sixth ( video ) day 67
[ At the very least, Galen looks a good deal better than he did the last time he showed his face. He does look tired - when doesn't he? - and there's still a note of worry in his voice, when he speaks. For the most part, however, he manages to keep his slight panic down, nudging at his glasses nervously. ]
Hey, guys -- I don't wanna cause any more alarm, but... if you could keep an eye out for Kenzi, we -- all of us, we'd really appreciate it. She might not be gone, but I haven't -- uh, better to be sure, right? So -- Kenzi, early twenties, goth-lite, long black hair, super tiny, ridiculously friendly.
Thanks, guys. Stay safe.
[ And this is where a message to Bruce would go... IF HE WERE THERE TO PICK UP. ]
Hey, guys -- I don't wanna cause any more alarm, but... if you could keep an eye out for Kenzi, we -- all of us, we'd really appreciate it. She might not be gone, but I haven't -- uh, better to be sure, right? So -- Kenzi, early twenties, goth-lite, long black hair, super tiny, ridiculously friendly.
Thanks, guys. Stay safe.
[ And this is where a message to Bruce would go... IF HE WERE THERE TO PICK UP. ]
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River says she can't hear her anywhere in town. [ Galen will know who he means. ] She must be gone. A lot of people are.
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She might not be, though. [ He sits up straighter, knowing that it's logical to think she is, but not wanting to accept it. ] I mean -- they thought I was gone, too. I came back. So did Kobra and Stiles. [ And Bruce, but where he was was -- unsettling. ]
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[ But that sounds too good to be true, based on his experience. It's like consoling himself that someone who died has gone to heaven. All the wishing in the world isn't going to make it true or plausible or sufficient to cover up the hurt. ]
Or maybe she'll come back. [ In what kind of shape she'll come back, he doesn't know, but Galen is right. He'd disappeared and come back, and apparently so had others. Jesse had come back from the dead. It's not too much to hope for, and it's what is keeping him from falling to pieces over this the way he had when Jesse'd died. ]
How are you holding up? Does Jesse know?
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He's asleep right now. [ Galen shakes his head. ] I'm gonna tell him when he wakes up, I guess. Like he needs this on top of everything else. [ And on top of Bruce not answering, either. ]
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[ Ned sits down heavily and drops his face into his hands. He really did pick a terrible time and place to start caring about people. It's horrible, and there isn't a single thing he can do to make it better, for himself or for anyone. ]
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Galen briefly rubs at his own face before gently reaching to rest a hand on Ned's shoulder. The poor guy has only just gotten to know people, and they're disappearing or dying left and right. He has to wonder if that's worse than losing people you've spent a lot of time with.
With a sigh, he squeezes Ned's shoulder, voice quiet. ]
I'm really sorry, man. We just -- right now, we need to look out for Jesse and try to stay positive. We don't know that she'll be back, but -- we don't know that she won't, either, right? [ A beat. ] You alright?
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You don't have to worry about me. I'm just- [ He doesn't know words for what he is just. Just not used to getting attached to people? Just bad at dealing with when people are there and then they aren't, anymore? Just emotionally unstable and needy? Just unimportant? ] I'm just worried about you and Jesse. And Kenzi. [ Really, Galen. None of this is affecting him in any way. Can't you tell by his excellent poker face? ] You guys have been through enough already and you don't deserve any of it.
[ Galen is right though - he should stay positive. Or at least do his best to seem so. Not only for Jesse, but for Galen. He can't crack up and make this worse for the rest of them. ]
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[ And that makes him miss his bandmates even more. Forget the people here, for a second -- he misses the people back home, their company, their personalities, their ideas. Kenzi has been the closest thing he's had to any of them, and if she's gone -- fuck, his stomach twists at that. ]
So -- ah. [ Gotta get his voice back on track, hoo. ] Don't worry about it. Yeah?
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I made pie this morning. I... there was fruit from when I changed and so I thought I'd make some to celebrate Jesse being back. [ He knows that with the food situation what it is it was probably imprudent. He should be rationing ingredients more carefully, but he'd been so happy. So eager to seize the moment, everything getting back to some semblance of normal and bearable. And he'd kept thinking how excited Kenzi was going to be - she got so exuberant over things, after all. Now he has to resist the stupid, irrational urge to take the pies out of the fridge and throw them into the trash. ]
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Yeah? [ That just seems -- so nice. Once again, it occurs to him what a nice guy Ned is. ] Wouldn't want it to go to waste. We'll, um -- I'd love some. We can save her a piece, too. [ Because she's coming back. He's sure of it. ]
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[ So he gets to his feet, because Galen is sad and Galen asked for pie, and Ned can't make everyone safe, and he can't make everyone happy, but he can at least do that one small thing ] You want apple, or kiwi-lime?
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Shit, you made two? Dude, you're spoiling us. [ He legitimately sounds kind of excited; they haven't had anything freshly baked to eat in a long time, not counting the thrown-together pie when Ned first moved in. ] Apple's probably gonna be, uh, easier on my stomach, though. [ That's a little sheepish. He still feels like an idiot for drinking instead of acting like a goddamn adult. ]
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That's okay, Galen, Ned's going to be joining that club shortlyNed disappears into the kitchen for a moment. He cuts Kenzi's two pieces, first, puts them on a plate and wraps them tightly in saran wrap. He alters the message, slightly, but does scrawl carefully on the plastic: KENZI'S PIE, DO NOT EAT. After he's tucked that away in the back of the fridge, he brings Galen his slice of apple. ]I'd make them every day, if I could. [ Even if there's an abundance of fresh fruit at the moment, getting his hands on the rest of the ingredients had been a bit of an ordeal. But no- Ned doesn't want to think about that right now, doesn't want to wonder what they're going to do if all of it runs out, can't let his mind go there. ]
When we get out of here- [ He says when, not if ] You should look up my shop. See if you can find it. [ He knows, from what River and the Doctor and everyone else has been saying, that there's a good chance Galen won't be able to. Parallel universes, or something like that. But who knows. They're from roughly the same time, roughly the same versions of Earth, as far as he's been able to tell ] I'll give you free pie for the rest of your life. [ Yes, he really does mean that. It's silly, a silly dream, and he knows it won't come true, even as he's saying it. ]
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He cuts a bit of the delicious-looking off with his fork, smiles at the offer. ] Sweet. It's -- The Pie Hole, right? Which is fucking clever, by the way.
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-so suffice it to say I'm never gonna be able to hear Little Jack Horner the same again.
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Oh my god. [ Don't mind him, he's just trying to grin and get this mouthful down at the same time. It's nice to laugh
or in this case, cacklegiggle. ] That's one of the best naming stories I've ever heard. And this pie is fucking amazing, by the way.no subject
Oh, Galen, you have no ideaNed is glad that the story had the intended effect. Not the nearly choking of course, but the laugh. Laughter just might be the only way to keep sane, in their situation. And Galen's compliment coaxes a wider smile out of him, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he ducks his hand and rubs the back of his neck modestly. ] Thanks.no subject
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[ He knows it is never going to happen. Knows that even if they get out of here alive, they probably won't remember anything about it, the way Galen said he couldn't remember when they returned him home for a brief period. But it's still nice to pretend. ]
I can tell all the listeners the fascinating story of how we met and bonded through being captive lab rats in a seaside town full of unimaginable horrors! [ There's a cheerful sarcasm in his voice that isn't without a hint of bitterness ]
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Yeah, see, it'll be a hit. Let's make it happen.
[ Smiling, Galen scrapes at the remaining pie, quiet for a moment. ] ... Thanks, Ned. For, like, everything. Being there for Jesse, most of all.
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Is, he, um- [ Ned's voice dips as he pauses, reconsiders his wording. ] I mean I know he isn't great, obviously, but is he okay? [ He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, feeling half-guilty, as if it's some kind of betrayal of Jesse's trust to ask about him when he's not here, but Ned is concerned ] He was pretty... not okay, yesterday morning.
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He's -- y'know, better. Than he was yesterday. Still kinda jumpy, a little paranoid, but... [ He clears his throat. ] I think he's gonna be okay eventually. Just... what do you say to someone who was dead, y'know? We're supposed to -- like, keep each other upright, be each other's crutch, but I have no fucking idea how to help him.
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I don't know what you'd say, either. [ He'd fumbled that one pretty badly with Jesse, before. Way to go, talking about his corpse when he was so clearly terrified. ] ...If it were me who'd been murdered, I would want no surprises. Not even little things that might not seem like surprises to you. [ Ned bites his bottom lip. ] When he came back he seemed like maybe he was having a panic attack. Maybe I could talk to him about... about managing them. [ Ned doesn't want to ask Galen, after all, if Jesse's had to deal with panic attacks before. That would be prying too much. Still, the clear implication is that Ned has had to, enough to feel confident with explaining to someone else how to cope with them ]