Voicemail Post

[suitably_heroic]

"Hey. This is Atton. If you're getting this, I'm either not around or I can't tell you where I am, so leave a message and I'll figure out if I want to get back to you."

Beep.

Comments

[notconflicted]

Sia figured Atton didn't want to deal with her, and she was trying to give him space. Then a question came up that she couldn't get the answer to anywhere else without being obvious about it, so she was sucking it up to send a text.

When is Sparkle's birthday?

[suitably_heroic]

Atton's instant response... was mostly fueled by paranoia.

Why do you want to know?

Beat.

May 22nd.

[notconflicted]

Thank you. And I'm concerned what you think my reasoning would be besides the obvious.

[suitably_heroic]

Why do you care about Sparkle all of a sudden?

[notconflicted]

We’ve been talking for a while. Something came up when I talked to him earlier, and I didn’t want him to know I was asking.

[suitably_heroic]

Why did 'we've been talking for a while' fill Atton with such dread?

Okay. I guess. Won't tell him you asked.

[notconflicted]

It should, for several reasons, and she would disavow all responsibility fir whatever was going to happen to Sparkle’s office, or how much glitter made its way home.

Thank you.

And then she debated for a while whether or not to leave it there, and finally sent, How are you doing?

It wasn’t like she didn’t want to know.

[suitably_heroic]

I'm fine.

Avoiding her. Considering deeply stupid plans to go back home and Jedi around the universe for a while. Being generally unfine, but in a relatively functional way for his standards.

Not a teacher anymore, so I don't get free trips.

[notconflicted]

I’m sure you’re not missing much. It’s probably easier with fewer people on the island.

[suitably_heroic]

It's definitely quieter. And this week is historically not a time the island decides to do something stupid.

[notconflicted]

Good. I’m glad you get the break.</>

[suitably_heroic]

Give it a few more days and I'll miss getting shot at. I think.

[notconflicted]

You’ll miss it right up until the point where you really do get shot at, at which point you should remember that dying is still off limits.

She knew she was going to have to train herself to stop caring, here, but that one was going to stick.

[suitably_heroic]

Trust me, my body's first in line to get in my face about it if I forget about that, Atton texted with a sigh.

Stupid Force power.

Nothing falling down over there yet?

[notconflicted]

That’s a more complicated answer than you probably want. It’s hard to fall down when nothing was really up.

[suitably_heroic]

But not a lot is going up, by the sounds of it.

[notconflicted]

It was a minute before she answered that, because she didn’t want to unload on him if he didn’t want to hear it, and because she was feeling pretty guarded in general these days.

It hasn’t been easy.

So she went with the total understatement.

[suitably_heroic]

Can you vague that up for me a little more? I'm still spotting some hazy details here.

[notconflicted]

She typed out and deleted a variation of Do you really want to hear this? twice, and briefly considered just calling.

In short: my father’s bad decisions mean I’m struggling not to lose half of the worlds we already hold, the triumvirate dismisses everything I say even when I’m arguing public opinion

The Sith are still out there and I can’t get approval to look for them, can’t send anyone because we’ve lost more Knights in the war than I can admit

I’m the only one in said triumvirate who knows anything about acting as a government which doesn’t say much, entire worlds need to be rebuilt/populations relocated and wartime ruined too many resources

And there are three people and a dog in an entire galaxy ego still treat me like an actual person.

*who

That’s what you get for sarcasm, Atton. A wall of text.

[suitably_heroic]

I'd give you my advice, but my advice involves yelling 'Run!' and pointing over your shoulder, Atton typed. Not sure how much use that's going to be for your stubbornness.

[notconflicted]

There’s nowhere I could really run to, anyway. It’s just a matter of powering through.

You know. Till she died.

[suitably_heroic]

See, that just shows you've got a lack of imagination. I can think of at least fifty places you could run to off the top of my head.

But then running was Atton's #1 skillset.

[notconflicted]

You’re better at this than me. And less recognizable.