Voicemail 2.0

[goddamngrenades]

You have reached the voice mail system of Officer Taylor Murray.

When you are finished recording, just hang up or press pound for more options.

To request a locksmith or report a crime, press one.

To hear these options in Spanish, press dos.

To send a verbal confirmation of a written command, press three.

To send a written confirmation of a verbal command, press four.

For delivery options, press five.

To page this person, press six.

To locate your nearest operator, press seven.

To leave a call back number, press eight.

To repeat this message, press nine.

Press zero for other options.

To mark this message as urgent, press eleven.

Thank you for calling, have a nice day.

BEEP


Comments

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

"Okay." He squeezes back, just a little, enough to acknowledge the comfort, before slipping away, a little distracted. A little numb. Make himself somewhat presentable, go digging for information. A job, a duty, something to focus on.

Elena is on the network with a very important announcement to make, and things begin falling into frightening place. How much should be trusted? He can't be sure, but sitting around doing nothing isn't going to help, either. Aggression, ha, well, that certainly was an aggressive display, wasn't it? Lost time--even just a minute of it, a complete blank where he lost himself, the evidence foreign. He's a danger to himself and everyone around him. Even his boyfriend.

Re: Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"Malcolm..." There's more he should be saying but- he's got calls to make. Sitter for Duke. Service to clean the kitchen. A note to set aside money to fix the oven and the fridge. Mal slipping out of his fingers and he doen'st know what he needs to do to fix this.

But it needs fixing.

"You ready?" He's- got his shoes and his coat and he's scrubbed the worst of the blood of his face.

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

No, that's worse, somehow. Like erasing what he did. He'd like to reach out, to soothe it away--but doesn't. There isn't anything he can do.

It's old clothes he wears. Well, 'old', more like casual, comfortable, doesn't matter if blood gets on them. "It's," he starts with a little cough that might be a symptom of just clearing his throat, "spreading. In the city. In the water, apparently. There might be something to give to keep it from getting any worse." He rolls his shoulders in a shrug.

"I don't know if my symptoms can get much worse."

Re: Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"There's got to be something." Mal can't- won't turn into one of those things. And if it's spreading- why doesn't he have it? Why is it selectively targeting Immune? Natives- natvies can't do anything but they're supposed to be resistant. And Mal's got scales and lost himself and-

Deep breaths. His fingers twitch for want of his knitting before he steps in close, looping his arm around Malcolm's waist. "It'll- we'll figure it out. Okay?"

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

To know that York still cares and still loves him and forgives him is one thing, but the physical affection just seems much. Somehow too much. More than he should have. Malcolm flips up the hood of his sweatshirt and lowers his face.

"So long as I don't hurt you again."

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"Not your fault." Sure he threw the mug and kicked his leg but it wasn't something he did on purpose. Not quite a PTSD episode but it was something other, something else in him that he didn't want. That he didn't mean. He'll take his lumps as long as they're not maliciously intended. "I'm alright. Ain't nothing I haven't bounced back from before."

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

"I am getting really very tired of being excused from things I've done because I wasn't myself." That this is something that's happened on multiple occasions is...distressing.

"Losing time and aggression are...symptoms. Among others." He pulls in on himself. It all just feels like a damn excuse.

Re: Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"So I should hold this over your head and blame you for things you did when you weren't driving?" Because that's the alternative he sees and that's kind of- no. So much no.

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

"That's not what I'm saying," he says with a little huff and nothing more. It might be nice to be held accountable for once, but he'd also find it frustrating. There's no win here. Has there ever been?

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"We'll get this fixed. THEN we'll get the other thing fixed. Then you can be however you want as long as you want." And it still holds the terrifying prospect that he won't. Want York anymore. They didn't exactly have a lot of time before everything went to shit and he came back- wrong.

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

Maybe he needs an optimist in his life. Or maybe not an optimist, but someone who will say these things even if he doesn't believe them. Nothing's going to get fixed. Even if these specific issues get fixed, something else will happen to tamper with his brain, with his personality. And he can't even take out the ports, which are usually the culprit anyway, but even if he could, with diseases like this, would that change anything?

Malcolm stays silent. Thoughtful but silent. Distracted.

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"..." That's unusual. The walk to the autocab, the actual drive- and not a peep from Malcolm. No wrinkle, no muttering, no fidgeting. Still and silent. It's- it's more disconcerting than York has words to express. He laces their fingers together, squeezing, hoping that something, anything he does can just- bring him back. "Penny?"

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

He startles, briefly, at the touch, a stiffening before looking over. What...does that even mean? His brow furrows. Is that an object, a person, a reference?

Re: Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"For your thoughts, Mal." Really has he never heard that?

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

Some phrases get lost with time, okay? He blinks again. His thoughts? Well, he's certainly thinking about being secretly a monster in his own body not of his own making time and time and time again, shouldn't that be obvious? "Thinking about this," he says in a tone that indicates...'shouldn't that be obvious'.

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"You aren't normally this...quiet. When you're upset. Worried? That." The lack of communication is what's digging into York, really. It might be a little codependant of him but he needs- wants some sort of back and forth here.

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

"Am I not?" News to him. Worried, he thought, makes him quiet and thinky. Is that not the norm? Huh.

It's not like there's anything to say except to apologize again, and that never goes over well.

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"no there's usually more- fretting. Audible fretting." He doesn't know how to make it better.

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

More furrow. "And is that what you want?"

Re: Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"I just- I wanna know how to help." He spreads his hands. "Cuz I feel kinda useless right now, boo."

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

"You're not the only one." Why the hell is York assuming he knows how to fix any of this? If he did know, wouldn't he be doing something about it already? "ER visit should assist." What else is there? It's not like York can reach into his skin and pull out whatever turns him psychotic at the drop of a hat.

Re: Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"I mean help make you feel better. About this. What happened. Anything." Normally- well with anyone but Malcolm he's usually got a pretty good idea of what to do or say. Here though it is, as ever, something of a mystery if it's the right thing the wrong thing or the fucking stupid thing.

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

"Like I said," he says in an quieter voice instead of getting frustrated at repeating himself, leaning his head against the window. How does on feel better about this? Even if he manages to not turn into a cannibalistic monster-who-was-a-person--and the thought does make him lose a little more colour--none of it changes what happened. It's not just ('just') hitting York, or ruining the kitchen he'll have to repair, or the loss of time, but a culmination. There's a list of things wrong with him to fix. What's the bloody point?

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[goddamngrenades]

"...okay." Start with the simple thing. The hospital will give them answers and everything else- they'll take it one step at a time. He slumps back against the seat, fingers flexing in Malcolm's hand. There should be something else he could be doing but honestly? He doesn't know. Nothing comes to mind. Maybe if the world wasn't fuzzy from the mug to the face.

Seriously why didn't he duck he saw it coming. What's wrong with him?

Day 222 - afternoon - action

[tactical_alert]

The silence stretches, and York feels far far away. Because Malcolm feels far away, removed from this place. Up until they pull up in front of the hospital, but Malcolm doesn't immediately move. There's an uncertainty and a fear about him when he finally, uneasily, looks to his boyfriend.

"If I turn--if I start to turn, and I can't do anything about it..." It's unfair to ask of York, but who else can he trust other than Carolina?