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

[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.

[supersweet]

Sure.

Are you, uh, lonely?

[ Jon doesn't quite get the loneliness adults may have. His life is simpler. More straightforward in terms of loneliness and how it manifests. He's seen glimmers of it in his parents. After all, they changed their names three times before they could be the Kents again. ]

[smokedout]

[He briefly considers denying it, but... this whole city seems to be made of people who have no time for tough guys. Acting strong hasn't gotten him anywhere near as far as honesty has.]

Yeah. I've had... a lot of friends disappear, the last few months. So I've been pretty lonely.

[Mae, Christian, and now Eichi... that's honestly more friends than he's had to lose in a long while. It's made him stay up at night worrying about losing the friends he has left, and it's... hard enough to make friends at all, without them going to a different world without warning.]

[supersweet]

I don't . . . think they disappeared.

[ His voice is halting as Jon tries to put it into words. ]

And I don't think they forgot or like . . . meant to.

[smokedout]

One of them meant to. I know that much.

[He huffs softly.]

Tenshouin said he was sick of being here. He didn't want to die here, so after he got out of the hospital... he walked through the portal on his own.

[His voice halts as well, talking about it. There's so much... anger, and hurt, that he's trying to hold back for the kid's sake.]

He told me he was leaving and I did fuck all to stop him.

[supersweet]

[ Jon blanches. He had known Eichi and had heard the weakness in his body, but he had no idea it was that bad. He opens and closes his mouth, looking worried. Instead he takes Dodger's hand with a quiet squeeze. ]

I think — I mean, if you kept him here, you would have hated yourself. And he would be unhappy.

[smokedout]

[Well- he can't deny that getting comfort in any form is a blessing. He squeezes the kid's hand back briefly, before pulling away to retain his tough exterior.]

I don't think you're old enough to get this yet, but... once you get to a certain point, 'you'll hate yourself' doesn't mean anything. You already regret so much of what you've done that hating yourself is... inevitable, y'know?

[He hesitates, before shaking his head.]

I've been hating myself since I was a little younger than your age, but I get your point. And yeah... it wouldn't be worth it. But I fuckin' miss him.

[supersweet]

Yeah.

[ He gets missing people. And while Jon has no real experience with hate, he has seen what hate can do. Manchester Black won't let him forget it. ]

I think maybe you just need to remember that this place doesn't care who you were before. So it kinda lets you be who you want?

[smokedout]

[That gets... a wry smile out of him.]

I think I've made a bad enough reputation for myself that that doesn't really apply anymore. Everyone in the quarantine sees me as a dangerous drunken lunatic.

[supersweet]

[ Jon frowns. ]

There are still new people coming in every day. And it's only been a few months. You still have time.

And you should cut down on drinking. It's not good for you.

[smokedout]

[That makes the smile drop off his face, and he sighs softly.]

I know you won't really understand this, but... I need to drink. I can't handle myself without it.

[supersweet]

I didn't say stop. I said cut down. Sometimes you gotta take small steps.

[smokedout]

[He shakes his head.]

It's not that simple. Sorry, but it just won't happen. Drinking is how I stay sane.

[supersweet]

But we're in a magic place. I mean, aren't there other options?

[ He lives in hope. That's literally his House motto. ]

[smokedout]

Drop it. Alright?

[This is the first time Dodger has used a harsh tone with Jon - he snaps suddenly, his eye sharpening and his face dropping to give him a cold look. And he continues to stare him down, watching for any sign that he might try to argue.]

[supersweet]

[ Jon pulls back, but he doesn't flinch. He's heard harsher tones from Bucky and Jon hasn't buckled from that either. ]

Okay.

[smokedout]

Thank you.

[He respects that the kid isn't scared, and a moment later he's softened back up. In fact, it... feels a little awkward to use a harsh tone, so he hesitates for a moment before deciding on a topic to switch to.]

...You, uh... hungry or anything?

[Is this how you talk to other people? He doesn't know.]

[supersweet]

[ Jon eyes him thoughtfully before nodding with a faint smile. ]

I'm always hungry.