☠ 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?

[heartstings]

[No, she has to be sarcastic, that's the only thing keeping her from screaming her head off. It's the only thing keeping her sane.]

A lot of shit. Two years worth of shit.

[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?

[heartstings]

Going home is all fine and good unl-- [She cuts herself off with an angry growl then inhales sharply, letting it out slowly. He's just a kid that she doesn't even know, he doesn't need to know all about her time back home.

When she speaks again it's tense.] Two years.

[thanatophobias]

[Two years? He seems confused. It was just months - a month? - ago that they spoke. Then again, he's... in the future. At least fifteen years ahead of where he came from.

Time refuses to make sense here.]

That's a long time.

[A flat tone, no intention behind it.]

[heartstings]

Yeah. A long time for a lot to happen. [Quiet and sad now.

She sighs.] So...how you doing? Still staying with Terry?

[slightlyoffchilt]

Ah -- that unfortunate time skipping quality we seem to endure. [He clears his throat, gathering that now is not the most opportune moment to address such ordeals, no matter the quality.]

So you've aged a little bit, then?

[Priorities.]

[heartstings]

[She has no comment for the first part.]

Not that much. I was here nearly as long as I was gone.

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.

[heartstings]

[More of just bad timing on his part. Kenzi's usually far more friendly.

She takes a breath and slowly lets it out. She's not going to apologize for snapping because of, in her mind, his poor word choices but she's going to try to be less angry.]

No...I just-- I'm not even sure why I posted it. I guess I-- I dunno.

You're new right? Well, welcome to th-- [She catches herself before she says 'the City'.] This place.

[goodbadimthguywiththgun]

[Yeah. Poor word choices. It's a thing Floyd Lawton does. Oddly enough, he's usually more hostile than this. Funny thing, what a situation like this does to people.] Far as I know, this was just a slip-up and you don't do things like this. Alright? Anyone asks, I never saw this.

[And, hesitantly, he adds,] Yeah. Fresh off the boat. [Floyd doesn't know how to say thank you, so this exchange of info would have to do.]

[A pause.] You been here long?

[heartstings]

No, usually my posts involve more showing off.

[She took a moment to look at the network before responding and is surprised to see a bunch of new names.]

I guess it was just a matter of time... About a month. Same as anyone else who didn't just arrive.

[goodbadimthguywiththgun]

[A month. Should be ample enough time to've done something for these shady guys.] These assignment things they want us to do. You said you weren't the type to take orders, but have you done one yet? Or you talk to anyone who did?