OOM: Late April 2012

[damncompass]

Joshua leads Claudia into his (admittedly messy) apartment, kicking some dirty shirts out of the way. "Um, don't mind the mess. Sorry. I didn't know I was going to have company."

There's something about the room that is so typically Joshua.

Comments

[claudiometer]

"I'm just sayin', it's kinda weird that it hasn't hit you that hard. Especially since it doesn't seem to be something you have to do anything special to set off." It doesn't sound like the same kind of thing as the telegraph.
"You do realise this is why I said you should talk to Mrs. F. Or I could try bringing it up."

[damncompass]

"Don't ask me, I've just started researching." He shrugs and finally finds the right notebook. "As far as I can tell, it's an area-of-effect. Anyone in the area for too long'll end up with a caffiene-like buzz. It also doesn't seem to interact well with actual caffienated beverages." He scans his notes. "It also doesn't seem to do much to me, which is odd, because my caffeine tolerance has to be less than Shinji's."

[claudiometer]

"Yeah, one would think, but..."
Now, she doesn't know for sure if this sinking feeling is on to something; that answer's better provided by other people. But what she does know is that most of the things they've rounded up didn't cause trouble until the owner was dead or had given it to someone else (she doesn't buy Man Ray not knowing what that camera did).
"Joshua Alan Donovan, did you make an Artifact?" (She's only full-naming him on principle, this time.)

[damncompass]

"Shit." He stares at the thing for a moment, then madly scribbles down some notes. "That would make a sort of sense, because none of the artifacts that you've talked about fussed much with the people who originally made them...."

[claudiometer]

"I'll be over here facepalming into infinity. Only you, brother dear."
Well... at least if he's researching something without the aid of goo it's something he made?

[damncompass]

"Hey, if it was only me that made artifacts, you'd be out of a job, sister dear." That's a huge smirk.

[claudiometer]

"You know what I meant." At least they're back into friendly territory.
"Seriously, though, I doubt that many people have actually studied the damn things. And even then, what're the odds they made the study subject themselves?"

[damncompass]

"No clue why no one's studied them. I mean, hell. If you're risking your life to collect the damn things, you'd think that people would understand what the shit is going on with them." He's concerned. "Also, I guess if you think about it, if you're bothering studying artifacts, then you've probably been creative enough to make one."

[claudiometer]

"True." Claudia shrugs. "Still say you should talk to someone about this. Get a safer research environment than your bedroom, for one thing."

[damncompass]

"It'll work for now. Honestly, I don't want to do too much of anything until after the damn dissertation is done and through. I'll probably be living and breathing French for the next few weeks translating the fucking thing."

[claudiometer]

"At least you have it done. And I will read the whole thing when I go home, I promise."
Now that she's calmed down and all. She might even be able to offer some useful points!

[damncompass]

"Thanks. Still worried about sounding like an idiot." He sighs and flops down in his desk chair. "Still don't know what the shit I'm doing next either. There's talk about shutting the collider down next year, and if I'm bored as shit now..."

[claudiometer]

"Apply to some other stuff, then. You've established yourself enough in the world that you don't need Artie to pull strings for you this time." Or any lingering connections to MacPherson.
(She doesn't bring up the Artifact-research angle again, mostly because she's already covered it bout twelve times.)

[damncompass]

"Yeah. Hopefully it'll be somewhere that doesn't dig too much into my background." He makes a face. "I'm still worried about the twelve-year hole in my resume. And the fact that I look way too young to be almost forty." He leans back in the chair, running a hand through his hair. "God, how the hell old am I anyway?"

[claudiometer]

"26? 38? How the hell would I know?"
This is Claudia's confused face.

[damncompass]

"Thanks, Claudia. You're so much help." He sighs. "I don't feel 38, but I also don't exactly feel 26. How's that for an existential crisis?"

[claudiometer]

"Split the difference, maybe?"
At least he's around to have an existential crisis.

[damncompass]

"Thirty two? Maybe." He shrugs. "I should just stop worrying about that. Not as if it matters or anything."

[claudiometer]

Most days, Claudia would just brush that aside and change the subject. But today is not most days, and if they're ever going to stop talking at each other and start talking to each other, they have to start somewhere.
"Hey. Why's it bugging you so much?"

[damncompass]

Joshua takes a deep breath, more than slightly shakily. Generally, he'd just brush it aside as well, however this is not that day.

"There's just... there's stuff I haven't told you about that space."

[claudiometer]

"Such as?"
Not that she's asked, but if ever there were a time... yeah.

[damncompass]

"Well, other than you screaming haunting me for ages...." He pauses, breath shaky again. "You saved me, Claudia. More than you know."

[claudiometer]

Claudia winces at the first part, but she doesn't say anything. It does kind of make sense.
"How do you figure that?"

[damncompass]

"I was fading, Claudia. I... can't really explain why..." or he has a theory, but he doesn't want to hurt her -that- much. "but I was fading away... and then the blackouts started."

[claudiometer]

"...Dude, no."
It's attach time now, right? OF COURSE RIGHT.

[damncompass]

"I don't know how long they were, or much about them, just that it happened about ten or so times, and each time I was like 'welp, this is it'." He hugs her back. "You didn't just pull me back, Claud, you pulled me through."

[claudiometer]

"How the hell did I manage that?"
She's not expecting him to know, but the question does bear asking.

[damncompass]

"Stubbornness? Determination? Love? Hell if I know." He's not letting go any time soon.

[claudiometer]

"Either way, at least I did pull you through."
She doesn't want to think about what would have happened if she'd tried and found nothing for her trouble.

[damncompass]

"You did, Claudia. And no matter what, or how much we fuss, I am so glad that you did. I love you, little sis, always have, always will."

[claudiometer]

"I love you too, you know." And if pressed, she would find him again, no matter what it took.