Twelfth Gate

[forsometimenow]

I was too busy being a turtle when the actual date passed to notice that I've been here for more than 6 months already... and while we're between spurts of weirdness, I wanted to say...

[Jennifer pauses, and there's some pen taps on the page before she goes on.]

Thanks, mostly. To everyone who's made friends with me here, and helped me when I needed it, and made me feel welcomed here, even when I was a total stranger to all of you. It means a lot, and I feel like I don't express my gratitude enough.

Comments

[kungfuwitch]

You are very welcome, even if you don't have to thank me at all.

[forsometimenow]

Still feel like I should.

[kungfuwitch]

Tell you what - you can take me out for a drink sometime and we'll call it good.

[forsometimenow]

You're on.

[Then, filtered to Phoebe only.]

I had a lot of time to think when I was trapped in that body, and, well... all my life I've had this problem where I couldn't find a place to belong. Back home, I thought I'd finally found it with my friends... then I got brought here and had to start all over again. And I want so badly to hold on to the friends I've made here, and make some new ones, because I want to belong again. If that makes sense, and, you know, doesn't sound totally pathetic.

Jennifer

[kungfuwitch]

That doesn't sound pathetic at all. The desire to have a place to belong is one we all have. I'm glad you've started to find a place for yourself here and that I'm part of it.

Phoebe

[forsometimenow]

I'm glad it doesn't. I kinda hate admitting that to people, to tell you the truth. I'm shy- I always have been- and it's something I'm realizing I need to try and get past here. I know it'll never go away and I shouldn't try to make it, but, well, I've already lost two comrades here and regret not having been as close to them as I feel like I should have been, and I don't want that to happen again.

Jennifer forever

[kungfuwitch]

It's good that you feel that way, though. Some people have the opposite reaction. They think their friends are disappearing so often that they should just stop making them to avoid the heartbreak. That just leads in a very lonely and miserable time here. If you ask me I say try to connect with people, talk to new people, make new friends. Even just try to get closer to the ones you have.

Friends are everything here.

[forsometimenow]

I can see why people would want to do that, but... I wouldn't want to get to that point, myself. I've been lonely for most of my life, and I'm finding I'm tired of it, truthfully. So I think I'm going to do that, even if it is hard sometimes.

[kungfuwitch]

That's a great mentality to have. I couldn't agree more. It's better to force yourself to get out and meet people than it is to stay in your room and be miserable.

[forsometimenow]

It helps that people here seem so open to it.

[kungfuwitch]

Well... most of the people here are, at least. Hermits excluded.

[forsometimenow]

True- there will always be the recluses in every group.

[kungfuwitch]

[she laughs]

Some more stubborn than others.

[forsometimenow]

Don't I know. Some of them remind me of a colleague of mine from back home... he was aggressively anti-social.

[kungfuwitch]

Aggressively so? Dare I ask?

[forsometimenow]

Where to even begin with Rodney... he had his moments of being nice, but he could also be a huge jerk to everyone. To the point where he'd push most of them away. Also, he whined a lot, especially when he was sick or hungry. He was a frequent patient for every sort of real or imagined malady, too.

[kungfuwitch]

Ooooh a hypochondriac, too? That's rough.

[forsometimenow]

He could be quite a handful sometimes, yes. Especially during the few times we had disease outbreaks.

[kungfuwitch]

Well that... doesn't sound like fun at all.