phaseshifter | IC Contact

[Oh lord, what does he even say? He knows it's been two weeks, he's reasonably sure he didn't spend them with Angel considering his last memory, he's even more sure that she's justifiably angry with him. And yet he knows just as much that it doesn't matter what he did in those two weeks, clearly he needs to do more, so talking to her is maybe not the best idea. But there is one thing he absolutely needs to know, so -]

Ah - I'm alive. Is Rhys alive?

Oh, thank g-- uhm?

[ That. Sure is a question. A question so surprising that it cuts off the gross gushy tidal wave of relieved fussing that almost makes its way out of Angel's mouth.

Beckett what. ]

Of course he is! Why wouldn't he be - do you know something I don't? Has someone been threatening him?

[ Because like yeah Rhys is clumsy but has a pretty good track record with not dying. UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE! BECKETT!!!! ]

No - no, it's that I think I know a lot less than you do, actually. My tablet tells me it's been sixteen days since the last day I remember. [A slightly panic-inducing thought occurs to him -] Is that actually right? I'd much rather I'd lost some memories than lost my mind.

Oh! No, that's - you've only been dead for a few days. Not... sixteen. It's definitely memory loss. Okay, that makes more sense.

[ As much as anything in Norfinbury ever does make sense, anyway, and oH GOD SIXTEEN DAYS AGO MEANS -- ]

I'm... going to go ahead and say that you probably shouldn't be checking any of your messages that are more than a few days old, unless you want to relive me completely owning you. It was unpleasant and you'll regret it.

[ Said perfectly seriously, of course. Oh, Angel. ]

I... believe you. [Said slowly, because he does, but he has no idea what the owning might have been about, and that is cause for considerable alarm. Is it because he had plans to leave? No, he had left...

Beckett senses some substantial awkward coming up.]

You talked me into coming back, didn't you.

No. You were with House and the others when you died.

[ There's a slight hitch in her voice, and she hesitates - should she really elaborate?

The answer, of course, is yes. Always. Withholding information from Beckett is the actual literal worst and is never allowed ever. ]

He claims that he killed you. Not on purpose, though.

[ It's all very fishy, beckeroo 8c ]

House killed - wait, not on purpose?

[Okay, so that actually makes more sense than House murdering him, but it still doesn't make a lot of sense]

Please tell me you and Rhys didn't do anything... ill advised about that.

Oh, we hunted him down and murdered him moments after I extracted the confession. Rhys used his teeth. We felt it was the best way to honour you.

[ TOTALLY. DEADPAN. ]

[He'd believe most of it except Rhys's teeth. Which is a shame, though maybe one day...]

It'd have been worth dying just to see it, if you had. But I'm glad we're keeping this to the realm of pleasant fantasy. Accidents happen... it could have happened to anyone, anywhere.

[This is important.]

Mmmmh. One moment.

[ After a second or two, she links the appropriate thread, along with a pasted version of House's first reply after things go private. ]

Doesn't that seem kinda. Off to you? I'm not saying it wasn't an accident, but. He was very dedicated to the original lie. For no real reason, after hearing what allegedly really happened.

[ She's kinda thinking House shoved Beckett deliberately and didn't notice the Totally Real Deadly Rebar. Why else would he lie? HUH HOUSE? WHY??????//?? ]

[... huh.

Something about the interaction does peg Beckett as weird. But there is so much weird happening already, from his perspective, that he finds this particular part of it hard to peg down. Maybe it's that House seems to give a damn?]

Honestly? The fact that I believe he genuinely does feel guilty about whatever happened is itself already deeply confusing.

Kinda weird from someone who gets off posing as a sociopath, huh. D'you think he pushed you on purpose? Still not meaning to kill you, though, of course.

[ Regardless of House's House-iness, everyone knows the guy doesn't have the stomach for murder. ]

I wouldn't put it past him. [He sounds more musing idly than furious. He can think of plenty of situations in which he wouldn't blame House at all for pushing him.] Though if he did, it's strangely pleasing to think he got much more than he bargained for.

I didn't think of it that way. Mostly because I was busy being upset about your death, and thinking about how maybe it wasn't so bad that I inherited Jack's strangling-friendly hands.

[ SO DRY IT'S LIKE SHE'S BEEN TAKING LESSONS FROM BECKETT HIMSELF ]

[ALAS HE'S TAUGHT HER TOO WELL]

It's a problem with House. Even if it had been deliberate, killing him back is almost like a reward.

[Let's just, not talk about the whole going off and dying thing. Let's not.]

Isn't everything House-related "a problem with House?" Maybe even a few things that aren't House-related.

[ She is still a bit upset and grumbly can u tell ]

[Right, so much for that, then.]

I'm not - that is, I didn't - I didn't go for House. I can tell you that for a certainty, considering it's all pretty fresh in my head now. He just offered a tangible goal to go towards. Even if that... backfired.

I know. You did explain that after I verbally strangled you, defaced your corpse and put your glasses on my wall as a trophy of my victory.

It really was that bad, just so you're aware. Rhys almost wet himself.

IC Contact - Snowblind

@Mnemonsyne; voice; Day 346

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