06 | video

[oceanthief]

[the feed is set to video, but Lapis seems only nominally interested in achieving a steady recording of her face. she's turned it on for another purpose, and the quality of everything else up until that point is really unimportant to her. at least gems don't have naturally shaky hands, even if the camera keeps trailing off into nothing now and then before she rights it, almost absent-mindedly.]

How long are you supposed to wait to be sure that someone's been ported out? I've seen people say stuff like 'a while', but humans and gems don't really seem to have the same idea of what a long time actually is.

I haven't seem someone who lives in this house with me for - [shit, fuck. Lapis' expression stutters into hesitance as she realizes that she has no idea how long she's been not seeing him, nor does she remember any useful earth calendar terms beyond month and year.] - I haven't really seen him lately. But he's kind of stupid and scared of me, so I don't know if that's on purpose or not.

[she gives a lopsided shrug, as if to say 'what can you do?' humans were a crazy weird little species, and she's given up trying to fix their misconceptions on a lot of things. if Hyunsoo wanted to think she was out to kill him, let him. he was the one looking dumb, not her.]

...I've got something else to ask, too.

[this is the reason that she'd switched the video on. Lapis' nose scrunches in a cross between disgust and bafflement before she swings the camera around to zero in on - the fridge?

without further ado, a little blue hand sneaks back into frame to swing the refrigerator door open. have you ever seen food left to its own devices for a little over a month, imPorts? if not, here's your prime chance to some front row seats because that is exactly what this fridge is full of.

clearly it's been a while since Hyunsoo was last here.]

Is food supposed to look like that?

Comments

[am_i_a_monster]

Why don't you just pack his stuff up instead of trashing it? It's such a waste.

[oceanthief]

I don't know what most of this stuff is, let alone where it should go. It'd just end up in the same place anyway.

[aka, out on the curb.]

[am_i_a_monster]

It could go to charity if he's really gone.

[oceanthief]

Then they'll know where to get it.

[am_i_a_monster]

How would they know?

[oceanthief]

How should I know? I don't collect other people's things.

[am_i_a_monster]

Then you can leave them where they are.

[oceanthief]

[this seems overly attached for a stranger. her eyes narrow slightly.]

...if you want them, you can just say.

[am_i_a_monster]

No. I have everything I need. I just don't like waste.

[oceanthief]

It's more wasteful to hold onto things that you don't need.

[am_i_a_monster]

You don't need them. Your roommate might. And if he's dead or gone, someone else might.

[oceanthief]

If they needed them that badly they should have said something by now.

[am_i_a_monster]

That's assuming your roommate is able to speak, wherever he is. Or that the charities are listening in on this.

[oceanthief]

If it's important enough, something like lacking a voice isn't going to stop someone.

[she ought to know.]

[am_i_a_monster]

There are many reasons why people can't speak, not just literally lacking a voice. I woke up from a coma once and had nothing left.

[oceanthief]

[the example doesn't really do much for Lapis; bubbled gems often found themselves losing thousands of years, if not more, to say nothing of those forced into the situation she herself had to endure. it was just a part of life.]

I know that. It's why I said what I did.

[am_i_a_monster]

Then you know it could be that he can't respond, no matter how important.

[oceanthief]

No. I know that if it really were that important, he'd find a way. But I don't think he's that kind of person to begin with.

[am_i_a_monster]

People can't find ways out of comas. That's not how a coma works.

[oceanthief]

Maybe for humans, anyway.

[am_i_a_monster]

Oh, your roommate's not human. He could still be in some situation where he can't contact you. I heard there's a list of names that you can check when people go missing. Did you try that?

[oceanthief]

[she considers telling her that she was referring to herself rather than Hyunsoo, but decides she doesn't care enough.]

No. I only just noticed that he wasn't around today.

[am_i_a_monster]

It might be worth a shot.

[oceanthief]

Maybe. It wouldn't take that long, even if he wasn't on it.