video

[inthejunk]

[Nothing like a rude awakening at 2:30 in the morning, right? Well, you're in for a treat fellow refugees. It seems like one just flew over the cuckoos nest. Not that you can tell initially. At first this just looks like some inconsiderate kid with rings under his eyes and messy hair, breathing down the camera lens a little too up close and personal.]

Yo. If we haven't met yet, hello. I'm Yosuke. But...but if you're new, you should count to three and then stop listening. Okay? One, two...three. Alright, go away. It's for your own good.

[For emphasis, he clicks the lamp beside him off, and the video goes dark. Nothing to see here, apparently.]

Listen. Guys. I'm curious what people do here for fun. Because uh-look. I've tried sleeping, and training, and then I tried going outside. And talking to the people in the market, and you know. Looking for animals. And I found some, but they were really creepy and mutated. You know? So it's impossible to forget this place is so...

[The light comes back on with a soft click. The phone-roll-up is on the bed table now. Yosuke smiles down at it tightly, and shrugs. Then something thumps in the other room and he jumps at least a foot, gesturing wildly and knocking the device off the table. Someone get the kid some decaf.

He hangs over the side of the bed and gazes at the mobile, his image now fractured like a kaleidoscope, and gives a rather put-upon sigh for a guy who was just trying so hard to be personable.]

Damn it. I'm cracked...

Comments

Re: video—voice

[inthejunk]

Huh? Caffeine?

[But he politely switches to audio when she does, thankfully.]

Unless that's in the bread in the future I don't think so.

[chittybang]

[She sighs where she sits, rubbing her groggy face.]

Are you stressed? [If anything keeps her from sleeping, it's that.]

[inthejunk]

Maybe.

[A bit glumly, but with no sort of helpful elaboration.]

[chittybang]

[She remains silent for a moment, mainly because her mind is lagging a few seconds behind their conversation.]

You could try a bath. And lavender lotion. And decaf tea.

[inthejunk]

[Tjat just earns you a weird look that's probably audible.]

Why would I even have any of that stuff?

[chittybang]

[Her weird look is just as easily detected.]

Those are pretty common household items. Especially the bath.

Sorry so slow. Traveling this week. Signals are bad in the desert!

[inthejunk]

I could probably find one of those. But I don't need to relax,

[Clearly.]

It's ok!! Seriously I passed out these past two nights so I'm catching up too haha!

[chittybang]

Uh-huh.

[There's a long, loooong pause, a sniff somewhere in there because she's kind of cold and very groggy. The kindness in her finally wins out, and her voice cuts the static.]

...Do you want to talk about anything?

Hope you're feeling better! I'm not on a train anymore so that's good.

[inthejunk]

You're not too tired?

[Uh oh. He sounds a little eager about that. Danger, Will Robinson.]

Yeah! I hope things are panning out well for you too C:

[chittybang]

[It's that very eagerness that keeps Asami sitting where she is. She'd feel pretty bad if she changes her mind. Besides, she doesn't suspect she'll fall asleep soon anyways.]

No, it's fine. What's up?

So far so good!

[inthejunk]

Nothing.

[Glumly. It's a point he really can't harp on enough tonight, it seems.]

There's nothing going on. My best friend was here the first day, but I never saw him again after that. There's no school or TV or after school jobs. There's no clubs, and there's nowhere to hang out even if I make new friends. I can't take it anymore!

oh good!! <3

[chittybang]

I'm sorry about your friend. One of my friends was here for a little while, pretty much up until I left, myself... but he was gone when I came back. I know how discouraging that must feel.

[Even if he is an ex-boyfriend, even if looking at him makes her uneasy and insecure, she has a comrade in him nevertheless.]

[inthejunk]

Yeah...

[Sigh.]

What do you do about it?

[chittybang]

Find solace in the fact that they aren't trapped here and just keep moving. It's about all you can do.

[inthejunk]

I don't think I can. If he was here too we could figure out what to do about it together. But I'm no good alone. I'm not the plan guy.

[chittybang]

It's very possible that he'll come back, you know. Don't you want to be as prepared as you can be just in case he does?

[inthejunk]

Prepared how? I'm not sure what to do, you know?

[chittybang]

Well, the good news is you aren't the only one going through this. There are a lot of groups of people making their way through, you just have to find one whose goals sit well with you.

[Which brings Collette's aforementioned mission to mind. Not really a mission. A risk. She'd agreed to it, as spur of the moment it seemed, but it felt right. It took her a long time to fall asleep with that on her mind, and maybe it's the reason why she couldn't fall back asleep after Yosuke's network post woke her up. Loose shots at expectations, she suspects, will be at the back of her mind until the day comes to depart.]

[inthejunk]

Goals? Are there people with goals here? I guess I should listen more closely when missions are announced.

[chittybang]

You have more choices than that, though. Snow just opened up a cafe and he's hiring; or, I'm actually working on developing a rec center for the kids around here if you want to help out with that. Then you have people like my roommate, who hangs out at the Clinic all the time because to him that's the only worthwhile thing to do around here. Just don't sell yourself short.

[inthejunk]

Is it Kaneis? He never lets me hang out in the clinic. I think he's still sore about that paperwork that got sucked away by the air ducts. It wasn't my fault, though.

[chittybang]

No, his name is Leonard. Although he isn't exactly brimming with patience, either.

So what is it that you want to do? You know, besides go home.

[inthejunk]

The neurosurgeon?

[The kid is duly impressed by the company you keep, ma'am.]

I met him once. Anyway, I never said I want to go home. I just wish this place came with cable at least. And maybe a mall. And a skate park. Stuff like that, you know? Useful things.

[chittybang]

I can't say forms of stress relief aren't useful. [She doesn't really know what any of those things are, or if she does her awareness is pretty vague, but the point stands.]

We are missing out on a lot of amenities here, though. We just have to work a little harder for all of it, you know?

[inthejunk]

Are you really okay with that?

[He makes a face, and then shrugs sheepishly.]

I can't even figure laundry out yet. There's definitely no way I can build a mall.