⇝001 // video

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

<sub>[the video's dark, but it's definitely video; the screen is completely black. there's the snap and clink of a lighter, but the fire isn't seen on the video, as if he's pointing it elsewhere from himself, or isn't aware the video's on; there's a deep inhalation and a deep exhalation, which sounds more like someone breathing through their teeth. it quickly degrades into soft, under-the-breath giggling. his voice is soft enough that someone might not be able to hear him unless they're trying.]

...eeeeveryone's... gone.

[he keeps that low soft breathy giggling up for a moment, and it almost sounds desperate.]</sub>

That's what it says. It says, everyone's gone.

I've never thought about it. What happens when everyone goes away.

<sub>But now, now... they're all gone. Gone, gone... gone.

[his giggling starts to get more frantic but it never gets louder; it sounds more and more desperate, and suddenly-- it stops. he makes a quiet noise, his voice low and quiet. for reference, it's the first four or so seconds.]

zhuzhuzhuzhu...

...but still so noisy.</sub>

Comments

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

Well she's not here. Neither is my Medusa. Give it a few days, I'm sure the feeling will go away the longer you're safely stuck here. [Unless someone decided to send everyone back "home" again, of course. But Stein was hoping they wouldn't do that again. Desperately hoping.]

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

<sub>..like she's right over my shoulder.

[he shudders, and goes still again.]</sub>

Are you afraid?

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

[What a loaded question. She remembers what happened when they sent her back, hands, lips, vectors snaking their way to places they decidedly didn't belong. Being unable to fight back, having to be rescued. Afraid didn't even begin to scratch the surface of how she'd felt since that happened.]

Aren't you?

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

Not really.

<sub>I'm not sure.

Not anymore?</sub>

That doesn't sound right.

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

[She grabs his hand, giving it a quick squeeze before letting go.] Even if you're not afraid, you shouldn't have to live feeling like someone is watching your every move. You're no one's test subject.

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

No.

It's different. From a hallucination.

_{It's not like I ... think she's here, somehow. I know it. She is. She has to be. It feels the same way.}

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

She's not here. I would have seen her soul when I'd looked for it, and there's no reason I have for lying to you.

[video]

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

_{Don't you feel it? Don't you feel the madness...?}

Re: [video]

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

...No, honestly. I've actually felt saner since I've gotten here.

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

Hnnn.

_{[he curls up and into himself, laying on his side.]}

..Everything blends together.

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

[She frowned as he curled up, sliding onto her back so she didn't have to keep looking down at him]

What do you mean "blends together"?

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

Everything. Every soul. Every little detail.

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

Just try focusing on one. Here, just look at mine. Forget about all the rest of the souls in this tower for a minute. [She reaches over and lightly grabs the sides of his face to make him look at her.] Focus on the one thing and then we can move on to separating everything else.

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

<sub>[for a second he stares blankly at her, and then at her soul, his eyes unfocused.

then, his eyes clear, and he seems to be lucid for half a second.]</sub>

...Similar. Not perfectly alike, but similar.

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

[She smiles, glad to see him looking a little better for a moment. Maybe she really could figure out a way to take care of him on her own if she just gave him something to focus on.]

Really now? What's different between them? I'm curious.

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

Can't you see it?

_{[he shifts on the bed, staring at her.]}

Hear it. Feel it.

_{[a low sigh.]}

You have something else there.

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

When I looked at your soul, I could only really see on the madness. [But she looks again, and focuses past that. Similar - frighteningly so - but not quite identical.]

I suppose gender plays enough of a role on a person to change a few things here and there.

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

There's something...

<sub>I can't think.

[he shudders, leaning his head back, biting his lip.]</sub>

I can't hear all of it. I can't listen past the noise.

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

It's alright, just focus. You don't even have to focus on my soul, just find a way to get the noise to stop bothering you. [It's all very good advice, but she knows she wouldn't be able to just follow it on her own like that.

She falls silent, thinking.]

Stein? Do you think you would be able to keep the madness from spreading to me if we resonated? It might help to balance you out some.

BOOBS, BOOBS EVERYWHERE

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

...

<sub>[he's silent for a long moment.]

No. I won't.</sub> I'll ...

_{[he doesn't want to say "I'll set you free too". something about it feels wrong to him, so he trails off there.]}

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

We'll think of something else, then. We have plenty of time to figure this out while we're here.

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

..Hn.

<sub>[he looks up at her, that odd clarity coming back again.]

..Everything feels so heavy.</sub>

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

I know.

But if there's anything you need me to do for you, just tell me. There must be some way for me to fix this, and until I figure it out, I'm just going to make sure you're as well taken care of as you can be. No clone of mine is going to waste away to nothingness.

[patchworkdoctor.livejournal.com]

Clone.

_{[that makes him giggle again, and he rolls on his side, back to her, softly giggling.]}

[weaponiser.livejournal.com]

Clone, double, twin, whatever you want to call it. [She stares over at his back, wondering if she should try and snap him out of the giggle fit or just let it stop naturally - would it even stop naturally anymore? - but she doesn't move a muscle either way.]