doesitanyway | [ MEADOWLARK ] IC Inbox

Yeah. Me too.

[ He doesn't want to talk about what came next. How the deaths kept stacking up, one failed cause after another. How they switched over to merc jobs because at least nobody was pretending they were righteous. And how even then they had tried one final time to decent human beings, to make a different. Do the right fucking thing. How that went wrong like everything else.

Ephemera runs a hand through his hair. Shakes his head. ]

I don't know if I can do causes anymore. But I'm trying to just...be around other people. Not going about it alone.

[ Trevor hums agreement low in his throat -- he has the opposite problem, he thinks, he isn't functioning without a cause, but the sentiment makes sense. The burnout, the disillusionment.

He tries to lighten the mood a little, if only to stop himself from reaching for the bottle again. ]

I'd ask if you were curating the people you're trying to be around, but.

[ He gestures to himself. ]

Terrible taste, really.

[ Ephemera huffs, giving Trevor a little smile. ]

Not really. I don't have a lot of friends. Think you're one of my better ones.

[ Trevor doesn't smile back right away. He blinks, looking almost shocked, then bursts out in laughter. He's drunk, of course, but it's still an odd response. ]

You know, no one has ever called me their friend before.

[ Ephemera tips his head to the side. ]

Really? No one?

[ He remembers the pull from the empathy bond. It goes both ways. And he remembers the feeling of loneliness. ]

You are my friend.

Hmm, I had only my family, then no one, and then... no. Not in so many words.

[ He wouldn't call Alucard a friend, and Sypha is certainly something but he's not sure what. Trevor isn't the best at understanding his own emotions, to say the least.

Ephemera says it in so many words, and Trevor smiles faintly. ]

And you're mine.

It almost feels righteous, being alone.

[ His voice goes distant for a moment, though Ephemera shakes it off. He's drinking, possibly drunk, but not lost. Not yet. ]

Like that's how it's meant to be. But I'm remembering now. What it feels like to be around other people. To....have people. Friends.

It feels good.

[ It doesn't hurt. ]

...it does feel like that's how it's meant to be. Like I'm meant to lose everything, over and over.

[ It keeps happening, anyway. And yup, he's drunk. He sighs. ]

You're not allowed to go anywhere.

[ Ephemera tips his head to the side. His expression is somber. Perhaps he really is drunk. It snuck up on him. ]

You're not, either.

I'd say you should just come with me whenever we figure out how to escape this prison, but the past isn't exactly rolling in luxuries.

Actually. When people disappear from here, is it assumed they go back where they came from, or..?

Wouldn't recommend coming with me to the future. It's a shitshow.

[ Funny how that works. Ephemera considers that for a moment, then shrugs. ]

I heard people come back sometimes. Either they remember being here or they don't.

[ He wonders where Ginia went back to. If he'll ever see her again. ]

[ Trevor quirks an eyebrow. ]

Both those statements are less than encouraging... well, you'd be welcome in the past if you want to brave it.

[ He shrugs again. ]

Think most places are a shit show, unless you've got people.

[ He blinks, refocusing. ]

Why'd you ask? About people going back.

Mm... ah, I thought you might have asked around, when your roommate vanished.

[ Oh. Ephemera goes quiet for a moment. ]

I did. There weren't a lot of answers.

I'm sorry to bring it up.

It is what it is. She's tough, she's trained up. She'll find a way through, wherever she ends up.

[ It never sounded like she had much waiting back home for her except bad memories, but she'll have a chance. That's enough for a starting point, isn't it? ]

Miss her, though.

I liked her too. She was very interested in my whip. And made the Safehouse a bit more comfortable.

She did. She had a way of....doing things, for other people.

[ Ephemera tips his head back, searching for the right words. ]

Helping.

There does seem to be a group that's taken up the mantle of Safehouse Improvement, at least. One fellow comes by with snacks.

[ Little does he know he means Ephemera's new roommate. ]

Yeah. [ He smiles a little. ] I'm trying something. Running errands for the newbies, when they're stuck inside. Most of them just want food.

I don't know. Feels good. It's something I can do, at least.

That's thoughtful -- I've offered the same, actually. Except this one fellow asked me for a computer and that went off the rails.

[ Ephemera raises his eyebrow. ]

Off the rails how?

Well I didn't know what one was...

Ah.

[ Another one of those future things. ]

Must be weird. Trying to figure out a new context for everything. At least I know what most of the tech around here does.

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