NETWORK | VIDEO

[mrsklover]

[The message starts off with nothing but darkness for a few long seconds. It's quiet and still until, finally, a groan comes through. Another one follows behind it and the video shifts to show it apparently just pressed into the dirt.]

Fuck...

[The video turns again, whipping around as the person holding the comm seems to drop it a few times before finally righting it, camera facing the wrong way.]

How does...fucking... Shit...

[It falls again but then is lifted back up, turned around, and at long last the owner is shown: Richie Tozier squints at the device almost like he's in pain. Which...yeah. Sort of.]

Uh... Hey everyone... [He scratches his head.] You ever get the feeling like you missed something? Or a few somethings?

Comments

[mrsklover]

[Richie's grimace is answer enough.]

Uh. No, not really. I mean, I guess it depends on the kid and how comfortable they are hearing the word 'Fuck'.

[crystalmaster]

... And you couldn't maybe have two versions of your routine so the kids could enjoy one of them?

[Radley would feel bad to leave them out, but he would definitely not encourage them to hear a very adults-only routine.]

[mrsklover]

I...uh... [He doesn't even know where to start making a children-friendly show.]

How young are we talking about, here?

[crystalmaster]

Ten, for at least one of them.

[He's not sure how old Omega is.]

[mrsklover]

Ten? Jesus. I mean. I guess I can talk about...uh...shapes? Colors? I don't even know what they'd think is funny.

[crystalmaster]

[Radley laughs awkwardly.]

Yeah, I think we'd better scrap that idea.

[He imagines Richie trying to force a G-rated show would come off exactly like that: forced. Better not to try.]

[mrsklover]

[ Richie shrugs, not too concerned about that. Maybe it could be something he worked on. Or maybe he should branch out into prop comedy. Kids liked physical humor, right? Something to think about.]

How many kids are here, now? Feel kinda bad for them that they got scooped up away from their family.

[crystalmaster]

There's at least two I know of. One of them has a brother with her, so that's nice. The other has an animal friend from home.

[mrsklover]

Wow. We turned into a preschool while I was gone. A whole family kidnapped by the Agrii. [ He sighs. ] What could kids possibly do for these aliens?

[crystalmaster]

I have no idea. Do they even choose who comes or is it completely random? I've heard it's random.

[That frustrates him on multiple levels. He feels he does have things to offer, but if he wasn't even chosen for that, it's a slap in the face. He hates the thought that he was torn away for no real reason at all.]

[mrsklover]

[ Richie shrugs. ]

They say there is a reason? Like we're the 'He Rows' right? But I don't know what selection process picks me up in the same group as geniuses like Tony or magical assholes like Jon. I might have done shit with supernatural crap, but I am a forty year old man who once held an ax and a bat. That's all I got.

Well that and like a whole host of issues.

[crystalmaster]

[Radley smirks a bit in sympathy.]

You feel like your heyday is past, huh? Hey, at least you had one.

[mrsklover]

[ Richie's smile is tight and practically a wince. ]

Eh. It's a long story, pal. And not a good one so. Uh. Let's just... Yeah, we'll go with that I guess.

[crystalmaster]

[Realizing he hit a sore spot, Radley nods.]

Right. Sorry about that.

[Radley still feels like he failed back home, so he envies someone who seems to have made a difference once. But not really knowing anything that happened, he supposes that difference may have come at too high a price.]

[mrsklover]

You didn't know. Not a problem.

[ He shrugs it off. ]

Well, at any rate, it was good to meet you Radley. I gotta run off to meet someone but I sometimes get people together for a non-therapy therapy session. Mostly for drinking. You should come so we can chat more.

[crystalmaster]

[Radley smiles a bit. He's not into the drinking, but hanging out sounds nice.]

Thanks. Maybe I'll do that. Where do you get together?

[mrsklover]

The bar. Cayde's place.

[It's been a long time since he's hosted the last one. Long even before he disappeared. ]

I'll send word when to meet up. Probably just be nice to get a lot of people in the same place.

[crystalmaster]

Cool. Sure, just let me know.