IC Contact [ryslig]

[catphishing]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, OLIVER. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 142.58.303.67 *** oliver has joined 142.58.303.67 <oliver> So this is my private channel. <oliver> Talk to me?

Current Usernames

<trashpanda>
<mothman>
<oliver>
<deBricassart> (anon)

Former Usernames

<creepypasta>

Throwaways

<zx01r3z>
<tfk>

Changeling Throwaways

Comments

[catphishing]

It's not that bad. At least you're not shut up in your room doing coding instead of homework.

That's lame.

[He's fairly sure he beats out Jade in terms of being an uncool teenager by a long shot.]

[fourthsaken]

[She's barely able to hold back her laughter and isn't able to hide back her grin.]

Seriously? Wow, you were such a nerd.

[catphishing]

Yeah. I know. I'm pretty sure journals are fairly normal.

[fourthsaken]

Do you think we would get along? I mean, if you were a teenager... I know I'd get along with Soeki.

[catphishing]

[Oliver falters, looking uncertain.]

I don't know. I mean... you're nice, so probably, but I don't know if we'd have been as close as we are now. I don't know if I'd even have got along that well with Soeki. High school has those boxes. I had a hard enough time trying to figure out how to be gay if I was already a nerd and wanted to be one of the cool people without branching out anymore than that. I didn't realize how dumb that stuff was until I was older.

[Even as an adult he still finds himself wanting to break into cooler groups of people than he is.]

[fourthsaken]

[Jade nods slightly, frowning.]

Maybe we could've been at MGA, probably not at my school in Iowa. I... I wasn't that nice there. Everyone hated me. I wasn't even like, a real person, just the weird girl whose mom hated her and then killed herself. It's hard to be nice when everyone is talking about you but no one wants to talk to you or try to understand.

[catphishing]

Yeah. High schoolers can be pretty brutal. I could be judgey sometimes.

I'm not sure MGA was any better for you though. I think you'd have become who you are now anyway. I mean... that's not the kind of school where you learn to become a better person. Not from what you've told me.

[fourthsaken]

Sometimes I really don't wanna go back there...

[catphishing]

It's okay.

[Or not. He knows what happened to her before she arrived in Ryslig. His mouth itches to correct the lie.]

We can figure something out. Try to. After Christmas? I'll teach you more about phones. We can figure out why you couldn't call from yours before you got here...

There could be a really simple solution to it.

[There probably isn't, but there's still the possibility that there could be.]

[fourthsaken]

[Jade nods, relaxing slightly. It might be the smallest glimmer of hope, but it's still hope. She's glad to have a plan even if she's not going to count on it to succeed.]

I hope it's simple. That'd be cool.

[catphishing]

It might be.

Let's talk about this in the new year, okay?

[fourthsaken]

Okay. Sorry. I wasn't trying to ruin Christmas.

[catphishing]

[He sighs, shaking his head as he offers his arm out for another hug. He's not usually this physical with Jade, but this is a difficult subject. He doesn't want her to feel bad.]

You aren't ruining Christmas.

[fourthsaken]

[She immediately leans into the hug, curling against Oliver's side. She's warm and solid, a huge change from even her most solid shade form which still feels off compared to a regular person.]

I hope not. This is like, the best Christmas I've had in forever.

[catphishing]

You aren't. Trust me. This is already way better than last year.

[fourthsaken]

God, I hope it's better than your Christmas last year. That must've sucked.

[catphishing]

[He laughs, shaking his head.]

It was actually the best things got for me here for a long time.

[It had been difficult, but until Connor's death and resurrection so soon after it had been starting to seem like things might be starting to get easier.]

It wasn't terrible, but this is much better.

[fourthsaken]

[Jade shrugs. New Years was when things really got bad for Oliver and Connor but Jade has assumed Christmas wasn't great for them either. It's nice to know things weren't that bad.]

I like the way things are now better. I didn't even know if you really liked me back then. I thought you were just being polite because Connor liked me...

[catphishing]

[It's not surprising she hadn't known he'd liked her then, but it's hard looking back and knowing what a jerk he'd been to a number of people who'd become important to him.]

I worried the same thing about you. It's not like I made myself look good to any of you.

[fourthsaken]

You did? But I kept offering to help you!

[catphishing]

Yeah, because you liked Connor.

At least that's what I thought then.

[fourthsaken]

[Jade bumps his shoulder lightly, reassuringly.]

Connor was like, my brother, but that doesn't mean I didn't like you. And now... You're like my brother too. I, uh, hope that doesn't freak you out too much.

[catphishing]

I know that now.

[Connor's long gone. They would have stopped speaking a long time ago if that were the only reason she talked to him. He hesitates before replying to the rest of what she says. It doesn't freak him out. She is family, at least to him, but he also knows they don't share the same bond that she and Soeki have always had.]

You know you don't have to say that just because you and Soeki feel like that, right? I know I'm still important to you.

[fourthsaken]

[Jade shoots him a worried look, chewing at her bottom lip with her sharp canines. She's mistaking the reasoning behind his hesitation, assuming it really does freak him out.]

I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it.

[catphishing]

[Well, that was the wrong thing to say. His heart sinks.]

I'm sorry. It doesn't freak me out. You guys are basically family to me. I just didn't know if you wanted that... and I don't know how to be a big brother. Mine was kind of mean, and I love him, but he didn't exactly set the best guides on how to act.