Rubilykskoye Inbox

[greenpower]

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Poison Ivy

Text me.

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voice

[longlegs]

[ She hears Ivy's voice on the network and a pang of guilt compels her, again, to do what she should've done weeks and weeks ago. ]

Hey, uhm, Ivy? You don't have to answer or anything, I just—

I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For killing you.

[ awkward pause is awkward— ]

... Hope you're doing okay now. T-take care.

[greenpower]

[At first, Ivy intends to ignore Callar's message. She'd like to ignore Cellar's message. She has every reason too, she's sure.

But sitting on it silently leaves her feeling... antsy.

It's the memory of fighting along side her. The fake memory, but it still feels real. As much as she'd like to forget it or dismiss it, she remembers Cellar working with her, trying to save a patch of forest from being consumed.

It's not a memory of friendship, but it's enough that she feels like she owes Cellar... something.]

It's fine. Like... I'm not going to forgive you for it, but whatever. We're fine.

[Very normal way to communicate.

Then:]

Are you still working for her?

[longlegs]

[ Hearing her now is a mix of relief and, since eloquence fails her, shit shit shit. ]

Okay.

[ She's not disappointed when she never dreamed of being forgiven. Still deciding if this is better than what she'd predicted, which was a towering wall of nothing. ]

I have no clue. I don't know what I'm supposed to do either way, I'm just. Waiting to figure out what the fuck this is all about anymore.

You're leaving, right?

[greenpower]

That's the plan. Find somewhere in the jungle and peace the fuck out.

[longlegs]

That sounds pretty badass, not gonna lie. Can you still, uh, use your powers okay?

[ They'll be pretty damn useful out there, she imagines. ]

[greenpower]

Better than sticking around here.

[With absolute conviction.]

I still have my connection to the Green. It's not easily severed.

[longlegs]

Yeah, probably.

I'm glad. Hope you guys make it, out there.

[greenpower]

Me too.

[Because Ivy isn't sure what she'll do if they can't make this work. This place... it's not something she can stomach anymore.]

[longlegs]

And if you run into another fire creature, you know who to call.

[ That was a dream, cellar. ]

[greenpower]

[It still feels real, doesn't it. And it does feed that tiny bit of respect.]

I might. Maybe then we'll be square.

[longlegs]

[ She doesn't believe she will ever manage, but it's a nice thought. ]

I'll do my very best.

Good luck, Ivy. With everything.

voice;

[medals]

Hi - uhm. Ivy? We spoke, before - before the void got me.

[ a beat, hesitating. ]

You - [ had something put in you too. ] Does something feel different, since you came back? Like - God, I don’t know. I feel different. I feel like I’m forgetting something important, but I don’t know what. I can’t tell if it’s the usual death-crazy.

[greenpower]

You too? That doesn't feel like a good sign.

[Ivy has so little frame of reference. She'd hoped this time it was just... normal?]

Ever since I came back, I've felt like something is missing.

[medals]

I usually feel crazy when I come back, but this is - it's different. It's not the same.

[Her own frame of reference is four deaths, each one worse than the last. But this - this feels like something's been ripped out of her. Something important. ]

I don't think we're all crazy. [Ivy, herself, and Danny. ]

[greenpower]

Everyone here is crazy. But I don't think it's for this, or about this. Something is wrong.

Dana felt it too.

voice. early september.

[pathography]

[ Right now he is Very Interested In A Distraction From His Personal Life, and Jordana handed him one in the form of city planning. Her partner in the project is someone he hasn't heard of before - but it's as simple as thinking towards the right person, isn't it?

He's hoping so, anyway. ]

Ivy?

[greenpower]

[It's always weird responding to this kind of message. Is it like text messages? Can you leave someone on read?

Can you ask for a text instead of a voice memo?

But she doesn't really have an excuse for begging off.

Just... how do you answer?]

Speaking. Do I know you?

[pathography]

Er - no.

[ Which does, he has to admit, make this whole thing fucking awkward. Perhaps he should have sent a missive in writing, but his other attempts to handle things through text have resulted in people speaking anyway. There's really no winning, it seems. ]

But I understand you're planning a settlement outside of Rubilykskoye, and I'd like to offer my services. Or rather - [ make it more awkward, de Rolo, you can do it ] - I'm told my services have already been offered, but I'd rather we spoke directly.

[ Perhaps a bolt of lightning could strike him right now and put him out of his misery. This is just a little excruciating. ]

[greenpower]

Ah. Jordana talked to you?

[And since Ivy knows everyone else they'd discussed involving at this point, that leaves one option who this is.]

Percy, right? Something like that?

[pathography]

Yes - Percy de Rolo.

[ If he sounds grateful to have a reason to stop talking, it's because he is. ]

It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

[greenpower]

We'll see if you still feel that way when you get to know me.

[Ivy doesn't expect so. But. Well, she'll play nice for Jordana's sake, and for their project. She's sick enough of dealing with the Duchess and Rubeans on the whole that it's worth working with others.]

She said you had some experience with city planning? And you understand we want to keep this as sustainable as possible.

[pathography]

I could say the same.

[ He's an acquired taste, and lately some people have lost the taste for him. ]

I've been part of an effort to modernize how Whitestone - my home - is managed. And I'm happy to work with whatever expectations you have, though you'll have to tell me what you mean by 'sustainable.'

[ He's not up on the language of modern American environmentalism, unfortunately. ]

[greenpower]

What I mean is that we design our settlement to be as harmonious as possible with nature. We don't poison the land. We don't suck the life out of it to feed our greed.

We give back to the natural world.

[pathography]

That seems sensible enough.

[ He sounds slightly perplexed, as though the opposite hasn't actually occurred to him before now. ]

If we destroyed the land, there'd be nothing to live on.

[greenpower]

[It's not the worst answer he could have. And the reminder that not every culture is defined by a parasitic relationship with the world they inhabit; this isn't the state humankind needs to be resigned to.]

You'd think that, but I've watched rich and powerful industrial types and tech bros poison the air and water, leech nutrients from the soil, and make sure every human being has enough micro plastics in their body that it's amazing we don't shit charge cards.

[Look.

At least it's not directed at him.]

So you get where my priorities lie.