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6 hours ago
You at home?

[ Maybe it's the storm causing interference with communication. Maybe Johnny's busy. Maybe he's hurt. Maybe he's illustrating his ability to not reply or pick up when V calls.

Whatever the reason, V's not feeling like fucking around right now, and the idea of any of his people out in this storm alone drives a slow-moving chain of messages over the course of his own entanglement with the extreme weather. ]

4 hours ago
Johnny? Where the fuck are ya?

3 hours ago
Just found Ker in the storm. Wasn't exactly himself so please fuckin drop me a message when you get this so I know you're not fucked too

2 hours ago
Ker's safe at the house. Where you are though's a fuckin mystery. If you get this before I find ya I'm out looking for your millennial ass if ya couldn't tell

1 hour ago
If I find your gonk ass flatlined somewhere I'm gonna zero ya myself

1 hour ago
Fuck you Johnny

1 hour ago
Fuck if you're dead somewhere dunno what I'm gonna do

1 hour ago
How the fuck am I supposed to fill this fucking hole inside me if you're gone?

1 hour ago
I'm done losing people I care about

1 hour ago
Not gonna let you die you fuckin asshole

1 hour ago
Not that I know where the fuck you are and if this is what it feels like after Mikoshi... don't feel right. At all

1 hour ago
Probably shoulda told you this before I thought you might be dead. Again

5 minutes ago
So... you can fly now?

[The truth of the matter is simple: it’s not because he’s ignored V’s texts, or because he’s dead in a ditch somewhere, or some other worst-case scenario dredged up by the apocalyptic storm. It’s plain ol’ interference.

Proven by the fact that all these texts sweep into his device at once, an endless buzzing deluge that had Johnny scrolling to catch up.]

Jesus.

[Looks like V ran the gamut of emotions in the time he couldn’t get ahold of him. He can’t help it; a shard of guilt sticks in him because of it.]

Yeah, got wings now. You see me flying above the city or something?

Cool it, V. I’m fine. Didn’t get any of these texts until now. Need me to find you?

[ Apparently V's typing. ...for the next hour. But, eventually, there's a message. ]

No. I'm fine

[ As fine as a man who's had to be rescued from a storm he passed out in the middle of. But now that he's got his brain mostly working again - and he's safe at Nanba's - the relief he felt right before his face had a meeting with the sidewalk is back. ]

Saw you helping somebody

[God, seeing that little "..." is its own form of impatient torture, or like getting his hopes up and letting them down, again and again. He's about to reply with something like 'You finished writing Great Expectations yet?' when a reply finally comes through.

A reply that's almost eye-roll worthy, short and concise, and not really addressing anything. It's a very Johnny-like reply, and only he is allowed to make Johnny-like replies.]

Saw you go through an existential crisis in real time and that's all you gotta say? Yeah, I've been helping people. Where are you?

[ There's a choice in front of him and for a second, V doesn't know which option to go for. Ultimately it's the fact he doesn't want to lie to Johnny that wins out over his need to not be a source of worry. ]

You remember that guy who was complaining about the dating app being called Glittr? At his place

He dragged me out of the storm. Needed a little help that's all

[ Close enough to not lying and not being a burden. He'll take it. ]

Nanba? Ran into him during this whole mess.

[Will have to thank him later.]

You get hurt?

Yeah Nanba. Decent kinda choom. He's cooking something for me now...

And no I didn't get hurt

[ Technically... losing consciousness isn't getting hurt, exactly. Unless Johnny means after he got his ass rescued and that was a self-inflicted meeting between his palm and the party end of his own antlers like a gonk.

Moving on... ]

Sorry I blew up your phone

Yeah, nice guy. Afraid of heights, though.

Guess you were worrying a little too much. Of course, you’ve done well without me before; don’t need you feeling like panicking when/if I go missing someday.

Yeah? Won't invite him on one of my rooftop walks then

There was a before. Except now we're in the after

It's fine. Don't need to talk about it

[ Okay, maybe he's lying a little bit. ]

I'm gonna head back to the house when I'm done here to check on Ker. You heard from Jackie? No idea if you even met the other me yet. If ya find either of em let me know

Yeah, and this "after"? Not gonna last forever. Think I'm gonna return to Alt someday, whenever the hell we get back to Earth, and still get to keep this body?

[Maybe it's a little harsh, but reality doesn't beat around the bush for anyone. And Johnny worries about V; wonders how he'll cope when he's in the real world again, without him. Kerry had said he was making a name for himself, but Johnny knows there's usually a lot more buried beneath the surface of actions that can make the foundation liable to collapse at any moment.]

Think you're lying to me. But you wanna clam up? Fine. No, I didn't find Jackie in all this mess, but I did meet the guy on my first day here. Seems like he can take care of himself. Let you know if I run into him, though.

No. I know. And I'm going back home to die. I get it, don't gotta spell it out for me

And yeah I'm lying to you cuz there's a bunch of shit going on right now and meltdown or not people who ain't me need lookin after

[ He realizes he's being unfair, he just doesn't know what else to say. His brain feels like a mess. ]

I'm not like you

Is that even close to what the fuck I said?

[Putting words in his mouth (or text messages) is a surefire way to agitate him.]

What’s that supposed to mean?

No but that's the truth so why not just say it

Edited (You saw nothing >.>) 2021-03-01 16:36 (UTC)

Meaning that you’ve already given up? Glad to see all it takes is a few delayed texts to make you lose your fire.

Not to quote a dick but is that close to what the fuck I said?

Unless you're talking about from earlier and if it is I'm sorry I was worried about you you fuckin asshole

Could've been talking about earlier or just in general, what does it matter if you've taken up a mindset like that? The same as giving up.

[Maybe V doesn't remember it, but Johnny had told him to keep fighting. And even if he doesn't, he should know; he should know that he wants him to live on with the same fire he had burning inside of himself, once.

Fuckin' agitating.]

Don't get pissed at me for calling you out. Asshole.

How am I the asshole? Explain that to me cuz I don't get it

Fuck Johnny. I'm not saying I'm not happy you got free of me. Don't have to wait until you know you burned the roof of your own mouth with pizza. You can do whatever the fuck you like whenever you want and it's not fuckin possible for me to want anything more for ya

All I'm saying is it's not that easy for me. Used to be a whole person and now I'm not and I'm not giving up on anything but cut me some fuckin slack will ya

“And I'm going back home to die.” You gonna tell me that’s not the same as giving up?

Fuck, V. It’s just the reality — I’m not gonna be around forever. You think I don’t feel the same way? But it’s just something you’re gonna have to get used to, because you don’t got a damn choice.

No that's just fuckin reality too

Don't know how you feel cuz if you hadn't noticed not sharing the same brain anymore

Don't think I noticed? Don't think I got to deal with that same feeling every day too? I'm managing, V, because I got to. Because I'm pushing through and fighting, nevermind how shitty it feels.

Fuck you and your reality. I'm not answering the rest of these texts. Go take a daytime nap and sleep off your doom and gloom before getting back to me.

[ FINE!!! Maybe he'll do just that >[ ]

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text; un: nomad | during the storm

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shakes u again

XD

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