(Untitled)

[victormakesart]

The video stream opens up on Victor, a slightly younger Victor with longer hair, so long that she could probably reach back and braid it, if she wanted to.

"If you're seeing this video, I died. A week ago. I have a system... if my biological functions go offline, a week later this video goes online. That's to prevent a mistake, if the system

Comments

[boyking]

Here, Victor, have a slightly panicky kidlet.

[victormakesart]

"Hey, hey, hi, oh, everything's okay now." She swallows hard, ready for a full-on reassurance-fest. That's what happens when her fail-safes have a reason to activate.

[boyking]

"...what happened?" This. This is not a fun time.

[victormakesart]

She fiddles with a few dials, makes sure she's on a secure channel, leans in. She's talking extra calmly, to put his mind at ease. "I was on patrol, and I ran into a pretty bad fellow. He's in custody now. I have a healer buddy, but he was gone at the time. I promise, everything's okay, everyone's safe."

[notacargojet]

"What the fucking hell was that all about?"

[victormakesart]

"That was... I set it up, so I'd be the least possible burden on people after I pass." She looks down at herself. "It, uh. It didn't take."

[notacargojet]

That explanation didn't appear to mollify him in the slightest. "Do you know what you fucking put me through just now?" he demanded.

[victormakesart]

Her entire expression just crumples. There's no sense of the self-control she usually has. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Please don't be mad at me."

[alexa_parker]

Victor will get a t-shirt PINpointed to her present location. It is an exact fit and reads, in Comic Sans font:

"I died and came back and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."

On the back it reads,

"Proud member of the Die-All High Club
(It was only MOSTLY dead)."

[victormakesart]

She holds up the shirt, reads the front, reads the back, and starts to sporfle. She holds it up to the camera. "I freaking love you. You're my g-dawg, man."

[alexa_parker]

"Yeah, so many of us have done the revolving door at the pearly gates thing, I thought I might as well print up some shirts. Got a few dozen, expect to be out before the end of the week." She waves from the camera, giving a half-grin. "How you feeling?"

[victormakesart]

"Gorgeous craftsmanship." She admires the shirt for just a little longer, and then she glances at the camera, leaning close to it. "I feel like I'll never stop saying I'm sorry for this. I can't stop. Feel guilty, you know, I feel like I just died. And now, with the vid, now folks're getting unhappy, and I did it to help, but...."

[umbra_ab_luce]

"Explain," he says via handheld video feed, "right now."

He doesn't sound angry, just very, very terse. And concerned.

[victormakesart]

She goes through the motions of checking that she's on a secure line, turning a dial that clicks, and then turning another dial that doesn't do anything but hum a little, and then whir. "There was a guy on patrol. He's taken care of now. Uh. Not in the mafia way."

[umbra_ab_luce]

"Would you like him taken care of in the Mafia way?" Granted he might do that anyway, but...

[victormakesart]

You see, that is exactly why she doesn't invite some of her more dangerous buddies to her world. Not because she's scared for her own safety. It's everyone else she's worried about. "Nahhh, no thanks. I already bandaged him up once. I'd feel foolish if I did it again."

[evillurks]

...

[victormakesart]

"I'm sorry," she says, wincing. She runs her hands through her hair again, double checks a few connections, making sure that this conversation will be private. She's looking a couple shades away from sick. "The threat is contained now. A guy, on patrol. He went into my head and turned off a few of my organs. Crumpled my soundgun, ripped my armor. Ripped through kevlar with his bare hands, and... I didn't even know how bad things were until after days after I was stitched and I had my lung reinflated. Then the doctors were telling me that I was shutting down. I have a friend who can bring people back, heal them from crazy damage. I'm sorry. This was my last-resort goodbye video. Maybe one week is too short for a buffer time."

[evillurks]

The video from The Shadow's end is at an awkward angle from below, as if the device is sitting on a table, and it may give her the distressing sense of sitting on the floor and looking up at him. He has his spectacles on, and there is a quiet shuffling of papers. The expression from on high is full of disapproval.

"Hm. Making preparations in case is a wise idea, but your automated system needs work. You might want to look into better defense against that kind of thing now." He pauses to consider the paperwork in his hands, makes a mark, and looks at the screen again with a slightly less severe gaze. "It's good to know you've recovered." This is what passes for sympathy, from him, and it will have to suffice.

[victormakesart]

Victor doesn't have as much control over how her emotions are presenting themselves as she usually does. Even when she's her usual fidgety self, there's a sense that it would take a major multiversal disaster to get her to yell. That if someone really hurt her, she'd crack a joke, tie them up, and leave them on a rooftop with a smile on her face and a song in her heart. Right now... she looks guilty. Really guilty. I-kicked-a-whole-petstore-full-of-sick-puppies-and-kitties guilty. So guilty that there has to be something else going on, besides her death and that video. "I really, really hope you don't think I'm stupid, or careless. I was so careful. I'm always careful. Everything just... went wrong."