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[ he's sending a voice message back because that's the polite thing to do. ]
Hey, hi! Please don't apologize, I don't even know where Marseille is. France? Anyway this is the wrong person. I'm Caleb Michaels, these fucking things have been acting up for days.
[ 'marseille' gets absolutely fucking butchered, he barely tries to get it right. ]
Hey, hi! Please don't apologize, I don't even know where Marseille is. France? Anyway this is the wrong person. I'm Caleb Michaels, these fucking things have been acting up for days.
[ 'marseille' gets absolutely fucking butchered, he barely tries to get it right. ]
（ there's a very faint — albeit audible — cuss, an' then more properly — ）
Ah, sorry about that, then. Was lookin' for a friend of mine, named Jasper. I honestly can't tell if it's a glitch or if I just ain't used to this manner of technology.
（ that's a bit of a self-deprecatin' dig at bein' so far outta his element it's almost laughable. add 'barely literate' to that, an' let's just say he's lucky he's got his device operating at all. ）
You got it right, though. Marseille （ it ain't quite so pointed as to be a correction, but it's said a little slower. gene speaks french like a native, but that's always been his gift, an' he don't hardly begrudge others for whom it ain't the case. ） is in France.
Name's Gene. Eugene Hicks.
Ah, sorry about that, then. Was lookin' for a friend of mine, named Jasper. I honestly can't tell if it's a glitch or if I just ain't used to this manner of technology.
（ that's a bit of a self-deprecatin' dig at bein' so far outta his element it's almost laughable. add 'barely literate' to that, an' let's just say he's lucky he's got his device operating at all. ）
You got it right, though. Marseille （ it ain't quite so pointed as to be a correction, but it's said a little slower. gene speaks french like a native, but that's always been his gift, an' he don't hardly begrudge others for whom it ain't the case. ） is in France.
Name's Gene. Eugene Hicks.
[ there's an audible smile in his voice next, he's very easily charmed by accented cussing. ]
Nice to sort of meet you. And thanks for the correction, but I'm not gonna try to say the French word again.
[ he can tell when he butchered a word and he knows damn well a second attempt won't make it better. ]
But hey, we can meet up if you want, and I'll show you how to use these things. Stuff from my world is close enough and it's not like I have homework. [ he pauses, thinking about what homework here would even look like. ] Fuck, I guess the quota bullshit is homework, but I'm pretty sure I got it covered so that's fine.
Nice to sort of meet you. And thanks for the correction, but I'm not gonna try to say the French word again.
[ he can tell when he butchered a word and he knows damn well a second attempt won't make it better. ]
But hey, we can meet up if you want, and I'll show you how to use these things. Stuff from my world is close enough and it's not like I have homework. [ he pauses, thinking about what homework here would even look like. ] Fuck, I guess the quota bullshit is homework, but I'm pretty sure I got it covered so that's fine.
Ah...
（ gene is a man well accustomed to bein' an island. never asked for a lick of help from anyone, never saw himself as someone who needed it. there's a pause, an' then: ）
I do appreciate that, but I reckon favors done here have a different sort of flavor than I'm used to. I'd sooner not find myself in anyone's debt if'n it's all the same to you.
（ gene is a man well accustomed to bein' an island. never asked for a lick of help from anyone, never saw himself as someone who needed it. there's a pause, an' then: ）
I do appreciate that, but I reckon favors done here have a different sort of flavor than I'm used to. I'd sooner not find myself in anyone's debt if'n it's all the same to you.
[ caleb turns the video feed on. he gets the wariness, especially from a new guy, and he knows people can't tell his age from his voice. but he looks very much his age.
he's also awkward as he tries to figure out how to set the device so it won't fall sideways. ]
Hi. I super don't want sex, or anything, I promise. If you don't wanna meet that's cool, but a bunch of people offered help when I showed up last month, and they're literally what's keeping me sane in this fucking city. So, I mean, in my experience— which is literally one month, people here are pretty cool.
Anyway, if you're down I can just like... drag this over to a mirror, and I can try showing you shit like that? Not as a favor just 'cause I like showing off on camera.
he's also awkward as he tries to figure out how to set the device so it won't fall sideways. ]
Hi. I super don't want sex, or anything, I promise. If you don't wanna meet that's cool, but a bunch of people offered help when I showed up last month, and they're literally what's keeping me sane in this fucking city. So, I mean, in my experience— which is literally one month, people here are pretty cool.
Anyway, if you're down I can just like... drag this over to a mirror, and I can try showing you shit like that? Not as a favor just 'cause I like showing off on camera.
（ the change to video ain't so much a shock — gene is nothin' if not adaptable, an' he's gotten used to the way things function here in short enough order. maybe that comes from bein' a paratrooper, maybe it comes on account'a him seein' the dead, but either way: he ain't much fussed.
what hits him, though, is just how much this fella looks like reggie. doesn't sound much like him — that charming, broadly accent voice, rich as red loam, trinidad creole rollin' through the french an' bed stuy edges. it hits him in a way he weren't sure he could be hit, an' he finds himself feelin' like his chest is in a goddamn vice, breath a struggle, vision blurred.
reggie's dead an' gene ain't even got his ghost as a comfort. christ, but the man stuck with him all through the war years — he's the only reason his company came through the war half so well as they did. he exhales, shaky an' uneven, an' even then it takes him another half hour or so before he clicks the comm device back on. ）
All right.
（ just that. clipped, maybe a little rougher than he'd intended. but acquiescence enough. ）
what hits him, though, is just how much this fella looks like reggie. doesn't sound much like him — that charming, broadly accent voice, rich as red loam, trinidad creole rollin' through the french an' bed stuy edges. it hits him in a way he weren't sure he could be hit, an' he finds himself feelin' like his chest is in a goddamn vice, breath a struggle, vision blurred.
reggie's dead an' gene ain't even got his ghost as a comfort. christ, but the man stuck with him all through the war years — he's the only reason his company came through the war half so well as they did. he exhales, shaky an' uneven, an' even then it takes him another half hour or so before he clicks the comm device back on. ）
All right.
（ just that. clipped, maybe a little rougher than he'd intended. but acquiescence enough. ）
[ caleb isn't expecting to hear back. he minds a little, in that way he always minds when he can't do anything to help. he knows he can't just jump into helping everyone, though, he's barely keeping his own shit together, if he obsessed over everyone he met he'd end up losing his mind.
still, he's pleasantly surprised when he gets a message back. he doesn't read anything into the tone; he sucks at it when people aren't in the same room as him, and it makes sense for eugene to be tense.
it takes him a while to reply back; he spends a good half hour outlining the video; he wants it to actually be helpful. once had to sit through adam lecturing him about the importance of planning stuff ahead; caleb had laughed at him, but then he'd gotten personally congratulated by a teacher on an essay he'd written following adam's stupid rules, so obviously his boyfriend had a point.
he sends two videos, about an hour and a half later. the first one by accident; caleb trying to set up the device in front of a mirror, quickly finding out that it's a pain to navigate it while filming. he glares at the damn thing, then shuts the video down.
he has a phone from home, a proper smartphone he hasn't found a charger for. he's been preserving the battery like it's gold, using it only sporadically to look at pictures or download the handful of songs he had saved on it. it has a camera, though, and he's starting to resign himself to letting it go. he has no idea of how long he'll be trapped in the city, and using the battery for a video tutorial is more productive than staring at his wallpaper while trying not to cry.
the second video is lower quality, but the image is clear enough; caleb holding the device and navigating through the various features. ]
Right, okay. So it's pretty easy once you figure out what each little picture stands for. You got the audio bit down, so I'll just show you the rest.
[ it's a twelve minute video in the style of youtube tutorials with caleb going through even the most basic steps. he's very aware he might be addressing someone who's unfamiliar not only with smartphones, but also old school windows.
he has no idea of when exactly eugene is from, and he doesn't want the guy to end up frustrated, so he's careful not to skip any steps and to avoid modern tech slang like 'icon' and 'app' that will have no meaning to anyone who hasn't lived through the 2000's.
when he's done going through all the features he looks at the camera. ]
Alright, I think that's most of it? Let me know if you got questions. I know I'm not a great teacher, and it's really boring to hear someone talk for like— [ he squints at the phone's screen. ] Ten minutes? That felt like longer. Anyway, feel free to spread this around if you think it'll be helpful. And thanks for being cool with this, I get that trusting some random dude takes a lot.
[ the video cuts off as caleb reaches out and hits the pause button. ]
still, he's pleasantly surprised when he gets a message back. he doesn't read anything into the tone; he sucks at it when people aren't in the same room as him, and it makes sense for eugene to be tense.
it takes him a while to reply back; he spends a good half hour outlining the video; he wants it to actually be helpful. once had to sit through adam lecturing him about the importance of planning stuff ahead; caleb had laughed at him, but then he'd gotten personally congratulated by a teacher on an essay he'd written following adam's stupid rules, so obviously his boyfriend had a point.
he sends two videos, about an hour and a half later. the first one by accident; caleb trying to set up the device in front of a mirror, quickly finding out that it's a pain to navigate it while filming. he glares at the damn thing, then shuts the video down.
he has a phone from home, a proper smartphone he hasn't found a charger for. he's been preserving the battery like it's gold, using it only sporadically to look at pictures or download the handful of songs he had saved on it. it has a camera, though, and he's starting to resign himself to letting it go. he has no idea of how long he'll be trapped in the city, and using the battery for a video tutorial is more productive than staring at his wallpaper while trying not to cry.
the second video is lower quality, but the image is clear enough; caleb holding the device and navigating through the various features. ]
Right, okay. So it's pretty easy once you figure out what each little picture stands for. You got the audio bit down, so I'll just show you the rest.
[ it's a twelve minute video in the style of youtube tutorials with caleb going through even the most basic steps. he's very aware he might be addressing someone who's unfamiliar not only with smartphones, but also old school windows.
he has no idea of when exactly eugene is from, and he doesn't want the guy to end up frustrated, so he's careful not to skip any steps and to avoid modern tech slang like 'icon' and 'app' that will have no meaning to anyone who hasn't lived through the 2000's.
when he's done going through all the features he looks at the camera. ]
Alright, I think that's most of it? Let me know if you got questions. I know I'm not a great teacher, and it's really boring to hear someone talk for like— [ he squints at the phone's screen. ] Ten minutes? That felt like longer. Anyway, feel free to spread this around if you think it'll be helpful. And thanks for being cool with this, I get that trusting some random dude takes a lot.
[ the video cuts off as caleb reaches out and hits the pause button. ]
（ he listens with the sort of rapt attention he'd commonly be puttin' into the briefing before a combat jump. he may not have much of a head for books, but gene is real good at people, at takin' what they say an' filin' it away for later, at rememberin' things he's told only once.
so. he follows. tries out a few of the things the fella shows him, an' watches the video once over just in case he missed anything (he didn't.)
he debates over how to respond for a time, and ultimately he settles for turning the video on. he's got that gaunt, harried look of a man newly come from war — threads of silver at his temples despite the fact he don't look much past twenty. his expression is hard an' joyless, but it does soften some once he's sure he's got this damn thing workin' properly. ）
It weren't borin'. You did fine. An' I appreciate it mightily.
so. he follows. tries out a few of the things the fella shows him, an' watches the video once over just in case he missed anything (he didn't.)
he debates over how to respond for a time, and ultimately he settles for turning the video on. he's got that gaunt, harried look of a man newly come from war — threads of silver at his temples despite the fact he don't look much past twenty. his expression is hard an' joyless, but it does soften some once he's sure he's got this damn thing workin' properly. ）
It weren't borin'. You did fine. An' I appreciate it mightily.
[ caleb's surprised by the reply again, and even more surprised by it coming in the form of a video. he's immediately cheered by it, but then he actually sees the guy.
caleb knows the look, it's the same look frank has. it took ages for caleb to be able to be in the same room as frank without losing it; it's still hard sometimes, but he's gotten better at it, so has frank now that he has people to talk to.
he sends a video back only after reminding himself he can't just impose on people or make assumptions just because someone reminds him of a veteran from home. ]
Glad it helped. You doing okay? Like, with the city and shit. I didn't leave the apartment for like, my whole first week here, and when I finally tried I flipped my shit like ten minutes in. Took me almost a whole month to have it together enough to even ask about quota.
caleb knows the look, it's the same look frank has. it took ages for caleb to be able to be in the same room as frank without losing it; it's still hard sometimes, but he's gotten better at it, so has frank now that he has people to talk to.
he sends a video back only after reminding himself he can't just impose on people or make assumptions just because someone reminds him of a veteran from home. ]
Glad it helped. You doing okay? Like, with the city and shit. I didn't leave the apartment for like, my whole first week here, and when I finally tried I flipped my shit like ten minutes in. Took me almost a whole month to have it together enough to even ask about quota.
is this more or less bad than me accidentally sending stranger questions about bdsm?
oh fuck not again.
seriously depends on the questions I think.
seriously depends on the questions I think.
i got a whole ass essay after asking how people figure out they're into tentacles. it was super educational.
...
ask a weird question, get a weird answer I guess.
so do you know?
ask a weird question, get a weird answer I guess.
so do you know?
Yeah! I SURE DO. It has to do with psychology and safe sexual fantasies and like, people liking things that look like dicks?
and it has nothing to do with liking takoyaki.
i can just forward you the essay if you want. this guy I accidentally hit was a hero about the whole thing.
and it has nothing to do with liking takoyaki.
i can just forward you the essay if you want. this guy I accidentally hit was a hero about the whole thing.
no, I think I'm good with the abridged version. I didn't even know tentacles was a thing before your message. so really you've done enough.
were you asking someone in particular or just the internet?
were you asking someone in particular or just the internet?
The tentacles question was meant for a friend bc I thought she'd find it funny.
The "which BDSM letters are you" was a sex google question.
So was the prostate orgasm one.
They all landed with different people. It was a nightmare. Never text anyone.
The "which BDSM letters are you" was a sex google question.
So was the prostate orgasm one.
They all landed with different people. It was a nightmare. Never text anyone.
fuck man.
Yeah, I'm kind of glad I don't have anything on my phone. Except I guess a photo and a video. But they're both pretty tame. And this one was a joke.
Yeah, I'm kind of glad I don't have anything on my phone. Except I guess a photo and a video. But they're both pretty tame. And this one was a joke.
I'll probably think it's hilarious in like a week, and ngl the essay guy was a fucking blessing, but I'm not sure I can ever face any of the people who answered.
were they people you know that you have to pretend not to know now or just strangers you'll avoid from now until forever?
A MIX. at least I didn't hit anyone I super like. shit, can you imagine sending that kind of question to a crush? i'm dying just thinking about it.
（ the walls had come down some, just a little. but that question slams 'em back up, an' gene's jaw tightens faintly as he shakes his head. ）
I ain't got much to complain on. Reckon this place can't be all bad.
（ it's said neutrally, quiet an' calm. it ain't a lie — he's seen worse than this. ）
I ain't got much to complain on. Reckon this place can't be all bad.
（ it's said neutrally, quiet an' calm. it ain't a lie — he's seen worse than this. ）
[ caleb shrugs. he figures that's right, the place could be worse. he has a roof over his head, hot water, food. ]
I guess. I was pretty sheltered before here. I'm still pretty sheltered, landed in the Up and people have been really kind.
I guess. I was pretty sheltered before here. I'm still pretty sheltered, landed in the Up and people have been really kind.
"...Did you make a public post asking for sex?"
Yes, yes cooler Caleb. He'd address that but he's currently very alarmed on a number of levels.
Yes, yes cooler Caleb. He'd address that but he's currently very alarmed on a number of levels.
It makes sense that Alaric is alarmed, hell, Caleb was alarmed too at the time. But he was freaking out and running out of time, and he knew like two people in the city. He couldn't have just asked Alaric.
"I was careful?" He feels a little like a puppy caught with a toppled over potted plant. "And I'm fine." At least he thought he was. He's painfully embarrassed right now, though, and he's been trying not to think too hard about sex or the fact that he has to make it part of his life for the foreseeable future.
"I was careful?" He feels a little like a puppy caught with a toppled over potted plant. "And I'm fine." At least he thought he was. He's painfully embarrassed right now, though, and he's been trying not to think too hard about sex or the fact that he has to make it part of his life for the foreseeable future.
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