video/ mid-afternoon

[scotch_egg]

[This was bullocks. This was absolute bullocks. He felt like he'd stepped into a rerun of the bloody Xfactor or whatever it was. Reincarnation, memories from another life, nonsense. Absolute rubbish. Yet he couldn't stop dreaming about it. Every night it had happened. The girl in the water, pulling her out, some agony tight in his chest-- and-- incredible loneliness. Incredible grief. More than once he'd woken up in tears and so was running on as little sleep as possible.

So when he appears on the feed, he's looking haggard and cross. He's never been much for technology. He's also wanted to avoid touching this... supernatural disaster-- but he's exhausted all other possibilities short of going to therapy and if it is connected to this-- organization, maybe someone can give him a clue]

My name is Crowley. I'm looking for a missing girl, about eleven to fourteen. Shoulder length dirty-blonde or brunette hair, wearing a locket. Heart shaped. If anyone's seen her, or knows anything about her, let me know.

Or if anyone can tell me about the Bureau. The truth about the Bureau. Not the interdimensional whatever it is. How prevalent are they? How prevalent are 'we'? Is anyone doing any sort of investigating at all?

[and while he knew it wasn't a good idea to question so openly on their own network, he needed information. And it would be interesting to see what they did with this threat, if anything.]

Comments

[temptationaccomplished]

Anthony, I'm glad to see you finally using this network, but whatever did you do to your hair? And you're laying the accent on a bit thick. [He's not going to mention the beard scruff, because really a man was allowed an off week or something, but Anthony always struck him as rather put together.]

And they may be able to read this, my dear. So, if you'd like, I'm sure you can direct questions their way? [Or be cautious and come talk to him.] Or we can discuss it at the next support meeting? [Where I can introduce you to my friend Anakin? Did we not discuss this? Anthony are you alright? Aziraphale is so confused.]

[scotch_egg]

How the hell did you-- [oh wait. Wait. Bloody hell. He knew Anthony was here, of course, though he hadn't gotten around to contacting him. It had only been half a year. And he should have guessed that idiot would be mixed up in this but-- God. Right off the bat! He runs a hand over his eyes, tells himself to breathe and then]

Anthony is my cousin. [why couldn't he have looked like anyone else.

He leans back in the chair which creaks and the posh man may see some of the classroom behind him, complete with some scrawls on the whiteboard that could, under some circumstances, be considered writing]

I'm not going to trust their answers. All they'll do is tell me what they want me to hear. [he taps a pen against the desk] What have you seen? What was your memory?

[temptationaccomplished]

Oh. [He had funny sort of thought of there's two of them and quickly dismissed it. Don't think like that. That's...weird.] Your cousin. I see.

You're of course welcome to any conclusions you'd like to draw regarding their answers. And I'm sure many of us would be inclined to agree. But I'm not interested in discussing my memory openly on the network, Crowley. Those things are private.

[scotch_egg]

Where should I meet you then.

[Is he being a bit of a terrier about this? Yes. Overstepping boundaries? Possibly. But he needs to see if there are any similarities. Either that or this man is working alongside them because he seems all too eager to continually point him in the way of people he doesn't trust]

[temptationaccomplished]

...Meet you? I didn't agree to meet you! That's awfully presumptuous of you to think that I'd like to meet you and tell you anything about my memory just because I know your cousin.

[scotch_egg]

[he thought he'd give it a shot. The ponce hadn't said anything about not telling him in private. Not that he blamed him, but it didn't mean he wasn't hiding something. More tapping of the pen against the desk as he looks away, tugs at his mud colored tie]

Can you at least tell me if it had any themes? Fire? Flood? Drowning? Falling?

[temptationaccomplished]

[He decides to be a little nice. Only because he's Anthony's cousin. Not because they look so very much alike. Frankly, he finds Crowley rude and blunt and disagreeable and that is not at all an attractive trait. So by all accounts he should not be encouraging more conversation, and yet... He doesn't want to shut out a new Different, not when everyone responds to this differently. Crowley might not always be such a pain in the ass.]

For my first memory, I was in a park. It was just a park with stone dinosaur statues. No great thematic elements. These last few memories had a fiery theme to them, I guess. Unless reptiles count as a theme, then we have the dinosaurs and a snake.

Do you think all of our visions might be thematically linked? What was yours about, other than a child, obviously.

[serpentinthegarden]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no....

[ Drama, complete with several firm shakes of his head. ]

What are you doing in New York?? What are you doing on this network, I haven't even tagged into this network yet! Wait, never mind, it doesn't matter. Just turn around and go back home. There has to be something you could do far away from here... Aren't there still schools in England?

[scotch_egg]

Oh shut up, Anthony, you're so bloody melodramatic. Can't you do anything like an adult? [which was why he was here. Why he had to be here. Always picking up after him. Making sure he wasn't doing anything stupid]

Where are you staying? I'll come meet you. And get the tantrum out of your system now because I'm coming whether or not you tell me where it is. I'd rather not have to look after your petulant arse but I will if I have to.

[serpentinthegarden]

[ He gaped, opened his mouth to say something, partially closed it, and only succeeded in making a sort of shuddering yelping sound as the words tried to force their way out. ]

I... I'm an adult! I have a place of my own, a life, I don't need a babysitter! UGH! Did mom send you?! Just turn right back around and tell her, or Lilith, or which ever one sent you traipsing all the way over here that I'm fine!

And I'm not telling you where I live... What on this weird network that anyone can see!? They sent you, they know where I live, ask one of them!

[ So not tantruming!!! ]

[scotch_egg]

[he pinches the bridge of his nose]

For fuck's sake. You can't even-- Do you even hear yourself? Yes, Aunt Evelyn sent me. As well as Dad and half that side of the bloody family. They're worried about you, moron!

[but alright maybe public sharing is not the best idea]

There's a bagel place on West 35th. St. Christopher's. Meet me there at seven. If you don't I'm going to share one embarrassing story across this network a day until you do.

[serpentinthegarden]

There's no reason to be! I haven't done a thing to be worried about.

[ Except... maybe the whole regaining odd memories thing that he hadn't bothered to tell any of the family about. He's not going to bring that up.

He wanted to hang up and just ghost his cousin but he did know some truly embarrassing stories and would tell them. He was evil enough to tell them. ]

Fine! But be careful what you say, remember I know some interesting stories about you too! After 6? I have work until then.

[scotch_egg]

The fact that you're on this bloody network at all worries the hell out of me. [what did you do?]

I'm willing to take that risk. [Anthony would care more than he would. Anthony has a reputation and friends. He hasn't had a fried group since 1982 and even then he wouldn't exactly call them friends so much as reluctant dorm mates.]

I said seven. Pay attention for once in your life.

[missingache]

Did you try filing a police report for the girl? And is there anything else about her? She sounds like half the school aged kids around my neighborhood...

[Going to need a lot more details. Could be anyone.]

Don't know much about the Bureau. Just that they're weird and bad at naming things.

[scotch_egg]

[he hasn't. There's too much to explain. They'll want to know who she was, how he knew her, why he was asking. He could look at himself in the mirror and know he was suspicious and he wasn't about to tell them it was because it was some bloody dream]

They wouldn't understand. [and now he sounds like Anthony. But at least this is slightly less stupid than the snake in the garden of Eden because this is real]

[...And that answer was not helpful at all. But he had to assume that this... child? Was involved somehow with the "Different". He was absolutely disgusted they drew a child into this mind game, but tried not to show it]

How long have you known of them? And what do you mean by weird? Have they done anything? Said anything? Has anyone disappeared or come back different?

[missingache]

[They wouldn't understand... That is a huge clue right there.]

So it's someone from your memories. There's a chance they're not here then.

[Not too much of a child, but then again, Roxas considers 16 almost adult. He's biased.]

A few months now. I was part of what I call the first wave of Different. They haven't done much. Made an announcement that didn't really explain anything. And so far... all of us Different have been here what seems like our entire lives. I don't know if that's true, but I remember growing up in this world.

[scotch_egg]

[of course they weren't bloody here then. Why would they be? But he's not going to go off on a child. Not his fault he believes stupid things. Most children do. Anything below twenty is a child and even then after it]

It's true. This is our basis of reality. We have to assume so because anything else, however much we may wish it, can't be possible. Whatever's going on, whatever fantasies are appearing either from our own minds or manufactured, that's all they are.

[missingache]

[Wow. He would be rather offended at being called a stupid child. Someone has a lot of pride in taking college classes while still in high school right now.]

Yeah, but we can take some comfort from them... we're not the only ones experiencing it. If it was just me, it'd be a lot scarier.

[scotch_egg]

[being naive and unsure of the world and trusting is what children are, college classes or no. There was no college class that would give them experience of thirty years of disappointment and hard work]

I suppose we can.

[or more accurately he supposes the kid can. He takes no comfort only unease and growing horror about the whole thing that's doing nothing for his ulcer]

Go to those group meetings a lot then?

video;

[traceofeffort]

I'll keep an eye out for your missing girl. Doesn't sound like anyone I know - or anyone I knew - but better to have more people looking, yeah?

I don't know if we'll have answers to your questions. There aren't enough of us to get any serious research done. We're trying, but I'm having enough problems as it is.

video;

[scotch_egg]

[she doesn't look like her at all, but looks similar-- or at least something about the way she looks drags at him painfully as if there is some deep wound in him that he ignores.

He nods at her offer to help. Accepting it. Wondering whether to say thanks or not. Wondering if it's even fair to ask others to look after a dream girl.A dead girl. But he has to know.]

Problems? With what? I'll do what I can to help.

[traceofeffort]

Nothing I can ask you to help with, I don't think. Equal parts issues with my visions and feeling totally out of my depth with certain things that've happened lately. I appreciate it, though!

[Don't ask, don't ask... Not that she's entirely uncomfortable with them, it just sucks to talk about again. Sucks to think about again... okay, no, she's uncomfortable, and just hiding it well.]

[scotch_egg]

[he doesn't ask] They're rough, aren't they. [haunting even]

I hope you have someone you can count on. I hope you're not alone. [she seemed to young to have to go through this sort of thing by herself-- but he knew that he didn't have the tools to help her. He could barely get his own flock of kids through a reading of Shakespeare or To Kill a Mockingbird.]

And if you need-- That is-- If there's anything-- [he stopped. He was a man she had never met and didn't know if she could trust and she'd be right in thinking that] Never mind. Thank you for talking to me.

[traceofeffort]

Well... not in the usual sense. They just make me feel kinda inadequate. Like I'm missing something. But yeah, I've got a support network, more or less. Uh, I'm always taking applications, though! Candidates must speak a language and not be judgmental all the time. [Lisa smiles sunnily. Then he acts like he's going to sign off and she panics a bit, reaching for the camera]

Hey, wait- don't go! It's okay, seriously.

[scotch_egg]

[he remains because she panics a little which makes him panic a little and his heart literally skips a beat. He takes a deep breath but softly so she wouldn't notice and offered a wry smile]

I speak English and that's all. Well, some Latin and a bit of French but not so much that it does any one any good. But as for the latter, not so much me at all. [he was always judging something. There was a complete inability in him to take anything at face value]

Don't let them make you feel inadequate though. Whatever you are is what you are. These are just... [he looks away, searching for the words] ancillary-- whatever they are. Dreams. Nightmares. [false memories] They don't change who you are now or make you any less.