❄ third reminder

[echidna]

[ phone ]

[ Jade places this call only a few minutes after drinking the morning's milk delivery. She sounds exactly like she feels: shitty. ]

Um, hi, Mayfield. I know things have been pretty bad recently, but I hope everyone's doing okay. I'm sorry I haven't been checking in on anyone!

[ Any cheeriness she had fostering fades as she continues. ]

With the way death is in this place, I guess I shouldn't be scared of it, but I still sort of am. Especially when I've already done it once. Hehe, um, at least this time I don't think it's going to hurt so badly.

So I guess I'll be able to talk to everyone tomorrow! I wonder if my police chief application had been better, maybe this wouldn't have happened. ...oh well.

Stay safe everyone! Bye.

Comments

phone

[worstvikingever]

Jade, don't blame yourself. Don't even think about it. Seriously. It's not your fault.

Also... the death thing... you never get used to it. Don't... don't feel bad if you can't.

[echidna]

I'm not blaming myself... I just, um, am taking responsibility!

[ There's a long pause. ] Have you died?

[worstvikingever]

Sounds an awful lot like you're blaming yourself. You shouldn't have to take responsibility either. Seems to me like they wouldn't have picked you even if you had the most incredible application they'd ever seen. It's just the way the town works.

[Another long pause. Then he answers quietly.]

Yeah. A few times.

[echidna]

Okay, maybe I'm blaming myself just a little bit... [ She laughs weakly, though there's a hint of sincerity to it. ]

Are you used to it?

[worstvikingever]

No.

It's always different, and it's always scary, and it... it always hurts.

[echidna]

[ As though on cue, there's a quiet whimper of pain from Jade's end. It's not as agonizing as before, but yeah, it still hurts. ]

Maybe I can't stop it from hurting, but I want to at least try to not be scared.

[worstvikingever]

Are you...

[And the pieces click into place and his tone gets very serious.]

Jade. What happened.

[echidna]

Oh-- um, well, my friends and I, we decided to take turns drinking the milk because... [ She trails off. Because things were really horrible on Tuesday. ] I just keep getting unlucky on my days.

[worstvikingever]

[He doesn't need her to finish the sentence. He knows what happens when you don't drink the milk.]

...yeah, that makes sense. Klaus was... he wanted to be the one who drank the milk every day but I didn't want to let him. That's just... it's unfair.

[echidna]

Yeah. The rotation thing has been working out okay, I guess. I'm just really glad they haven't gotten any of the death milk.

[worstvikingever]

...well there's two kinds like that, isn't there? The kind that kills you right away and the kind that kills you slowly.

[echidna]

Hehe, yeah, and now I've gotten both. I guess I like the quick one better, it hurts a lot less... it's just kind of scarier.

[worstvikingever]

I'm... I'm sorry, Jade.

[echidna]

It's alright! In a way I'm almost, well, not happy but-

I did something pretty bad on Tuesday, so this could be like karma.

[worstvikingever]

[Oh man Tuesday. He really didn't want to think about it.]

Yeah. I did too.

[echidna]

[ Maybe this is prying but- ]

You did?

[ Knowing she's not the only one sends the strangest, yet most amazing feeling of relief rushing through her. ]

[worstvikingever]

Yeah.

[He's quiet for a moment before going on.]

Yeah, almost right away that morning I got droned and ended up killing my housemates and badly hurt a couple other people before someone shot me dead.

[echidna]

Hiccup...

[ She doesn't really know what to say, but she understands and she thinks he understands her too. ]

I don't think I have a lot of time left today, but we should hang out again sometime really soon.

[worstvikingever]

I'd... that'd be fun. I'd like that.

[echidna]

Good! So think of something really fun for us to do, okay?

[worstvikingever]

...okay. I will.

[echidna]

I can't wait.

[worstvikingever]

It's... It's gonna be okay, Jade. We're gonna get through this.

[echidna]

We definitely will.

I think I have to go now, but I'm really glad I got to talk to you today.

[worstvikingever]

Me too.

Um. Bye.

I'll see you soon.