sixth ( video ) day 67

[gleans]

[ 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. ]

Comments

[nedofpies]

[ Ned shrugs off the thanks with a small, vaguely embarrassed smile, which faces a few seconds after Galen mentions Jesse. Galen and Ned haven't really had a chance to speak, since he got back. Hadn't spoken while he was dead, either, though Ned knows that's mostly his own fault. He'd retreated into his own shell when he should have been helping out with Galen's grief. ]

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.

[gleans]

[ Galen licks his lips, peering at his plate as if the answer is written somewhere in the apple mush. It's hard to say, and he doesn't want to lie, but he doesn't want to make Ned feel any worse, either. ]

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.

[nedofpies]

[ Hahahaha yeah gosh, being dead, Ned can't possibly imagine that. Of course the circumstances had been different, the durations, but the parallel still strikes him. And he knows that it is probably unfair, given how forthright Galen has always been with him, but he can't really face the idea of telling him about what happened with Charles. Besides, how did one even start that conversation? Oh, hey Galen, I forgot to mention that I kinda sorta died a few days ago, only I came back to life so I figured it was no big deal and I didn't need to tell anyone. Oops? ]

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 ]