as worse. ]

Perhaps it's better, then, as timing goes. When there's nothing to return to, there's only the opportunity to find yourself somewhere that's worth the bother.