reach the residents

[ximilian]

● ● ● REACH THE RESIDENTS

For any questions you want to ask Viveca or Degar and receive an IC response, please direct them here. Please indicate in the subject line who you are trying to contact.

// VIVECA

Hi, what can I help you with?

// DEGAR

Today was gonna be the day, but they'll never throw it back to you. And by now, you should've somehow realized what you're not to do.

▶ NAV

Comments

voice; un: redgrave, for degar, little bit post-mission

[shishkabob]

[There’s a long, long moment before Dante finally speaks, sounding more tired than ever before:] I had a brother, once. His name was Vergil—my parents were big Divine Comedy fans, I guess that they couldn’t pass up the opportunity. [A soft chuckle. Then he sobers up, and says,] Lost him to something a lot like this—his own thirst for power, at any cost.

It’s not the same, I know, but…I get it.

[stationmaster]

Man, I'm really sorry, Dante.

[ there's admittedly very little preamble. just a deep resonating feelings-cocktail of confusion, sadness, guilt, and ... loss. ]

Did you see it coming?

[shishkabob]

It was a long time ago.

[Still hurts, though. He’d thought it had stopped, but then V had showed up and said his brother’s name and the pain of it had hit all over again.]

No. Not really. At first it was ‘cause I thought he was dead, then for all of two minutes when we met again I was too stunned to think. So it isn’t the same, but, well. It’s close.

But for a while, when I thought he was dead, I just. Missed him, y’know? We fought a lot, [an understatement,] but he was my brother. Used to think that even if we fought all the time, we’d have each other’s backs when it counted.

…it didn’t work out that way. [A tired breath.] But there wasn’t anything I could’ve done then for him. It’s the same for you, too. You couldn’t have seen it coming, because you loved him, and once he was someone you could count on. That he stopped being that person, let his thirst for power overwhelm his heart—it’s on him.

All you can do is just mourn.

[stationmaster]

Yeah. Can't have said it better myself.

[ it'll just take some time.

and given the urgency of gathering these orbs, time just isn't a thing he can afford too much of. ]

Feels a little like I've lost him all over again too, which ... well, sucks.

[shishkabob]

Look on the bright side. At least he's alive and he has a chance to be better, and when all this is done, you can rip him a new asshole right beside the one Nina tore.

[Which was such a highlight of Dante's day that he recorded it. But he doesn't mention that just yet to Degar, because the guy is clearly grieving. He'll bring it up later.]

Hey—I have records from my office coming in, thanks to Viveca. If you want, you can borrow them, give 'em a listen. Some of them really helped me out when I went through something like this, maybe they'll help you.

[stationmaster]

[ if only that were true. degar's not sure he's got that kind of anger in him, even now, but he won't admit anything like that. he could pretend to be as angry as he wishes he was.

anger seems way more useful than the emptiness of loss anyway.

but while he doesn't respond to the first thing, he does seem to perk up at the next despite himself. ]

Yeah? That's — that'd be amazing, man, thank you.

[ he sounds genuinely grateful. ]

[shishkabob]

Don’t mention it. Or, actually, please mention it, loudly, I’m trying to get more people into Black Sabbath.

[But there’s a real sense of commiseration there, under the joke. You’re welcome, he doesn’t say.]

wow i'm so sorry for the delay

[stationmaster]

They're Earth rock, yeah?

[ please. if he likes it enough, he surely won't shut up about it.

though it'll likely be viv who hears the brunt of his enthusiasm. such is the way of things in the north wing.

but it's nice ... to talk about something else for just a moment. ]

I've been listening to this band called Pink Floyd and there's this other one that sings about a stairway, it's really, really good.

it okay!

[shishkabob]

[A rueful chuckle.] I keep forgetting there's more places besides Earth now. Yeah, they're Earth rock. The guys who helped make Earth heavy metal what it is today, really.

[Stairway...] Led Zeppelin? If you liked "Stairway to Heaven", you oughta try "Immigrant Song", that's a classic.

[stationmaster]

Countless places. It's what makes new discoveries so exciting.

[ despite the grimness of how this conversation started, there's a spark of something excited in degar's voice. he'd call it the healing effect of music, but it's more like a distraction. ]

I'm noting that one down. [ he really is, too. ] Thanks.