Ned § Video 01 § Day 57

[nedofpies]

[ The video feed switches on upon Ned's determined face. It's his first video communication; he hasn't been using the network much, but this is an important community matter. ]

Does anyone know who is responsible for these? [ Ned waves a copy of that mysterious flyer which has popped up around town so suddenly. He turns the camera back to his own face, talking directly to his fellow captives. ]

Whoever it is, it seems to me like they are trying to sow the seeds of doubt and turn us on one another. Make us so suspicious of one another so we can't work together. Which makes me think it might have come from the people who are keeping us here. And it makes me think that we're starting to worry them. [ There is an edge of anger to his voice, beneath the surface, if you listen closely enough. ]

But I think they're underestimating us. Gossip? Really? [ He half-laughs and shakes his head in amused disbelief. ] We're all grown-ups here. We aren't going to be- to be manipulated by some anonymous bullies. [ The spite in the way he delivers that last word makes it sound as if he's had some experience with bullies. ] We just need to trust one another, and not let this nonsense come between us. Part of that is... coming clean.

So. Me first. [ Ned swallows, takes a moment to collect his courage. It's a big thing to confess, even if plenty of people already know about it. For all his big talk, honesty is against Ned's very nature. But this isn't exactly a normal place, and at this point, owning up is just a part of damage control. ]

...It's true. I brought someone back to life. [ He exhales, half in relief. It's done, now. No going back. ] It's not like that was a secret. It happened in broad daylight and there were like, a dozen witnesses, so this- [ He brandishes the paper again ] is not exactly an exposé, is it? As for being 'mint-in-the-box', well, I don't even know what that means, so I can't say if I am one way or another.

Comments

[manofiron]

Thank me for what? Injecting sense into a situation that seemed to be lacking it? You don't have to thank me. That's what I do.

[ He gets it, though. He really does. Even if he likes to brush everything off and pretend that nothing matters, he knows that it does. ]

I get it. I do. I've spent my entire life in the public eye. Everything I've ever done, every mistake I ever made, the world found out about it before I did half the time. It's life or death for me, too.

[ He taps a finger against his chest for a second, then continues. ]

But here's the thing. They only have power over you if you give it to them. Act like it doesn't matter, even when it does, and eventually, it won't. And they won't be able to hurt you anymore.

[nedofpies]

[ Ned listens with interest as Tony speaks. His whole life in the spotlight? Must be some kind of celebrity, public figure, that kind of thing. Interesting. He had had that kind of gravitas, the day before, when he waltzed in and started bossing around an angry, gruff guy with a gun. It makes sense to Ned. A life in the limelight like that sounds excruciating to Ned, given his own predisposition towards the safety of secrecy. He'd resented and hated the amount of surveillance at boarding school - how much worse must things have always been for Tony, if what he's saying is true? ]

[ He notes the chest-tapping gesture, remembers Tony doing that the day before, too. Clearly it is significant, but Ned doesn't know how to politely ask what it means. Ned doesn't really get Tony, yet, thinks that being inquisitive will put him off or make him angry. ]

I don't agree with that. [ Ned says it quietly, but he says it. He avoids conflict as a general rule, and he really doesn't want to seem ungrateful to Tony. But at the same time, what Tony's saying sits so badly with Ned that he has to say something. He doesn't look into the communicator as he does it, body language practically screaming discomfort and hesitation ] I don't think that's how power works at all. It's not something you can get just by... wanting it enough.

[ Ned has had plenty of experience being powerless in his life. Powerless because of his power, powerless for other reasons. He knows the ins and outs of it. Even so, he is surprised by the intensity of his reaction right now, until it occurs to him why he's taking that bit of well-intentioned advice so badly. ]

Yesterday. When that guy started accusing Laura of stealing all the food for herself, she acted like it was okay. Like it didn't matter what he thought. And- and then he shot her where she was standing. [ Ned's not a superhero; for all that he's seen plenty of death, that degree and proximity of violence is new to him, and it shows. ] So I guess I don't buy the idea that just acting like you're in control means you're in control, when there are people around with guns who know you're different and might decide you're dangerous.

[manofiron]

[ It isn’t often that Tony talks about his past experiences. Not the bad ones, and certainly not with people he doesn’t know and doesn’t trust. He’s gone out on a limb here with Ned, at least to his mind, and has opened up about something he doesn’t enjoy discussing.

To have it so quickly rebuffed is like a slap in the face, and what effort he’s making to reach out disappears. It’s not the first time their opinions have clashed, he remembers their meeting over the dead shooter, and he realizes now that it won’t be their last.

And Tony, regrettably, has a rather short fuse. ]

Hey, you know what, what do I know? Whatever.

[ There’s no friendliness in his voice anymore, but there’s no malice either. There isn’t anything. It’s the kind of tone he uses with all of the other nameless, faceless people that flow through his life like water, there one second and gone in a flash. ]

Suit yourself.

[ Without another word, he terminates the connection. ]