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

[gleans]

Eh, I'll take it. It's no worse than Kenzi calling me Squishy.

[nedofpies]

'Squishy'? [There's a note of amused disbelief in Ned's voice. ] There a story behind that name?

[gleans]

Um -- sorta. [ Smiling a little embarrassedly, he rubs at an eye under his glasses. ] I got into a scuffle on my first day here, wound up with a black eye, the name kinda stuck. Especially along with the whole 'you're too nice to be a rockstar' thing, I dunno, man.

[nedofpies]

... but how did she get the nickname 'Squishy' from a black eye? It's not like she calls you Shiner or, I don't know, The Panda. [ Ned wonders what seemingly-unrelated nickname he might unintentionally acquire if he told Kenzi that he'd managed to get himself fractured ribs and a concussion on his second day. Luckily, he's been doing pretty well hiding the fact that all that happened from everyone except Bruce, River, and of course Erik and Charles ]

[onteamdyson]

Why, my dear, dear, Ned. I am so glad you asked. It seems our friend's memory of these incredibly exciting events is a little hazy. Luckily, I got two first-hand reports of incident and am way the heck more qualified to tell the story than Squishy is.

P.S. you guys need to learn to encrypt your chats! So, do you wanna hear what really happened? [Look at this most devious of smiles. This is way more productive than trying to rip up all those stupid fliers made of lies and stupid.]

[nedofpies]

[ Ned thinks that Kenzi deserves some kind of medal for treating him with the exact same friendly light-heartedness as when she'd first met him, especially after his whole confession. He wonders if she might be something other than just human - it seems to be quite common, in these parts. But that's a chat for another day. For now, he's more than happy to go with the flow and lean forward to say, in a voice that is downright gossipy: ]

I'm all ears.

[onteamdyson]

I was hoping you'd say that. [The smile somehow manages to get even brighter! Ned's confession doesn't bother her because Bo can essentially do the same thing in a pinch. Fae shit is way the hell weirder than anything Ned could possibly do. Not that she's going to talk about any of that just yet, it's story time!]

Okay, so Galen gets here and we're hanging out and everything is awesome and then I go home and he has a run in with my other bff, Kobra Kid. It toes wasn't a scuffle. Pretty sure getting knocked out with one punch doesn't count as a scuffle, right, Squishy? It's more of a wham, bam, thank you ma'am situation. Anyway. He's unconscious because Kobra is a total BAMF but lacking in the common sense department! Kobra punched Galen because he thought Galen was his brother-- [Oh shiiiiit. The smile slips a little, but she keeps going.]

Basically it was a case of mistaken identity but the fact that my poor little Squishy got knocked the hell out and I had to deal with the whole getting mugged situation while he stayed home is the important part. I kind of forced him to move in with me after that so I could protect him. See why his being too nice for his own good is a bad thing? He's just soft and squishy! But that's also why he's the best.

[gleans]

I hate you so much. [ HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH BUT HE HATES YOU RIGHT NOW. But hey, he's grinning. ] At least I looked like a badass with the black eye. I'm sorry if this, like, shatters your rugged image of me, Ned. [ What rugged image? He's joking. ]

[nedofpies]

[ Ned listens along, glad to hear the full story and that Galen's indignation seems to be of the affectionate sort. He wouldn't want to actually be involved in any kind of fight between the two; they seem like such good friends. ]

As far as I'm concerned, rugged is overrated. But it's good that guys like you and me have a knight in shining armor like Kenzi to watch our backs.