thisavrou | video 01 | Aortic Aneurysm

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video 01 | Aortic Aneurysm

(You know who is not going to react to this situation decently no matter how many times it's explained to him? Eddie. You know who doesn't have a good game face against fear? Also Eddie. He's alone, he needs an adult, and he's pretty sure they don't restock on inhalers here. He knew he didn't need it, not technically, but he also knew that his lungs were contracting at a rate that lead to hyperventilating and as far as he was concerned, that was exactly what an asthma attack was all about. He was having an asthma attack. Maybe. His body was thinking about it.

By the way, he's definitely just been staring at the video for a couple of silent seconds, his jaw working back and forth as he just tried to remind himself that he was actually capable of breathing. This kid......)

My mom's going to fucking kill me.

(The words are whispered under his breath and he would think twice about swearing if he realized how many adults might be watching this video. He was enough of a loser that he could get the whole communication device thing, really, that was fine. But he wasn't quite able to wrap his mind around the full extent of it all.

After a second, he decides fuck it. He needs his inhaler. It goes up, he gives it a few shakes, and takes a deep, deep breath in with it. Holds. Holds.

Then his whole body deflates, his eyes rolling up. He closes his eyes and thinks about how he would talk to the police in Derry. Ha. If that wasn't the biggest fucking joke ever. When he speaks next, his voice is pitched higher than before, that typical 'I'm trying super hard to be polite and endearing' voice that he uses to call his mom 'mommy' when he's real apologetic. He's not even trying to be a suck up. The kid's just scared.)

Um. My name's Eddie Kaspbrak. I'm Sonia Kaspbrak's son and I definitely need to be home for dinner which is like, in an hour. So if anyone can help...I would really appreciate it.

.....God, I really hope this isn't that creep who was taking all those kids.

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[Scared kid? Time for instant Responsible Adult Mode.]

Hey... hey it's all right. Your name's Eddie? I'm Shiro. You can hear me all right?

[Keeping his tone calm and measured. Reassuring and steady. Normally, he'd suggest taking a deep breath, but -- hey. Inhaler. Probably not the best course of action.]

Did you just arrive?

[So what's with this sassy, lost child? Did this place have a deficiency of them? Did whatever has taken the place of the Ingress think that the place needed more worthless human children to wander, depraved and worthless, until something terrible inevitably happens?]

[Whatever the case, it is not his species that tempts their hand, but his words.]

A pity. You won't be home for a long while yet.
Assuming you ever return home at all.

[Just what this space station needed. More unsupervised children.]

how old are you, kid?

[Have an English guy who often speaks in a rather flat tone even on the best of days.

This is not one of his best days.]

You probably won't be going home for a while, but it's nothing any of us can control.

Whatever it is you like to eat [(a weary sigh)]... we probably don't have that.

Hi, Eddie. My name is Shepard, and I've got some good news, and some bad news.

Good news is, your mom is not going to kill you. The forces that brought you here have more or less grabbed you directly out of space and time—if we manage to get you home, it'll be exactly like you never left. No punishment, guaranteed.

Bad news is, we don't know when that last part will be. But, luckily, we're pretty set up around here—you've got time, and you're not in any danger.

No creeps kidnapping, either. Is that a little better, at least?

Edited 2017-11-04 11:21 (UTC)

[ the voice that comes over the line is an affable one, with a southern-sounding accent. but then again, voices can be deceiving.

strangely, though, he can almost relate to the fear of mothers (not that he'd known the woman in question was his mother at the time, but still)... ]

I'm going to take a wild guess and say everyone's already explained what's going on, kid.

[ a pause. ]

I'll also take a wild guess that your mother wouldn't be too happy with your language.

[ it's lightly teasing, of course. he's not the worst with kids, after all. ]

A creep? Hey-- hey, Eddie. It's okay. No-one bad brought you here. Just, uh. Science.

[bad. bad explanation.]

Just take a moment to calm down, okay? I know it's hard, but you can do it. Where are you?

[ She doesn't usually do video feeds but she feels it's probably important to do so with this kid. He's clearly on the verge of freaking out and needing an inhaler already made this a trepidatious situation.

She tries to put on a comforting smile -- or at least a kind one if nothing else. ]

Hi, Eddie. I'm Jean.

[ A beat, ]

There's no easy way to say that we can't help you get back home. At least not now. We're all pretty much stuck here for the time being.

[ Which has been weeks now. ]

He’s passing nearby when he catches the sound, faint but distinct enough that he halts mid-step to reassess the noise. The clear distress is no less alarming the second time. While he knows of many others having been around this place (universe? time space?) far longer than he, his assumption since arrival about the Avagi had been that, at least for the time being, there was little reason for anyone to fret in their current surroundings.

It really doesn’t help that a far too familiar wheeze echoes alongside the panic.

Quick to trace the source, he’s surprised to find the young man huddled defensively on the open floor of the memorial, inhaler grasped tightly in his hand as if the small thing could ground whatever fear seems to have overtaken him. Instinctively he approaches, slowly kneeling so as not to startle him, before speaking out.

“Hey, pal. You, uh, you okay there?” Easy does it, Barnes. Just like you used to.

Hey kid--Eddie, right? I, uh. Really don't want to be the 50th bearer of bad news, but...

[ Man, hearing it like this hurts more than it should. Hits home harder than usual when he thinks about home in the context he used to. Is it because he's been here? Because he's still dealing with his own loss, or because this kid actually has someone back home to worry about him?

(And a "creep" taking kids? Well. It might have worked out okay for him, but that feels way too familiar. He couldn't just let this sit.)

God, this is weird. ]

I think Mom may be waitin' up a while.

Hi there, Eddie. My name's Kurt.

[Ordinarily, Nightcrawler might say something about a kid cursing, but to be honest, he can understand the frustration (and fear).

He dips closer to the screen, iridescent eyes narrowed with scrutiny.] Are you all right? [Meaning the whole being on the verge of hyperventilating and/or possibly having an asthma attack.]

There's no point in me saying the same thing that plenty of others have. [A sudden motion and the camera jostles, which the azure-skinned boy attempts to fix right away. His tail flickers into view for a moment then slithers away just as quickly, one hand reaching up to curl beneath his chin, brow furrowing in contemplation now.

Also, please explain:] Someone was taking children?

[Another small face pops up on the screen--about Eddie's age, if of a darker skin and far messier hair. Frisk puts on the most reassuring face they can, and their voice is soft when they speak.]

Um, 'm Frisk. Um, were you...you got told about th' time stuff, right? W-we're really tryin' hard t' fix everything!

Oh don't worry about it. Technically, all of us had to be home for dinner an hour ago. I actually had to be home for dinner over a year ago. But take comfort in the only slightly comforting, more disconcerting, fact that people back home don't seem to notice you're gone. No fucking killing is going to happen.

Well, hopefully not. But I won't judge other people's family traditions.

[THE MOST HELPFUL.]

It is okay, Eddie. Nobody is going to kill you. You can calm down. I do not think you will be able to get back to your mother for a little while, but they are working on fixing that.

There is a garden that has some vegetables in it. And there are nutrition blocks. I can make dinner for you if you are hungry.

[Laura generally doesn't bother with the network. It's too loud and full of things that don't interest her. Seeing someone close to her age gets her to pay attention. It's his obvious fear and the fact that he openly curses that keeps her attention.]

You are safe here.

[She pauses, and her head tips off to the side. What's that puffy thing he's using?]

I will protect you.

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