thoughtformed | [video]

Entry tags:

rudy wade,
sheska

[video]

[ The face that comes in is a noticably younger, scragglier-looking Rudy, looking rather distressed and strung-out. The dark circles under his eyes indicate he doesn't seem to have gotten any sleep and he seems to have been crying for some time. His eyes are mostly looking to the room beyond where he is. ]

Hullo? Mum? Dad? If you're out there... please talk to me. I'm... I'm sorry, all right? I dunno what I did this time, but I'm so sorry. Please talk to me. I don't think I meant it I just... Please come get me. I'm scared and I haven't got my medication. Why would you send me away without me meds, Mum?! [ He sniffs and wipes his eyes. ] I'm scared. Please... I'll go back t'therapy if that's what y'want. I.. I thought I had it under control. I'm sorry!

[ He buries his face in his arm and sobs, the camera begins to shake uncontrollably. ]

'M sorry.. I'm so sorry... Didn't mean t'hurt you....

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[There's a very concerned middle-aged Sheska looking into the camera, alarm and surprise quite evident in her tone.]

Ah? Rudy? Rudy Wade? Dear, what's happened? Are you hurt?

[ Hearing his name, Rudy sniffs and looks at the camera, frowning.]

Yeah.. that's me. No.. Not hurt just... scared. Who're you? You one of the doctors?

Oh! [She looks briefly taken aback, then smiles sadly and shakes her head.] Oh, no... Not a doctor. Just a friend. My name's Sheska. I'm... I'm pleased to meet you.

[ He doesn't seem too enthused. He's heard that before. ]

Nice t'meet you. Um... Could you tell me where I am? I need to call me mum. She forgot to bring my medication with me when she dropped me off.

You're on the island of New Moore, but I don't know if you'll be able to call your mother from here. The island is cut off from our homes. But if you need medication, there is a hospital here. And a local doctor who might be able to get you a prescription.

[ He becomes almost visibly distressed. ]

She sent me to a bleedin' island?! Seriously?! Christ... What the hell did I do? Is that what parents're doin' now? Shipping their bloody kids off to islands when they don't wanna deal with them? I'm not a fuckin' leper!

[His vehemence visibly startles her, and she unconsciously raises her hands, empty palms toward him.]

Ah! I don't think it was your parents! It's a bit complicated and we're still not really sure what's going on, but from what we know, there's somebody here pulling people from different worlds into this one. It probably wasn't your mother's fault, but theirs. And they didn't know to bring your medication with, I would guess. You're not alone in this, though...

[ Yeah... whatever you're trying to do to convince him he's not in a mental hospital... it's not working. He just raises an eyebrow. ]

You said there was a doctor I could get medication from? If I'm gonna be stuck here, may as well get meself re-regulated..

Oh, ah, yes... There's a whole hospital of them just over the hill. Here, let me send you the address.

[A minutes of poking later and a notification of a text message pops up on his phone. ...don't ask how she got your number.]

Did you... Would you like someone to go with you?

[ He looks strangely at his phone, having gotten her text, though he's not sure exactly how. He shrugs, noncommittally. ]

Sure. Might be good to have someone round who knows the place.. sort of give me the run-down. Seems nice at least... private. Um.. where should we meet? I think there's a courtyard outside my building.

The courtyard is fine! All of us who come from other places live in the buildings around that yard. I'll be right there. See you in a bit!

[ It isn't long before Rudy makes it outside, wearing a pair of dirty jeans and a t-shirt. His hair is still unbrushed and he hasn't shaven. He looks around, hands jammed in his pockets while he searches for the familiar face. ]

[Sheska makes it out a few minutes later in a long, somewhat severe skirt and blouse, kitten heels clicking on the sidewalk. Her hair's longer than it normally is, and it looks like she tried to get it to stay in a bun, but bits keep escaping. Still, despite the outfit, she's all apologetic smiles and shy gestures.]

Rudy? Hi... It's nice to see you in person. I'm sorry if I came off sounding a bit bizarre. Hopefully I didn't scare you. Ready to go?

Takes loads more than that t'scare me. [ He tries for a smile. And fails. ]

It was... uh... 'Sheska', wasn't it?

[ He steps a little closer to her, his shoulders are slouched, and even off-camera he looks wan and thin, and looks around to get his bearings. ]

So what's the deal with this place? Not like any mental hospital I've been to.

Mmhmm! Sheska, that's right.

[There's a moment where she looks like she wants nothing more in the world than to sit him down and feed him, but it passes and she mirrors his look around.]

It's not a hospital, that we know of. It's just... strange. It's an island, but for some people, like me, it's far more advanced than anything we have at home. And for other people, it's far less advanced. There's some sort of invisible force field around the place - further out in the water, so you don't have to worry about running into it - but the city has practically everything you'd ever want. Except for fiction. There's no fiction at all, really, it's very sad.

Right...

[ Okay, so he was wandering around an unfamiliar resort with someone who had clearly lost all and every touch with reality. Great. This ought to be a grand adventure. ]

If y'say so, love. Um... so who runs the place? I mean, it's got to have nur- er... like... city workers and stuff, right?

[Strangely, the little nickname brings both color and a touch of sadness to her face, though she tries to hide both and gestures for him to follow as she begins to amble toward the corner of the other buildings where they can get out onto the street.]

There are some native people here. I mean, people who weren't brought here like we were. But there isn't really a town hall, and the government doesn't really listen to people anyway. The hospital and the visitor's center sort of combined into one building, and the doctors all do very good jobs! The visitor center people aren't much help, though. Some of the police are native people, but there are some of our people running it. I'm the dispatcher for them, actually, not that it matters much. Anyone could do it.

They let you work here?

[ Like that? Must've been off their blocks if they'd let this sick of a patient actually work at the facility... Still, everything seemed clean and relatively well-handled. Even her, the poor loon. Question is... in her deluded head.. what could "dispatcher" translate to? ]

Nah, I'm sure they appreciate it. Any help is better than none, I suppose.

Mmhmm! They're still short on officers - an ongoing problem, that - but it seems like most people either don't want to work for the police, are too young, or don't have the skill set they need. You need to be at least eighteen to be an officer, you see. There's all sorts of jobs, though! Just like any other city, really.

The government gives you a furnished apartment, and a stipend, but the stipend is supposed to pay rent and get you a little food beyond that, so if you want to do anything fun, or eat a little better, it's really helpful to get a job. Did you have a job yet, back home?

[ Maybe that was smart... letting the patients work... might help their rehabilitation.. and it would certainly save them money on labour. ]

No. Just finished Secondary... about to go to college. Or.. at least I thought I was before I woke up here. [ His hands get fidgety and he plays with the already holed and frayed hem of his shirt. ] Don't know if I'll be doin' much of any of that 'til I get out of here.

[Sheska shoots him a brief, sympathetic glance, but then politely pretends that she hasn't seen the motion.]

Well, they have a college here, too, if you wanted. I've audited a few courses here and there, and some of the younger crowd have enrolled full-time. I don't know if any classes you take here will transfer out into the larger world, but it might give you a head-start. What were you thinking of studying?

[ Rudy's shoulders shrug. He seems fixated on the ground ahead of him, rather than looking at Sheska. ]

Dunno. Just wanted t'get done with it, really. Me mum seems t'think I can do loads of things... but I don't think so. Not very smart, see, and I just.. I feel like I'd be wastin' me time.

[Sheska aborts a motion to touch his arm, and instead tucks a wisp of hair back behind her ear. She keeps her voice steady and matter-of-fact, but it does soften around the edges. She hates seeing him so down like this.]

I think your mother's right. The question is... what do you want to do? People have different strengths, and learn differently. I retain information much better from reading it than I do listening to someone talk about it. Some people do better being shown something. Some to well working with their hands, others do better manipulating information on the page.

So it's more finding what you like and then learning to do it well. ...Preferably without getting so wrapped up in what you're looking at or doing that you forget to do your actual job.

[She doesn't actually try to keep the wry chagrin out of her tone. Yep. Still embarrassed over that.]

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