hardwearing | [ MEADOWLARK ] IC Inbox

[ MEADOWLARK ] IC Inbox

@david.washington | ■ ▲ ◌ ▼

I don't think it did any serious damage here at least. I'm not getting news alerts.

Good. City doesn't need that.

[ It's probably not a sentiment born of caring, but it could be worse. He could be hoping the city would burn. ]

Nobody needs that.

How are you, Maine? We miss you.

[ He dodged that question once already, so he grudging answers, ]

Haven't attacked anyone else.

[ An answer! But... ]

That's not what I asked.

It's what's important.

You're important to me too.

[ Maine should probably say, "Know," or, "Thanks." Instead: ]

Check your priorities.

[ What's most important is that he doesn't try to murder anyone. Everything else is secondary. ]

I didn't say which was my priority.

Keep asking how I am. Unimportant.

[ He didn't mean to get this irritated this fast, really he didn't, but. ]

Are you kidding me?

You're my friend. And from what everybody was telling me, your mental state is important to the power. The steadier you're feeling, the less likely it is to trigger.

[ Maine wants to snap that his head is fine. He even writes out half the sentence, old habits making him immediately defensive about his mental faculties. But…

He deletes the words. Because his head isn't fine. There's a fucking hole inside of it, and there's no fixing that. There's no smoothing it over. There's no building a bridge and getting the fuck over it. Not when that hole is a sucking void that feels like it's eating him alive.

He stares at Wash's words, and he doesn't know what to say. Finally: ]

That sucks.

[ The hesitation, and then Maine's response, are all that Wash needs to know. He exhales, and writes a reply. ]

That answers my question. Look, Maine, the answer isn't being even more alone. That's not going to help anyone.