animus_network | 001 | Text/Voice/Video/Derp

[There's a burst of static, and a garbled sound like someone talking for a brief moment before it clears, beginning a voice message.] -doesn't this thi-[More static, along with the sound of buttons being pressed. Likely buttons that should NOT be pressed, if the beeps that keep sounding mean anything.]-ith instructions or something?

[That? Is the sound of TEN MILLION BUTTONS being pressed. One of them has to let him write. But WHICH ONE?

Until now, this has been a mystery to Sora.

But apparently he figures it out, because suddenly, text!]

jkl;q23fa8sdpj

oh, there it is! Now I can send messages to people. This is neat!

but writing everything out like this takes forever. [Because guess who's typing one. letter. at. a. time.

But there must be another way! Maybe if he can figure out how video works...

Oh, hey. Time to abuse the terminal's keyboard again.

This goes on for a few minutes, occasionally accompanied by various warning beeps and error messages. Finally, the video flashes on briefly, revealing the face of one (1) VERY SURPRISED Sora, who...was maybe starting to think that this wasn't going to actually work.

...but then he has the biggest smile because GUESS WHAT? IT DID. Computer: 58, Sora: 1.

He's definitely catching up, okay?]

Alright, it wor-huh?!

[And all of his hopes are dashed when the screen turns bright red, and the video shuts off after another, this time much angrier, error noise. Apparently, the terminals do not take kindly to misuse.

Finally, there's just a minute of silence. Then...]

...did I break it?

[Meet the future savior of all worlds, everyone.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Huh?

[Well, that caught him by surprise. Sora jumps at the voice, turning around and...spots Riku, standing right there with a perfectly straight face (except was that a smile? He saw that!).

gdit Riku. This appearing out of nowhere thing? Not fair.

Sora rubs the back of his neck and stares off to the side, the way he always does when he's embarrassed. Except he's not embarrassed at all. Really.]

Hey, don't sneak up on me like that!

[Avoiding the subject of his ~~lack of~~ technology skills? Nope. Not at all.]

[Well too bad; Riku has always prided himself on his sneakiness and that had kind of increased by factor 100 in the last year. So that appearing out of nowhere thing? Maybe, get used to it.

Riku just shakes his head - not even trying to pretend anymore that he isn't absolutely amused by this.]

Don't leave yourself so open to be sneaked up upon and I won't.

[Maybe... consider it Riku's own special brand of training lesson.]

[If it's a roundabout training lesson, then it's not a bad one...because to Sora, that sounds like a challenge.]

Alright, fine! Next time, I'll be ready.

[He just has to get better at listening, right? That'll be easy.]

[Maybe it is just that. He doubts that listening harder alone will turn out enough to catch him, but it's certainly a start.]

We'll see.

[He takes a step closer, eying the computer Sora has been working with.]

Want me to help you with that?

[Well, if it's not enough, he'll just have to figure out the rest! Sora is certainly determined enough, if anything.

Sora turns toward the computer, too, not sure if saying "yes" is the best idea or not. On the one hand, Riku can probably show him...but on the other, he just got it into some state resembling working. Should he really risk messing that up?

Decisions, decisions.]

I dunno. Maybe we should just leave it alone, since it's...kind of working.

[Not that he's afraid of breaking it for real or anything. Nope.]

[He tilts his head, a smile-smirk settling on his face - he is totally taking this as a challenge because really. Sora, you are so not fooling him.]

What; don't you trust me?

[...And the moment he voices that question - as playful it might have been meant - his expression freezes over as he realizes just what exactly he had asked just then. Just who he had asked it.]

Edited 2012-04-16 16:20 (UTC)

Of course I do.

[Sora doesn't even stop to think before he says that. Why would he have to? Riku is his best friend.

So he just keeps talking; he doesn't even notice how Riku's expression has frozen in place. He doesn't have any reason to think that something might be wrong, after all.]

I just thought that if we messed with it more, it might actually break. But it sounds like you know more about that than I do.

[It takes Riku another moment to catch himself again, though he's still maybe slightly pale and when he speaks up again his previous playfulness is almost entirely gone.

He takes a step forward, leaning down to take hold of the keyboard.]

It's not that complicated.

[Case in point: Give him two minutes and the monitor will be warning-message free again.]

Yeah...sure.

[But that time, Sora did notice the change in tone, and registered the look on his face. He couldn't tell for sure, but he thought that something had changed.

When he speaks again, he definitely sounds concerned.]

Hey, Riku. You okay?

[Riku wants to kick himself. Hard.

He shouldn't have let himself drawn in by the comfort of old habits, of the ways they've always worked, of teasing and smirking like nothing has changed, like he somehow has the right-

He can't change that it happened though. That it will likely happen again, no matter how much he tries to distance himself.

He can only do his best to keep what distance he can, to make sure to filter his snark before he asks another question like that again.

His eyes are firmly glued to the screen as he answers.]

Sure.

[But even he notices that his voice is still tense, that even Sora can tell that he's lying through his teeth and really he just wants to kick himself three times over again.

Finally he shakes his head and looks at Sora, a sad half-smile tugging at his lips.]

It's nothing. Don't worry about it.

Sure...if you say so.

[But Sora doesn't sound (or look) convinced. At all.

He just doesn't get it. Why is Riku acting like he's done something wrong? They were just talking, like they usually did. Or, at least, for what Sora still considered "usual". Sure, Riku was a little bit...different now. It had been a whole year for him, so that makes sense, right?

But this seemed like more than that. Sora just couldn't put his finger on what might be wrong.

Or even how to ask.

So, for now, he doesn't.]

[Riku makes a point of turning back to the computer, ignoring Sora's lack of conviction, as he works on the settings.

He might be feeling the questions hanging between them, might be even able to guess at them, but that doesn't mean he has to acknowledge them.

Finally he takes a step back, satisfied that the device before them is now back to proper working order.]

There you go.

001 | Text/Voice/Video/Derp

[Action] Absolutely!

[Action] /o/

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]