[Obituaries are never fun, especially if you don't notice them. After the red eye debacle Flynn has made himself scarce on the network and on checking it, hermiting in his apology post and then in his own thoughts so he doesn't realize what happened until the next day.]

Hey, uh, I just saw your name on the--

What happened? Are you okay?

[Whoa. Someone's actually concerned instead of just scolding him? That's a welcome change of pace. So much of one that he doesn't really feel the same need to hide what happened, like yesterday.]

Yeah, I'm fine. I guess when I told you I was gonna keep warm, I took it a little too seriously. So you know that whole feeling from the pit telling us where to go? Uh. Pretty sure it was just messing with us.

[Flynn frowns, trying to piece together what Junpei is saying here. He remembers their conversation, him trying to figure something out and--]

You...

What are you saying? You jumped?

Well, there's semantics, but yeah, pretty much.

I didn't know, back then, that we had another spot that was so similar in the power plant. Once I heard of it, I kinda had to try it out. See if the reason we were being drawn in was to find something we'd overlooked...

It's not. There was no purpose to that damned room. If we'd all made it to the end, sure there'd still be that mystery, but so much could've been avoided.

[He pauses a moment, but then--]

Right. I said I'd get back to you and Kesara on whatever I found out, so here it is: magma is not cool.

Are you telling me that you literally jumped into a lava pit?

[Because wow, Junpei. He needs a moment there.]

Why didn't you tell me because I could have kind of told you that.

Look. I've seen all that snow outside, too, but this isn't Iceland. Geothermal plants around here should have solid rocks at the bottom. How was I supposed to know before I saw it?

It took four whole days to get there. I had to give up on seeing Quark and Diana again... I had to cut my arm up for that one door since I didn't have any paint... I wasn't gonna back out after all that just cause it looked a little scary.

The point is, whatever refused to let anyone reach the bottom before-- whatever caught us along the way so that we woke up where we needed to be? It wasn't there. Maybe it should've been obvious, but we can't trust anything the town tries to tell us, from now on.

Edited 2018-04-14 03:33 pm (UTC)

[He's suddenly glad he's on audio because he recoils quite a bit at cut my arm up. It brings too many recent memories of Peter and the things he's done to him and hurting him and he suddenly sees the blood dripping into the thermos cup and no. Flynn shakes his head, trying to navigate out of the flashing images and exhales.]

I... well, I'm glad you're okay. I really wish you wouldn't have done that.

I.. I did it so that nobody else would, okay? The rest of you have been here so much longer. If someone's gonna take that kind of risk, shouldn't it be someone who hasn't done anything, yet?

That's my take on it, anyway. I'm used to being in the lead. Doing everything myself. But, here? Here I'm so far behind I'm probably holding people back. I mean, come on. I don't even have that Shadownet thing, yet. How am I supposed to solve anything when all the information we know could be locked away like that?

[I'm used to being in the lead. Doing everything myself.

Doesn't THAT sound familiar. Flynn opens his mouth to comment on that, he's actually getting quite agitated over it and how he really wishes people wouldn't equate 'doing something' with 'dying horribly' but then--

There's a very long pause on the line.]

The... Shadownet thing.

Yeah. It's.. Huh.

[... What is it, exactly?]

I guess it's another version of the network. All I know is Winter made it, and--

[He pauses for a minute. Can't he just look through the regular one for any mention of Winter? Ah-- there.]

Sounds like it's text-only, and the admin can't see it. I was gonna say it's only safe to talk about in private messages. Now I guess we know why. ... Is there something we don't want her knowing about?

[It's too much effort to look up that much, okay?]

A-anyway. Apparently we can get copies of it from Ecks. Those SD cards in the convenience stores probably do the trick. Problem is, I don't think I left a great impression, the only time we talked. I thought if I could get her some sorta doll as an offering, first, then I could ask about it...

[For a second there Flynn is just stunned because how does he not know about this and then affronted because how does he not know about this? How is it possible that he, the Librarian didn't figure out there's a secret underground text network system?]

I have a doll.

[A beat.]

Well, it's not, it's not really a doll, it's more of a stuffed animal spider, I just, I don't sleep with it or anything [he totally cradles it], I just use it as a second pillow sometimes... [DON'T JUDGE HIM.]

[... Judging is the last thing he'd do, here. If anything, maybe he's a little jealous now, since he'd given up both of the stuffed dinosaurs he'd found to Quark. So there's a lot of understanding in his voice despite the topic.]

If it's serving a purpose, you might wanna find a different one to give her. Then once she agrees, you meet up at the elementary school and use some sorta card key she's got.

It's a lot of work, but I bet one of us could grab two copies at once and meet up after.

It's... I guess it's serving a purpose? A pillow purpose.

[But this is... this is something to do, something to focus on and that feels good.]

I'll keep my eyes open.

Sounds good.

...

Hey, right, I figured you know how to read these, so--

[Here comes an attachment again. It's four books, this time. Except, they're all in Russian? Probably classic literature. Now there's something to do during lockdown, as well.]

Oh, you found books? What are they-- ah!

[Flynn brightens when he opens the files and scrolls through them because oh wow! It's actually literature for once!]

Thank you! Maybe I can translate them at some point.

Yeah, you can try that. Of course, I'd kinda hope we'd be outta here before anyone has that much time...

[Oh. He may as well send over two more files, only a single page each. They're.. about the prophet...?]

These might have some use, too. Found em when I got out of the morgue. It doesn't seem like there's any clues in them, but people seem to like reading cult-y stuff off when they're trying new things, right?

[Well, that's interesting.]

In the morgue, huh? That's not disconcerting at all. Did you try reciting them?

... Uh.

I guess I should've.

I'll give it a shot if I see anything else related to the prophet.

Let me know how it goes! I'm gonna try them in some places as well, you never know.

I'll keep you posted on the plushie quest, too.

[Well.. That's.. Not exactly a good thing...]

I guess I had the advantage for too long, huh?
It's fine. I've been meaning to punch him back.

Edited 2018-04-15 06:49 pm (UTC)

Yeah. Of course I am. Mold's not the worst thing I've come back from.

[Just the grossest. And the first to have left a noticeable effect. But that's not important. Not really.]

Are you okay? Any idea what you lost, yet?

[... It's probably best to hold off on the few jokes that come to mind at the idea of it being a memory.]

A little?

[It's more than a little/i> bit scary, when it's happening. If he hadn't been thoroughly terrified those first two times, he wouldn't be here now. So.. Yeah, he gets that.]

Eve said you're over by the school. I can get there in a couple days if you want someone around.