video

[casperdisaster]

Um, hi everyone, am I- am I doing this right?

[Noah is still learning selfies and how to use the forward facing camera, so he's not exactly centered in the frame, but he's trying, cheek bruised and hair the very definition of bedhead.]

So, did - um. So I woke up okay, uh, and I found this?

[He holds up a book, Oh, The Places You'll Go! by one Dr Seuss.]

I didn't bring this with me. I - um, it's kinda funny, I haven't actually thought about it in... gosh, years? It was one of the books I had as a kid. I dunno, it never meant much before but reading it now...

[He pages through it, pausing at a few places and smiling a little before looking back up to the camera.]

Um, I'm pretty sure none of my friends had it either so... any ideas? Did someone lose a book? Uh, yeah. That's. That's it.

Comments

audio

[unitas]

I woke up with one, too. [ her tone indicates she isn't entirely pleased with the event, considering only the fact that someone was in her room while she slept without her permission (which is creepy). ]

I'm taking a wild guess, but I think it's a gift.

video

[casperdisaster]

You did?

[Noah on the other hand is pretty happy - if it was just him, maybe it's a little creepy, but if it's an across the board thing that's less creepy.

Somehow.]

Do you think it's like... an apology for the stuff from like... last week? What'd you get?

[unitas]

If it's an apology, they can choke on it. [ she would be more than happy to provide them with assistance, even. ]

...And I got The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll. [ her mother had often read to her before bed, and Sharon's favorite had always been the poem Jabberwocky; there was something about it's nonsensical words that always managed to get her to giggle as a child (frabjous was her favorite). ] It'd be a thoughtful gift if I didn't think it came from an asshole.

[casperdisaster]

Lewis Carroll? Oh! That's the- the guy that did Alice in Wonderland, isn't it?

[unitas]

...Yep, that's him. [ a beat, and then: ] Do you want it?

[ because she's not keeping it. ]

video

[unknowable]

[Adam's mostly been avoiding everyone in person, but phones are good. Phones are fine.]

I got one too. Yours looks like more fun, though.

[He holds up a familiar book - the Aglionby Latin textbook, all shiny and new.]

Maybe they're trying to tell me to study more.

video

[casperdisaster]

Oh my gosh, yours is all shiny and new! Have you cracked the spine yet? I wonder why we got these books... I mean, I know I owned this one at some point, but...

video

[unknowable]

I just paged through it a little. It's just like the ones at home.

[Well, not Adam's, which was secondhand and full of notes, but the other ones.]

Maybe they decided we need some kind of entertainment?

video

[casperdisaster]

And I got a kid's book? [Noah gapes a bit, gives his book an askance glance.] ... Should I be insulted then?


... But I like it too much.

Video

[fuwatokurage]

A children's book? It looks like fun to read!

[He reaches down and lifts his own book, rereading the title out loud.]

Caves of Steel...

I haven't read a lot of books. Do you know this one?

Video

[casperdisaster]

[Noah leans in and peers at the book Clear holds up.] Oh! Yeah, that's like... uh, a scifi book from like the 1950's? It's like a buddy cop thing except it takes place like 3000 years in the future or something, and one of them's a robot. I think it's the blonde one. I think I had to read that for school.

Re: Video

[fuwatokurage]

Really? A robot...

[He tilts his head at the book as he looks at it, making an unsure expression. He isn't sure he wants to read a book about a robot just in case it made him feel awful about himself.]

What about yours? What is yours about?

Video

[casperdisaster]

Um, it's a kid's book. It's about growing up and going out into the world and that like... you'll do great, even if you hit some bumps along the way, which you will also probably do?

[offline]

[greywaren]

[Whether or not Ronan actually used his phone to see the video feed is a mystery. Regardless, he's knocking at Noah's door a few minutes later anyway, dressed in not much other than sleep pants, while Chainsaw skitters along the floor behind his feet.]

You awake?

[casperdisaster]

[Noah opens the door as soon as he hears Ronan's voice. He's got the book under one arm and smiles as soon as he sees Ronan, stepping back so he (and chainsaw) can come in.]

Yeah! Come in, I haven't had a chance to make a mess yet.

[His room is still pretty clean, it just seems so very messy now that he does things like actually use the bed to sleep... and live in the space.

He's got little containers on almost every available surface though. All with various cut fruits(?) in them and the vodka the alcohol demon gave him. It's too high proof to take straight, so. He's stretching it out like he did with Rook before.]

[greywaren]

[Ronan eyes the vodka with a skeptical look as he enters the room, allowing Chainsaw in before closing the door behind him.]

Where the hell did you get all this?

[He doesn't remember giving it to him- and how else could Noah have gotten so much liquor?]

[casperdisaster]

The Demon gave it to me!

[Which Noah sounds... delighted about?]

He said I should celebrate being alive by getting drunk and having a couple one night stands and I said I only had the little bit of berry vodka left. So he like, pulled a bottle out of thin air!

[This is way more than a bottle's worth.

Noah seems to realize that as he looks around.]

Uh. I watered it down some and mixed in the weird fruit stuff, what he gave me was way too high proof to take straight, it would have definitely killed me a second time.

video;

[closerift]

[ someone please help this poor child understand electronics ]

Can you hear me? [ sigh. beat: ] You aren't the only one. I found a book in my room... Maker knows how they got it without anyone noticing.

[ Well, if they're gods... Still, Cecily looks thoroughly displeased with the idea. ]

Why would they leave these for all of us?

video;

[casperdisaster]

I can hear you! See you too - uh ... are phones not a thing where you're from?

[This would not be surprising, he's thankfully run into that before.]

Maybe they're saying sorry for all the ... the bad stuff from the last couple weeks?

video;

[closerift]

No, we haven't anything like this. I'm still... learning.

[ And it's positively baffling. ]

It could be. [ But the little twitch of her nose suggests otherwise. ] But they don't seem the type to apologize, not either of them.

video;

[casperdisaster]

They can have a bit of a learning curve I guess. Um. I could show you if you want?

I guess not, but I have a friend who's bad at apologies too so this is kind of like how he apologizes without actually saying sorry.

video

[dragonbite]

[ Don't worry, Vaiz's feed is far from good, too. ]

It's very colorful.

[ In case Noah couldn't tell. ]

video

[casperdisaster]

The book? Yeah, the whole thing is. [he holds it up to the camera and pages through it a bit so Vaiz can see the bright colorful drawings inside.] ... It is a kid's book.

video

[dragonbite]

Is it?

[ Hmm. ]

I haven't seen any book with their pages that filled with color before.

video

[casperdisaster]

Really? All kids books are pretty much bright and colorful where I'm from... So kids will like them.