005 | Day 127 | Accidental Video

[monticora]

[ The video feed crackles to life with a loud thud. The phone is at an odd angle and so far all it's picking up is two pairs of feet. Alec's familiar boots are in the frame as well as a pair of bare feet. Alec sucks in a deep breath off screen and then backs up from the second pair of feet. He sits on the bed and leans forward. It's plain to see that the interaction isn't really that friendly. He lifts his hands and puts his head into them as he listens to Rachel. ]

I'm honestly surprised they'd bother to even pull you into this. You've only ever helped yourself, Alec.

Not true. I tried to help you, Rachel. [ He lifts his head. Rachel's still standing so her upper half remains off camera still. ]

No. No you didn't. You warned me for your own selfish gain. Then you proceeded to blow me up.

I warned you because I loved you. You blew up because my handlers had a secondary trigger. They hurt you, Rachel.

Then you just left. You walk, talk, and act like a human, Alec. The truth of the matter is that you'll never be one.

I tried--

[ Alec moves off the bed quickly and makes his way to the thrown phone across the room. He scoops it up and goes to shove it in his pocket, but stops. It's recording. ] Shit. [ He starts to leave his quarters and then the feed is cut. ]

(ooc: Replies can come as Audio or Video, but Alec will be on the move while he answers them. Trying to stay away from his first ghost, Rachel, who he used to love. Replies can also be actiony.)

Comments

[animator]

I'm managing.

[She's not exactly having an easy time of it, either.]

Got a few unwelcome visitors of my own. It's going around.

[monticora]

Good? Bad? Ugly?

[ Small jokes until he can sort through the crap he's feeling. These aren't easy waters to navigate. Choppy and harsh. ]

Starting to think this place has less going for it if we're seeing dead people.

[animator]

All three. We'll call it a hat trick.

[Philip has been the worst of them. Her mother is a close second. She feels so much more for the latter, but the first-- Philip is the source of so much guilt, the reason for so many of the things she's done the past few years. Seeing him again makes her stomach clench.]

I'm not all that fond of labs or anything resembling a hospital, so I can't say I was in love with the place to begin with, but it makes sense that the higher-ups haven't stopped screwing with us just because we've been relocated, I guess. I'm not sure they're real ghosts. At least, they don't behave like any ghosts I've ever seen.

[monticora]

Ding, ding, ding. Winner. Winner. The hat trick of bullshit ghosts. What a good time.

[ Rachel is the source of most of Alec's guilt. A lot of guilt that he was exposed to early on and then robbed of. He hasn't had a chance to try to adjust and move on. He was never given the chance. Manticore robbed him of that. ]

What the hell are they then? Cause ghost kinda sounds about right given that they really can't touch me. They sure as hell can talk my goddamn ear off though.

[animator]

Crazy time of fun for the whole family.

[God. She just wants them to vanish. She feels the guilt profoundly enough when he's not here to remind her. Seeing him has made it so much worse.]

I'd say they were hallucinations, except other people can see them, too. Maybe there's something here that can see into our minds? See what would get under our skin and find a way to project it. Some vampires can read minds and use what they find to make their victims see things. It's not fun to be on the receiving end of.

[monticora]

I'd rather not include mine here if I can help it. They're a pretty fucked up bunch.

[ He was a genetic clone of Ben. He didn't need that kind of crazy here. Most of these people would be missing teeth and be dead. Balthazar would probably vaporize Ben's ass and then he'd be in trouble with Max. Ben is dead though. They don't have to worry. Unless Manticore decides to ever get creative. ]

You think something can see into our minds? I actually buy that. They had a couple of experiments similar to that in Manticore. They had a chick who could influence all your decisions. Manticore were some tricky bastards.

[animator]

I don't like mine much, either. How about neither one of us send out invitations, okay?

[She frowns, thoughtful.]

Sounds familiar. That kind of thing would be child's play to a master vampire. They all have different gifts, but head games seem to be standard across the board. Whatever's responsible here, it's definitely possible that they're getting a read on us somehow.

They know exactly which buttons to push.