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.]
[Jay freezes, the blood rushing to his face as he slowly attempts a casual, nonchalant turn back in her direction.]
[What does he say? What the hell is he supposed to say?]
[By the time she can see his face, his brow's furrowed, and he's squinting at her.]
Jess? I don't--Not really familiar with the name, sorry.
[There's a chance she'll buy it. And maybe there's a chance the Duchess's pig'll float by. And maybe there's a chance Jay hasn't made the biggest slip-up of his godawful alibi-generating career.]
[She raises an eyebrow at him. Not gonna spill the beans, huh? But the more she thinks about it, the more she's sure that he said someone's name. And it definitely didn't sound like 'Max'.
While she doesn't buy his dodge, she's not exactly eager to dig deeper just yet. And him walking away is a fairly good way to end the conversation on a... not-quite-positive note.
So she raises a hand to him, fingers spread. Sorry, Jay.
The world slowly starts to shift, and she feels the slightly nauseating tugging sensation of time rolling back, making the short hop-]
[He catches sight of her smile before he turns away, managing an awkward half-grin in return.]
[Phew. Either she didn't hear it, or she didn't care, and either way is a relief.]
[He pulls the camera back upright as he shuffles back toward the stairwell, away from her room. She clearly knows more about Alex than she's letting on, and he bets he'll be able to get more details of he hangs around long enough. For now, though, enough of the Tonight Show with Jay. He doesn't want to push his luck.]
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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
Date: 2017-12-05 07:50 am (UTC)[What does he say? What the hell is he supposed to say?]
[By the time she can see his face, his brow's furrowed, and he's squinting at her.]
Jess? I don't--Not really familiar with the name, sorry.
[There's a chance she'll buy it. And maybe there's a chance the Duchess's pig'll float by. And maybe there's a chance Jay hasn't made the biggest slip-up of his godawful alibi-generating career.]
1/2
Date: 2017-12-05 03:36 pm (UTC)While she doesn't buy his dodge, she's not exactly eager to dig deeper just yet. And him walking away is a fairly good way to end the conversation on a... not-quite-positive note.
So she raises a hand to him, fingers spread. Sorry, Jay.
The world slowly starts to shift, and she feels the slightly nauseating tugging sensation of time rolling back, making the short hop-]
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
Date: 2017-12-06 05:09 am (UTC)[Phew. Either she didn't hear it, or she didn't care, and either way is a relief.]
[He pulls the camera back upright as he shuffles back toward the stairwell, away from her room. She clearly knows more about Alex than she's letting on, and he bets he'll be able to get more details of he hangs around long enough. For now, though, enough of the Tonight Show with Jay. He doesn't want to push his luck.]