[network video] @JPHawkins; DAY 17, 1pm [open]

[rattlingthestars]

[ When the video cuts on, Jim isn't looking at the camera. His head is twisted around to stare somewhere over his shoulder as his chest heaves with exertion (or maybe fear.) There's a bruise blossoming on his cheek where he'd fallen trying to escape and a dried trail of blood from his nose to his chin that he's forgotten about.

The microphone picks up the noise of the monsters outside in the snow over the rattle of Jim's breath. When there's a break in the sound Jim seems to remember what he'd been doing and turns back to the tablet. ]

Please tell me someone else is seeing these things. They're some kind of - of - of shadow things.

[ Jim has seen weird. He's seen creepy, thanks to Captain Flint. But he's never seen anything like those. Still, something about them had seemed almost too familiar. It's that which makes him wonder if it's all in his own head. ]

If you are? Don't fight them. Just run.

Comments

[rattlingthestars]

Well, the food stinks.

[ Sarcasm is good. Sarcasm means that he's not dead. As Jim says this, he's creeping slowly around his mountain of junk in front of the door to get a look at the windows. Sure enough, there's a crowd of them at the window, too. He tilts the screen around to show off his stalkers before sneaking back out of sight.

If the things can see. ]

I heard from someone else that they've got them, too.

[maskintape]

Oh, god.

[ Are there this many of the things for each of the people here? Tim's mind is already giving him lovely images of the entire town being carpeted with shadow creatures, packed in tightly as far as the eye can see. Do not want. NOPE. ]

Goddammit. This - see, this is what happens as soon as I say things can't get worse. God - just - goddammit.

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim allows Tim to have a little freak-out in silence. There's not a hell of a lot he can say, comforting or not. Things can pretty much always get worse.

Eventually, he says: ] What do you think they're for?

[maskintape]

For?

[ He stops freaking for just long enough to give Jim an incredulous look. ]

You think they're for something? That they - they have a purpose? Because I'm not buying that. Not unless "messing with us" is a purpose.

[ WHY IS EVERYTHING IN THIS TOWN ALWAYS SO TERRIBLE ]

[rattlingthestars]

You think somebody's going to go through all this trouble - building whatever's under this town, taking people from different planets [ - He's still iffy on the 'different times' thing - ] just to mess with us?

[maskintape]

Yeah. Yeah, pretty much.

[ His jaw tightens slightly and his gaze wanders offscreen. Time to get more evasive and guarded? AWW YEEAAHHH. ]

I mean, it - it makes as much sense as anything else does here. So. My bet's on - on "mysterious evil thing with unknowable motivations." Which is basically the same as messing with us from our perspective, soo...

[rattlingthestars]

[ In Jim's experience, terrible people usually want something. Even if that something's just money. Or freedom. ]

That doesn't make any sense at all.

[maskintape]

You wanna point out anything that does make sense here? 'Cause I'm all ears.

[ There's that defensive tetchiness again. Tim pls. ]

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim meets tetchiness with belligerence, because teenagers are fun. ]

Just because we can't see the bigger picture yet, doesn't mean there's not one.

[ The planet is the mechanism. The map slides into place like a children's toy. Silver was playing him like a fiddle. ]

[maskintape]

That's a no, then. Look, it - it'd be nice to think there are reasons, but don't hold your breath. I mean - things don't always work out that way, you know?

[ WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE KIDS THAT FIGHT WITH HIM ON THIS, GOSH! ]

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim's expression cools from annoyance to mulishness. There's no arguing with that, not until there's some proof against it, and what's more Jim's starting to wonder if Tim's right. Being conciliatory isn't really in Jim's nature, though; instead he huffs and glares at the camera. ]

Yeah, sure. Way better to sit around and go crazy because there's nothing we can do, [ he mutters. ]

[maskintape]

Nobody's going crazy.

[ The answer is quick, sharp, and pretty obviously a touchy subject. Which is why he's so keen to veer away from it. ]

It doesn't mean you - we can't do anything. It just - it means you focus on survival and stuff instead of trying to understand something you probably can't. If you do end up getting some answers, great. Just don't, you know. Don't make it a big thing.

[ If Tim were less of a cagey asshole he could probably have just said "hey lol my bff got himself killed back home by looking for answers at the expense of making sure nobody sHOT HIM IN THE GUT," but. Nah. ]

[rattlingthestars]

I'm not going to let myself starve or anything, but if there's no reason to any of this at all? If we're just here for someone's - amusement, or whatever -

[ He makes a wordless noise of frustration that conveys 'I'm going to go nuts' pretty well. ]

[maskintape]

- Then you can get angry about it.

Like, if - if the admin sees us as bugs it can pull the legs off of, then making us angry as a group would be more like. Like trying to do the same thing to a hive of bees, right? It might have ways to deal with it, but - but sooner or later it's gonna get stung.

[ He doesn't actually believe this. Not completely. But a little hope can't hurt, as long as he doesn't set the bar too high. ]

[rattlingthestars]

It's not going to do anything if we can't find someone to sting.

[ [And, in the present situation -] ] Or how to sting them.

[maskintape]

[ Dude please stop dragging out the things Tim actually believes, it's really depressing when a teenager does it ]

Look, it - it'll slip up eventually. Probably.

[ He can't help but add that little probably there. Which isn't great for reassuring purposes, so he quickly continues. ]

It's, uh, it's already showing us more of itself, right? If we assume the things at the windows are under its control or - or whatever. So we just have to wait it out. Dig in our heels, I guess...

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim doesn't have much faith that whatever it is that's powerful enough to get them an entire galaxy away in what may be an entirely different millennium is going to slip up, but he sits on that one. ]

If you say so, man.

[ Which leaves him with the fact that he has no idea what to do now. Except sit and hope that these guys leave so he can do anything but starve. The urge to figure things out doesn't stop chasing around his head, though, and he can't resist adding: ]

Someone else said they weren't following them, just a second ago.

[maskintape]

...Seriously?

[ He looks off-camera again towards the window, grimacing slightly before turning back. ]

Well, I. I guess we should be flattered? I feel so goddamn special right now.

[rattlingthestars]

They said they threw a rock at them and they still didn't care.

[ Why is this happening? It's one thing to semi-agree to let go, and another thing for Jim to actually be able to follow through. In the absence of an opportunity to safely experiment himself, he's either got to theorize or do something stupid.

So far, theorizing's winning out. ]