Duplicity Inbox

[domainless]

Martin is away from the phone right now. Pleas leave a message and he'll get back to you.

Comments

[alwayskayaking]

I think I can make that work.

[domainless]

Cool. I'll bring snacks too.

[alwayskayaking]

See you soon.

[domainless]

Yeah, I'll be there.

[He shows up an hour or so later, with a case of beer and a bottle of some generic whiskey. It's probably not the time for nice alcohol.

He knocks at the door.]

[alwayskayaking]

[Tim looks like a mess when he opens the door for Martin. His hair clearly hasn't seen a comb, his shirt is half tucked and wrinkled, beard clearly hasn't been trimmed for the day, and that's nothing to say for the worried bags under his eyes or the way they probably appear slightly swollen and red. More than that he just looks defeated. Sasha sleeps on and there was nothing he could do.]

Hey, come on in. Make yourself at home. [He waves Martin in and towards their lounge where there is a comfortable looking sofa and a coffee table.] Unless... would you like to see her? She's just sleeping right now.

[domainless]

[He looks terrible. As bad as the worst days in the Archives. Maybe worse? Sadder, for sure. Sadness isn't as much use as fuel as anger, he supposes.]

I think- let's sit down for a bit? Do you want a drink?

[alwayskayaking]

Sure. I have a beer in the fridge. [If he had been alone he might have gone for tea. To keep his head clear and wits about him, but Martin was here now. Now he felt like he could have a beer and let Martin do the thinking for a little bit.] I have tea if you want to make yourself a cup.

[domainless]

Yeah, Yeah I'll make one.

[He goes to grab Tim a beer first, and brings it back with an empty glass and a glass of water, then goes to put on the kettle.]

Have you eaten anything recently?

[alwayskayaking]

[He looks from his beer to the glass. Pouring it seemed like so much work to pour it right now, but he finds the energy to be some what civil. Pouring the drink into the glass before taking a sip.] No, I was waking her up for breakfast. Or, well, I was trying to wake her up.

[domainless]

Okay. I'm going to make some... toast? Is toast okay? Or I could cook eggs if you have some?

[It is oh so easy to fall back into caretaking.]

[alwayskayaking]

Yeah, sure. [He vaguely waves towards the kitchen.] Bread should be on the counter and eggs in the fridge.

[domainless]

Right.

[He hesitates, not looking away from Tim for a moment before he sighs and goes to make some food. Eggs are easy food, quick to cook, quick to eat, easy to digest. He's made them a hundred times for mum before- It's familiar.

He brings out a plate a short while later and sets it in front of Tim.]

[alwayskayaking]

[By the time Martin returns with food, Tim has picked up the photo album on the coffee table. Flipping through photos of him and Sasha together. When she was awake instead of being cursed by the city to sleep without end.

He does at least glance up when Martin brings the food around. Setting the book aside to glance at the eggs that have been made just for him. He really didn't want to eat it, but it would be rude not to. After another brief pause he finally reaches for a plate with a soft: thanks. Taking a few unenthusiastic bites.]

[domainless]

[That's something at least. Food helps, he knows from experience. It doesn't fix things, but it dulls the grief and hurt, just a bit.

He gives a small smile and then goes to sit nearby, not touching but just there.]

[alwayskayaking]

[Slowly he chews on his a bite of food. Much longer than it should take to chew down a piece of egg and toast while he stares at the photobook he had set down.

Finally he swallows it down.] What-- what am I going to do? How am I supposed to help her if she wakes up remembering how it feels to die? Not even just die, but what that thing did to-- [His voice breaks and his brings up a shaking hand to cover his mouth for a second. When he speaks again its that with a hint of anger behind it.] What if she's not really dead? But... between that. How can I possibly help her if that happens?

[domainless]

You be there for her. Like I know you would be anyway. You touch her... or don't touch her depending on if she wants it. And you take photos and recordings together if it helps.

[alwayskayaking]

"I actually already do that." Setting his plate of food down, Tim stands up and moves towards their modest bookshelf. Picking up a journal from it and handing it over to Martin to look through if he wants to. It's filled to the brim with little entries all about his memories of Sasha. A few photographs are taped into the pages as well. "I suppose... maybe we can read this together. If she wants to."

Tim glances down the hall where their bedrooms are located. Shifting on his feet a couple times before he finally asks. "Did you want to see her?"

[domainless]

Martin takes the book and he smiles as he looks at it, the photos and the writing. "Yeah, might be a good idea. It's- it's grounding."

He hesitates for a moment before his next suggestion. "If you're worried about- the Not-Them, tape recordings and film photographs seem to be a bit more reliable."

Better than digital at least.

"I- I'm alright I think. I- I've spent a lot of time at bed-sides and- I don't want to intrude."

[alwayskayaking]

"I am a little. The men who fixed my memories before aren't here anymore. I don't want to forget her ever again." Although he chuckles a little. "Film and tape recordings, huh? Is that why only some of the statements would record digitally and others wouldn't?"

[domainless]

"Yeah, I mean, I think so? Maybe the entities just don't like the retro aesthetic?"

It's not really that funny though, is it? Not when he'd heard Jon obsessively listen to those tapes from before things went bad over and over again.

"Jon killed it, you know? The thing that took her."

[alwayskayaking]

"Yeah. I've been told." Although it was still so strange to him. Something he can't picture that had taken over his memories of his friend. These are things that he's told, but he feels so disconnected from it at the same time. "I hope it suffered."

[domainless]

"It did," Martin says, with some venom in his voice. "I know it did. It screamed."

[alwayskayaking]

"Good." His voice is dark. Full of anger. "Sasha was the best of us. It deserved to suffer." Now he sounds a bit more like the Tim who was ready to go head to head with the Unknowning and willing to give up anything to stop it.

[domainless]

"Yeah. Yeah it did," Martin agrees. That had been personal in a way the others hadn't been. Well, Jude Perry had been personal for Jon, and that made it personal to Martin, but the Not-Them had broken so much between them all. "Lots of people... creatures, deserve that."

[alwayskayaking]

"I wish I could have seen it. Wish I could have heard it's dying screams."