the world: irl

[secondthoughts]

beep boop.

Comments

kara: text

[secondthoughts]

It's your uncle. Did I get the number right?

[curvaceous]

[ She was going to reply to his message, but seeing that he's going to text her IRL instead gives her plenty incentive to log off. Good.

Her reply is near immediate: ]

Sure did! It's Kara.

What's going on?

[secondthoughts]

I'm worried. This isn't right.

I have a sinking feeling Mithrun's dead for good.

[curvaceous]

[ ...She wasn't going to say it to literally anyone, but: ]

I'll be honest. You can't tell anyone, alright? I haven't even told Levi. I can't. I can't break him or his brother like this, it'd be fucked up for me to say it to them anyway. I told him I'd be honest, but this is one of the very few times where it's best for me to not say anything to him. Plus, I'm Hani's roommate and they're a wreck over this, understandably so.

I think Mithrun's either dead for good, or he's alive but in terrible shape somewhere IRL.

I don't know which is true. I just hope it's the latter, but that might be super wishful thinking.

[secondthoughts]

[ Fuck. ]

You're doing the right thing. Taking care of them, I mean. Just don't overburden yourself, ok? I'm here if you need someone to talk to.

I hope the same, to be honest. But I'm not sure.

Do you remember the log out glitch?

pete: text

[secondthoughts]

[ He's waiting, for whenever Pete decides to text him. ]

[conjecturecycle]

What sorta high tier secrecy are we playing at here that you can't use dms like everyone else has been?

-PW

[secondthoughts]

What if I just want your number?

[conjecturecycle]

Are you being serious right now

For fuckin what, Mehmet?? I'm trying to handle a situation here.

[secondthoughts]

[ He IS that messy, but he's just pulling Pete's leg. Well. At least he didn't fall for it. ]

Mostly because I just wanted to share something with you.

Glad you're not stuck out at sea anymore, but do you remember the log out glitch?

barrett: text

[secondthoughts]

[ for when he texts! ]

Cw: suicidal discussion

[gluttoning]

[It takes a few minutes before a number pops up with a Berkeley area code.]

Mithrun's new armor did something to him. Made him a younger version of himself or something.

He was talking about putting himself back in a coma so that he could die by his own choice.

[secondthoughts]

Jesus christ.

[ It takes Hector a moment to respond after that. Saving someone who wants to live is easy. Saving someone who doesn't want it is, well... He just thinks himself lucky he hasn't had to do that before. ]

I'd be spooked by something like that, too.

I'm guessing you helped him out of it, then?

[gluttoning]

I don't know.

I texted someone else that could get to where he lived, and just tried to talk to him. Had to pin him for a bit in FF guild. Tried to get him to take his armor off.

After a while, he asked me to do it myself. Said he was going to die either way, whether it was someone taking his headset off or whether he took off his armor, and he was really upset about not having a choice anymore.

I know it's just because of what his armor was doing. But I still feel sick.

9/16, after they argued with hospital security

[gluttoning]

[Around 5pm, a text pings from Barrett's number.]

Mister Mehmet.

I would like an explanation for why you and several others attempted to force your way up to Barrett Blake's room.

[secondthoughts]

Who is this?

[gluttoning]

Lucas Blake.

If you prefer to contact my lawyer, that can be arranged. But I would rather not go that far.

[secondthoughts]

Neither would I. Just checking.

Worry, is the short of it. The three kids are really invested in Barrett's well-being and were understandably spooked when they saw the injury. Sorry for the trouble caused and for any unruliness.

9/19

[gluttoning]

[A selfie is taken from Levi's perspective of Levi with Barrett in a hospital room. Barrett's still hooked up to several IVs but is looking relatively alert if not a little pale. There is a plush lion next to Barrett's head with an anime bandana.

Both boys are making overexaggerated frowning faces as they flip off the camera.]

hi mehmett

levi tookthis for me

for cccorp

hold onto this if i cant make it to the conference ok

[secondthoughts]

[ Oh no this is precious ]

LOL Don't worry, I saved it :-)

Go get some rest Barrett. Concentrate on getting better. Leave the rest of us to worry about the conference.

[gluttoning]

ill get back to it soon

they want me awakew for some tests today i guess

trying to see if I get t o go home before saturday

[secondthoughts]

But only if you're good enough to move around. Don't rush your recovery.

barrett.

[secondthoughts]

[ A couple of days after waking up, two men find their way to Barrett and his family. One wears a ranger uniform, his badge reading Ranger Thackeray; the other is a short man in an expensive suit, tattoos poking out from his collar and wrists of his suit, a perhaps familiar bracelet on his wrist, who hangs back. It's Ranger Thackeray that speaks: ]

We were cleaning out Ranger Reza's cabin and found a note we believe was meant for Barrett Blake.

[ And he hands over a folded note, written on plain paper. ]

fai?

[secondthoughts]

[ A couple of days after waking up, two men find their way Yuui's apartment. One wears a ranger uniform, his badge reading Ranger Thackeray; the other is a short man in an expensive suit, tattoos poking out from his collar and wrists of his suit, a perhaps familiar bracelet on his wrist, who hangs back.

It's Ranger Thackeray that speaks: ]

We were cleaning out Ranger Reza's cabin and found a note that mentions your brother. We aren't sure who it's meant for, but we believe you should have it.

[ And he hands over a small scrap of paper with a note hastily scribbled on it. ]

[fluorite]

[ Had they ever met Fai in Fragment, they'd learn that Yuui looks extremely similar to him, though the man that opens the door now is incredibly frail from months spent in the hospital. He's beginning to regain a healthy glow, at least, and he manages to reach out and take the note. ]

Thanks.

[ Yuui's voice is still soft with disuse, but he's pleasant as he bids them farewell before closing the door to read the note.

It doesn't take long to read and when he does, he lets out a shaky breath. Ah... he should have known by now that moving on from that whole mess wasn't going to happen overnight. Yuui closes his eyes and counts to three so that he doesn't throw it away on an angry, bitter impulse. That wouldn't be fair to Hector—or Ranger Reza, rather—and his memory.

And so, Yuui tucks it in his pocket. He'll show it to Sheza later so they can talk about it. After all, they've moved past hiding things like this from one another. ]