maskintape | IC INBOX

[That effectively pulls him up short.

Concern replaces seriousness, and he's derailed as easily as that (for now).]

Are you okay? You sound-- [Sick. Haha.] --what's happened?

Oh, for - I'm fine. Had a seizure yesterday, dealt with it, on my way back to the pharmacy, won't leave until I have meds. Also monsters. Those are a thing.

You wanted something?

[At least Tim answered instead of playing the avoidance game.

He hates that there's nothing he can do, but the seizures are part of Tim's condition and at least he has Jay there and is on his way for medicine. He hums sounding unconvinced, but at least he drops it.]

Yeah, I-- I spoke to Clayton.

[That might hopefully clue Tim in as to why he's called.]

You, uh - you did? What about.

[ Sorry Al, what was that you were saying about the avoidance game

Tim didn't quite catch that ]

About what you told him. About me.

[He sighs, an audible hiss down the speakers.]

You told him I was a spirit.

[Which is just inaccurate, gosh.]

...Ah.

[ Oh, that. Okay. Tim doesn't even feel guilty for that shit. ]

It was the best way to explain to him what was up, so. He was going to start opening you up, it wasn't like there was much choice. There a problem?

No. I was angry at first, I was going to come and yell at you, but... But Clayton told me how bad off I was, and how you told him to stop him hurting me.

[So he calmed himself down.]

I can't pretend that I'm happy someone else knows, but I wanted to tell you that I understood and thank you for helping me.

[There's a pause, before he sweeps past the moment of warmth before Tim can get all awkward about it.]

But I'm not a spirit, you made it sound like I was a ghost!

[Rude.]

[ Al.

Al pls. ]

Nah, you pretty much are a spooky ghost. A non-dead one. Undead, I guess. Like a zombie?

You're a zombie ghost, man.

No, I'm not.

[The sound of the metal facepalm is totally audible right now.]

I'm definitely not a ghost or a zombie. I still have a body, a living body, I've-- I've seen it.

[His voice falters a little there, that was one of the last things he remembered before arriving in this place after all.]

Zombie goasts, leave this place.

[ So it's come to this. Tim Wright spouting memes to someone who can't possibly understand them while coughlaughing like an asshole.

Look at your life, Tim.

Look at your choices. ]

But okay, so - you're what. A misplaced soul? I dunno. Point is it's a lot easier to explain in the heat of the moment if I just go with spooky haunted armour guy.

[What--?

He knows there was some joke made, if only because of Tim's weird wheeze laughing, but he has literally no idea what it was.]

Please don't call me that again.

[Why must he have to deal with Tim Wright? Why did he keep persisting in a friendship?]

It might be easier, but it's really not true. Especially not the zombie part.

Okay, it's - it's a thing, back home. A story. Famous for being terrible, and one of the best lines in it is 'zombie goasts, leave this place!' and... it - it's just a thing.

[ Memeing was bad. Explaining memes is an entirely new low. ]

I know it's not accurate or whatever. Like - as far as I know you haven't eaten even a single brain.

[ He literally has to bite his lip to avoid saying "yet." It doesn't help that Jay is snickering over his shoulder like a tool. ]

[If he heard Jay snickering, or knew that someone else could hear their conversation, he really would be mad. Telling Clayton when he was in danger was one thing, letting someone else listen in when he's not is something else entirely.]

...the stories in your world sound really weird.

[Seriously? SERIOUSLY?]

And what have brains got to do with it?

[The undead myth hasn't evolved to brains by 1915, it's still just the flesh of other humans.]

[ JAY JUST PRICKED UP HIS EARS AT INTERNET MEMES OK AL CAN CALM HIS METAPHORICAL TITS HIS SECRET IS SAFE!! ]

...zombies? They eat brains. You know what a zombie is but you don't know what they do? Come on. I'm not even a horror guy, this is - it's basic stuff.

That's not been in any of the legends I've heard before.

[Not that he's heard many, he was always too busy reading alchemical books to pay attention to fiction.]

The undead just feast on the flesh of the living, I suppose that includes brains but it isn't limited to them.

No, you got it wrong. They eat the brains, but they bite other places so they can turn other people into zombies. It's the circle of life.

Unlife.

Really?

[Now he's starting to doubt his own memories, this isn't exactly his area of expertise.]

I guess I could be remembering it wrong, it's been a long time since I heard a scary story like that. Probably not since I used to sit up with Ed at night when we were little.

Huh. Never would've thought you were the kind of kid to be into the spooky junk. Unless, uh - it was your brother who liked that or whatever.

Neither of us were really into things like that, but we read a lot and sometimes it was fun to talk about things that weren't alchemy.

[Not often, but sometimes.]

Most of the time we'd just talk about the theories we'd read that day, though. Or argue over who got the better pillow.

Doesn't sound that far off what me and Jay do now, so.

That was a joke. Since half the time this stuff goes way over your head.

Are you sure it was a joke.

[Two can play at this teasing game.]

Of course.

Jay always gets the better pillow, or he wakes up cranky.

[ a muffled "OH MY GOD TIM WHY" can be heard from a short distance away, quickly followed by one of Tim's asshole snortlaughs. WHAT A GOOD FRIEND. ]

[He chuckles, though he's definitely on Jay's side in this.]

Oh! That explains why you're so cranky all the time, then.

Please. It'd take a goddamn four-poster bed with feather pillows to stop me being cranky.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject