008 ♐ Video ♐ If you don't answer I'll just ring it off the wall

[codename_duchess]

Oh my God, it's like one of those random video chat sites. Any moment now, some dude in a trailer park is going to pop up -- phrasing, boom -- and start jacking off.

Hey. So, Sterling Archer here, ISIS agent, checking in from the worst way station. Anyone out there? Who is preferably not an idiot from work? Before replying, please check that you are A. Interesting. B. Hot, C. Funny, or D. All of the above.

And before you ask, no, this is not a voicemail. …Videomail. Shit, video answering service? Whatever you call it, it's not one of those.

Comments

[ichoosefight]

[ She presses a few buttons, zooms out the camera to reveal Batgirl HQ, a nice, clean, white tiled room underground that holds all of her badass gear. It also reveals that Steph herself is wearing the Batgirl suit, albeit without mask, cape or gloves.

There's a purple mini car behind her, and when the camera tilts there's also a garage door. It opens, the floor rises, and the tiniest bit of sun shines through. A moment later she closes it and the camera is pointed straight again. ]

I'm twenty-one, and married. How old is this other me, exactly?

[codename_duchess]

...okay, they don't let me have a car here so I'm assuming you really are at home.

You're seventeen and you're all messed up.

[ichoosefight]

Seventeen?

[ That kind of makes sense, she had a baby not too long ago, and things have been weird at schoo--- ]

Oh god. She's not... Is she an inmate?

[ Then there was that other thing that happened when she was seventeen. ]

[codename_duchess]

Duh. Oh shit! Does that mean wardens can have cars?

[ichoosefight]

[ Ignoring the car question for a moment. Steph just needs to. Press her palms into her eyes for a moment. Process. ]

Christ. Okay. Wow. Does she have a warden? Because if she just went through what I think she just went through she really needs to not be alone right now. And preferably for the next several months.

[codename_duchess]

I don't know. She has some guys who told me not to talk to her again.

[ichoosefight]

In a "you're being a dick" sort of way, or in a protective way? Is Babs still there? Dean?

[codename_duchess]

Christ, I don't know. In a "don't make her angry" way? Which was pretty weird considering we both said we didn't want to talk again.

There's someone named Dean here, yeah. I don't know a Babs.

[ichoosefight]

Okay, okay. [ Deep breaths, Steph. ] Dean will take care of her. I'm sorry, this is weird for me even by barge standards. If she's like I was... well, let's just say she shouldn't be allowed to make any important decisions for a good while.

[codename_duchess]

Great. Good for her. Glad she's got people. [Jealous? Of Steph having friends? Never.]

You should probably tell this stuff to them. I seriously doubt she'll be talking to me anytime soon.

[ichoosefight]

What happened, anyway? I find it hard to believe anyone could be this worked up over what I have to assume was a lame attempt at a sex joke.

[ OKAY SO MAYBE SOMETIMES HER JOKES ARE LAME. SHE'S STILL FUNNY!!!! ]

[codename_duchess]

Jokes about whether or not I screw underage girls? Which, A. why, and B. really really not cool.

[There's an awkward pause, and then, he continues in private:]

She kind of only let up when she found out we had some shit in common. The kind of shit I don't want to talk about.

[ichoosefight]

[ The comment about underage girls is enough to make her wince. The rest, she finally resorts to dropping her head onto the giant keyboard that likes to pretend it's a desk. ]

Dammit. I'm sorry. I mean, I know I can't really apologize for her, but still.

[codename_duchess]

Well you should -- wait, should you be? She was the one being an asshole.

[Not, of course, that he wasn't; and not that he doesn't understand why she was acting like that. He did the same thing at her age (and many ages beyond). Archer's not quite condemning her, though he's still irritated she accidentally touched a fresh wound.]

[ichoosefight]

I dunno. I feel responsible. After what happened, I kinda let everyone think I was dead. For a year. And I spent so much time trying to make up for everything that went wrong that I only made things worse.

I imagine she's doing the same thing. Only, you know, being actually dead.

[codename_duchess]

So? That's what you do when shit happens. Leave and let everyone think you died or vanished.

[ichoosefight]

[ ... ]

You... don't really care much about how your friends feel, do you.

[codename_duchess]

How who feels?

[ichoosefight]

The people who care about you. The people who would mourn for you. The people who's lives would never really be the same again if you died.

[codename_duchess]

Yeah. Um, I really don't have time to worry about how imaginary people feel.

[ichoosefight]

Oh.

[ Well. Now she just feels bad. She would say there has to be someone, but she's been on the barge. She knows there are people who really, truly don't have anyone. ]

Then I guess... I'm sorry because I know how much pain she's in right now, and I know she would be sorry if she wasn't hurting so much.

[codename_duchess]

[Well, there's Lana, and that friendship also involves hurtful insults and shooting Archer three times. And there was Luke Troy, the one responsible for Archer's new sensitivity about assault jokes.]

So... are you saying this was about her?

[ichoosefight]

Let me put it this way: When my dad died and I wanted to talk to someone who knew him, I ended up beating the Riddler to a bloody pulp. Sometimes the thought to action filter gets a little bit borked.

[codename_duchess]

What are you talking about? That's totally normal! Everyone ends up beating the shit out of someone when they're hurt!

[ichoosefight]

That's not normal, and it's not healthy. For you or the person you're beating up. Trust me, this is why Batman is so socially incompetent with the people he cares about. It's a bad sign.