[The message must've not sent. Or she's been busy. Or she forgot to answer.]
[Fine, Jay has a little bit of a reputation around the mansion by this point, what with the arson and the 80s pop music and all, but that was months ago. He's never even talked to Max. She's got no reason to deliberately ignore his message.]
[The "network" is pretty unreliable anyway. It must not have sent.]
Seriously. No one's visited Max in ages, at least not a surprise visit. She warily gets up and opens the door, not bothering to pause the DVD playing on her TV.]
Oh.
[It's Jay. She should have guessed. More importantly, she should have installed one of those peep holes in her door. She keeps herself planted in the doorway, blocking his way inside. She stares at him not unkindly, though with a mildly concerned look.]
[He glances down at the camera, like he's just noticing it's there. Despite it being in front of his face. He hesitantly pulls it down to chest-level, but the red light's still on.]
I mean, yeah, but.
[Oh god oh god there's nothing. He can't think of an excuse. Goddamnit, this has happened too many times for there to not be a decent excuse.]
I was just, uh, getting footage. [For what? For what?] Of the, the mansion. In case it, y'know, changes the layout and we...need to know...what it used to look like.
[He's making a documentary on mansions! Yeah! That'll go over well!]
[Quick, subject change, now.]
Did you...know a guy called Alex Kralie a little while ago?
[Her eyebrows raise in what's obviously a doubtful expression. The camera obviously still bugs her, and she lets out a quiet huff, about to protest until he cuts her off with his question.
It's a pretty loaded question. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious where this conversation might go... And scared too. But shes usually scared these days.
[It's not a punch to the face or a "You're not acting like a normal person," or a handgun, so things are already less disastrously than he's used to.]
[He even has an answer ready this time.]
I'm a--an old college friend of Alex's. We, uh, we worked on a student film together. He went missing a while back, and-- [And he knows why now, even if it's not enough, but she doesn't have to know that. He sticks to the old story.] --and I've been trying to figure out what happened.
If you know a, a Commander Shepard or a Tim Wright, they're...they're the ones who recommended I talk to you. ...About Alex, I mean.
[Weird because it was precisely Tim who told her not to talk about this crap with Jay. Apparently Tim has been sending mixed signals.
She can't make out how much Jay already knows, based on what he's saying. From what she understands of... whatever the hell is haunting Tim, talking about it makes it far, far worse. And from what she remembers of Alex, his college acquaintances (friend? Alex?) were neck deep in trouble too.
Now, how best to get rid of this guy at her door, as well as his annoying camera? Politely, that is.]
[He taught her how to smoke. DARE'd have a field day with this one.]
[Granted, it's not like Jay's never thought about it himself.]
[And then she all but shuts him down. Basically says Tim knows more than she does, which is just...patently not true. Still, he doesn't want to push his luck.]
Yeah, I mean-- [He lets the camera fall limp at his side. It's still running.] Yeah. I just... [And there he goes, pushing his luck.] How was Alex? While he was here, I mean.
[[OOC: Eeexcellent~ Permission form filled out; rewind away!]]
[Like a trade. Huh. He's not used to this, but he's adaptable. Sort of.]
Alright, so I mentioned I've been looking for Alex because he, because he went missing. That's been for...four, almost five years now. The looking, I mean, not...he disappeared in 2006 or so, and I started looking about three years later. So seven years missing, four years looking. I put together some of, of what happened back home, but there's this whole...span of time here in Wonderland I know nothing about.
Wonderland's kind of on a different timeline, so... Knowing what happened here won't really clue you in on what he did back home.
[Her tone isn't unkind, but she's still suspicious. Surely he knows how Wonderland works by now. It sounds a bit like he's being curious for curiosity's sake.]
Well, I mean, unless it's a totally different Alex from a totally different--different world or, or timeline, I'm guessing it'll at least tell me something.
From what I hear he was the same as he was back home. Secrets, brooding, bad decisions. Kind of an asshole, but... I think he meant well. [She shrugs.] I dunno what else to tell you.
[So he must have been brought here after things started going south. He wasn't like that before. Well, at least that's what his swiss-cheese memory and the tapes seem to indicate.]
Dumb shit... Like picking fights. [She shrugs again, and her hand comes up to rub her shoulder- near where she has a scar. A stab wound from Alex, hidden by her shirt.] I know that's... probably not the answer you were looking for. But I dunno what else to tell you. You probably know him better than I do.
[She's lying, and she's not a great liar. But she steps back a little, edging the door closed.]
[[OOC: Hmmmmm. Tim and Jay don't mess up video much, except when they're showing signs of being influenced by it. The rules aren't super well-defined in canon, but if you're down, it could be fun if Jay's footage gets a little spike of interference when Max rubs at the scar.]]
[Picking fights.]
[It's not much. It's not much, but it's something, and he remembers the black eye and the accusations and the pistol aimed at his face he earned the last few times he pushed too hard.]
[He'll have to take his time. They're all stuck here together in the mansion, which means he has time.]
[And then she says something else that catches his attention, and he can't help but ask: ]
What movie? [He looks down, rubbing at his neck.] Not...related to Alex or anything. Just asking.
[Well, it seems like he's stopped pushing for now, which is good. Though she doubts it'll last long. And that question about the movie? She doesn't really trust that, and even in the best case it's a weird question. Why does he care?
She glances back toward her TV, still blocking the door.]
[That was not the answer he was expecting, but it's a pretty great answer.]
Really?
[He sees her blocking the door, and he doesn't try to peer past her, even though he definitely wants to.]
How's that one holding up? I remember--I remember kinda losing my shit when it first came out, because--because of the animation, but I haven't watched it in ages, and CGI's kinda...I mean, it doesn't age well. Usually.
[She stares at him with a raised eyebrow. They're talking movies now? And as much as she appreciates his admiration of what's clearly the most underrated, spectacularly advanced film of its time, she kinda doesn't want this to lead to a friendship.
It's a sad thought, but look at what happened with Tim... and Alex.]
The animation's definitely old, but still goose-bump worthy. And the plot's still got me hooked.
Oh! Yeah. [He ducks his head as he backs away, forcing out a nervous huff of a laugh. The camera's still running at his side.] Yeah, I'll...I'll let you get back to it.
See you around, Jes--[No no no no no no. He wheezes, hoping that'll cover up what he just said.] Bye, Max.
[He turns, making to get out of there as quickly as possible.]
[He said something... someone's name? He turns to leave and Max hesitates at her door, before finally deciding she can rewind whatever comes next. Because she's curious.]
Who's Jess?
[She calls out at him, leaning out from the doorway to look down the hall, where he's already several paces away.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
About a day later, at Max's room
Date: 2017-11-12 06:41 am (UTC)[Fine, Jay has a little bit of a reputation around the mansion by this point, what with the arson and the 80s pop music and all, but that was months ago. He's never even talked to Max. She's got no reason to deliberately ignore his message.]
[The "network" is pretty unreliable anyway. It must not have sent.]
[He knocks at the door.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-12 11:08 pm (UTC)Seriously. No one's visited Max in ages, at least not a surprise visit. She warily gets up and opens the door, not bothering to pause the DVD playing on her TV.]
Oh.
[It's Jay. She should have guessed. More importantly, she should have installed one of those peep holes in her door. She keeps herself planted in the doorway, blocking his way inside. She stares at him not unkindly, though with a mildly concerned look.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-14 07:24 am (UTC)[He had something he was going to say, right? Right?]
Hey.
[His eyebrows raise, barely visible in the space between the camera and the brim of his cap.]
Are you, uh. You're Max Caulfield, right?
[He knows she's Max Caulfield. He's seen her posts on the network.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-16 10:41 am (UTC)[She holds up her hand to block the camera's view. Her tone is more disbelieving than annoyed.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-18 07:45 pm (UTC)[He glances down at the camera, like he's just noticing it's there. Despite it being in front of his face. He hesitantly pulls it down to chest-level, but the red light's still on.]
I mean, yeah, but.
[Oh god oh god there's nothing. He can't think of an excuse. Goddamnit, this has happened too many times for there to not be a decent excuse.]
I was just, uh, getting footage. [For what? For what?] Of the, the mansion. In case it, y'know, changes the layout and we...need to know...what it used to look like.
[He's making a documentary on mansions! Yeah! That'll go over well!]
[Quick, subject change, now.]
Did you...know a guy called Alex Kralie a little while ago?
no subject
Date: 2017-11-20 11:30 pm (UTC)It's a pretty loaded question. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious where this conversation might go... And scared too. But shes usually scared these days.
She's quiet for a few moments.]
Wh-... Why? Why're you even... talking to me?
no subject
Date: 2017-11-21 03:41 am (UTC)[He even has an answer ready this time.]
I'm a--an old college friend of Alex's. We, uh, we worked on a student film together. He went missing a while back, and-- [And he knows why now, even if it's not enough, but she doesn't have to know that. He sticks to the old story.] --and I've been trying to figure out what happened.
If you know a, a Commander Shepard or a Tim Wright, they're...they're the ones who recommended I talk to you. ...About Alex, I mean.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-21 05:41 am (UTC)[Weird because it was precisely Tim who told her not to talk about this crap with Jay. Apparently Tim has been sending mixed signals.
She can't make out how much Jay already knows, based on what he's saying. From what she understands of... whatever the hell is haunting Tim, talking about it makes it far, far worse. And from what she remembers of Alex, his college acquaintances (friend? Alex?) were neck deep in trouble too.
Now, how best to get rid of this guy at her door, as well as his annoying camera? Politely, that is.]
...You've talked to Tim about this, right?
no subject
Date: 2017-11-21 07:10 am (UTC)[But that confirms she remembers Tim. Progress, or something like it.]
[Something about this whole mess strikes her as weird, which, granted, isn't much of a surprise.]
How do you, uh...know Tim?
no subject
Date: 2017-11-22 02:20 pm (UTC)[Sort of, anyway. It's more like she tried smoking in his general vicinity, while he made unhelpful comments. And she ended up upset. But whatever.]
Anyway he's the one who knows all things Alex, so... [She raises her eyebrows at him... and his camera.] Can we not do the Tonight Show with Jay?
no subject
Date: 2017-11-23 08:48 am (UTC)[Granted, it's not like Jay's never thought about it himself.]
[And then she all but shuts him down. Basically says Tim knows more than she does, which is just...patently not true. Still, he doesn't want to push his luck.]
Yeah, I mean-- [He lets the camera fall limp at his side. It's still running.] Yeah. I just... [And there he goes, pushing his luck.] How was Alex? While he was here, I mean.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-23 12:56 pm (UTC)[She regards him with a mildly surprised, peeved expression. Either he is extremely thick and didn't get the very blatant hint, or he's persistent.
Her fingers twitch ever so slightly at her side. She could always rewind this away.]
Hmm... How about you tell me why you're so interested, and then I tell you how he was? Like a trade.
[[OOC: Max has rewind powers! The permission post is here if you don't mind! :D]]
can confirm: jay is both extremely thick and persistent
Date: 2017-11-23 08:15 pm (UTC)[Like a trade. Huh. He's not used to this, but he's adaptable. Sort of.]
Alright, so I mentioned I've been looking for Alex because he, because he went missing. That's been for...four, almost five years now. The looking, I mean, not...he disappeared in 2006 or so, and I started looking about three years later. So seven years missing, four years looking. I put together some of, of what happened back home, but there's this whole...span of time here in Wonderland I know nothing about.
What do you know, he's both!!
Date: 2017-11-24 03:50 am (UTC)[Her tone isn't unkind, but she's still suspicious. Surely he knows how Wonderland works by now. It sounds a bit like he's being curious for curiosity's sake.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-24 04:40 am (UTC)Well, I mean, unless it's a totally different Alex from a totally different--different world or, or timeline, I'm guessing it'll at least tell me something.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-26 10:16 am (UTC)[She rubs the back of her neck.]
From what I hear he was the same as he was back home. Secrets, brooding, bad decisions. Kind of an asshole, but... I think he meant well. [She shrugs.] I dunno what else to tell you.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-27 04:36 am (UTC)[So he must have been brought here after things started going south. He wasn't like that before. Well, at least that's what his swiss-cheese memory and the tapes seem to indicate.]
Bad...what do you mean by 'bad decisions'?
I just realized, Max has been exposed to the Operator, so would the video be static-y?
Date: 2017-11-27 12:40 pm (UTC)[She's lying, and she's not a great liar. But she steps back a little, edging the door closed.]
Anyway, I have to get back to my movie.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-27 04:10 pm (UTC)[Picking fights.]
[It's not much. It's not much, but it's something, and he remembers the black eye and the accusations and the pistol aimed at his face he earned the last few times he pushed too hard.]
[He'll have to take his time. They're all stuck here together in the mansion, which means he has time.]
[And then she says something else that catches his attention, and he can't help but ask: ]
What movie? [He looks down, rubbing at his neck.] Not...related to Alex or anything. Just asking.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-30 05:21 am (UTC)She glances back toward her TV, still blocking the door.]
...Final Fantasy: Spirits Within.
[She looks back at him warily.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-30 06:07 am (UTC)Really?
[He sees her blocking the door, and he doesn't try to peer past her, even though he definitely wants to.]
How's that one holding up? I remember--I remember kinda losing my shit when it first came out, because--because of the animation, but I haven't watched it in ages, and CGI's kinda...I mean, it doesn't age well. Usually.
opinions of Max are purely her own and do not represent the opinions of the mun
Date: 2017-12-01 02:31 pm (UTC)It's a sad thought, but look at what happened with Tim... and Alex.]
The animation's definitely old, but still goose-bump worthy. And the plot's still got me hooked.
[She jabs her thumb backward into her room.]
Speaking of which, I'm kinda missing out, so...
no subject
Date: 2017-12-01 04:17 pm (UTC)See you around, Jes--[No no no no no no. He wheezes, hoping that'll cover up what he just said.] Bye, Max.
[He turns, making to get out of there as quickly as possible.]
no subject
Date: 2017-12-04 01:48 am (UTC)Who's Jess?
[She calls out at him, leaning out from the doorway to look down the hall, where he's already several paces away.]
(no subject)
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From:2/2
Date: 2017-12-05 03:35 pm (UTC)He wheezes out the name. Definitely Jes-something. She'll remember that, curiosity etching the syllable into her mind.
She gives him a small, polite smile as he turns.]
Bye, Jay.
(no subject)
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