thisavrou | video; cw for character death

[ Five days ago, the demon stalking Avagi's dark corridors and hiding beneath your bed upped the ante, and murdered Kevin Flynn.

The same Flynn who looks noticeably alive when he shows up on the network just today. He's in a pleasant mood, in one lab or another to judge by the backdrop, without so much as a hair turned to suggest there's anything out of the ordinary.

What the fuck. ]

Hey folks. Got a couple things for you all this morning.

The A.C.E. Team has some upcoming software updates in the pipeline. You might notice a brief network hiccup or two while your device completes the downloads.

If you have any questions or issues, give us a heads up. [ handy-dandy link to the network admin list is a go. ]

Second thing. [ All right, business is over, now he looks gently chuffed. ]

Some of you have expressed interest in learning how to meditate. I'd like to extend an invite to everyone, to join me in the greenery this afternoon for a little Q & A and a zazen demo. You'll want to wear something comfy, and bring a cushion to sit on, if you're creaky like me.

Hope to see you all there.

[ Yep, even some of you sourpusses. There's no escape from Flynn's easygoing serenity.

Even though he should still be dead and, point of fact, his cooling corpse is still in their makeshift morgue. ]

((ooc: yep. feel free to pm or pp me for questions! ))

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[Ram sits down gratefully and though he initially eyes the loop dubiously, as soon as it's in place he can feel the energy begin to flow and leans back against the wall with a sigh of relief, his circuits pulsing gently.

He stays there a while, humming in agreement with Flynn and letting himself relax.

Until Flynn says that.]

What? You don't? Could your memory have been damaged? Mine wasn't, but Users might work differently. Perhaps there's a way to correct it.

[He moves as if to get up, agitated by having time with his friend lost to Flynn, but the User's hand on his shoulder stills him and he settles again, his own hand coming up to cover Flynn's.]

Yeah, it's been... eventful.

That's not outside the realm of possibility.

[ Musing, while Ram's hand on his is a welcome touch. All right. Well, that explains a few things, just as it leaves the door open for a thousand other questions.

He's not happy to hear that he's apparently died here on Avagi, and with no knowledge of it. Not a hint. He can remember going to sleep the previous night, waking up this morning, attending to his daily routine, stopping by the Ingress memorial at midday, where he felt that strange pull... If he were a younger man, maybe he'd be busily freaking out right now--oh, that would absolutely be assured--but what exactly can he do about that bewildering bit of info, especially since it's apparently all said and done, and he's just as hale and whole as he was at breakfast? Flynn's had a long time to accept that the only thing he can control in life is himself, and even at this moment, it's no different.

Right now, though, he feels very keenly for Ram. The actuary's shoulder gets another squeeze. ]

We'll get to the bottom of this.

[ Shifting his weight, Flynn lifts his other hand, palm up. To anyone from the Tron System, the request is obvious, and comes with a polite request: ]

Mind if I take a look?

[Ram frowns and shifts so he's leaning a little against Flynn, just a little extra contact.]

I don't know how User death works, but from what I read, this is not normal. Is there a way to check whether your memories can be restored, or at least discover how they were lost?

[Did the demon take them somehow? Disorientation is a possibility, but memory usually returns after being triggered or a cool down period in that situation and Flynn's had both.

The hand on his shoulder squeezes and he squeezes back with a slight smile. Flynn's alive, that's the important thing.]

Hm? [He looks at Flynn's outstretched hand and his eyes widen a little when he understands.]

Oh! Yes, of course.

[He reaches back and unclips his disk, setting it Flynn's hand. How many times has he given his disk to his User, though never directly like this.]

Generally, Users don't come back in the first place. Not the way it is here, anyway.

[ It's a mild correction, a thought spoken aloud. The cycle of death and rebirth is a familiar concept to any Buddhist, but this is definitely a step removed. Or is it? Flynn wets his lips, shaking his head. ]

Status check says things are good, man. I'm not missing any time- except, apparently, where I am.

[ Wry. Boy, he thought he was done with time issues on this side of the screen.

Ram, you're way too good. He accepts the disc from him with care, and has to take his hand from Ram's shoulder to get to work. It's so delightfully vintage, a slice of nostalgia from Encom big iron, and lights under his touch.

Kid could use a hardware upgrade, still.

Flynn doesn't pry. It's not his style anymore besides, careful as he logs the time and then, there, hovering like a VHS snapshot in the short column of light above swirling blue, stands him and Ram, their first meeting that isn't today. Oh, damn. ]

[He compensates for the lack of hand on his shoulder by leaning a little more against Flynn, though not enough to overbalance either of them.]

So is resurrection a common occurrence here? Or at least possible where it usually isn't?

[More evidence that Avagi is strange even to Users. Though it is clearly the User world. Maybe he should go check out the inner workings some time, just to see what they're like.]

Whoa.

[Ram stares as his disk lights up and is soon projecting an image of the first time he and Flynn met. For a moment, Ram wonders if he should look away, a program's code should really only be viewed by their User. But curiosity gets the better of him, and besides, it's his memory.]

Is that what it's like on your side when we communicate through I/O towers?

Mhmm. Remind me to pull the relevant files for you. It's pretty weird.

[ "Whoa" is right. Any and all skepticism that remained dies a quick death. The ACE on his wrist feels heavy, and the call from Alan suddenly makes far too much, utterly hellish, sense. Flynn is all motion now, gesturing the memories away, offering Ram his disc back as he stands. ]

Sorry, Ram, we gotta put a pin in that for later. I need to find Alan.

Really? Cool, thank you!

[Now that's an opportunity not many programs get.

He looks up as Flynn suddenly goes from easy movements to hurried. Taking his disk back and redocking it, he nods.]

Right. Yeah, he needs to know you're okay. I'll-- [He glances back at the charging station. He's regained some energy, but he could do with longer. But he doesn't want to leave Flynn. He unclips the bracelet and stands up.] I'm coming with you. If you need to talk with Alan alone, that's fine, but I'm making sure you get to him in one piece.

[ Flynn is quick to take Ram by the shoulder once more, gentle but firm. For a second, the light in his eyes is unfocused, uncertain, but it soon sharpens to decisive clarity as he pulls him in for a hug. ]

I need you to stay here and charge, old friend. Please.

[Ram returns the hug, tightening his grip at the User's request. He doesn't want to, he wants to help but-- Knowing Flynn, arguing would take time before either of them conceded, and that would spend time and energy, the latter of which he is still short on. At his current power levels, he's not functioning optimally which, while not an immediate issue, could make potential confrontations more difficult and therefore risky.

He sighs and holds on for a little longer before letting his grip drop, bending down to pickup and reattach the charger bracelet. Too bad it's not a portable one.]

Alright. But on the conditions that you be extra careful and let me know when you get there.

video; cw for character death

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