network; video

[kyley_b]

((Post event. CW: discussions of violence, body horror, injury and loss of limb in comments.))


[The feed shows a skinny redhead who is somehow even paler than usual - his skin is parchment white, with deep dark pouches under his eyes. His curls are matted.

Yeah, he looks like shit.]

Uhm. Hi. Hi, uh. It's Kyle. Uhm.

I. Uh. Is. Is everybody okay? I hope you're all okay. Uhm. I'm...

[His face crumples.] I'm not. I'm not okay, I'm SO not okay.

Comments

[kyley_b]

Heh. I wasn't thinking that, exactly. I figured if you offered to come talk to me something was cut off of you. No offense but you don't much seem like the type to just randomly wanna talk to some depressed guy.

[Kyle looks at Drake's arm, listening intently as he talks. When he gets to the end of his story, Kyle winces.]

Dude. Oh my god, dude. That's horrible.

[dr_riley]

It was...

[nod]

...yeh, it was horrifying.

[ He rubs the palm of his shouldn't-be-there hand with his thumb thoughtfully for a few moments, then flexes his fingers ]

This uh....isn't that hand. I mean, obviously. Mine was completely [cough] co-uh completely shredded. My brother-in-law had to shoot it off. Don't really remember that part, just um. This violent, full-body jarring. Needed to be done, but I give him shit about it anyway.

[kyley_b]

You got a transplant? That's pretty impressive. Does it have as much sensation and functionality?

[He finally smiles a little.] I plan to give Kaz shit about cutting off my fucking hand for, well. Ever.

[dr_riley]

[ sorryyy, I haven't forgotten the thread, things have just been very hard lately. I lost a good friend to covid and that kind of sucks the joy out of things. ]


Yeeeeeah... [ Drake flexes his fingers, watching them thoughtfully. ] It's actually... Well it's a long story, but in the interest of not waffling on, it was grown for me by an advanced race of people for whom I solved a very big problem. So yeah, it...it's precisely like version 1.0.

Before this, I had a prosthetic for a few years, and before that, it was a year and change of masking behind 'look, no hands' jokes.

[ He makes a face at Kaz's name. ]

Kaz? You mean that greasy joyless bastard with the cane who's read too much Gothic fantasy? Pardon my saying so, but he seems entirely too skeevy.

[kyley_b]

[oh my god don't even worry about it! Real Life is always more important, and I'll be around whenever. I'm so sorry about your friend, that's terrible.]


Dude. Whoa. They could grow it after all that time? That's intense. I'll get a prosthetic, looks like. But it's still scary. [He only admits this because Riley knows how it feels.

At that description Kyle burst into laughter.]

Yeah, him. He's a friend. [Or so Kyle thinks, anyway.]

[dr_riley]

[ thanks. /hug I've been finding little distractions here and there. Just to take the edge off. ]

[ Drake doesn't blink, wince, or hesitate. It is scary. ]

It's horrifying. It took me a long time to get used to it. And just when I had, I got fitted with a robot arm, a really cool one, but...

...well, it was still something I wore a glove over, until Gene started making Michael Jackson jokes.

[ When Kyle explains that Kaz is a friend, he lets out an incredulous little huff ]

You say so. I'd be careful with what you say around him, though.

[kyley_b]

They have Michael Jackson where you're from? [He manages a smile.] Not my favourite guy, but that's a story for another time I'm sure.

Yeah? How come? I'm not hiding ay big secrets he could possibly be interested in. I'm pretty sure everyone here knows everything about me. [Liar.]

[dr_riley]

Oh yes, Michael Jackson, Tony Blair, Martha Stewart. Infinite realities, you know. Bound to be infinite near-identical ones.

[ Drake takes that moment to sip at his tea, and when Kyle asks why, he grimaces over the rim. ]

He doesn't know the first thing about doctor patient confidentiality, for one. Smarmy blighter wanted me to tell him whatever I found out from interviewing Mr. Kaplan - ie, none of his damned business.

[kyley_b]

It's trippy to think about.

That's kinda fucked up, yeah. Like I don't know why he would care.

You know, you're not nearly as much of a dick as you come off at first.