elnysa | 001 { video } un: PRONGS

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001 { video } un: PRONGS

[ thankfully enough, james somehow managed not to hit send on the impressively awful posts he had started to type up/has been typing up for the better portion of about three hours. something to also note: this typing and not sending has all been happening while nursing a couple of bottles of alcohol, all of which can kind of be seen floating a bit awkwardly in the background when the video finally comes to life.

in the foreground, though, is james, looking tired and a bit of a mess. his words are slurred when he speaks, his movements carrying that fluid weight that is telling (if the slurring already wasn’t) to just how much alcohol he’s been consuming. and while he’s not holding a bottle in the video, he does seem to look right off the screen for a longer moment than necessary, as if he’s trying to decide if it’s worth reaching, but decides against it. ]

We’re-all foockin’ cursed, ‘ren’t we? [ his words trip over themselves, stumbling and rolling to a stop. the worst part is that james seems to notice and pause. then he blinks, and then another, before he seems to focus back on the camera. ] Like- you ever think maybe we shouldn’ta been woken up in the first place? Mayb’ none of us shoulda been. ‘Cause have you noticed how many are gettin’ sent back? ‘hoo just are here an' then aren’t? I’ve had- [ his face drops for a second, out of the drunken anger/annoyance/general upset demeanor to something darker, something pained.

but then he takes a breath, and the look fades. ]

Doesn’ matter. But ‘as anyone noticed? That somethin’s off? There’s gotta be something, right? A show, clue, whatev’r? There ‘as the sic’ness an' all, an' the pilotin’ instead of the transport, but-

[ he stops, his eyes going a bit wide for half a moment as he looks off the screen. was that a burp? or...yeah, let’s not go there. he takes the second, but then reaches down next to where he’s sitting and pulls up his wand, reaching to grab one of the hovering bottles and tapping it with the end of his wand. in a matter of seconds, the bottle refills with a dark brown liquid.

james hiccups, then takes a swig from the bottle. ]

Oh, also- [ he sways a second where he sits, before turning back to the camera. ] 'nyone want whiskey? Rations are short an' all that but I’ve got. [ he grins, waving his wand and bottle to the camera. sorry olympia. should he have mentioned that before? ] Jus lemme know.

[ and then the feed cuts. ]

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[ the scene in front of her is exactly what's stopped Emma from spending too much time in the taverns. she can't say the possibility of drowning her sorrows hasn't tempted her since arrival, but she doesn't want to be as openly vulnerable or miserable as the guy on the screen. it's hard to hear him and not feel like she should say something, because he's right, it does feel like a curse.

and Emma's been through enough curses to know that this fits. what she hasn't suffered (at least not yet) is someone waking from stasis and going back under. she wonders what would be worse, getting back someone she cares about just to be separated from them again, or never seeing anyone she loves until they're ready to wake up and stay up.]

I don't think you're supposed to mix alcohol with magic.

[ since this is about the best it could probably go, and she'll give him credit for that.]

But if you're going to do it, at least you went with whiskey.

[ as much as he probably needs to hear it, that might be the actual last thing james wants to hear right now. not only has he lost people, he's lost important people. his wife, his two best friend, and even the only other person from his home work who he'd spoken to enough times. now there's just him. just him. and it's a a new kind of hell that he doesn't want to talk about.

so instead, he'll drink. and ask questions that he's honestly convinced people should have been asking since they got here, and he definitely. won't be thinking about how he feels three large, overwhelming holes start to fill his chest.

so instead, he snorts. takes another drink. a long swig that lasts for a second or two too long. ]

Don' think you're suppos'ta mix alcohol with anything, honestly. It's why I got it straight.

[ because he is a shit. that's really all there is to it. but then she'll comment on the whiskey and he'll laugh, too loud and a bit of a bark. ]

'course it's whiskey. What else would I get?

[ just him sounds like the same kind of hell that Emma's been living in since she arrived. her son, her parents, her friends; all of them are sleeping. she's the only one awake, so she doesn't get be as drunk as the poor guy on her screen. they'd expect better and that means she needs to be better, even if she doesn't like it.

maybe she wouldn't feel the same way if she was in his shoes, chasing some hollow comfort at the bottom of a glass. she's sober and painfully, personally aware of how he hurts. it means she can't really ignore what he's going through, no matter how close to home it hits.]

I don't know, I guess it depends on what sort of drunk you are.

[ Emma's always known how to hold her alcohol, but she knows she didn't get it from her mother because Mary Margaret is a one-drink wonder. any drink, not just the strong ones.]

Did anyone take you up on your offer yet?

[ translation: is anyone with you?]

[ james is young, and in pain, and dealing with more than he wants to be dealing with on any level. and while he probably also knows that this isn't what he should be doing, he also doesn't fucking care.

he's leaning dangerously to not wanting to be awake at all, either, but that's the feeling he's trying to drink away, isn't it? ]

'm a great drunk. [ obviously. but if she's asking, it's not his first time around a bottle. maybe around a bottle like this, but those are just. details.

and at the question, he waves the bottle a bit in front of the camera, giving her a grin. ] Nope. Unless you wanna.

Yeah, I'm getting that.

[ a great drunk, greatly drunk - same difference. it doesn't surprise her that he'd turn to drinking to cope with this place; she might not know the guy, but she knows people. she used to throw Leroy in the drunk tank for nearly the same thing.]

If you're sharing, I'm in.

[ maybe not in the way he thinks, but if he's going to get blackout drunk, he needs someone with him. that he doesn't have another person right now feels like it's the cause of all of this, and she's known that feeling for most of her life.]

I'm Emma, by the way. What's your name?

[ he's got a feeling that she's not necessarily in it for the same reasons that he is, but james is also not a great alone-person. and he misses....people. people being around, even if he doesn't know them (yet), would be better than where he currently is.

so she offers, and james watches the camera for a moment, watches her for a moment. almost like he's trying to decide if he wants to trust her or not. but then he just lets out a sigh, smiles lightly, and shakes his head. ]

You're welcome t' join. [ he waves the bottle once again, before leaning back and settling against a wall he's sitting up against. ] An' 'm James.

[ she might not be in it for the same reasons, but she has reasons; plenty of them. reasons like this guy reminding her too much of herself right now, left with magic and loneliness and little else. she used to be a great alone person, but that was before she knew what it was like to have people who cared about her. it's a struggle, figuring out if she's the same person without them, but she'd like to think she is.

she's not so far gone that she doesn't care about someone else's suffering, no matter how constant her own is.] James. Nice to meet you, even if the circumstances suck.

[ there has to be a better way to make new friends than drunken introductions after the destruction of their worlds.]

Where are you?

[ reasons or not, james will most likely regret this in the morning. in one part, for the killer headache he will be nursing with no one to complain to. but in more parts, for the way he has let it slip in these conversations. the silences in between, when the facade slips up, when he's feeling it slip through.

she says even if the circumstances suck and the snort james gives is harsher than it really needs to be. sharper around the edges. he sits back wherever it is he's settled, his head tilting off to the side in thought as he watches her, suddenly curious about this new friend. suddenly paranoid that he knows the reason she's coming to see him. ]

'lympia. [ which may or may not make things difficult. he's not sure yet. ] You in Wyver?

Not anymore, I started out there.

[ it seems like all of them did this time around. the cleanup effort in Olympia seemed like a place where she could at least find something to do with herself, so here she is.]

I'm in Olympia. Give me specifics, I'll come to you.

[ wouldn't want him to leave all that alcohol unattended, right? or maybe she thinks he's safer where he is. it's probably not that, right? she wouldn't admit it was that to a guy this miserable.]

[ james' fake scrunches, thinking about wyver. about the forests and jungle and the sickness that drove them all there. he didn't quite have any connection to olympia either, beyond eggsy asking him to follow, and james not even hesitating to say yes. ]

It's- uh- [ and he blinks, trying to think of the address. to try and figure out how to describe the small apartment he's been holed up in for the last couple of days.

but then he sits up, a bit too suddenly, and starts punching buttons on the device. eventually, emma will get a ping - coordinates, if she wants to follow them. ] There.

This isn't far.

[ she's a little surprised that he gave it up. seems like he's looking for more company than a bottle of liquor can provide, and Emma doesn't blame him for that. loneliness is its own curse, he wasn't so far off in his original assessment.]

Save some for me, I'll see you soon.

[ also? please try not to pass out before she gets there.|

What's not fair?

[ because he's not following, but that probably has more to do with the drinking than anything else.

because he is lonely. down to his core. he's got eggsy, and eggsy's really the only reason he hasn't gone completely insane, but james can't be solely dependent on eggsy when he has his own issues to worry about. ]

I'll be waitin'~

Far. We can't talk about what's not fair, the conversation would never end.

[ and if she has her way, it won't. she can keep her device on and head out in the direction of these coordinates. it keeps her from worrying that he's going to magic himself into a bottle of alcohol.]

You don't know where I am, you don't have much of a choice in that.

[ james makes something of a pfffft noise as soon as emma starts talking about things being fair. he is not at a point to start talking philosophy, thanks though. ]

What’re you gonna do if I pass out before you get here?

[ he of course means sleep, not actually passing out passing out. ]

Probably embarrass myself.

[ because pass out could mean something worse than sleeping, and yeah - she's a little concerned.]

I'm good at that.

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001 { video } un: PRONGS

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