3 [@dodger//video]

[smokedout]

Ugh, my head...

[Dodger seems like he just woke up... and like he woke up pretty roughly at that. He looks the same as normal, if a little more relaxed and sleepy. Although, those who haven't seen him lately will now be able to see that he's wearing what looks like a shock collar with a green light glowing on the buckle. A power suppressor. Also, the lights are on in his room for once, so the observant might be able to catch some less blurry shots of the somewhat invasive amounts of information kept on several people around the city, which are plastered all over his walls along with identifying pictures of them. Something which he hasn't taken the time to read through, since he doesn't remember any of it.]

I feel like I got hit by a train... shit. Hey- there's notes all over the desk here, so I know this is my place, but- fuck, I don't remember a single fuckin' thing about- here. Someone wanna tell me what's going on?

[He doesn't look any different, his scars are still there and so is his scruffy beard. But this doesn't seem... quite like Dodger. His tone is less condescending and sullen, more just... sleepy, with a morning grumpy sort of vibe. Like he'll pop back up and be a cheerful, relaxed person once he gets some coffee. And speaking of indulgent drinks...]

....Fuck, Janet's gonna kill me if she sees all the bottles in here...

[ooc: Dodger has forgotten everything past his 20th birthday, including all of his CR in Riverview. Enjoy letting your muses explain their version of events to him... or just fuck with him. He doesn't know any better.]

Comments

[aeturnus]

Pretty sure that's just left over from the war they had before a bunch of us started arriving. Or you can think of it like a decontamination area before we go out into the big bad world.

Sadly, no, it's not all a joke.

[smokedout]

Jesus Christ... okay. So- fuck it, I'll just believe you. We're- what, on another planet? Or- a different... reality?

[This is too much information, he hasn't used his brain for anything except keeping himself alive and working since he was 16 or so.]

So- who are you in all this? I mean I know your name, but- shit, should I know you, are we friends?

[Give him something small to work with first, he's totally out of his depth.]

[aeturnus]

Both. We're on a moon in a different reality.

[ At that question, he just smiles. ]

Yeah, friends is a good word for it. We have dinner once a week. Don't worry about it, something is obviously up right now.

[ Does that count as small? ]

[smokedout]

[It's its own puzzle, but it's a puzzle he's more ready to handle than the puzzle of how he got from his warm bed in New York City to the floor next to his bed on an alien planet.

The gears are turning in his head, but they're rusty... it takes some time for him to decide what to make of- eating dinner weekly with this man. He's never made plans regularly with friends, much less hung around people who aren't constantly prying for his attention or making it painfully clear they're only putting up with him... so having a mutually beneficial, casual agreement to hang out with someone is a little odd. And Jacob doesn't seem dangerous or even aggressive, so it can't be a double-meaning, can it?]

...How long have I been here?

[Is he dating him...? No, he would've flinched when he talked about Janet. Right.... ....?]

[aeturnus]

Longer than I have, pretty sure. [ He recalls having seen Dodger around the network before they ever met in person, so it isn't a difficult leap to make. ] So around three months minimum.

[smokedout]

[He hesitates.]

Only three months... to do all this?

[How much more is he not remembering? Dear god... this is just too stressful for him, and he shakes his head as if to try and get it back in order.]

Can we, uh. Can we get something to eat? I need a burger and a cola.

[aeturnus]

It's probably been longer than that. Just a minimum.

[ Cain considers, because this wasn't part of their deal... but it also wasn't part of their deal to not. And Dodger could probably use a friend right now more than a semantics argument. ]

I could make something like that here, but otherwise we'd have to contact someone about that. You're unfortunately under house arrest.

[ Here, he kind of motions to his own neck to indicate Dodger's collar. ]

[smokedout]

Seriously...?

[He groans quietly, but. Yeah. That explains the power suppressor. Just his luck that the one time he actually manages to get caught by the cops, it's... mixed in with all of this bullshit, whatever's happening.]

Alright, you think you could meet me here? I'm uh. I feel like shit right now, I don't think my brain can handle figuring out how to get anywhere.

[aeturnus]

Yeah, just stay where you are. I'll be there soon.

[ He gives a quick sort-of-wave before turning the feed off and heading downstairs. It doesn't take long, but he hopes it's quick enough that Dodger doesn't go inside and/or Brink finds him. Why'd his robot have to be a dog, anyway? ]

[smokedout]

[Life is cruel for Cain. When he comes up to the hallway, Brink is just returning from somewhere with a bag of groceries clutched in his mouth. He stops and watches Cain a moment before crossing to the opposite side of the hall.]

Hello, Jacob. I was told to avoid being seen by you. Please excuse the scheduling mistake - I will try harder to stay out of your way.

[Dodger looks up at that, and gets up as if to greet Brink, but he's already disappeared inside the room and Dodger's gaze just follows him briefly before turning back to Cain.]

I have a dog? [A pause.] ...My dog speaks?

[aeturnus]

[ Cain goes incredibly still when Brink shows up. Worse yet, there's something in his mouth and he doesn't like the focus it draws to his mouth and teeth. It isn't normal to react like this but he knows his weakness here and there isn't much he can do but work past it. When Brink moves into the other room, he breaths again and takes a moment for himself to shake it off.

He turns to Dodger and shrugs one shoulder, can't help but let his offhand fidget at his side while he works through the tension. He hadn't expected that at all. ]

That's your robot dog, Brink. I'm not especially good with dogs so I don't really know the deal on that. [ He laughs, quick and brief. ] Sorry I'm not a whole lot of help on filling you in.

[smokedout]

Brink... cool. Like 'on the brink of war'.

[Although, it's less cool that it's immediately clear Cain has a phobia. Or else... maybe Brink specifically did something to him, but the dog seemed sweet, even understanding. And as far as he knows the laws of robotics still apply in other universes.]

...So. Where are we headed, somewhere else in this building?

[Now that they're in person, Cain may notice that Dodger looks a little more restless than normal... he isn't scratching, but his thumb keeps running compulsively over his wrist, and he seems to be sweating a bit. Though, he hasn't asked about his gauze wraps, so apparently they were there before whenever his memories end. Or maybe he just figures Cain doesn't have an answer, if they've only known each other three months.]

[aeturnus]

Yeah, just some floors up. This is a communal housing center for new arrivals or people who just don't want to spend more on rent for actual living spaces out in the city.

[ Cain only looks once, curiously and taking Dodger in as a whole, before he moves to head back up the stairs and motions for Dodger to follow. ]

So, you prefer Jamie or Dodger nowadays?

[smokedout]

[Dodger follows along a bit like a duckling, shy and keeping within a few feet of Cain at all times. Speaking a bit like he's a kid speaking to an adult, almost exactly the same way he did when they first met - before he got used to palling around with him.]

I go by Jamie. [He hesitates. That's right, he hadn't wanted to bring it up on the network, but..] I haven't gone by Dodger since I was sixteen - how'd you know that?

[aeturnus]

[ Cain recognizes that and adjusts his own tone accordingly. Something more like an adult or older figure than his usual casual play at his physical age. Just a small adjustment but maybe it will make Dodger feel more comfortable. ]

Whatever happened between the time you remember and the time you lived through, something changed, I guess. Dodger is what you usually go by here, but you asked me to call you Jamie.

[smokedout]

[It does help a bit.. after all, in Dodger's mind Cain does look a few years older than him. He's still in the mindset of a 20-year-old where 24-year-olds seem more like adults.]

Huh.. [He grimaces.] I'm starting to piece together parts of it. Seems like I really went off the deep end, but... jesus. I can't figure what the hell would do that to me.

[He has a few outstanding ideas. But he's not sure how smart it is to bring up his theories. It all depends on how much he detects Cain is willing to forgive his past.]

I like Jamie, though... y'know. Civilian-like. Dodger's not a real last name, anyway, it's this- nickname I picked up when I was eight. Anyway, Janet likes me using my first name, it makes me... approachable, I guess?

[As approachable as he can be with scars across his face... he remembers them looking fresher than they did in the mirror this morning.]

[aeturnus]

[ Ages are wild and wonky things, but Cain gets the general psychology of it for sure. He just hasn't felt that way in... possibly ever because the distinction wasn't so big back when he really was that age. ]

Maybe when you got here and Janet wasn't?

[ It's perhaps the gentlest idea he can pitch. He doesn't know all the sordid details of Dodger's past, but there's no way it goes well considering the rapid backslide he apparently does sometime in the next few years where his memories are missing. ]

Yeah, first names do have a way of making things more friendly and personal. Jamie it is, then.

[smokedout]

Maybe.

[He doesn't look that different... well. He has some tattoos he doesn't remember, but he guesses those could also be recent... maybe. But they look more than a year old, at least.]

I never told you about her, right? [He pauses.] ...I don't figure whatever made me end up like this happened here, then. I woulda talked about her at some point, yeah?

[aeturnus]

It's hard to tell. You never mentioned her to me, no.

[ Which wouldn't surprise him if something happened. It could also just be a case of packing the emotions away from the separation but Cain doubts that considering the huge difference from the Jamie of then and the Dodger of now, apparently. ]

Up to you if you want to talk about her now or... respect your later wishes?

[smokedout]

[He hadn't even thought about... treading on his future self's toes. Hell, Ed had mentioned that this might be a temporary thing, but... hell. He isn't one for foresight like that, so he just shrugs. Any excuse to talk about his girl is a good excuse.]

Well... see, back when I was a teenager I was part of this gang, and.. she ran a flower shop in my territory, so I was sweet on her and I always used to come visit her when she was working... she always smelled like milk and roses. Still does. Those are her favorite flower, y'know? I even caught her drawing them on the edges of her planner, when no one was in the shop. [He laughs, a little sheepish.] She likes saying I'm a little like a rose bush, all sharp and prickly with these... little hints of beauty that make me worth keeping around. Or some shit like that. It sounds a lot sweeter when she says it, she's got this darling accent...

[It's visible from a mile away that Dodger's starstruck by this girl. He's talked about crushes with Cain, even expressed his deep desires about Reaper - but nothing compares to the way he melts when speaking about Janet, the way his voice almost sounds like it's in prayer. You can almost see the hearts in his eyes, hear his heartbeat thumping at the thought of her.]

We've been together for six years... she's done me some damn good. And... fuck, I'd really rather not think about what I'm gonna be like without her.

[aeturnus]

[ Cain listens quietly, and a couple of things begin to slot in place. He can't jump to too many conclusions but there's plenty of information in the way Dodger talks about her to the way he normally is with all of his memories. There's a huge gap between them. ]

There's a lot of reasons you might not have spoken about her to other people, so I'd try not to worry too much. She sounds like she's done you a lot of good.

[smokedout]

Just... seeing what I've been up to, makes me worry something happened to her. Y'know, something that pushed me to... [He waves a hand vaguely. All of it.] ...I'm- I mean... I really hit rock bottom after whatever happened, huh. I mean, the evidence is all over my room, it looks like a goddamn psychopath is living there.

[It looks like the place he grew up in.]

[aeturnus]

[ He tilts his head in allowance. ]

I could be placating here, or give it to you straight, but either way it won't change the situation any. Unfortunately it's just a matter of you not knowing something you used to know, and it'll probably come back soon.

[ Speaking of his room, though... ]

Mind if I take a look at your walls later?

[smokedout]

[He hesitates again.]

If that wall's what I think it is, I probably shouldn't be showing you. Chances are I'll be throwing a fucking fit once I get my memories back, over it showing up on the network. [Which... he's clearly put off, just by the existence of that whole conspiracy board.] Why, did you- see yourself on it?

[aeturnus]

[ Cain nods, because that's definitely true. Worth a shot but he also won't push it. There's a good chance Dodger in his right mind wouldn't have a lot of issue with it, either, and he can just ask about it then. In the meantime, Brink is a perfect reason for him to not try without permission anyway. ]

Either myself or my brother, not sure which. That's mostly what I wanted to know.

[ Mostly, but there's also too much information to be Abel already. ]