video; @unknown

[redshiftnpc]

[ The communicator bobs, turns, points at the floor. There’s muttering from a voice some of Anchor’s residents will recognize. When the camera rights itself, it’s a close-up of Creepy Joe’s face, the eye that was formerly sealed shut now open and writhing with tiny flower-like tentacles. His other is steady, crazed blue.

His mouth is still twisted, his lips still curving upward on the ruined side of his face, not quite hiding teeth too long and sharp for a human mouth. There’s movement behind and between his teeth, though it’s hard to see what it is until he opens his mouth--more tentacles, tiny flailing things growing from the insides of his cheeks, the roof of his mouth, his tongue. They make him lisp hoarsely as he talks.]

Don’t go down. Don’t do it. You’ll open the way to worse things, worse things, worse.

[ He glances behind him, and in spite of the close angle, some at Anchor might also recognize where he is. In his little hole in the wall, where he was recording the actions of Anchor’s new residents. ]

Trust me. I came back, didn’t I? I came back to help.

Comments

[redshiftnpc]

[ Joe shakes his head, apparently not bothered. ]

Been dying for a long time. Gonna be dying a lot longer. [ He lifts his hand to his temple again, then shifts it to cover his eye. ] Wouldn't be so bad... living again.

[itsnotaonesie]

Would you let us try to help you?

[He gets that Joe seems to have accepted his fate, but uuuuuuuuh Peter hasn't, soooo.]

[redshiftnpc]

[ He studies Peter with his good eye, hand still covering the mess of his other. ]

You. [ He lets his hand drop, slowly. ] I'll let you. The others-- [ A noise deep in his throat, one that doesn't sound entirely human. ] Don't trust them.

[itsnotaonesie]

[He nods, suddenly kind of internally freaking out because he doesn't even know the first place to start with helping Joe, but he'll figure something out.]

I'll do my best. If you don't trust them though, why are you trying to help? Not that I'm complaining, I appreciate it. Just wondering.

[redshiftnpc]

[ He... had not thought about that. It shows in the startled look he gives Peter. ]

I... because... [ He rubs his forehead. ] ...Because....

[ Now he just looks mystified. ] Because I wanted to help. Everyone. I wanted to help.

[ Joe casts a wary glance at the entrance to his little cave. ] But. They'll run me off. If I get close. If I come out. Take Anchor away again.

[ He rubs his head again, this time more fiercely. ] But I wanted to help.

[itsnotaonesie]

Because it's the right thing to do, I get it.

[Doing a good thing for the sake of doing a good thing. Peter can totally get behind that, even if Joe's approach to the whole thing was a little sketchy.]

Listen, nobody's gonna run you off, nobody's going to send you back outside. I'll make sure that doesn't happen.

[redshiftnpc]

[ He goes quiet for a long moment. The fingers of his ruined hand twitch, start moving with the fluid, horrible grace of the tentacles in his eye.

He grabs the wrist of that hand, squeezing until his fingers still. ]

Scared.

[itsnotaonesie]

[Peter watches, silent until Joe speaks again.]

I know you are. We're all scared. We're up against things we don't understand, and, y'know, people get scared of things that they can't explain sometimes. Right now, people don't understand you yet, but I really think the best thing for all of us would be to work together. I'm gonna try to help you get them to understand you, okay? We'll all figure this out together.

[redshiftnpc]

[ He rocks back and forth a little. ]

One of you said... the others would hurt me. Take me apart.

[itsnotaonesie]

Was it Kabal? Because Kabal's always saying stupid shit. We don't really take him seriously.

[He's half joking, but also Joe doesn't really seem like the sort who Gets jokes, so he's just gonna roll that back a bit.]

Okay, the only poking or prodding I would do at all would be because I'm trying to help you with your condition. I can't promise medical procedures aren't going to be a little painful, but nobody's going to hurt you, nobody's going to take you apart. If anyone does want to, they're gonna have to go through me first.

[redshiftnpc]

[ He stands up slowly, good hand going to grip his wrist again. ]

Okay. [ A deep breath. ] Trust you.

[itsnotaonesie]

Thanks, Joe.

[Peter pushes himself to his feet as well, holding his hand out to shake on it. As soon as Joe's done wrangling his wiggle fingers, anyway.]

[redshiftnpc]

[ He takes Peter's hand, still cautious, but not hesitating the way he would have when Peter arrived. ]

Thank you. For not... being afraid.

[itsnotaonesie]

[And Peter gives him a good, firm handshake.]

Don't mention it. The way I see it, there are way scarier things around here than other people.

[redshiftnpc]

[ Peter you are just too good a boy. ]

What... what now?

[itsnotaonesie]

[He is! And now he has to go try to convince Qubit to Chill.]

Now, I'm gonna have you wait here... [he pauses to check his phone, frowns at it a bit because Qubit's being Qubit, sigh.] I'm gonna go talk to my buddies, get everyone on the same page, and then we'll go from there. You have a sat-phone, right? I can give you my contact info in case you need me for anything.

[redshiftnpc]

Yes. [ Joe rummages under one of the consoles for a moment, pulling out the communicator from underneath. He offers it to Peter. ]

Here.

[itsnotaonesie]

[Peter takes it for a moment, puts his contact info in it and messages his own phone so he can have Joe's contact info before handing it back.]

There we go, all set.

[redshiftnpc]

[ He experimentally sends a message, then... smiles. Which is creepy on half of his face, but kind of nice on the other. ]

Haven't had someone to talk to in... a long time. A long time. Talked to the screens. [ He gestures at the surveillance monitors. ] But it's not the same.

[itsnotaonesie]

[And Peter replies, and is only a tiny bit creeped out by Joe's creepy smile.]

Nah, well. Computer screens aren't the best conversationalists. I'm not great at it either, but I'll do my best.

[redshiftnpc]

[ He smiles, hesitantly. ]

Better than me.

[ Congrats Peter you got his first "joke" in about fifty years. ]

[itsnotaonesie]

[You know what, it's a good joke. Well done, Joe, you made a funny.]

You just need some practice, bud. We'll get you back to chatting like a pro in no time.

[And he takes another pause to check his phone because Qubit's still blowing it up.]

So, I need to pop outside for a bit. I need to let my friends know what we've worked out, I can keep them out of here if you want me to.

[redshiftnpc]

Friends?

[ The tentacles in his eye coil in on themselves until it looks like there's a pulsing ball of yarn where his eye should be. ]

I can... [ He shivers, massaging the wrist of his bad arm. ] They can come. They're your friends.

[itsnotaonesie]

[Okay, cool, cool. This is already going way better than Peter had expected.]

Awesome, okay, cool. I'll give them the run down before I bring them in.

[redshiftnpc]

Wait--

[ He rocks back and forth on his heels. ]

When they come, can I... meet them outside? Too closed in here. Too easy to get... stuck.