002

[kindnessing]

[ Spoken into the journal to grab as much attention as possible. There's a faint buzz, as though a large bee was hovering somewhere in the background, and some muted thumps throughout the message, but mostly the message is silent. ]

Hello. I realize that now might not be the best time to ask about this, but I'd like to move to room 1805 or possibly 1812 in the Satis Tower. If any of the tower's current residents have any objections, I understand. I'll hold off on the move and repeat this announcement in two weeks in case any of the residents are incapable of making objections right now.

[ He takes a very long pause before his next message. ]

If... you need a third party to talk to, for whatever reason, please consider contacting me. My name is Ken, if you'd prefer to make a private filter.

Comments

dictated;

[kindnessing]

[ ... Now how did that happen? ] I'm pretty sure Skitty's forgotten anything happened by now. Er... does it impede you in any way at all?

dictated;

[nukeoleptic]

[ Yay Homestuck. :| ]

Um! No, not really. I used to bark sometimes if I got really excited? Ehehehe.

dictated;

[kindnessing]

[ Sounds more like a light inconvenience... ] That's good. It must get a little bothersome to explain the ears, though...

dictated;

[nukeoleptic]

People do ask a lot, but- it's really funny, more than anything else. Um! Welcome back to the castle, by the way. If it was recent, I mean.

dictated; sorry about the delay! (major) technical difficulties.

[kindnessing]

That's good. Ah... yeah, it is. I've been here for a couple of weeks now. I was stuck out there with the giraffes until you guys showed up.

dictated; it's fine!!

[nukeoleptic]

..pffthaha, oh, I forgot about that. We did find some people, didn't we? Well, regardless- welcome back!

dictated;

[kindnessing]

Yeah... that was certainly a strange end to an expedition.

Thank you. It's... certainly not great to be back, but castle residents tend to make good company.

dictated;

[nukeoleptic]

That's sort of how I see it, too. [ There's a smile in her voice. ] Let's hang out sometime, okay? We sound around the same age.

dictated;

[kindnessing]

[ there's a surprised silence on his end. SOCIALLY AWKWARD CHILD IS NOT USED TO ANY TRACE OF EXTROVERSION, NEWS AT 11. ]

W-Well, um! That's very kind of you. Um. How old are you?

dictated;

[nukeoleptic]

[ POOR KEN sometimes Jade is.. aggressively friendly.. ]

Um! Fifteen.

dictated;

[kindnessing]

[ ken will just adapt. and thrive! extroverts make him happy. ]

It's something we have in common. I look too young, but mentally we should be around the same age...

dictated;

[nukeoleptic]

-- you look younger than you are? D'you mind if I ask why that is?

dictated;

[kindnessing]

Not at all. The last time I was home, I was twelve. Adding the time I've spent at the castle, I'm fifteen mentally. Well... I guess it doesn't make much of a difference, but I'm used to being pretty tall for my age back home.

dictated;

[nukeoleptic]

We don't age here? Physically? [ THIS IS NEWS TO HER. ] Jeez, how have I not figured that out yet?

dictated;

[kindnessing]

That's right. It's not something that's widely discussed here, but after a couple of years here without growing even a centimeter, I sort of got the picture.

dictated;

[nukeoleptic]

-- at least on the ship I got older. [ Jade suddenly sounds exasperated. ] I am getting pretty sick of waiting on things!

dictated;

[kindnessing]

[ the sudden shift in her tone surprises him! ]

-- Ah! Well... This castle must frustrate you, then. [ it's nothing but a big, evil waiting area, after all. ]

dictated;

[nukeoleptic]

[ Whoops. ]

--ehehe, yes. It really does, actually. The people make it better, though. I've never gotten to be around so many people in my life before.

dictated;

[kindnessing]

[ ??? To Ken, the castle seemed awfully underpopulated, even at the height of occupancy. Tamachi wasn't exactly a bustling city, but it was still a Tokyo ward. ]

Really? Did you live in a small town?

dictated;

[nukeoleptic]

- huh? No, I grew up on an island. My grandpa died when I was really young, and it was just me and my dog after that. It was really fun, though.

dictated;

[kindnessing]

[ --? ]

... That... does sound nice. Was it really just you and your dog, though? No one else?

dictated;

[nukeoleptic]

I had friends online. [ Her voice is thoughtful, fond. ] Most of them are here, too.

dictated;

[kindnessing]

Internet friends, huh... That's not something I hear about every day. Did you ever get to meet them back on - on Earth, I guess? You're from Earth, right?

dictated;

[nukeoleptic]

Yes! I'm from Earth. And just for a little while, before we had to reboot the world. [ She sounds apologetic. ] -- sorry, it's really complicated.

dictated;

[kindnessing]

[ ... what. ] That... does sound like an involved process. If you don't mind explaining, though, I'd like to hear about it.