maskormenace | 01 ♥ Video

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01 ♥ Video

[It's hard to type with little stone fingers, so he's trying to use the voice function for the first time.

Too bad he accidentally activates the video option instead. And also makes this public. Oops.

The communicator shakes, and though the image isn't entirely clear, anyone watching can see couple of dark sockets with glowing pupils and what appears to be a skull with ornate carvings and distinctive hair. Sunlight spills through what seem to be leaves in the background, and it's obvious the person on the screen is crouched down somewhere, trying to hide. He's not looking directly into the camera.]

Hey. Joaquin. It's me, Manolo. So, uhhh...[How do you even put this.]

Funny story! You know how I said my powers were music-based? That's actually half of what I can do. I can also do something else. I think it keeps me from dying, which as far as powers go? Not a bad one, if I do say so myself! [Because he's already dead in this form, but like hell he's going to say that, hah hah hahhh.....

Maybe if he sounds upbeat enough he can bullshit his way through this.]

The only downside is that people shouldn't see me. Don't ask why, it's just...a power thing, you know? So maybe you could come down here with, like, a...sheet? Just toss it in my general direction, and we'll be good to go. Everyone will think I am dressed as a ghost. Perfect disguise, yes?

[He is grinning really hard and hoping all this optimism and false confidence will be enough. But then he notices something and now he's looking at the communicator like it just ran him through with a sword.]

Oh no...

[Oh yes. And now everyone can see exactly what this power actually is. Good job, Manny!]

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I'm fine, really! This is all fine.

[He says that maybe a little too quickly. To be honest, though, he'd probably be a lot more at ease about the skeleton thing if he didn't have Joaquin to worry about...]

It's just a little strange for someone to look like this in the Land of the Living. Not without divine intervention, anyway.

[Jaime switches the feed to private, just because this feels a little invasive. Sure, literally everyone saw him all skeletoned up, and it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together, but at least he can be polite about it.]

Are you not originally from the Land of the Living?

[Manolo blinks at the transition. He really should memorize how to do that...]

Actually, I started out in the Land of the Living just like any other regular person. Some of us just, you know, leave it a little sooner than others.

[Listen to him try to sound casual about this, almost like he's trying to equate dying to jumping onto a train or hitching a ride on someone's horse.]

...oh. Geez, man, I'm sorry.

[Jaime sounds more apologetic than shocked, though at this point in his life, perhaps that's not a surprise.]

You're not alone, though. People come here after they die all the time. You know, if you ever need someone to talk to about it?

Maybe. It was my choice, though, so I can't really complain too much. [In the end, he knows he'd do it again in a heartbeat.] Besides, I get to be with my family again, so at least there's that.

[Even so, his smile is a bit rueful. Such a mixed reaction is only normal, though. He'd sacrificed any chance he'd had of spending the rest of his life with Maria, which is something else he's going to have to learn to accept.

And yet he can't dwell on his own problems too much. Not when he's got his friend to consider.

His smile fades.]

To be honest, I'm...more worried about Joaquin.

It was your --

[Jaime cuts himself off. He has to. Manolo just admitted to something very, very serious without even skipping a beat, and Jaime's not really sure how to handle that here.]

That sort of things always hard on your friends. [And he'll get back to talking about Joaquin! Just... not yet.] But Manolo, how can you possibly be okay here if it was your choice? I know that there aren't a lot of options back where you're from, but here there are -- I mean, there are people you could see for those kinds of thoughts.

Edited 2015-10-31 00:13 (UTC)

[Manolo's eyebrows slowly raise at that response. It's not what he expected to hear at all. Not for the first time since his arrival, he feels like he's from an entirely different planet, and maybe in some ways that's not entirely inaccurate.]

Well, I kind of have to be okay, don't I? It's not like I can take back what I did. Besides, dying isn't even the worst thing that could have happened to me, so I consider myself pretty lucky there.

Hold on, just -- let me understand? What you said, weren't you just telling me that you were suicidal? If it was your choice to die?

[It's not as if he's a stranger to people who have had those impulses, but they're something to be fought, not something to simply give into. If Joaquin's dealing with his suicidal friend being brought back to life, he's dealing with so much more than Jaime could have ever anticipated.]

[Well, define suicidal, he wants to ask, because he's technically died twice, both times by choice, but for very different reasons.

The fact he can't really give a clear, straightforward answer to Jaime's question is starting to make Manolo more uncomfortable than he'd like to admit. He'd never even really thought about it from this angle before, and the broader implications are starting to paint Joaquin's recent behavior in a light that's, quite frankly, difficult to stomach right then.

His pause drags on a little longer than it probably should have, but Manolo finally makes himself answer.]

I guess I've, uh...died more than once, if you want to be all technical about it? The first time wasn't exactly my best moment, but the second time was to protect the town. If you're worried I've got a death wish, though, you can rest easy, Jaime. I'm okay, I promise.

Well... protecting people is about as good a reason as there'll ever get.

[That, at least, Jaime can understand -- and is more than willing to do himself. But that doesn't explain the first time, though Jaime's not so sure about being any more upfront than he's already been. Instead, he just says,] But if you say so. I know we don't really know each other all that well yet, but if you're ever not okay, just remember you can talk to people about it, okay?

[Maybe that's overstepping a little, but he knows too many people who do have a death wish to let something like this off lightly.]

On that, we can agree. Life isn't something that should be thrown away so carelessly, I understand that now. Some things in the world, though...they are worth dying for, especially if it means your friends and family will have a better future.

[It was a notion that seemed to rest underneath the town's collective consciousness, but that was only natural for a group of people who actually lived through the revolution.]

I will remember that. Thank you, Jaime.

[Maybe it's the small-town mentality again, where everyone knows each other, and your personal problems can easily become an issue for everyone else, but Manolo certainly doesn't sound like he thinks Jaime overstepped his bounds. If anything, he seems genuinely grateful. They speak the same language and share the same house, so he doesn't question his roommate's concern.]

Okay.

[I understand that now.

That makes it sound like Manolo had been suicidal, perhaps, but had learned how to move on and recover before sacrificing himself for the greater good. He's quiet for a moment - it hits a little close to home, that's something he can't deny - but when he speaks again, his voice is a little softer, a little less insistent.]

I'm glad. Not that you had to give it all up anyway, but that you get how important your life is. I really hope you can turn back soon. Being like that... it can't be fun.

[Manolo gives him a bright smile.]

Thank you. It's not so bad, though! Other people's reactions worry me more, but...I guess most imPorts have seen weirder, huh.

Trust me, we've all seen much, much weirder.

[And know about ten dead people apiece. It's okay, Manolo!]

Though from the sounds of it, Joaquin's the exception to that one. You're worried about him, huh?

Yeah... [His expression grows more subdued.] He was already upset about what happened to me. Seeing me like this...didn't help much.

Yeah, of course. It's pretty obvious that the two of you are - [were?] - friends. But... if you can't control this, he might just have to get used to it. Have you guys really talked about it yet?

[Or have they played the game of studiously avoiding it? Jaime knows that game all too well, and it tends to work about as well as you'd expect it to.]

A little? His power lets him, uh...see certain things whenever he takes off his eyepatch and looks at someone who's died, and that includes me. We've gotten into a couple arguments now, mostly because he doesn't want to watch me run into danger if I don't have to, and that all ties back to...you know.

[A small sigh.] I don't like seeing him this way, but I don't know how to fix things.

I didn't think you'd have many actual opportunities to rush into danger since you got here.

[There was that attack on the Swear-In, maybe, but that hardly counts. Everything turned out okay back then, didn't it?]

It's something that you don't really fix so much as you just get used to, I think. The way I see it, being here is something that people like you guys and like me should be grateful for. Does that make sense?

He told me to stay out of the way during the attack at the swear-in, but I didn't want to promise him anything.

[What happened at the swear-in doesn't even sound like the worst of it, in the grand scheme of things, which is another cause for concern. If they don't strike some sort of balance before the next big crisis, then that could become a problem for the both of them.

As for that second bit...it's sound advice, but Manolo isn't sure what to think of the wording.]

It's true that there are plenty of things here neither of us would get to experience back home. Is it the same for you, Jaime?

It's impossible to promise anyone you'll stay out of trouble around here. Best you can promise is that you'll be careful, [Jaime's swift to admit. He could ask people to stay out of trouble, but sometimes, you're safer facing it head-on. They're targets so frequently that Jaime's of the mind that it's better to prepare than it is to flee.]

But yeah, of course it's the same for me! I wouldn't have met most of the people here if not for this place. Maybe it's not permanent, but I'm grateful to have the opportunity in the first place. And for a lot of people, this place is a second chance.

See, I'm glad you understand! [He wishes he could take Jaime to his friend's room and just. POINT!!! at him, but no, he has more tact than to drag someone else into their personal problems.] Maybe Joaquin will come to his senses once he's had a chance to settle down with things.

[He smiles when Jaime mentions how grateful he is. For some reason, he hadn't considered that someone more familiar with this time period would still find things to marvel over, but it makes sense that Jaime would come to cherish the connections he's made here. In some ways, the imPort community was its own little town, wasn't it.]

I'm glad you've found some good here. And, you're right...this is technically my third chance, which is way more than most people get, so I've decided not to waste it.

I'm glad.

[Knowing so many people who have used this as the same thing, there's nothing that's not genuine about his words. He wishes that this could be a permanent chance, but hey, maybe Manolo will stick around long enough for him to actually get a permanent chance.]

Does that mean you've decided a few things you wanna do with it?

Of course! [He is so glad you asked, Jaime, and it shows in his smile.] Playing music for people...that's always been my passion. This place gives me the chance to finally focus on that.

Oh!

[That part, Jaime would have never guessed. What kind of music do they even play way back when? He has no idea.]

That's great! What do you play?

The guitar! I can actually summon mine from anywhere. It's one of the powers I got when I woke up here.

voice;

OKAY A REAL ONE NOW --> private

LOL oh my god; private

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