Entry #2

[rosswood]

[This gets posted at around 4 A.M. and it's a video feed, which, if anyone's been contacted by Alex recently, is a little unusual. It's a clear visual on the inside of Alex's room - scandalous - which isn't terribly different from your typical college dorm room, with one notable exception.

It is liberally covered in weird, hastily-scribbled, ink-and-charcoal drawings. The long shot of one of the walls might give people enough time to read the most visible ones:

SEES ME

LEAVE ME ALONE

OPERATOR

Accompanied by several rough illustrations of pine trees and frequently punctuated with an odd symbol: a circle with an X slashed through it.

Ⓧ

Distortion abruptly ripples across the screen, and the angle changes. Now the network will be treated to a clear shot of the floor of Alex's room, which is similarly carpeted in page after scrawled page of cryptic warnings and oblique messages, along with what looks to be a laundry list of crossed-out names - names like BRIAN and SARAH, JAY and TIM and SETH, any of which might be visible to the eagle-eyed.

With a flutter of static and an unpleasant, high-pitched screeching sound, the picture shifts one last time. Now someone's hands are in view, streaked with ink as they carve out yet another circle-and-x symbol into another sheet of paper with single-minded resolve. Then the feed buzzes, frames flickering, and switches off.]

((ooc: Alex won't respond until next morning since he's not doing any of this consciously - he's currently asleep. Feel free to respond with an action post, though you might have to wake him up first.))

Comments

[mypartnerintime]

[She hears the notification on her phone and pauses in her waffle-munching to check it.]

[Yup. That's exactly how she would react, too.]

I guess you weren't supposed to show that.

[rosswood]

no
my camera shouldn't even be working
fuck

would you believe me if i said that wasn't me

[It's...not the most convincing of lies, sure. But he can't think of what else to say.]

[mypartnerintime]

No, Alex, I would not believe you. [Seriously, that was some nuts stuff on that video, and she kind of wants an explanation.] Were you high?

[SPOT ON.]

[rosswood]

sure lets go with that

[To be fair his face never showed up. So. He could've been tripping off his balls, it's a completely legit explanation.]

[mypartnerintime]

[The phrasing of his response actually makes her more suspicious.] Sure.

So what actually happened?

[rosswood]

an art student murdered my parents and i've never recovered

[He's apparently recovering quickly. Already back to snarking.]

[mypartnerintime]

[She's totally rolling her eyes.] Fine, be that way.

[However, a quick text follows the first, because that might actually be real.] You were kidding right?

But seriously, you ok?

[rosswood]

yeah
i'll be ok
i dealt with some shit back home is all

[Is that saying too much? Maybe it's enough.]

[mypartnerintime]

Must have been some pretty messed up stuff.

So you were venting?

You should probably talk to someone about this. Like someone professional.

[rosswood]

lol why do you know any therapists
cause there probably not here

[He takes care to ignore the first question because he's still working on a way to spin this as something not weird and possibly delusional.]

[mypartnerintime]

Actually there's some sort of therapy office on the sixth floor. [Eat that, Alex. She's been making a map of her explorations!]

I dunno if it's actually being used though. I could ask around.

[rosswood]

christ

[Shows how much he pays attention.]

i doubt that would help
kind of have some
singular issues

[mypartnerintime]

[Well, shit, she knows all about singular issues. But she also knows that being unstable mentally gets people... hurt.]

I get it

But you should really try

It might help

[rosswood]

sure
i'm sure that'll clear everything right up



i'm saluting at my phone right now
to prove how committed i am

[mypartnerintime]

[The sarcasm! Max got this wrong once before, when she knew there was something wrong with someone, and all she did was blame him for his mistakes. Granted they were some pretty fucking big mistakes.] I'm seriously going to check that you actually do it

That video was fucking scary Alex.

Have you had breakfast?

[rosswood]

i'm sure people have posted scarier
it's just pages
i will once i get rid of all this shit in my room

[mypartnerintime]

[Well, she doesn't disagree with that.]

Okay good.

I'm at the dining room with some waffles if you want to talk

[This is also her way of saying, "if you want to avoid me," because she thinks he probably wants to be alone, too.]

[rosswood]

nice
uh
once i get all this shit burned maybe
if theres coffee
is there

[mypartnerintime]

There are literally barrels of raktajino here

Literally

[rosswood]

[nnneeeeerRRRRRRD

Does that make Alex even more of a nerd for understanding that reference.]

better be something alcoholic to go with it

[Starting early, like you do.]

[mypartnerintime]

[Nerds will one day rule the world yo.]

Yuck. It's like 7am.

[Max can't stand the taste of alcohol!]

[rosswood]

kinda had a rough night ok

[He punches that one out one-handed while he hauls a trashbag packed full of the records of his previous night's activities outside and plunks it in the snow.]

are u judging

[mypartnerintime]

Hell no!

I just don't like to drink. I'll turn a blind eye.

[rosswood]

your loss
i'll be around soon

[The lighter ftts weakly in his hand a few times before he's able to set the whole mess of paper and plastic alight. He wrinkles his nose as he watches the foul-smelling smoke curl out from beneath. With any luck the snow will keep it from spreading.

He heads back inside. He's not eager to talk but it might dispel some worry if he's still visibly interacting with people like a normal human being.

He looks like shit when he gets to the dining hall, though. We're talking five o' clock shadow, deep shadows scoring his eyes, the whole nine yards.]

[mypartnerintime]

You don't look so good. [She says that after a few moments of looking at him. And it is an understatement.]

[In any case she's done with her waffle and has set the plate aside. In front of her is a small notebook which she closes as he enters. She hasn't gotten him his own waffle, but she has put out some steaming hot black coffee.] Since when have you been up?