IC Contact

[foundafamily]

 Here's where your character can contact Firo if need be. Please specify the game; the date (or general time); and whether the meeting is action, voice, video, text, etc. 

Comments

[circumitus]

Other than being buried alive by mine, yours decided to pay me a little visit.

[Just so you know. Rey would like to know how many people's shit her dead ringer fucked as well.]

[foundafamily]

Wh--Are you serious?

[Why? But that's not the question to ask.]

I--are you okay?! Listen, I'll be over there right now--

[His voice fades a little as he starts moving; there's the sound of him wrenching his door open.]

-> [action]

[circumitus]

You don't--

[Oh, okay. This is happening now. Okay.

[Rey opens the door before Firo even has the chance to knock.]

Want to come inside? [So this is less awkward than it already is.]

[foundafamily]

[Of course, there's nothing Firo can do now. But moving gives him the illusion of doing something--that, and part of him won't believe that his friend's okay until he sees it.

He doesn't even say hello when she opens the door, and he doesn't seem to have even heard her question. His mouth is moving while his eyes scan her up and down.]

What happened? Are you okay? Tell me honestly!

[circumitus]

[On the surface, Rey appears to be fine. The picture of perfect health, bearing no recent physical injuries that haven't already healed. Her other health... That's a different story.]

Calm down. I'm fine. [She lifts both hands as she tells him this.] It wasn't anything that I couldn't handle.

[Even if his counterpart possessed the same level of immortality as the real Firo does. No big deal.]

[foundafamily]

[He watches her a moment longer, checking for any evidence that might cast doubt on her claim.

Then he bows his head.]

I know an apology won't change anything, but whatever happened, I'm sorry. You had to deal with something that should've been my problem, and there's no excuse for that.

[circumitus]

[While she can understand that sentiment, Rey also bites her thumb at it.

[(No I don't mean she ACTUALLY bites her thumb it's Shakespearean shut up.)]

Are you shitting me? Firo, it would have gone after you eventually, but if I hadn't stopped it then that thing would have gone to hurt other people you care about before even trying to deal with you.

[She has no proof of this, but that's what she can assume based on her interaction with Firo's lesser half.

[Huff.] No one had any control over what those shitbirds did. Mine buried me and then blew up the Guard HQ. I think getting away with a few scrapes and bruises from yours is a forgivable offense.

[foundafamily]

[He's frowning when he raises his head to look at her. Great. Not only has he let his friend down, she apparently thinks he's do useless that his own evil clone couldn't be bothered with him.

Maybe she's right.

As he sighs, his hands slip into his pockets; his posture doesn't so much relax as sag.]

That's exactly what I mean. It's supposed to be my problem--you shouldn't have had to deal with that on top of everything else.

What'd you say about being buried? Did you die?

[circumitus]

[The irony is that she would have felt that way in Firo's place. In fact, it occurs to her then that he has:] Hey, you took care of IV, remember? You'd have done the same for me.

[Consider it a debt repaid. Of course, it's hardly a debt when it's friends and family.

[She shakes her head.]

No, I didn't die. Nick and Sharon dug me up before I ran out of air.

[Not that Rey didn't have the means of ending it sooner. Spare herself the long hours of suffering. Her doppelgänger made sure she has at least that. She just didn't want to give it the satisfaction.]

[foundafamily]

[He shrugs. That was a little different, but... no need to press right now.

Really, what's important is that Rey got out safe.]

That's good. And then what happened to the other you?

[circumitus]

[Same difference to Rey, though!]

Oh. Just killed it.

[There's such nonchalance in the way she says it, she might as well have just told him that she baked a cake instead.]

[foundafamily]

[Well, what else would you do?]

So it's not gonna be causing trouble for you anymore.

[He smiles. That's good to know.

...And while he's standing there, relatively glad with the world, he realizes that he doesn't exactly have much of a reason to be here. He slouches down and rubs the back of his neck.]

Um... Sorry I came over here. I just--

[He had to make sure she was okay, didn't he?]

[circumitus]

It wouldn't be, since all the little fuckers spawned from the incident are well passed their warranty dates now.

[Honestly, Rey doesn't even register the awkwardness until he apologizes, and even then she is met with some confusion.]

What? No, it's fine. Don't want you to think you need a reason to ever come over here. [Or whatever.]

[foundafamily]

[Firo raises one eyebrow at her remark. He is aware, of course, that the trouble doesn't seem to be going on--he just hadn't realized that there was a definite end to it all instead of a bunch of people managing to wipe out the doubles.

Either way, it doesn't matter anymore. Half of his mouth quirks up at her last words.]

I can't tell if that's sarcasm or not. You better be careful or I might take you up on that.

[circumitus]

Wow, that almost sounds like a thinly veiled threat.

[Can't you see how concerned she is right now? So concerned she's shrugging like she gives a damn -- which she doesn't. What a world.]

Seriously, though. So long as you're not here to kill any fish, you're welcome anytime. Muscovy already helped himself in a few times.

[Hrk.] Or, well. Guess he's "Russia" now.

[You know about that, right, Firo? Awkward.]

[foundafamily]

[The topic change immediately gets Firo's attention.]

What's up with that, huh? He said he was back there for centuries, but... it's still weird to see him changed so much.

[Firo presses his palm to his forehead. He's a little jealous of the kid, even.]

[circumitus]

Appearances aside, it doesn't seem like he's changed that much.

[He still acts like Muscovy, and even talks the same way Muscovy did. At least he still remembers who they are, because Rey doesn't trust herself to try and rebuild whatever it is they had.]

When I went back home, it was for a few weeks, even though I don't think I lost any time here at all. Heard others have had similar experiences. Just... not to that extent.

Guess that means there's no limit to how much time someone can be "gone".

[foundafamily]

That's true. It's the same kid on the inside.

[His fond grin fades into a look of contemplation.]

Seems weird, doesn't it? You could go back, live your life for who knows how long, and then get pulled back here. They really don't wanna let us go, huh?

[Rhetorical, of course. Obviously the gods won't let their food be taken out of their mouths.]

[circumitus]

Going by the logic of our world... Sure, it's plenty weird.

But after being here for so long, I can't say that I'm at all surprised anymore.

[Okay, maybe she's a little surprised, as she was back then. Rey has known people to leave only to return as if no time has passed at all. Even happened to her. It's just that Muscovy was gone long enough to actually... grow.]

[foundafamily]

It's like when you think you've gotten away with something and then they collar you when you least expect it.

[He pauses in the middle of carding his fingers through his hair.]

But I guess he didn't seem too sad about being back. Come to think of it, you still wanted to stay here, didn't you?

[circumitus]

[Rey falls quiet for a moment, before she nods in confirmation.]

I do. Even if it isn't necessarily here, it's... hard to think about going back sometimes, for good. Hard to think of having much of a future there.

[Which is something she has always had trouble thinking about -- a future that she is a part of. She always figured that it would be better without her in it, for everyone.

[Now, the possibility is almost scary.]

[foundafamily]

For now you've got the present where you're stuck with us. Worry about getting through that, not the future.

[He smiles at his own joke, but his expression soon turns thoughtful. He's not much one for touchy-feely conversations, but there is a practical approach to this.]

Isn't there something you want? From the future, I mean.

[He'd never expected much of one, but he did have a goal, even as a child. Maybe Rey just needs to watch more moving pictures.]

[circumitus]

[If Rey had to be perfectly honest about that, she'd have to say she never thought too much about the present either. Not in the broade sense, that is, because there is still a future to think about in the now.

[But she tries to keep up with Firo's line of thinking as well.

[...By shrugging like she has no idea.]

I... don't know. Always just tried not to think about it. Doubt I'd ever know.

[foundafamily]

You could know now. It's not something you find out--it's something you pick. What sounds fun?

[He folds his arms, ready to wait.]

[circumitus]

Don't know.

[Okay, starting to sound like a broken record here.]

Things are fine as they are here, I guess? I, um. Never had anything like a family before -- a real one, that is -- except for my brother. [Because her father doesn't count, does he? They didn't really have a familial relationship, and Rey knew how deep his emotional disconnect went. In a sad way, Nick is more human than the man who created her.]