001 { video } un: PRONGS

[heorot]

[ 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. ]

Comments

[sheriffing]

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?

[heorot]

[ 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.

[sheriffing]

[ 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?

[heorot]

[ 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?

[sheriffing]

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.]

[heorot]

[ 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.

[sheriffing]

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.|

[heorot]

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'~

[sheriffing]

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.

[heorot]

[ 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. ]

[sheriffing]

Probably embarrass myself.

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

I'm good at that.