I wanna take you for granted, yeah, yeah well I will - Phone

[ceasetoexist]

[Phone]
[There's a small, throat-clearing sound on the other end of the phone before Pokey finally begins to speak.]

I found something in the ghost town that opened up during the fight with that stupid robot. You jerks have fifteen seconds to get a pen and paper, because when I start reading? I'm not stopping.

Alright. Hope you're ready, cause here we go.

[And Pokey will proceed to recite what's written on this note. He goes at a moderate pace, not super fast but not particularly slow or meticulous either. He doesn't stop, aside from one time. He pauses a bit before the last paragraph, and that one he reads noticeably slower then the others. And then a short pause after he finishes.]

I hope you losers caught all that, or at least one of you did, cause I don't want you bugging me to repeat.

[Filtered to Legion of Doom Members]

Alright listen up. The Riddler's droned, probably not for good, but we should probably elect someone to act as an impromptu leader with him gone if he hasn't done so already.

That being said, I'd actually like to do something now that we're settled down after all the bullcrap of the last few weeks. We were supposed to have a meeting last week but, uh, oops, understandably that didn't happen. So I suggest we have one this week, or try to. If no one else can host it, we can use my place because there's only drones here aside from myself, so if you have family members you don't want finding out about this, you don't have to.

I also want to suggest that everyone brings some kind of list of what they saw, what happened, and who they met during this mess. It's going to be best to try and understand this crap from all angles and, because of the mess it was, if any of us have info on the other people in this town we're stuck with, it'd be a good idea to get it out now so we can compile it in case we have to go against these jerkoffs sometime.

[Filtered to Mindy]

Hey squirt. I just...wanna make sure you're alright, after all that went down last week. That's all. Just making sure you didn't go and somehow get hurt.

[A pause. And then, he asks, slowly.]

...You wanna do something today? Like play a game?

[And after these phone calls, Pokey prepares to put the phone up. And stops. And for a long moment, he hesitates between putting it up and dialing one last number.

In the end? He chooses to dial that number.]

[Filtered to Lucas]

[When Pokey starts speaking, his voice is low. Trying to force calm. Struggling to say what he's trying to say.]

Stup-

Pig's bu-

Lucas.

[It was a struggle just to get your actual name out. THink that was hard? It's even more strained when he says the next part. Strained, and somewhat angry, but oddly enough? There's an odd sincerity in his tone. He means it.]

What you said about other people. About needing them. About some of them actually being good.

You were right.

I was wrong.

[And he just stops. He'll stay on the phone for a moment or two, waiting for a reply. And if none comes, he puts the receiver down.]

Comments

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

Good, I was a little worried.

You're stronger than that though right?

[[Trying to be reassuring.]]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sure am!

[He isn't, especially not right now. But he's trying.]

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

You looked it.

Can I ask a huge favor?

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[Oh, of course. He knew it. The moment he was nice, that was the moment everyone decided to jump on the wagon and ask him for crap. Still, he tries to keep the agitation out of his voice.]

Yeah?

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

Mind if I come over to write down the information on that note... I just realized while we were talking I forgot some of what you said.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

...Sure. You know where my house is? 502 Ricardo?

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we can talk more when I get there. Sorry about this!

[[He does sound embarrassed. He'll hang up to head over. Got a notepad and pencil in hand when he knocks on the door.]]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[And he'll open the door for Aaron, motioning for him to go ahead and come in.]

Note's on the table.

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[[Heading in to sit down. Aaron's a slow writer.]]

Honestly, I was surprised to hear from you so soon. I wanted to visit to check on you but I was kind of worried you'd be angry.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[Pokey just stands there for a moment, thinking that over. He tries to keep his voice balanced, but his eyes narrow into slits at your back. He's not coming forward. Not yet.]

That I'd be angry? About what?

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

After the war at the highway, I heard it went bad for you so I was going to come check to see how you were holding up.

Everyone was turning on everyone though so I kinda worried you'd not want strange visitors during it.

[[Unaware, just staring at the note and transcribing it.]]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[Oh. Well he slightly untenses at that.]

Yeah? How'd you hear that?

[Because he'd like to know who might have been keeping tabs on him.]

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

I was exploring with someone else. She mentioned she might have saw you dead.

I was sort of distracted at the time so I didn't see if that was true...

[[Distracted is a good word for being sad and being murdered right?]]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

And you don't know her name?

[Sorry Aaron, he isn't noticing your own possible discomfort at this. He just wants to know who the hell this could be.]

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

[[Not really thinking enough to know to be wary.]]

Shana, we went out there together. She's a bit better at being in control of bad situations it seems.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

[...Huh.]

Never heard of her. How'd she know about, well, me? Or did she just describe my-what she thought I looked like?

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

Seems she knows you by name.

Maybe someone told her around that time.

You didn't run into Kyrie and the man with the rifle did you?

[[Thinking of everything that happened, if Pokey was around there...]]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Like I said, never met her. Must of heard of me somewhere else.

...You know Kyrie?

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

Probably.

Yeah, she's a teacher who saved me once in Westport. I didn't think she'd go crazy like that on the highway...

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

....She hurt you?

[Because shit, she hurt him. Not that Pokey honestly thinks she's to blame for that.]

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

Yeah, she got me. I really didn't know what to do.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

Don't-

[Blame her, is what he was going to say, but Pokey stops himself before he can get that out. Yeah. That wouldn't exactly sound too good to anyone other then himself.]

Don't....worry about it. I....they got me too.

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm glad you're doing okay now though.

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

It happens.

Heh. Still standing now, at least.

[pants-yourmove.livejournal.com]

That's good. What were you doing on the highway anyways?