IC Contact Post

[therushingsky]

"Heyyyy, you've reached the head office of the Atlas Corporation, leave a message and your number, and one of our people will get back to you."

Comments

[therushingsky]

Yeah. I did.

[Awkward awkward awkward.]

Look, it's okay. I'm not planning on doing anything terrible this month, so maybe we can just-- hang out?

[Most monthly wardens haven't done much in the way of wardening him, so he doesn't see this necessarily being a huge problem...]

[gamjam]

Okay, but I know we had that whole fight earlier where you didn't want me to be a warden.

[therushingsky]

It's not that I don't want you to be a warden, I just-- don't want you to be mine.

Like-- okay, with Hux -- [Pause] Okay, Hux is a bad example because he had no idea what friendship was before he got here, but with Elijah, when he was an inmate and I was a warden--

I know there was stuff that he hit with Quentin, that Quentin had to challenge him on that hurt. And sometimes I had to challenge him on it as well, and other times-- I knew he was going to need someone who he could be around even when he wasn't making progress. Who could be okay with him making awful decisions and do shitty things, because-- okay, he needed Quentin. He needed the help, but it wasn't the only thing he needed.

When I got demoted, suddenly everyone who loved me were just concerned all the time. I went from having people who-- made fun of me, and played games with me, and argued with me, and flirted with me, to just-- wardens. I was suddenly just everyone's job.

It's getting easier, but... with a lot of people, that's still how it feels.

[AND THAT'S WHY HE NEEDED TO BANG BETELGEUSE.]

[gamjam]

[Softly, with sudden realization]


Ohhhhhhh.


Oh, I see.


Yeah, Rhys! I don't want to be your warden either, I just want to be friends like we were before!

[therushingsky]

Thanks, Gortys. Because I really need you.

Honestly, it's a much more discriminating gig than the warden one. Any old person could end up being my Warden. I'm more picky about my friends.

[gamjam]

Aw, that's sweet of you. I need you too. It's really been lonely without you.

[therushingsky]

I'm sorry, Gortys. I always kinda figure you're going to be okay because everyone likes you.

Apart from Quentin, maybe, but he hated me when we first met so he has questionable tastes.

[gamjam]

It's okay. I like people, sure, but the more I stay here the more complicated everything gets. Did you know I've never been permanently paired up and I've been here over a year? That's a very long time.

But I'm okay with that! I don't really need a deal or anything, so it's mostly been helping people peripherally with their problems.

I just don't know what I'm going to do after we get out of here.

[therushingsky]

Do you want to be permanently paired?

And-- I guess, do you know what you want to do when you get out?

[gamjam]

I THOUGHT I did. But now I'm not so sure.

Well...help Teddy regain a body again. But after that, I don't know.

[therushingsky]

What happened to Teddy's body?

And what's changed your mind?

[gamjam]

When he graduated, he didn't want to go back to his world. He said he wanted to come to mine, so he made a copy of himself and gave it to me to upload into a new body. I've been keeping it safe ever since.

Oh, uh. Well. It was more of a gradual thing, you know? Like, I don't think I could be someone's warden selflessly without thinking about what I wanted at the end of it. And that's not fair to the person I'd be helping.

[therushingsky]

I think-- I mean, okay, I think you're going to help people no matter what, but I think, if you were permanently paired? I think you're going to help someone so much, that they won't be worried about why you're doing it.

And-- maybe you're going to get someone who does need you to be their warden full time?

I mean, I'm not saying you need to do that, but I don't think you need to worry about it if it does happen.

[gamjam]

Well. Maybe. I mean, I'm okay with just helping out people like Teddy who already had someone. It's more of a supporting side character.

Oh! I forgot to tell you, I made some friends and we started a nerd dungeon game!

[therushingsky]

Aha-hah, that's great! Who are you playing it with?

And, you don't have to call it that y'know...

[gamjam]

Ford and Freeza! Oh, and Demona's the dungeon master. She's really great at it, sneaky and evil in ways I never would have guessed!

Sorry! It's already been written into my solid-state memory.