network } audio; un: panoptes

[sisterswitch]

Hey, everyone - Jack here. Or, I guess some of you might know me as “that evil lying bitch from Dualis who only cares about herself.”

[ahem, that’d be jane. not that jack’s still holding a grudge or anything.]

Anyway, the important thing here is that Navi asked me to pass on a message to the group, which is that they’ve picked up on a passenger who is in a great deal of distress but too far away to get a clear link of communication. In other words, one of our merry little band is missing and having an aggressively bad time way out in the woods.

So, consider this a roll call. Time is meaningless out here in the void, so nobody knows if it’s 10 o’clock, but do you know where your partner is? Who’s missing, and who wants to go rescue them from the big bad scary possibly haunted forest?

Comments

[albatrossomen]

Perish the thought! I am merely an impartial observer.

[There is the faintest hint of a smirk on his features, and he did manage to muster up a faint bit of something close to a theatrical tone! It seems like that's somewhat difficult for him to do naturally, but it's coming along gradually.]

And a friend, having a conversation.

[Which is the more honest answer. He's not trying to influence her for some higher power, but a friend concerned for the well-being of his shit-stirring companion.]

[sisterswitch]

[oh ... the f-word. it’s not untrue, it just takes jack by surprise that murmur’s using it with her, and her surprise at the statement is evident in the long pause she takes before speaking again. And changing the subject, of course.]

Well ... as my friend, you wouldn’t let me go traipsing through a possibly haunted forest by myself, right?

[albatrossomen]

[Yes, the f-word. He thought they established they were friends some time ago. The subject change is welcome, he thinks he's made his point.]

Loathe as I am to interfere in mortal affairs, I would be a pretty poor friend to leave you to this task alone.

[Thoughtfully he set aside his newspaper.]

Of course, with one of our flock missing, I do not believe I would be acting beyond my design in assisting.

[Mental gymnastics. He's good at those.]

[sisterswitch]

[in jack's mind, there's a difference between being friendly and being a friend. it's easy enough to be friendly with people. having a friend? that's new, but in a very good way - a way that makes her feel much less alone.]

Then it sounds like we are about to have an adventure.

[we. it's really nice to not feel so alone.]

You don't have to sit on the floor, you know. You can come sit on the bed with me - I don't bite.

[albatrossomen]

[As she may well have surmised by now, Murmur felt very similarly. Honestly, even being friendly was a little strange for him, though he found himself at greater liberty to at least have his general manners not constantly questioned and treated with suspicion. That was always annoying.

Regardless, using the f-word was not done lightly. Though they may not have known each other for years, he did genuinely consider Jack a friend and he hoped she felt the same. He didn't often have the privilege of friends.

It's nice not feeling so alone.]

I think we are, [He even offered something like a genuine smile! Even if it did look a little unpracticed on him. That just meant it really wasn't faked.] Shall I make the call to arms while you continue your investigation into who, exactly, we're missing?

[Oh, right, the floor. He glanced down like he'd only just noticed.]

Oh, I hadn't wanted to impose. If you have no objections I see no reason to refuse.

[He might be weird and awkward but there were some things that would normally be "shy" for humans that angels just wouldn't get. Like the offer to sit with her, for example. He was completely casual about it, genuine in his desire not to be too obtrusive.]

[sisterswitch]

Yeah, that might be for the best. No one here actively hates you yet, so you might have better luck recruiting.

[jack sits up and shifts to one side of the bed to make room for murmur, patting the open space as an invitation to take a seat.]

Of course I don't have objections, silly. Friends sit together on beds all the time, or so I'm told. In fact, teenage girls are well known for sitting on beds together - painting each others' nails, doing each others' hair, gossiping about boys ... you know, girl stuff.

[albatrossomen]

I am glad the hostility does not seem to be particularly infectious here.

[Despite Jane's best efforts, no one else treated Jack like she was public enemy number one. Still, their mutual hostilities were making things needlessly difficult.

He did move to settle into the offered seat, taking out his communicator to set about trying to rustle up some assistance. If nothing else he was fairly confident he could convince Emet-Selch to come along.]

Are they? Is that what constitutes girl stuff? Who decided? And how did it become to be so widely known?

[Explain your strange 90's movie culture to him, Jack, he is very confused and intrigued!]

[sisterswitch]

An entire library of heteronormative teen girl romcom movies spanning many decades both decided this was so, and made it widely known. [she flashes him a grin and sets her device to the side.] I can't, however, verify all that from firsthand experience. Heteronormative teen girls tend to avoid being in close spaces with the village dyke.

[jack shrugs. so she didn't have the supposedly typical middle class middle american teen girl experience. she mostly doesn't care, but some small part of her sometimes wonders what it would've been like if she'd been included in things like this.]

Gender roles are bullshit anyway. "Girl stuff" is just what the patriarchy decided is appropriate for girls.

[albatrossomen]

[It's a good thing Murmur's quick to contextualize unfamiliar words into a dictionary he can mostly understand, because Jack just tossed a good number out there he's unfamiliar with in short order.]

Explain to me this "romcom" please.

[Except that one, he doesn't understand media yet. Sorry Jack he's behind the times. He did echo her frustration with a light shake of his head, humans could get hung up about the strangest things!]

Of course they are, [The angel is quick to confirm. Those roles, and he is aware how religion is used to enforce them, have no source within the Heavenly realm. Souls, after all, do not possess a gender.] So what is this patriarchy in the context in which you're using it? I am of course familiar with the word, but from you it seems to carry a specific weight.