[network] @ASolomons; audio, morning of 265 [open]

[devoutish]

The fuck is going on?

[He sounds exhausted, as per usual, and his voice is hoarse and raw - he's been doing a lot of non-stop talking these past few days, trying to keep Royce engaged.]

Right - the lot of you, sound off. What happened, and what needs to be done?

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[thewarningafter]

We got out.

[He remembers pain and confusion and a trek through cold tunnels that feels like a dream now.]

We got out, that's what happened.

[zunesareawesome]

I got that, yeah. But how!? We tried like crazy to get into that stupid place!

[thewarningafter]

I don't know. They took us back downstairs, I thought -- I thought they were going to operate on us again, but somehow they got us into a tunnel. That's where I was when everything...undid itself.

[zunesareawesome]

...weird, but okay. You got better, just like that?

[thewarningafter]

There was a voice, and a light, and...yeah.

[Stephen sounds as surprised by it as anyone.]

We got better, just like that.

[zunesareawesome]

Just like that.

[It seems so unbelievable, but he'd seen the unbelievable before.]

So you're...okay now? Whatever they did to you is just gone?

[thewarningafter]

The life-threatening parts, at least.

[zunesareawesome]

...that's...

[What did he mean by that? Sounded ominous.]

...that sucks, man. I'm sorry.

cw ableist language

[thewarningafter]

Don't.

[Stephen was sort of the one who brought it up, but he doesn't want to talk about it.]

I'm not crippled and I'm not dying of sepsis. Things could be worse.

[zunesareawesome]

Don't? Okay, fine, I'm not sorry for what happened to you.

[He says this dryly.]

I'm trying to actually be nice to you for once, man.

[thewarningafter]

I don't need you to be sorry for me.

[zunesareawesome]

You know what, man? There's a difference between feeling sorry and being sorry. I'm not all --boo hoo, poor little Stephen--

--I'm just saying what happened to you sucks. It's stupid and it sucks and there's nothing anyone can do to take it away, and that sucks too. And that's it.

[thewarningafter]

[That's perfectly reasonable. Stephen knows, even in the moment, that this isn't pity, that Peter doesn't deserve his ire. He's better than this.

He's usually better than this.]

And I am just so grateful I have you here to clarify that for me. Any other pearls of wisdom you want to throw my way? You can tell me I'm going to get through this, that we're all in this together.

[zunesareawesome]

Yeah, actually. Really important. Here it comes.

[He makes a raspberry farting sound--unclear if it was a real one or not--and cuts the connection. It didn't have the effect an old-school telephone slam would, but ah well.]