inbox: riverview

[bardish]

—

12:45 pm

CODE BY [ Voice | Video | Text | Confusing Emojis | Action ]

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[citharede]

Do you ever think about how sunburns are literally people cooking alive?

[bardish]

[ ................jeff just stares at his phone ]

...not until you sent that text no

[ NOW HE WILL THINK OF NOTHING ELSE. ]

[citharede]

It's fucking weird right?

[bardish]

that's one word for it!
also? DISTURBING! the world is so HOSTILE, athena!!

backdated to the meme.

[11calls]

[Oh hey text. Alex never texts. There's nothing wrong here.]

I'm sorry, Jeff, but I need a favor. Is there anyway you can swing by Richard's office and check on him? We had a huge fight and he left and he's... not good when he's like this. His brain is... not his friend sometimes.

But don't tell him I said that.

[bardish]

i won't tell him you said anything. and you don't have to tell me if it's too private, but what happened? Are you okay?

[11calls]

I'll be fine. We just had a terrible, terrible fight. Maybe the worst one we've ever had and I'm worried about him. I'll let him tell you what it's about.

God knows my mouth is big enough already.

text; @Waltz

[enveloped]

I see you’ve taken the laissez-faire approach to your guardianship.

[bardish]

normally I lock her bedroom door from the outside before bed. Clearly an oversight on my part!

[enveloped]

I don’t expect you to lock her in her room.

I expect you to be firm in what you will and won’t tolerate.

ACTION

[citharede]

[ Athena comes wandering out of her room holding her phone, a look of UTMOST INNOCENCE on her face. ]

Heeeyyyyyy Jeff? What would you say if I sort of volunteered you and Cam to help take care of a homicidal tweenage superhero?

[bardish]

[ "Homicidal tweenage superhero" are three words, in succession, that are both novel and alarming. And here Jeff was, minding his own business with a recipe book, WHICH WE'LL GET BACK TO LATER. ]

Okay... I'm gonna need some more context here. How homicidal are we talking?

[ Can you even be homicidal AND a superhero?? Jeff doesn't know; he never really read very many comic books growing up. And though there's probably some MCU equivalent in their universe along with endless think pieces about """SUPERHERO FATIGUE""", Mel usually watched those movies with her friends, not with her COOL DAD.

Look, anyway, the point is: Jeff doesn't know much about superheroes.

Pause. Wait. ]

You offered me and Mr. Waltz up as a package deal?

[citharede]

I'm not sure how homicidal she is personally, but her sister decapitated a miniature Cthulhu that was living in some wizard guy's closet.

[ She's scrolling through her messages with Gabby now, looking for other homicidal tendencies, but she seems pretty tame really. ]

Anyway I figured two adults would be better than one.

SHORTLY AFTER WHATEVER HAPPENS WITH PETER IN THE "AND THEN THE WORLD ENDED" THREAD

[citharede]

[ Athena comes to stand in Jeff's doorway, shellshocked, part of her just wanting to see him there. She's so selfish, wanting to make sure her people are okay when Peter has no way to do the same. He's stuck here. All he knows is what he can't do. ]

...Jeff? [ She tries to blink back tears. ] Can I have a hug?

[bardish]

[ Jeff's just finished changing into his 'chilling out at home' clothes (ie a t-shirt and jeans) when Athena comes to his room. Don't worry, kid, he's already finished. Jeff's not shirtless or pantless. YOUR EYES ARE SAFE.

And honestly, with the way she's looking right now, she doesn't even need to ask for the hug. ]

Hey-- [ He's moving over to her, wrapping her in his arms, in a safe, comforting hug. ] What's wrong?

[citharede]

[ And, much like Peter did when she hugged him, Athena starts to sob. Just grabs fistfuls of Jeff's shirt and cries into it. ]

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

An hour later; voice

[enveloped]

I'm sorry.

[bardish]

Why, because I hung up on you?

[ STOP IT, JEFF. Just accept the apology. ]

[enveloped]

No, because I...

[God, why is talking to Jeff more intimidating than any warlord?]

You know what? Never mind.

I'm sorry. I'll see you around.

[citharede]

[ Sometimes Athena can't sleep. Usually there's no particular source--it's set off by a weird sound outside, or a random thought, or the fact that she can't quite get comfortable.

This time she knows exactly what it is. She woke herself up shouting Robbie's name, after dreaming of Robbie screaming in the middle of that stupid misty forest. She's dreamed of that place a lot, of her friends turning on her and Robbie so close, so impossible to save.

She can't face trying to sleep again, not after hearing Robbie screaming.

Which is how she ends up on the couch, watching old movies from the Capital World with the volume on the tv turned down low. She's got a pint of ice cream in her lap, half-eaten. She could eat more, probably, but she knows if she does it'll stop tasting good.

Somehow she can't will herself to get up and put it away. ]

[bardish]

[ Jeff doesn't sleep well as it is. That was always an issue of his, grown worse since the forest. These days, he doesn't sleep easily, and the smallest things can jolt him awake.

The shout might have stirred him from sleep, in some sense, but Jeff isn't really fully, consciously awake for another fifteen or so minutes.

EVENTUALLY, he shuffles into the room, hair messed up, squinting at the light of the TV. ]

Uh oh. Midnight ice cream. [ He flops down on the couch, next to her. ] What happened?

[citharede]

[ Athena automatically scoots in next to him, lifting his arm with one hand so she can settle under it. ]

Bad dream, nothing big.

[ CASUAL CASUAL SUPER CASUAL. ]

voice;

[enveloped]

I am going to kill Richard Strand, and I'm going to get away with it. Because he's an asshole and no one will miss him. No one.

[bardish]

[ WHAT'S GOING ON? ]

...I... think Alex might miss him.

[ And Jeff likes Richard! Inexplicably. But that's not a high bar. Jeff likes pretty much everyone. ]

What'd he do?

[enveloped]

She can do better.

[Cam's pissed. He's got that edge to his voice. Sharp and cool like a knife.]

You didn't see it?