etraya | un: henry123

Maybe. I think they're part of a ritual. I read some pages about it, but I still don't fully understand it.

No.
There isn't anyone.

[ Everyone who he encountered back home that he could actually speak to -- he failed to convey what was going on and his concerns. Each one of them died. And now he's here. Henry thinks that he should say something; he should try to offer something. ]

But I hope that you're doing all right.
This problem is what it is.
But I hope things are going well for you.

[ Did that sound right? He thinks so? Maybe? He just wants to give some goodwill to someone... ]

So someone put a curse on you? And did people not of your world offer any guidance? I assume that this post garnered some suggestions at least.

[He smiled as the conversation flipped to focus on him. He knew that tactic well enough. He appreciated the sentiment.]

It seems to me that individual problems tend to be "it is what it is". I'll support you however I can, even if it's just to chat with you. It seems others will as well.

I think so, and I don't know if anyone's from my world.

When I talk about what happened, no one seems to have heard anything like it.

Thank you.

If it gets to be too much, you can tell me, too.

A situation unique to you and you alone? That has to feel isolating. I'm resilient, don't worry. I can take it. I want to help.

[ Well, yes.

He's starting to wonder if he's going just to be considered insane every time he tries to explain what's happened to him. His head drops a little but -- ]

I'm sure others have situations like that, too.
From where they're from, I mean.
Problems that happened.

[ He wants to find a solution. He wants to ask people for help with his problem. He doesn't want to burden anyone. He doesn't want to upset others. He wants to connect with people after being disconnected from everyone for so long. There are many things he wants to do and -- it also sounds very selfish and self-absorbed.

Even not wanting to burden or upset others... doesn't he just not want to feel as Vander said isolated and strange? Isn't that why he didn't try to talk to Jasper? To explain things to Richard? To ask much of Andrew? He was figuring things out but he could have tried more.

Where to start --

-- maybe something easy. ]

But...
Sometimes, the walls would turn into flesh.
And so would the floor.
It wasn't just skin covering the surface.
And it was still alive.

Potentially. Everyone has a situation unique to them. It still shouldn't be something that you have to face alone.

[Vander, true to his word, does want to help. He understands that a hand up and a listening ear can be of assistance to people suffering. If he wanted to build bonds here, this was exactly the types of conversations he should be involved in.

Except. Ho boy. He'd experimented with neurochemical agents in his youth now and again, and he hadn't enjoyed them. It seemed to him that this guy might have also partaken in his worlds version and this just might be the result.

Well.

He'd promised an ear (or eyes in this case) to listen with, and he'd committed to that even now. This guy was clearly a mess.]

How long does that last for?

[Definitely a bad trip.]

That's true.

How long?
Until the world ended.
Or I guess it's more like the dreamer died.

I think they were dreaming, but it probably was a nightmare.

Sorry pal, but I can't translate 'under the world ended' to actual time. Could you help me with that? Dreamer?

[This was sounding more and more like a bad drug trip the longer that he talked to this guy. Was he high right now? Did he need someone to sit with him? Well, that could come up a bit later.]

Sure.
What I mean is the world would cease to exist, I think.

It was because the dreamer was dead.
The dreamer was the one tied to the world, I think.
I'd hear about the police finding their bodies from the radio in my apartment.

It didn't used to get those radio waves, either.

So is the world that you exist in part of that dream? And if it dies, you also die? I'm sorry, I don't know if all of this makes sense to me. I'm trying. I wonder if some of this is lost over text. Would you be willing to meet up?

Kind of.

I can't say I talk better in person.
But okay.

Do you wake up if the Dreamer dies then? Ah well, I suppose I'm just old fashioned. Facial expressions help, that's all.

[ This man is going to be so disappointed....... ]

Yeah.

And okay.

Do you have anywhere you want to meet? You can come to my apartment. It's the one with the door removed.

Alright. What floor is that on?

[He'll bring his tools.]

[ He gives general directions. ]

I'd say the door have my name on it, but it's resting on the inside wall.

It seems like a unique abode that is easy to find with that doorway.

[True to his word, Vander arrived with a fabric bag of tools over his shoulder and found the room without an issue. The whole 'missing door' was a dead giveaway that he was in the right place.

He knocked on the door frame to announce himself before taking a step inside and looking around. He only had a few apartments to compare this one too, but thankfully for him, the walls did not appear to be flesh nor bleeding, melting or disintegrating.]

Can I come in?

[ Henry involuntarily tilts his head away at the message - more agreement that it is probably easier to find his place than others. It takes him a second to realize (or decide, really) he should reply: ]

Yeah.

[ His mouth twists equally involuntarily. I could have given a better response. He says that he's better texting than he is speaking but it's only marginally.

One of the many negatives to not having a door is knowing someone is visiting and not being able to just casually wait in the living room. Casually waiting for him is mostly just sitting on the couch and staring blankly at the wall ahead of him. Henry realizes that would come off as odd so went to "hide" in the bedroom until he heard the knock on the door frame.

Heading down to the front door, he replies: ]

Sure. [ A small nod. His eyes drift to the side before turning to Vander's face. ] Hello.

[Vander peered inside and tilted his head when his eyes landed on Henry. He glanced around as if expecting to see some faint specter that was tormenting the man but instead simply saw a brunette trying with every fiber of his being to look comfortable.

He shifted his sack of tools off of his shoulder as he walked into the apartment further, looking around that the decor, if there was any. He then gave Henry a considering once over.]

Nice to meet you face-to-face, Henry. Is that door off for a quick escape or someone played a prank on you?

[ His eyes roll up to the ceiling, pausing to think of an answer. It's a second later that he thinks the question is probably a joke - an icebreaker. His chin drops slightly in a moment of embarrassment, but he drifts his gaze back toward the door.

Enough silence has passed that he needs to say something. ]

It's nice to meet you, too. [ His eyebrows come together. I should have said that right away. ] Anyway... the door's gone just... so that it can't be locked, again. [ The corner of his mouth twitches before he shrugs his shoulders. ]

I'll put it back if I ever move to somewhere else.

[Oh geez, this guy was something else. Vander was back to being uncertain if Henry was high on some kind of substance, and he wasn't currently close enough to detect if that was true. Or maybe there was a history of use and these were the long-term effects.

Regardless, he put a warm inviting smile on his face.] You don't like being locked in, hmm? I can understand that.

[He moved to casually lean against the nearby wall, crossing his arms over his chest.]

You must have some people dropping in on you unannounced, yeah? No door is basically an open invitation where I'm from.

Yeah.

[ It's a casual agreement to what's said and acknowledging that Vander understands. ]

Not really. [ People are pretty polite about not coming into an apartment with the door removed. He wonders if maybe they worry about him, but that can't be it. ] People are ... they're all right.

[ He brings his hands together, interlaces his fingers; he feels that's an awkward pose so drops his hands back down to his sides. Shifting, he pauses to glance out the door then out the window.

His eyes drop back down. I don't know what else to say. ]

Oh well, if we get on, that might change unless you tell me specifically that you'd prefer I not.

[Vander was not afraid to just wander into places to people that he knew, unless they specifically requested their own privacy. It had worked well for him so far, and he had built some very meaningful relationships with his antics.]

Are you... seeing ghosts in here, or are we alone?

[This young man was so awkward and Vander was feeling bad for him already. Well, it was fine. He had hard-carried conversations before and this seemed like it would be interesting in the end.]

I probably won't.

[ And also Henry feels it is a big "if" they get on. Not so much that he doesn't think Vander is a nice person, because he seems like he is; he just is aware of how bad he is at carrying on conversations or knowing when the conversation is over. ]

No. There's no ghosts here. [ He, at least, can answer that one relatively fast. ] We're alone. [ Henry decides to add if that's not clear. Pointing to the walls, he thinks to explain what it would look like if the ghosts appeared but his arm drops. ]

You would be able to tell if they were here.

You're a pretty easy going fella then.

[Unfortunately for Henry, Vander could carry the conversation of two people all by himself if he needed to, or even do so while alone. He had spent a lifetime learning about people and even the most awkward person needed friends or at least a few people who just showed up unannounced to drag them around for socialization.]

Would I? [He looked to the walls as indicated by Henry. They looked very normal, average walls to his eyes.] You mean that if they were hear, the walls would turn to flesh like you wrote?

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