4 [@dodger//video]

[smokedout]

[When the feed switches on, he's fixing his phone's position. His face isn't visible, but it is possible to see the outline of the wraps on his wrists, and the tattoos stretching up across his forearms.

Then he moves back to a stool set up in the room, perfectly lit and angled so that he's just barely obscured enough to show his silhouette without much detail in his appearance. He's not wearing his favorite hoodie for once, just a black band t-shirt with his silver necklace pulled out to be visible over the shirt. His gold necklace is still hidden under it.

The figure is in the middle of Eichi Tenshouin's bedroom, in the Tenshouin estate. Behind him, though the room is rather dark aside from a light he set up to light him from behind, the audience will be able to see a room that is mostly barren aside from a few posters of Wataru Hibiki, a bed and a desk covered in neatly-organized music sheets. It's a place that's really only recognizable if someone knew the original owner, and otherwise looks like a set rather than somewhere that someone lived.

For those who have yet to meet him, the figure in the video is Jamie Dodger. He's missing his right eye, there are deep scars across his face, and there are gauze wraps over his wrists that hide half of his forearms. For a man of only 25, he looks like he's walked through hell, but for once he isn't trying to boost up his street cred by threatening the network as a whole.

Instead he simply pulls out a guitar from behind the stool, and begins playing. The song he sings is slow and melancholy, a tribute for the man that he has spent nearly three weeks now mourning and is trying so hard to get over. Eichi had never gotten to hear him play... so he guesses it's sort of wishful thinking that playing publically would make him feel better about that, even if Eichi is no longer here to know it.

Though most people won't know the struggle that brought this song around, at least the music is good. Dodger is a skilled musician, and his voice is deep and gruff without sacrificing much range. More than anything, there's a lot of emotion in his singing. And when the song is over, he is silent for several seconds before getting up and wordlessly shutting off the feed.]

Comments

voice, @konyx

[onblackwings]

[ guess who is terrible at picking up on emotions anyway, it's this lady!! so instead, with some surprise: ] That sounds nice. I didn't know you made music.

[smokedout]

[He hesitates, but... he isn't about to bring up what made him sing. So he just thinks for a moment before nodding slowly.]

Been doing it more lately... I haven't had a guitar since I was 16. Not much like what you heard back home, huh?

[onblackwings]

No, I only ever heard singing. [ a thoughtful pause. ] How old are you now?

[smokedout]

Twenty-five.

[He tips his head to the side.]

Took you long enough to ask. How old are you?

[onblackwings]

[ She offers a shrug, realizes he wouldn't see that, and instead goes with: ] I'm not sure. How old do I look?

[smokedout]

[He think for a few moments before shrugging.]

Pretty rude to ask a lady her age, y'know?

[Says the man who's tried to convince people to kill themselves for his own entertainment. Yes, this is what he considers rude.]

If I had to guess, maybe twenty-eight. But you're not human, so for all I know you could be a couple thousand.

[onblackwings]

I'm human. [ dodger! this is public!!! here's an attempt at a save, more smoothly delivered than some of her lies, in a longsuffering tone like she's had this talk with him many times before: ] Just because we're from wholly different worlds, you don't need to insist I'm not.

But in any case, I could be twenty-eight. I may as well pick a number.

[smokedout]

[Does he look like he cares??

The answer is yes, a little. There's a small, apologetic grunt in response to being corrected.]

You wanna come over? It's too quiet here.

[onblackwings]

Go there? [ There's a cocked brow in it, as she studies the background behind him. ] I don't even know where you are.

voice;

[pundemic]

[Okay, so she doesn't. Actually like Dodger at all, but she knew Eichi. He called her Commander.

Grudgingly,]

Congrats, you get the 'not as shitty as it could have been' award.

[smokedout]

Thanks?

[If they're being honest, Ellie is another person he doesn't really want to talk to. He's been so out of sorts that his attention's been pulled away from most of his interests, including trying to win her favor.]

Fancy you seeking me out. Guessing you knew Tenshouin?

[pundemic]

We met a couple times. No big.

[But she liked him. Maybe that's the difference.]

[smokedout]

Guess he makes a better impression than me, huh.

[There's a small, awkward pause.]

What've you been up to since we talked last?

[pundemic]

Well he wasn't creepy, for starters.

[She drops into past-tense where people are concerned a lot easier than most. You can thank the apocalypse for that. It's also sort of a warning to Dodger in general, because man. If he was causing significant enough trouble here somebody would've strung him up by now, but it doesn't mean he isn't fucking weird as shit.]

I've been fine. Not that it's any of your business. Pro-tip? Don't care so much about what a sixteen [is she sixteen now? she has no clue.] year old girl is up to and you'll be off to a way better go of things.

[smokedout]

I can't help how I look.

[Ignoring that... she didn't know how he looked when he first contacted her? Look, he's trying. He really can't help being a creep.]

You know, you're only nine years younger than me, it's not that weird. I was just being friendly.

[Is he being defensive? Yes, he absolutely is.]

[pundemic]

[are u srs right now. Ellie's eyebrows crawl towards her hairline in sheer incredulity. Good thing this is only voice.]

It's not about how you look.

[She definitely mumbles 'jackass' under her breath there.]

Okay. Let me spell it out for you. Adult dude trying to be friendly with a teenage girl? Definitely fucking creepy.

[There's a difference in her mind. It's obvious that 'nice' isn't this dude's default, so changing his attitude so drastically pretty much only means he wants something, in her mind.]

[smokedout]

[He heard that. But seeing as she already doesn't trust or respect him in the slightest, he's got no ground to argue it. It does, however, rub his pride the wrong way to hear that accusation.]

Look, you can believe whatever you want, but I've got better sources for friendliness than creeping on a little girl that wants to think she's an adult until it's convenient not to be. I put in my effort to make friends, and it's bit me in the ass enough that I'm sick of trying. So if you don't have anything nice to say, you can fuck right off.

[If it wasn't obvious... he's really been searching for an excuse to snap at someone. But more than that, he's being a lot more open on his post than he ever wanted to, and it hurts to see he's not going to get any sympathy by the people left in the quarantine.]

[ text | un: jkent ]

[supersweet]

[ Oh. Jon had liked Eichi. He had been kind to Jon. Given him special earphones for his hearing problem. ]

Do you want some company?

[smokedout]

[He can't say he really wants company, but... he figures he does need it, and Jon's a safe source.]

sure. you know where eichi tenshouin's house is?

[supersweet]

I can find it.

[ It's only a matter of the right heartbeat to hone in, after all. ]

[smokedout]

[Dodger texts the address over anyway, to make things easier. It's one thing knowing where someone is, and another finding the easiest route to them. So it never hurts to be able to put it into a GPS.

For Jon's convenience Dodger moves to the foyer of the mansion, sitting on a chair near the door and strumming lazily on his guitar. It's been such a long time since he's gotten to play, he can't help just noodling on it when there's nothing else to do.

It should be noted that, despite Dodger now owning this estate... there's not a trace of evidence that he's been living here at all. Everything looks pristine and untouched, and very, very expensive. Dodger himself stands out like a sore thumb.]

[supersweet]

[ Jon lands nearby first. He glances to see if anyone is around before shouldering his bag. Inside, he brought treats, a few movies and comic books — stuff that might help Dodger feel better. ]

Hi Mr. Dodger!

[smokedout]

[Dodger looks up when he comes in, and waves idly before setting his guitar aside. Looks like the kid, as usual, is dealing with things much better than Dodger himself is. Which is sort of more endearing than anything else - it makes him wonder if his daughter has that sort of attitude.]

Been a while, huh. [It sure feels like it, with how much of a mess Dodger's life has been lately.] You been holding up okay? Still living at your parents' place?

[supersweet]

Yeah. A few people chipped in to make sure I can keep the place.

[ Miss Jones hadn't been very pleased about it, but after checking to see if all the paperwork held up, plus Dick and Damian had helped out. It had taken some time, but things have mostly settled. ]

So I'm pretty okay. You just have to keep going.

[smokedout]

[He nods quietly, as he gets up and leads Jon further into the mansion. If he can remember where the drawing room is in this damn place, that's probably as good a place as any to hang around.]

If you ever get lonely or anything, there's... way too fuckin' many bedrooms in here. You can stay a couple nights whenever you want. [He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.] Tenshouin left the place to me, but I really got no use for it... never really liked huge places like this anyway.