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

[nedofpies]

Yesterday. [ His answer may be terse, but he's really not all that ready to talk about it in any more detail. The whole thing is a little fresh in his mind ]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Sorry to hear that. Glad to hear you aren't letting these rumors get to you, though. And I assume that by now you've figured out what they mean by 'mint-in-the-box.'

[nedofpies]

[ It's pretty clear from the uncomfortable expression on Ned's face that yes, he gets it now. Don't mind if he just drops his head into his hands and mutters an earnest, pleading ] Can we please not talk about that?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Don't worry, I wasn't going to take it further than an explanation if you still needed one.

[Because that's not really a conversation he needs to have with anyone, and it would be rude, anyway. He pauses for a moment.]

You think anyone else is gonna come clean about whether these rumors are true or not? I mean, I know you think maybe they should, but will they?

[nedofpies]

[ Good. Ned mentally puts down a point in Meyer's favor, for being willing to clue him in but not making fun of him or insisting on the topic. Clearly he's a good man with good morals ]

I don't know. They might. [ He doesn't sound very hopeful, though. If there were a similar rumor about his powers and he hadn't been witnessed using them just the day before, he would have sworn up and down that it was complete nonsense and kept safe in the usual lies. ]

In my case... plenty of people already knew the truth. I'm just going on the record about it.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

In your case, then, it was probably a good choice.

Unfortunately, I get the feeling that we're all going to continue to be at least somewhat suspicious of each other, regardless of the veracity of these rumors.

[nedofpies]

As long as that suspicion doesn't escalate to violence any time in the near future, I think that's the best I can hope for. [ Because violence is definitely something that Ned is not okay with, in case that wasn't clear enough already. ]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I'll hope for that too, but I won't count on it. Suspicious people almost always get violent one way or another -- it's the nature of suspicion.

[nedofpies]

[ Ned knows he can't count on it, either. He's all too aware of that. ] You're right, of course. It's not an expectation, just.... a hope.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Sure. That makes sense. I hope you can convince some people over to that way of thinking.

[nedofpies]

I do, too.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Good luck.