VIDEO

[khajidont]

[ Good evening, Mask or Menace! Jaime's back, and while he doesn't look any older, he certainly looks tired and a little sour to boot, like someone just fed him a nintendo switch cartridge real bitter pill. It was a long month. ]

So, um... hey! I'm back. That was definitely the longest I've been ported out for, but I gotta ask: what happened while I was gone? Because I got back, and all of a sudden, like, half of the people I know are gone. Dick's gone, Tadashi's gone again, Fuu's gone, Sarissa's gone, so's my Mom...

Was this just the Porter, or what?

[ It probably is - people tend to leave in waves - but it's left him feeling a little shellshocked, and it's worth searching for answers at the very least. He raises a hand to rub at the back of his neck, playing a little with the hair at the nape. ]

Um, anyway. Good to see you guys who are still here. And for all the newbies, I'm Jaime. Nice to meet you.

Comments

[khajidont]

Max. It's always him, isn't it?

[ No. It's always Ted. But Max is the clearest personification of Ted's loss in their lives right now. ]

[snarkbot]

I should have guessed. Booster's obsession with tracking down Max Lord was reaching what may have been unhealthy levels. Not that I am implying Mr. Lord isn't a threat.

[ But... it was definitely Personal. Because... Ted. ]

[khajidont]

Oh, he's definitely a threat.

[ That comes out more grim than he meant it to, but... things weren't good when he got ported in. ]

But for him, it's personal. It doesn't help that all of us aren't really on the same page as him. [ Pretty much all of them wanted to declare this not their problem at a certain point. Ice in particular has been pretty insistent on that one.

Jaime just sighs. ]

If a superhero therapist existed, I'd tell him to go to one.

[snarkbot]

The superhero community is often lacking in properly trained support.

[ He pauses, before admitting something that he wishes wasn't the case. ]

And I'm afraid that he doesn't always consider me someone to confide in. Sometimes he remembers, but then there's not always much I can do for him.

>sigh< Mr. Kord is the same way.

[ Wait. ]

Sir, what have you told Mr. Kord about this?

[khajidont]

[ Jaime actually laughs. ] Nothing! Oh my god, I haven't told him a thing. How would that conversation even go? Hey, sorry, Max is back and killing people again, even after all you did?

No, I think... I think this one, he doesn't need to know. And if it makes you feel any better, I think Booster's just not the confiding type. Neither is Ted.

[ Who also needs therapy. ]

[snarkbot]

I concur. Mr. Kord would be powerless to do anything regardless. He cannot effect events at home, and cannot even be comforted by the knowledge that he might be working to help in his future. [ Because he doesn't have one.


He also doesn't feel that Ted's current mental and emotional state would make that a good idea either; but Skeets feels that is above Jaime's paygrade. He's a teenager, he doesn't need to play psudeotherapist for adults. ]

[khajidont]

[ That, Jaime thinks, and he doesn't need to know that his replacement is doing a piss-poor job of handling the guy. Ted? Ted would have found him by now. He's not sure how he would have done that, he just knows he would have. ]

Glad we're on the same page, Skeets. [ He pauses, then says, as if only realizing it himself for the first time, ] I'm really glad you're here.

[ He is. He feels like he can talk candidly to Skeets for some reason, more familiarity there than they've actually spoken, but that's fine by him. He needs an ally here. ]

And... maybe we should talk about Ted.

[snarkbot]

[ Skeets is... touched. Which is, as always, an odd realization because he's not supposed to be programmed to feel like that. ]

I am glad you're back, Jaime, sir.

[ The sir is reflexive, but it's probably the first time he's called Jaime by his first name, which is saying something.

He considers the follow-up for a moment, weighing the possibilities. But eventually he decides that if Jaime insists, then keeping his opinions to himself wouldn't help either. ]

Are you worried about him?

[ The "too" is implied. ]

[khajidont]

Yeah. I mean... what he went through wasn't small, right?

[ He sits down on his bed and props his phone up to talk to Skeets properly, hands fidgeting a little in his lap. ]

And he's not exactly chatty about it. I don't know if he'd even talk to Booster or Power Girl about it, back when they were still here.

[snarkbot]

That's difficult to say. For all they care about each other, I believe Booster and Mr. Kord don't always communicate properly with each other. And if he did discuss it with anyone, it would have been Michael.

Perhaps what he needs isn't a friend but rather someone in a more professional capacity.

[khajidont]

Yeah, but then we have to actually convince him to go. Plus... [ He pauses, gnawing a little on the inside of his cheek. ] Do you think anyone here would be able to handle it? I mean, you don't exactly get coaching about how to counsel someone who's died before, do you?

[snarkbot]

Considering how often it happens, especially among imports, I imagine it should be something taken up. I assume the only one who would be familiar would be another import, but I'm afraid I haven't been keeping up with any who offer mental health services.

But I assume a native may be able to if given enough warning.

[khajidont]

You're probably right. I can't imagine how that talk would go. With Ted, I mean. He's my... I mean...

[ He gestures at the screen, a little uselessly. Jaime's been raised with good manners, and Ted is his predecessor, a genius, his mentor and hero, and most importantly, much older than him. He's not supposed to have these kinds of conversations with people who are older than him. It's just not done.

But there's an exception to every rule. ]

[snarkbot]

I imagine the relationship between a superhero and their predecessor, especially an older, more experienced one is complicated. But perhaps consider it from a different perspective: he is a friend who is in trouble. You do not need to pressure him into doing anything, but consider merely letting him know that you're worried.

If necessary, I can back you up.