Text, Psuedonymous. It appears anonymous; any digging will only lead to the label 'LG'.

[fridgetothefire]

Who's actually dealt with nulls or voids before Or the tech? There are a lot of spooky rumors around but not a lot of facts. And nothing's better than first-hand experience.

Comments

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[hostage]

[Jesse looks down at her hand, arching his eyebrow in surprise. People aren't usually this excited to give it up. But he shrugs and reaches out to take her hand anyway. He's curious too.

The process is painless. It feels like nothing. Just holding hands.]



((It's a dormant power, so he can take it even if it hasn't openly manifested yet. Up to you if he succeeds, though.))

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[fridgetothefire]

[A little wavering breath, and then she smiles in a sweet, hardy way, like the perfect shape of it is a sandwall erected on a barren beach against the inevitable tide of disappointment.]

There's nothing, right? I thought so, but I mean, you don't learn anything without experimenting. I'm just a mistake.

The Core's, I mean, probably.

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[hostage]

You ain't a mistake. Even if you didn't have a power, you wouldn't be a mistake. What if you were like me, huh? We'd cancel each other out, you know? Plue one and minus one or whatever.

[He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.]

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[fridgetothefire]

[It's exactly the right thing to say, the opposite of what she's heard for so long, and she can't quite handle it. She yanks her hand back, expression snapping closed over how vulnerable she feels.]

Don't. Just.

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[hostage]

[His hand stays right where it is, though his eyebrows lift in surprise.]

No, hey, come on. What're you scared of?

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[fridgetothefire]

Nothing! I just -

[she draws herself up, spine perfectly straight as she takes a deep breath, and suddenly her composure is back, and the little-girl-scared look is gone, and she looks as self-possessed as a queen.]

You surprised me, that's all.

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[hostage]

Sorry.

You want it back?

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[fridgetothefire]

[she blinks, sucks in a tiny breath]

Wait, you - you really got something?

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[hostage]

Yeah. I could, like, explain it. Unless you wanna figure it out yourself.

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[fridgetothefire]

[Gingerly, she takes his hand again, grips it tight.]

Maybe - maybe just the general sense of it? I'll figure out the nuances, but it would help to have an idea of where to start.

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[hostage]

[This is all still so strange to Jesse. He's not used to figuring things out or knowing things other people don't already know. And it's a really alien kind of intuition that helps him understand what he takes from people. The hardest part is really putting it into words.]

You can control time. But it ain't like time travel. You can change the way time acts around you. But you can't stop it.

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[fridgetothefire]

[She smiles, trembles ever so faintly, looks for a second like she might cry.]

Great. That's - I can work with that, that's. Great.

Thank you.

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[hostage]

[Her power's returned, but he doesn't let go yet. He thinks he's upset her.]

You gonna be okay?

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[fridgetothefire]

Yeah. Sure. I'll just.

[she tries to smile, but it still comes out kind of precarious]

It's complicated, that's all.

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[hostage]

You wanna talk about it?

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[fridgetothefire]

[She shakes her head.]

I - I have. Someone I can talk to.

[she laughs a little.]

I don't even know your name.

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[hostage]

Jesse.

[He's glad she has someone, at least.]

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[fridgetothefire]

I'm Maddy. I - I can call you again later, right? I don't really have a lot of friends.

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[hostage]

Yeah, absolutely. Anytime.

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[fridgetothefire]

[quietly]

Thanks.

We should probably buy sandwiches or something. The lady at the counter is giving us a look.

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[hostage]

[He's on his feet.]

It's on me. Whatcha want?

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[fridgetothefire]

Oh, thank you. Um, just ham and cheese for me?