ic contact (mask or menace)

[hackitude]

"Hey! You've reached Skye. Leave a message. I mean, if you want to. Or uh, don't. Whatever."

Comments

[corviform]

[ He glances up her momentarily, tugging his collar nervously. ]

I don't... I don't know?

[ He thinks about it for a second, wondering if Skye would have any advice on what to do. Her previous advice had actually worked, but no one could have expected baking vatrushka and then pressing about what was bothering Kenzi would have led into a confession.

His throat is dry, so he takes another sip of the tea. ]

I-I don't know where to even begin...

[hackitude]

Hey, no pressure. You don't have. You can just... go to bed, if you want. But if you need an ear or anything... mine's available. ... Figuratively speaking.

[corviform]

[ Could he? Should he?

But Skye is so kind. Maybe she can help? He hasn't an idea what to do in these situations and Break's not around to exacerbate it or provide help in his own eccentric ways.

No, it's probably best Break isn't here. ]

D-Do you remember that f-friend of mine...?

[ Is the tea burning up his insides? He thinks he might combust any given moment. ]

[hackitude]

You know that conversation wasn't even 24 hours ago, right? Yes, I remember.

... Did something happen?

1/3

[corviform]

Oh, right...

2/3

[corviform]

[ He swallows nervously. ]

W-Well, I took your advice... and it seemed to work...?

3/3

[corviform]

But then... then when I asked about... about what was wrong...

[ A shuddering breath. ]

She started talking too fast and acting strange and then she screamed and shestartedsayingmorestrangethings!

[hackitude]

... Okay. First, I need you to take a deep breath for me. Or like. ... Five.

[corviform]

[ Alright, alright... he concedes and takes a deep breath.

And then another one. ]

[hackitude]

Okay. Great. Are you... good? Not about to have a heart attack? 'Cause... I'm totally not qualified to deal with that.

[corviform]

I am not! I-I'm fine!

[ MAYBE.

MAYBE NOT. ]

[hackitude]

[Raises

eyebrow]

1/2

[corviform]

[ He opens his mouth to argue... ]

2/2

[corviform]

[ ... and slumps over instead. ]

I'm no good at this...

[hackitude]

Yeah, you're probably going to burst a blood vessel before you're forty. It's true.

[corviform]

That's not what I mean!

[hackitude]

I know. I just thought it didn't bear responding to in the way you meant it. Most people aren't good at talking about their feelings.

[corviform]

I-It's not my...

[ Well, partly... but he's also dense and completely ill-equipped to deal with feelings. ]

Feelings...

[hackitude]

I dunno, man. You're getting pretty worked up. It sure sounds like you have a lot of feelings.

[corviform]

Because I'm surprised!

[hackitude]

Right. About... the things that your friend was saying?

[corviform]

She... she...

[ His tongue feels heavy and useless. ]

She said she...

[hackitude]

[Skye just waits patiently for him this time, not interjecting or making a funny quip. She brings her mug to her face and takes a sip, looking at Gil in what she hopes is an encouraging way. She doesn't want to prod him too hard, after all.]

[corviform]

[ He releases a heavy, exhausted sigh, shoulders falling once more. ]

She said she has feelings for me...

[ The hope the floor will swallow him from under has been present since his apartment in Maurtia Falls. ]

[hackitude]

...

Wow.

... Okay. That's. ... Unexpected.

[Skye at least is JUST enough of a good person to not tack on "Sort of" at the end of that sentence. Or say "I told you so." Or let even any variation of "HA I WAS RIGHT people should really stop doubting me and my awesome powers of deduction" show on her face.]