[As soon as he finishes reading the message, Beckett knows that something is wrong. Deeply, catastrophically wrong. He knows Tim can't be saying this, can't be knowing this. But the words are there in front of his eyes, and his vision feels briefly tilted sideways, like a blow to the head.
No one's called him Thomas in centuries. Anatole hadn't, and Lucita hadn't even known. Aristotle never called him that, and Aristotle called him "boy" and "my childe" and whatever other names made Beckett feel perpetually like a fledging but he'd taken with love nonetheless. The name doesn't even mean anything anymore. It's just, just -
Just like being reached into, under the skin, the muscles, the ribs - ]
Do you rea
Can
Can you read what you just wrote?
[That's all he can manage, and even that he needs to start and start again, because steadying his hand takes conscious effort. Once that comes through, though, the tablet is happy to pick up for him.]
Though perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that you no longer seem to care very much. It isn't as though you could do anything to help him, considering how your last attempt ended... that is, you could just give up and let our mutual friend in the mask take the wheel. Life would be so much easier for everyone. Granted, Jay might be a little upset, but maybe it is time he got the excuse he needed to get away from all this madness.
WORTH THE WAIT OMFG
No one's called him Thomas in centuries. Anatole hadn't, and Lucita hadn't even known. Aristotle never called him that, and Aristotle called him "boy" and "my childe" and whatever other names made Beckett feel perpetually like a fledging but he'd taken with love nonetheless. The name doesn't even mean anything anymore. It's just, just -
Just like being reached into, under the skin, the muscles, the ribs - ]
Do you rea
Can
Can you read what you just wrote?
[That's all he can manage, and even that he needs to start and start again, because steadying his hand takes conscious effort. Once that comes through, though, the tablet is happy to pick up for him.]
Though perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that you no longer seem to care very much. It isn't as though you could do anything to help him, considering how your last attempt ended... that is, you could just give up and let our mutual friend in the mask take the wheel. Life would be so much easier for everyone. Granted, Jay might be a little upset, but maybe it is time he got the excuse he needed to get away from all this madness.