voice;

[paterelohim]

[With how much Chuck loves doing video post, the fact that he's sticking to voice should be the first red flag. The choked tone in his voice is another.]

Fred- Winifred Burkle. Has anyone seen her?

Her NV's offline, she isn't answering it.

[There's a long, sunken silence.]

I think... she's gone.

I want to say she'll probably be back, but I just don't know- I haven't seen it yet. God, what's the point of seeing the future if it doesn't help?

Anyway, I just- thought everyone who knows her should know. She's out.

Comments

[paterelohim]

[There's a long silence. On the other end, Chuck is pulling out his beard one unfortunate hair at a time.]

[mediumdrip]

Chuck?

I can probably bring you some food and coffee at least?

[paterelohim]

Uh... sure. I guess, yeah.

[Blaine can see what a sty the apartment has become.]

[mediumdrip]

Okay. I'll see if Kurt wants to come too? Either way, I'll be over in a bit.

[paterelohim]

Okay, sure. That'd be cool. He can come too.

[action, Kurt is joining]

[mediumdrip]

[After talking it over with Kurt, both of them choose to go see Chuck. They have food and coffee for him to help.

There might also be some cleaning. Blaine knocks, though it seems weird to since he used to live here. He still wants to give Chuck time to prepare for company.]

[showbizpanache]

[You can bet Kurt made Chuck like three different loaves of bread--banana, zucchini and cinnamon raisin. From scratch. Oh yeah.]

Chuck, hi. I baked you some things.

i enjoyed this tag too much 8|

[paterelohim]

[Chuck answers the door, well prepared. Yes, he did prepare- he actually put on pants.]

Hey- oh, wow. You sure did.

[It sounds unenthusiastic but he's totally undressing that banana bread with his eyes rn.]

Come on in.

[He swings the door open and backs off, scratching his neck idly. The apartment is different- the furniture looks the same, since most of it was Chuck's anyway, but Blaine's stuff was mostly replaced with cheap or mismatched sidewalk-scavenged crap, and everything is messy, covered with papers, bowls and beer bottles in places they shouldn't. Most of the mess seems to converge on a battered computer desk inexplicably in the corner of the dining room, bearing a desk lamp, his expanded laptop-shaped NV, a pile of scribbled notebooks, and a nest of papers. Also, there's a unicycle nestled against the liquor cabinet, holding up a jacket.]

Sorry the place is so- you know. [Waving a hand generally.] I've been working almost nonstop.

[He leads them over to the living room, which is considerably cleaner and has a minifridge for an end table.]

oh chuck

[mediumdrip]

[Blaine comes in first and takes a look around the place. He keeps his comments to himself, but he gets the feeling that he and Kurt might be cleaning a bit while their here.]

Really? What have you been writing?

[showbizpanache]

[He sets the bakery on the counter top and then--yep, Blaine, you guessed it, he's cleaning. Right away he begins straightening things up and organizing.]

[paterelohim]

Just visions. They come and I have to do something.

[Chuck is already pulling out beers and tossing one to Blaine and one to Kurt, with a quick shout.]

Think fast!

[Back to Blaine.]

Actually... to be honest. [He pauses significantly, looking from one boy to the other. Why not tell them? He can trust them.] I'm in the process of publishing.

[mediumdrip]

[Blaine just barely catches the bottle and checks the label. If it's alcoholic he'll politely decline... He's also going to take a moment to talk to Chuck before helping Kurt.]

Really? That's awesome. What are you going to publish? What's the story about?

[showbizpanache]

[To be polite, Kurt opens up his can of beer and takes a dainty sip. Blegh. Where's an appletini when you need one.]

Congratulations, Chuck. [He chips in as he gets them some plates. It's bread time, bitches.]

[paterelohim]

[Lucky for Blaine, Chuck remembered himself aka the mun just retconned at the last second and tossed him a soda. He would have given Kurt something girlier, but he drank his last hard lemonade about an hour ago and his last hard cider after that.]

Thanks. [He shrugs, looking kind of blankly into his drink.] It's a book of short stories about Newcomers. The thing is- they're all true. [Rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.] They're, uh, based on visions.

In most cases, I'm not using real names. {He looks up at Blaine.] Or, uh.. yours.

[mediumdrip]

Mine? You wrote about me?

[showbizpanache]

You are very inspiring, Blaine. [He feels a bit nervous about that, though it's hard to tell. In a few minutes he has pieces of bread for all of them, and he hands them out accordingly.]

[paterelohim]

[Chuck takes a piece of bread a little guiltily.]

Yeah. I'm changing all the names in your chapter, but I wanted to kind of... check anyway, even though the last rewrite is kind of out already, because... [Staring at his hands. So awkward.] It's kind of... sensitive?

[mediumdrip]

Can I read it?

[paterelohim]

Uh...

[he should let Blaine read it, he realizes this. But man, this book is like his child. He shifts uncomfortably before shaking his head sharply, mentally smacking himself.]

Sure, of course. I have some pages from the newest draft right over here...

[He gets up and rummages through a very exploded-looking pile of papers until he finds what he's looking for- a surprisingly thick paper clipped sheaf of papers that he hands over to Blaine.]

It's uh, a whole short story. You might want to just read it at home.