Exsilium - IC Contact

[bodilesswarrior]

Line 1:

This is Barbara. Leave a message and I'll get back to you.

Line 2:

Oracle speaking.

Comments

line 1, voice

[velveteened]

( he'd almost forgot about this, with everything else, but she gets a message before midnight )

Happy birthday.

line 1, voice

[bodilesswarrior]

[Oh.

Not a lot of things stun Barbara, but she'd completely forgotten that Oz had figured it out; a lot of things have been pushed from her mind, recently.

And the simple, blatant kindness of the gesture, in the midst of all this, it -

It just takes her a second to respond. When she does, her voice is soft and grateful.]

Thank you, Oz.

We better hold off on the party.

[velveteened]

( he'd briefly forgotten too, in all honesty; there's been so much to happen since then, from his brief return to his own world to the events of the party, being held by the united earth, and now this news about the united earth's impending retaliation, the only few things they can do about it. it'd been in perusing his tablet to catch up on all he's missed, looking back over new and familiar messages, that he'd stumbled across the date and thought it too important to let go.

he laughs, sounds tired. )

That's a good idea. I wanted to get you something when I asked, but...

( well. probably obvious. )

[bodilesswarrior]

[She didn't think she could laugh, right now, but the chuckle falls from her lips with shocking ease, soft and brief.]

I forgive you.

1/2

[velveteened]

That's a relief.

[velveteened]

( it'd be stupid to ask how she is or how her day was, so )

I hope you've been alright lately.

[bodilesswarrior]

I've been worse. [It's not cheerful, but it's true, and the words are light enough. She can deal with this. It's what she does.]

How about you?

[velveteened]

( ah, that's harder, and with an audio line it's also harder to hide that. )

— the same, probably. You must be busy.

[bodilesswarrior]

[After a moment, softly.] Talking about it helps, sometimes. [It's hypocritical, she knows it, but oh well.]

[velveteened]

( audio does mean that she can't see the way he ducks his head at that, or how his expression turns wry, self-deprecating — but she can hear how it migrates into his tone despite himself. )

I'm sorry; this isn't what I called you for.

[bodilesswarrior]

I know. [Her own voice is gently reassuring.] But helping a friend would make a pretty nice birthday gift.

[velveteened]

I've just been — tired.

( which is true, and, for him, an admission. )

Aah, I've slept so much in the last few days, since coming back.

( and that's another. )

[bodilesswarrior]

You went home? [It feels like she should have known that, but then she feels that way about most things.]

How was it? [The question is a cautious one.]

[velveteened]

( that would make an easy out, wouldn't it, so tempting he almost takes it. instead, he answers cautiously, keeping his tone fairly light. )

I did — but that was earlier. I meant the United Earth, last week.

( a week ago, roughly, having been the rescue operation, and some days before that the doomed party he'd been snatched from. )

[bodilesswarrior]

[She should have known that, too - she'd done her best to help from the ground, so to speak - but it was all so chaotic. Keeping track of everything was nigh impossible.

Doesn't stop her feeling guilty.

It doesn't show in her voice; there's only quiet sympathy.]

I figure that exhausted a lot of people. [For so many reasons.]

[velveteened]

( he'd, in all honesty, not expected many people to notice at all; anyone outside of his roommates and the people from his world (and even then, really) had come as a surprise to him. )

I think so, too. It's too bad that ( things had to go from bad to worse immediately ) there hasn't been any time for them to relax a little.