015] video ----> BACKDATED TO TUESDAY MORNING <-----

[unsleeved]

[It takes him a little while to collect himself, as the memories (most jumbled and incomplete thanks to the amount of shit he'd been pumping himself full of for the past few days) slowly filter back in bit by bit, but eventually he gets it together enough to ask what he needs to ask.

When he pops up on the feed his face is drawn and tired, the bags under his eyes even more pronounced than usual despite the fact that he'd essentially been "sleeping" for an entire day.]

Somethin' got me down in the caves. [And his tone makes it obvious that he doesn't mean "got me a birthday present". He looks down then, unsure how to put this in a way that isn't cryptic or confusing... But after a few seconds of lip-chewing and offscreen callous-picking he continues, figuring that if anything had happened, it'll be pretty clear what he means:] ...I hurt anybody?

[If he hadn't, this is gonna drag up a whole bunch of questions he'd prefer not to touch... But he needs to know what he did after the lights went out, and if that means outing himself and explaining his situation back in Georgia, well... It's the least he can do. There could be people who are owed one hell of an explanation.

And he considers elaborating now but thinks better of it, cutting the video feed abruptly to send a private text to America:]

that shit upstairs gotta go if you havent taken care of it already

Comments

video;

[cheerleader]

[She just stares, wide eyed and unsure about speaking to him. He did hurt her, sure, but the damage wasn't long lasting. And she had been the one to shoot him in the head. So she's not really sure if she should speak up and say anything, especially since he doesn't seem to remember their encounter. So she awkwardly holds up her hand in a gesture that's caught somewhere between an awkward wave and raising her hand as if to say he hurt her. ]

Are you okay now?

video;

[unsleeved]

[The girl that pops up on his feed is familiar... Though not because he can recall terrorizing her in the hallway. No, he remembers her from another time, remembers giving her a quick and half-assed lesson in handguns and utilizing the closets and running from those mutts. He remembers thinking, then, that she's just a fucking kid.

And so his stomach drops when her face appears, along with that raised hand that he interprets just fine even if she's unsure about it. He ignores her question, but has one of his own:]

You get bit?

[He's assuming not, considering she looks healthy if not a little afraid, but he needs to ask. He needs to know.]

video;

[cheerleader]

I'm okay.

[That's the only thing she can think to instantly reply with, and she gives as serious and strong of a look as possible so he knows she means business about that. She's just fine, and she always physically will be. Emotionally, she's a little shaken, but she's been in a constant state of emotional turmoil since arriving in Wonderland.]

And you look okay too. [She glances down, trying to hide the faint hint of a smile that's forming on her face.]

I was worried about you.

video;

[unsleeved]

[Since she'd been forthcoming enough to respond at all, he's willing to take that as a no... But still, she's obviously rattled so he doubts that's the whole story.

Just like his own answer isn't the whole story:]

I'm fine. [It's a pretty blatant lie- he fucking died and he turned and presumably went on a rampage somewhere on the first floor where he'd woken up- but his expression pretty clearly says leave it be.

His next question for her takes a moment for him to work up to, during which time he's looking pointedly away from the feed. She looks fine, which means one of two things: either she'd gotten away unscathed, found a room to lock herself in until he'd given up, or he'd ripped her to bits and she'd come back whole a day later. He doesn't see any other option, here.] I didn't... You get away?

[Dying himself is one thing, but being responsible for something like maiming and killing a kid? He's bracing himself for the worst.]

video;

[cheerleader]

[No, it's not fine. For either of them, and she knows it and he knows it, and it's just really awkward and horrible. And then that question comes out of her mouth, and she can't stop her eyes from widening a little bit more, before she steels herself and fixes him with as strong of a look as she can manage.]

I eventually got away.

[She really doesn't want him to worry about her, especially not when she's upset over whatever must have happened to him to make him that way.]

How -

[Is there a tactful way to go about asking this? She doesn't think so, so she just blurts it out.]

How did you turn into that?

video;

[unsleeved]

[He narrows his eyes but doesn't ask how she'd escaped. There's no way it wasn't a wholly traumatizing experience and he's not gonna make her go over it again, even if he is curious as to how she'd done it.

And speaking of curiosity... At her question, he casts his eyes down, chewing at his lip in silence for a moment before looking up with a frown.]

Where I'm from that's how it is. Somethin' takes you out, you don't stay down. It's some kinda sickness... Got no idea how it works. [Pause.] Sorry 'bout... Whatever I did. You really alright now?

text but he doesn't know how to make this shit private okay he just figured out texting

[ahousedivided]

i have not. i have been harassing the vendors to take my memories. for the record they will not even take them for free. they are the worst businessmen i have ever encountered.

so no it is all still there. i still do not understand what we made. i tried it. i dont like it.

are you okay?

if you are like me i doubt this is a question you will want to answer truthfully but i thought id give the sentiment anyway. the sentiment being everything about that event sucked.

:(

look daryl you can make little faces out of symbols.

8(

that is me frowning in sympathy at you in my glasses.

(‿(‿|

look its a butt ha ha ha!

he is impossibly precious hahahaha

[unsleeved]

[He really should have been expecting the long and rambling string of text he receives in response to his own short message... And yet he's actually surprised by it.

He's in no mood for emoticon faces (or butts- and what the hell's wrong with you, man?), and so he gets right to the point:]

i been better. stuff we mades bad news keep away from it. gonna melt your nose off your face. what else you do that your looking to forget?

[He's... Pretty god damn curious in spite of his general misery over the event. From what he's seen, America doesn't seem like the type of person to give too much of a shit about doing... Stupid shit. Hell, aside from the fruity accent he doesn't recall anything that'd need purging.

...Then again, it's America, and Daryl neither knows nor does he really want to know what the guy gets up to all the time.]

everyone is getting butt texts. there is no escape.

[ahousedivided]

[ Daryl if this friendship/booze bonding/vague tolerance of America's presence is to continue, you are going to have to learn to enjoy the immature butt texts. Because this is only the beginning. How can you not be in a good mood with someone texting you butts what is wrong with YOU, man? ]

yea it makes me too jumpy and alert i dont like that. i need the opposite of that.

[ "Good shit" his ass. Your other self does not know quality drugs dude.

America's fingers hesitate over the buttons. Sometimes it's hard to be honest with himself, let alone other people. Being upfront with his opinions isn't the same as showing off any potential weaknesses. After some deliberation he hesitantly starts an explanation. Once he starts he can't stop. ]

i dont like doubting myself. i dont like thinking that there was an alternative. "give me liberty or give me death." i live by those words.

in those memories i was happy to still be in the family and i cant handle that okay i like my independence but life was easier when i was a colony. no one could blame me and it wasnt hard and in that other life i still had my brothers. i dont want to remember that. i dont want to think i could have been happy. or not dead.

its MESSING WITH MY HEAD I GOT ENOUGH I DONT WANT TO REMEMBER BUT I HAVE TO SO I WOOD RATHER NOT HAVE THIS ON TOP OF THAT.

[ Oh my god America calm your shit. This conversation is the epitome of "boy that escalated quickly." Is he on meth right now? We just don't know. One thing is obvious though, this guy does not need any stimulants in his life. ]

and that accent was embarrassing.

[ So is his behavior right now. He's quickly regretting saying so much, so he adds: ]

p.s. dont think im weak or crazy for this okay. you can forget i said anything lets just take the stuff away.

America is the Oprah of butt texts. LOOK UNDER YOUR CHAIR, ERRYONE GETS A BUTT TEXT!!

[unsleeved]

[Daryl waits for the slew of messages to come through, and once enough time has passed that he's pretty sure more aren't gonna interrupt his typing, he addresses them one by one:]

need to get you some downers. [The rest of it isn't his place to comment on, and besides, it's obvious America doesn't wanna get into it any more than he already has. He wouldn't wanna have his own shit poked and prodded at, and so he lets it go for now; he isn't gonna forget, no, but... No need to make it worse. The accent thing makes his lips twitch a tiny bit in spite of himself, but he lets that go too- he isn't much in the mood for teasing.] aint no going back now its done with. but whenever you got the time we best make that mess disappear dont need nobody getting into it

[Poor bastard. Daryl really doesn't envy him that identity crisis garbage; he knows he'd made the right choice in not getting involved in Merle's shit, isolated though he'd always been because of it, and so really his main concern is that he'd been stupid enough to get himself killed. But he's not... Dwelling on it. Really. Not one bit.]

1/2

[ahousedivided]

[ The tenseness in his shoulders eases when he realizes that Daryl isn't going to press the issues. At this point he doesn't even care if the guy's judging him (he's more than used to that); as long as he isn't left behind or scoffed at, he can manage. It's good to just... talk. Although he wouldn't blame the southerner for laughing at the way he talked--holy shit it was so abysmally English it was mortifying. ]

thanks. [ For not poking and prodding. There's more to say but doesn't know how to say it, so he leaves it at that. Short simple and to the point. ] i already take opium regularly for pain and stomach problems. i think i will have to increase my dose until further notice.

[ Because that's how you treat mental problems, right? ]

i am not doing anything else with my time. in any case a distraction would be nice.

2/2 also this

[ahousedivided]

[ While he waits for Daryl to respond, he decides to add one more message: ]

|_)_) c=3

sodomy.

i am laughing so hard right now you dont know.

making symbol pictures is magical.

GOOD GOD.

[unsleeved]

[There's remarkably little judgment on Daryl's part- he'd gone through something somewhat similar as a kid: as his event self would suggest, he'd made a choice about who he'd wanted to become, and it hadn't been an easy one.

...Alright, so there's a little judgment for the pictures. That's some fascination with asses you got there, buddy. Something you wanna cop to...?]

christ

[Ridiculous emotes aside, though, Daryl would agree with being on board for a distraction. Exhausted though he is, he'd like to make at least some effort to clean up the messes he's made. Any mess will do.]

your a real artist. and you best watch how much of that shit you take might have a problem later. [...Or right now. There's gotta be a reason for all the butts.] im good to get started when you are wanna meet me up there

[Video]

[lightgunhustler]

'Something'? Do you have any idea what?

[His tone says a lot all on its own. Really, it doesn't matter who or what got ahold of him, but damn, he looks like absolute crap. An after-effect of getting himself ganked, or something else? Hard to tell.

Regardless, whatever's down there? If it's still at large, they should look into it.]

I haven't heard anything about you hurting anyone. What do you think you might've done?

[She raises an eyebrow, curious.]

[Video]

[unsleeved]

Something like the kind of shit I got back home. [And he fully intends on getting his act together and heading back down there to find it and finish what he'd fucked up... Once he's made sure he hasn't started a fucking outbreak all by himself like an asshole. Stupid shit going down there like that... Real stupid, but he can kick his own ass about it later.

Even if she hasn't heard of anything going down, he may as well get it all out there.]

Think I came back like one of them. That thing downstairs, the ones in Georgia... That's just what happens.

[He can't bring himself to add on when you die, because a part of him isn't ready to acknowledge that that's what'd happened. He's... No. Can't think about that.]

[Video]

[lightgunhustler]

You know, you never did clarify when I asked about that. I'm thinking it's the kind of shit I can probably help with.

[She's a professional, after all.]

... what are we talking, here? Vampires? Zombies?

[There's a whole list of things that can turn humans, really, but those tend to be the most common.]

[Video]

[unsleeved]

[He frowns. Now that he really, really thinks about it... It might have been a good idea to let more people in on what'd been going on in Georgia, if for no other reason than for someone to know how to handle him when shit hits the fan. You know, like it had this time.

There really is no point dwelling on it now, though- it's done, and all he can do is make sure it doesn't happen again.

He narrows his eyes at "vampires"- does he look like Lestat to you, Jo?- but "zombie" gets no reaction whatsoever. He's never heard of those. Is it a cave thing...?]

We call 'em 'walkers' back home. Dead people comin' back and walkin' around, spreadin' whatever shit they got... [He looks offscreen for a second.] That's why I gotta know if I bit anybody.

[Video]

[lightgunhustler]

That's pretty much the same recipe as zombies.

[Most people seem to be familiar with the word, at least from pop culture, but that's neither here nor there at the moment. No matter what they're called, these things are a problem. One that needs to be stamped out before anyone gets hurt.]

How do you kill a walker?

[Who knows what lore applies to the thing in the caves. They'll need to prepared.]

[Video]

[unsleeved]

[For all the weird shit going on in other people's home worlds, it's rare for him to hear of another place that has anything like walkers...]

Destroy the brain. Or cut sombitch's head off, but that don't kill it. The damn head can still bite. [He scowls.] Had a knife down there but I couldn't take care of it.

[He's perfectly aware of the fact that the only reason he'd been unable to take the thing out is because of this place and its god damn mind games... But the fact remains that he can remember making the choice to get fucked up and wander around down there stoned out of his mind. He remembers not giving half a fuck and so even if he knows it wasn't really him... It feels like it was.

If the consequences weren't so serious, he might have some energy to spare being ashamed of it.]

You got those where you're from?

[video]

[freewill]

[Congratulations, Daryl, as this will be Castiel's first time truly using his phone the way it's meant to be used. Now that he's had an in-depth lesson on what to do, he's finally started to play some of the messages that come up, and this is one that instantly grabs his attention.

Down in the caves. This man had also encountered that creature, that once-human, and more than that, he'd fallen prey to it.

Yet another death that was just as soon undone by this place. Which is not to say that Castiel would rather the stranger were dead, but the fact still remains that death is hardly treated with any respect here. It could lead to some abusing that fact.

When the feed turns on, at first it's zoomed in far too close to his face, giving a perfect view of his mouth voicing the words:] In the caves? It killed you?

[Then Castiel realizes and pulls the phone back slightly, frowning at it as if it's a disobedient pet.] I found it too. [The memories are muddled because he'd hardly been himself during that time, but the recollection of turning that decayed body to dust is still clear.]

[video]

[unsleeved]

[Daryl frowns. He's spoken to this guy before and should have expected it but damn, alright Blunty McGee, way to just dive right in...

After a second, though, he ducks his head in a nod.]

Yeah. [And as much as he'd like to make an excuse, blame this place for it... It'd been him. Same as the god damn science bullshit event, it'd been him. He remembers making the choice to go down there (hazily, but he does remember) and so really, there's nothing to say. Fucker caught him with his pants down and that's that. Still, despite his best effort not to think about it, he can feel his skin prickle with the recollection of the cool, damp air, the wet stone and the geek tearing him apart...

He shakes his head. More important things to worry about: Castiel's saying he found it, and he looks like he's in one piece... An angel, Daryl remembers belatedly.] You get rid of it?

[video]

[freewill]

[Bluntness tends to be Castiel's way, whether it's his first or his tenth time speaking with someone. Which may be why it isn't instantly obvious that he has no idea who Daryl is, that as far as he's concerned this is the first time they've ever spoken.

A normal human (though granted, Castiel can't sense that for certain over the phone, which is one of many reasons why he doesn't like using it) would likely not stand a chance against a creature like that, unless they were a hunter. Dean, Sam, or Jo would have managed it well enough, but for someone unprepared, Castiel isn't surprised by the results.]

I did. [He nods. It's possible he wouldn't have even regretted it if it weren't for the fact that right at the end there, it had whispered his name. He still doesn't know what it means.] I put it down. Had you seen it before?

[Castiel had done some searching of the caves prior to that event, and he'd never seen anything like it. Which gives him the sinking feeling that there's something more to this.]

[video]

[unsleeved]

[I put it down. The relief that Daryl feels at that simple phrase is immeasurable, so intense that his body almost sags with it. It's dead, and though he's bitter as hell he hadn't been the one to take care of it, the knowledge that it hasn't been running wild means more to him than any idea of revenge, of taking out his considerable rage at being killed on the very creature that'd been responsible.

It's hard to be anything but grateful.]

That was the first time, don't spend too much time down there. [Though he's certainly gonna start now, make himself familiar with those twists and turns even if the thought of heading down there again leaves him cold and vaguely sick to his stomach.] You know if it got anyone else?

[video]

[freewill]

[Castiel's thinking along the same lines, in that he plans to patrol the caves far more often than he had been, now that he knows what dangers may lurk there. Between searching the caves, walking the woods, and reading a variety of different books in the library, the quiet nights here should be full of plenty of things to do.]

No, I hadn't realized it'd killed anyone. [Castiel shakes his head. While he still has a lingering guilt about the act, as he'd killed it without even taking a moment to work out what it was or what it had once been, other than human, now he feels more justified in it, knowing it had killed someone else.]

Your name? [Seeing how they're speaking, he may as well find that out. The phone doesn't seem to indicate it anywhere.]

[video]

[unsleeved]

[They might well run into each other, then. Daryl's always been pretty vigilant with checking things out but he's about to kick it up a few hundred notches because this shit can't happen again. To him or anyone else here.]

Good. [That's a relief too... Though it's minimized a bit when Castiel asks him for his name.] Daryl. Met you when I first got here.

[He's not offended- ain't like they're bosom buddies or anything. But it seems weird for a supposed angel to forget... Well, anything, really. They're supposed to know everything, aren't they? Ain't that how that heavenly shit works?]