video;

[sketchycharacter]

[The face that appears on the network is a familiar one—Nate's a chatty guy, and he made a grumpy address not long ago. But something's different this time—he looks a little disoriented, a little older. A little beefier.]

Hey. [He raises a hand in a casual greeting.] Sorry if I freaked anyone out. Complete accident, I swear. By the way, that cryo slime is incredibly gross. Don't get it in your mouth if you can help it.

[Ha, ha. This is no big deal, right?]

It's been a while. Three days for you guys, I guess? More like...three years for me.

[He smiles weakly. He's not freaked out! He's not freaked out!!]

Nice to see everyone again.

[It's been three years since Nathan Drake set foot on Avagi, but he still remembers his way around. ...mostly. Once he's got some of his bearings back, he makes a circuit of the accessible areas of the facility, re-familiarizing himself with his way around.

And eventually, he makes his way back to their quarters, plopping down in the common area and trying to digest.]

Back in space. How about that.

Comments

[sketchycharacter]

[Oh, hey, crime friend. By now he's feeling a little more in the moment, memories of Avagi feeling like they're coming from closer than three years ago. Kinda.]

Hey. What, do I have something on my face?

[vata]

Yeah, actually, you do.

[A beat:]

Someone else's face.

The hell happened to you, hermano?

[sketchycharacter]

It's my face. A pretty good face. Just, you know. Three years older.

Miss me?

[vata]

Three years you didn't earn.

[That makes you someone else. That means you could be someone else. That means—

a lot of things, really.]

When you and me first met, what happened? What were you trying to take?

[Prove you're Nate, Nate.]

[sketchycharacter]

[Excuse her, he earned every one of those years through getting up and going to work and obeying the law. That was serious extended effort.]

Some electronic doohickey, right? That's a lousy test, by the way, I barely understood what it was even at the time.

[It's not that he can't use tech. It's just that he doesn't bother with tech he can't put to immediate practical work. He's not a Luddite, mostly.]

Then you kicked my ass, which...wait, I think I did lose my memory, because the next thing I remember is us becoming friends somehow. That doesn't seem right.

[He hasn't forgotten how to sarcasm, though.]

[vata]

Fine. It's really you, I guess.

[Crossing her arms, she doesn't seem exactly thrilled, but somewhere (deep beyond all the electronics and sarcasm) she's relieved to know he's still alive and breathing— if not a little older.]

[sketchycharacter]

It's really me.

[He crosses his arms as well, but he doesn't look upset. He actually smiles.]

Why? Did you miss me?

[vata]

Shut up. [ Yes.

There's a tight huff from the other end of the line; Sombra's arms knitting together as she folds them harshly across her chest.]

Maybe. A little.

[sketchycharacter]

[Never.

The grin on his face is only a little shit-eating. It's also genuine.]

I'm glad to see you too, Sombra.

[vata]

Whatever. [It's a hard snort and a solid eye-roll, but by now, he's probably got all the ammunition he needs to see through her little performance.]

You bring me anything back from your trip through time?

[sketchycharacter]

I had my pockets stuffed, but whatever dragged me back here didn't bring the gifts too. [Man, he can think of a lot of things he'd like to have brought with him.]

But while I was gone, I did rediscover a lost pirate colony thought to be mythical for centuries. I could draw it for you.