Deerington Inbox

[onerthes]

[A tinny man's voice gives what is clearly a default answer machine message. Vira-Lorr is still figuring the phone out it seems.]
"Hello, we are not available now. Please leave your name and phone number after the beep. We will return your call."
*Beep*

Comments

[tagartist]

I know, Vira. Despite... the things I said, I know you're not like that. You don't have to keep feeling guilty just because I have a tendency to be a jealous bitch sometimes.

[onerthes]

You know... I forgive you for being a jealous bitch. She's worth waging a war over, and we both know it. Gods... she'd turn beet red if she heard us talking about her like that.

But... I'm glad you know that. I fucked a lot of things up, and it's important to me that you both know. I'll... I'll talk to her if I need to, but I think she knows the truth.

[tagartist]

She's never thought she was worth fighting for. But she's everything to me. I'm an idiot sometimes and I can be blinded by my own bullshit, but at the end of everything, it's always been me and Max. No matter what. I—

Did she ever tell you about home? Or did you ever... see her memories?

I think she'll understand that the walls are just fucking with people. She's a pretty rational person.

[onerthes]

I ... be careful, Chloe. If this is like before, people may be hoodwinked or compelled. I'm going to be keeping my gem with me. It helps me, but most aren't protected. He means to divide us, she means to divide us, and this is only the first stab.

Just be careful.

[Sigh.] I've been careful not to ask much. But I know that you ... died. And I know that you had a lot of time with her, time that I...

...

She used her powers on you didn't she? To stop it from happening?

[How'd old three eyes figure that one out? Cause Max did that to her too, and she firmly believed Max was the sort of person who wouldn't consider the consequences of screwing with the flow of time when someone died that she didn't want to die.]

[tagartist]

Yeah. I think we've both been here long enough to know their tricks.

[ Chloe's quiet again for a second, before she sighs. ]

She did. It's—

Max and I were best friends as kids. The tightest you could ever be. But the day my dad died, she told me she was moving to Seattle, and her parents took her the day of his funeral. She ghosted me and ... for five years, it was complete radio silence.

And then Nathan Prescott cornered me in the bathroom and she saw him shoot me and she tried to fix it. That's what sparked her powers in the first place. I didn't even know she was back in town and she didn't even know it was me, she just saved my life because she couldn't watch a stranger die.

And then she had to save me again. And again. Over and over. [ She swallows. ] About... seven times in total? She's seen me die in just about every way you can imagine.

[onerthes]

... she and I once spoke about this. I realize this is hard, but...

How badly did she screw up the timestream of your world, Chloe? Exactly how bad did it get? I remember how bad it was when she did it the once with me in the tunnels. [Shudder.]

She's amazingly put together, considering what she's seen. And she loves you. More than I can imagine anyone loving another.

[tagartist]

[ Talking about this literally never gets easier. She takes a deep breath. ]

Animals started dying. Like... birds falling out of the sky at random, whales washing up on shore, squirrels dashing in front of cars or just dropping dead in the grass. And then the moon started to get fucked up. And after that, there... There was this... huge storm. It was gonna wipe out the whole town.

[onerthes]

That's enough... you don't have to say more. Time... Time does not enjoy being toyed with. I know that. It was the only magic none of us ever knew, forbidden even beyond necromancy.

I will never fault her for her choices. I'm not sure if I could do whatever she did in that moment. [Sigh.] You know... Ashe is having a party. you're coming, right?

I'm going to be getting pretty high. We could both use the relaxation, I think. And I hven't gotten high with you in a while.

[tagartist]

[ She takes a second to gather herself, nodding and deciding it's better to not address anything about time magic.

Instead, she clears her throat, and focuses on the latter. ]

Yeah. I mean, I live with Ashe part time now, pretty much, so it's sort of a required appearance.

[onerthes]

Alright, so I'm hobbling over with my magic staff for the barbecue, and we're getting high, watching fireworks. This is a thing that's happening.

...

I do love you, Chloe. As a friend. Gods, always feel free to call, if you need anything. I'll do what I can to help.

[tagartist]

Sounds like a plan to me.

I love you, too. I... don't know that I'll ever follow up on that, but I appreciate the offer anyway.

[onerthes]

mmm, quite possibly not, but had to make the offer. [Otherwise Chloe might assume it wasn't there.] I'll see you at the party, Chloe.