Issue #62 - Video

[mistconduct]

[In the mess hall is Chris, who's somehow procured a gigantic poster board stretching a good twelve feet across.

On the board is pinned a photo of everyone on the Barge. Marker in hand, Chris begins going through the photos one by one - every time he gets to someone he knows is changed, he scribbles a black goatee on their face. Yes, even the women. Especially the women.

He pauses when he hits Tig Traeger.

And then takes out a small bottle of White-Out and begins to carefully erase his goatee]






[OOC: A thousand thank-yous to Fire for the amazing art!]

Comments

[walkingmeltdown]

Right. [His amusement falters somewhat, thinking of Iris again. Why are all the ones missing also the ones that are best at keeping the mood up despite the worst that's going on?] Maybe to celebrate. Once everything's back to...what around here we're forced to consider 'normal'.

[mistconduct]

Yeah. How long do you think that'll be?

[walkingmeltdown]

I...I don't know, D'amico. [He doesn't. He can't even begin to guess. That freaks the hell out of him.] But it had better not be for too long.

[mistconduct]

Tell me about it. I already miss them.

[walkingmeltdown]

Me too. And that's...not a situation I'm exactly used to.

[He checks out the board again, eyes passing over the faces that have been marked as false. After frowning a bit over his allies, he zeroes in on his warden.]

Have you had a run-in with the other Megamind yet?

[mistconduct]

You mean Asshole McSpikes? Yeah, he came over to bitch about his goatee.

[walkingmeltdown]

I haven't seen him yet - I only knew he was changed because I saw what happened to his cabin door.

[mistconduct]

Why, what's with the cabin door?

[walkingmeltdown]

It's changed. It looks...well, not like his, that's the important part.

[More like something that would be guarding the entrance to a padded cell in a maximum security prison.]

[mistconduct]

Great. I'll have to stop over and take a look when I'm over there next.

[walkingmeltdown]

So is he safe to go near, or what? How bad are we talking?

[mistconduct]

He tried to get all intimidating on me, but he didn't pull a weapon. Whether that's because he didn't own one or because he's not murderous, I dunno.

[walkingmeltdown]

Right. I'll try to keep that in mind. [Ugh. He rubs at his face, a bit.] I'm not looking forward to meeting him. But I imagine that's inevitable.

[mistconduct]

Maybe this one doesn't have a beef with you. Maybe we're lucky.

[walkingmeltdown]

I'm never so lucky.

[He says this bleakly, and unthinking, but with surety. And he waves a hand, an absent gesture of dismissal - turns around and starts to walk away.

He's done here, he thinks. There's nothing left he can do. Except perhaps depress Chris even more than he already has.]

[mistconduct]

Chin up, Derek. We'll...

...power through this.

[walkingmeltdown]

[Well that gets him to stop dead in his tracks. He shoots Chris a narrow look over his shoulder - one that says "just because you don't hear me groaning or see me rolling my eyes, doesn't mean I'm not expressing that sentiment anyway".

But all he says aloud, after a pause, is:]

Do us all a favor, Chris. And never change.

[mistconduct]

[Chris grins back, giving a thumbs-up]

Will do.

Or won't. Won't do.

Fuck it, you know what I mean.