Voicemail (IC Contact Post) NEW

[abrightboy]

This is Bright. Leave a message.

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[abrightboy]

What are you suggesting is the ‘old window’ in this case?

[littletonoidea]

So I said something that hurt you, sure. I get that. It's not like it's my fault that you were already hurt in that exact way before I went and kicked a soccer ball into it, right?

[abrightboy]

…You believe that what you said wasn’t hurtful on its own? You were aiming for hurtful. You kicked the ball through the window intentionally. How many times it’s been broken doesn’t even matter.

[littletonoidea]

Yeah, but-- wait. Hold on...

[.......



...shit.

Hoisted by his own metaphor. Like the world's dumbest atomic wedgie.]

...oh.

[abrightboy]

Look, I know I’m an easy target. I’m awkward and weird and mentally ill and neurodivergent. I was always an easy target. I was fielding that ball well before anyone ever found out I was an evil nepobaby. That just made it easier to aim and easier to justify. I get it, okay? I understand why I rub people the wrong way. It takes time to get used to me - my mentor used to call me an acquired taste - and if there isn’t time, then it doesn’t happen. I was alone in that room, but I’ve been alone in a lot of rooms full of people. The only surprise was that it surprised me that time and between that and the frustration that Reid had already made his decision before we got there, I just… had a little meltdown and… I just wanted to remove it from everyone’s eyes because it’s not fun losing control of your emotions with everyone staring at you. Believe me, I wish I could be normal and act normal and feel things a normal amount. Maybe if I keep one of my deals down the road, I’ll ask the Admiral to make me less of a headcase.

[littletonoidea]

[Sorry Malcolm - Eiffel is listening, but he's also trying to process what a massive fuck-up he's been towards Malcolm over all this.]

Hey, I was the high-school screw-up too, you know? [But it's soft, solidarity rather than scalding.] I moved to Houston when I was fourteen and nobody liked me, nobody got me - I've been this? My whole life. And it turns out no one likes the guy whose whole personality is just dumb pop culture references.

[Was that the right thing to say? Evil nepobaby sure fucking wasn't.

But if there's one thing Eiffel is good at, especially these days, it's eating his humble pie.]

...I'm sorry, Bright. For being an asshole and for not coming by to apologise earlier when Neal was trying to call me out on it.

[abrightboy]

Thank you. I'm sorry, too. For what I said last time we talked. It was kind of childish to be petty like that.

I'm... surprised. That you struggled that way. I always thought you were really cool. Like. Cool kids cool.

[littletonoidea]

[That gets a good long silence.]

...wait, seriously?

[abrightboy]

Yeah. Your network broadcasts are always really fun. I always wanted to respond, but I never knew what to say. People like you. People who don’t know you. [Obviously a trait of Cool People. Neal has it too.]

[littletonoidea]

[Eiffel is now actively squinting at his communicator.]

...Bright, half the ship can't hablas my ingles. Most of the half that can wanna punch me in the face like my nose is a mute button. There's like... five people that actually like me, everyone else is on varying levels of tolerance. Like-- [He's sort of physically flailing in a way that translates verbally.] Lestat tried to kill me because I was annoying, twice!

[abrightboy]

Oh, me too! Well, just once. But I think mostly because it caused such a kerfuffle for Reid.

…People don’t want to punch you in the face for real, do they?

[He finds that hard to believe. Because of the coolness. Though he did want to punch him briefly….]

It’s probably jealousy. [Only reason to punch a cool person who hasn’t called you names.]

[littletonoidea]

Yeahhhh, I don't think that Lydia Dye-job and Beetleboy kicking my face in for making a dead mom joke was 'cos they were jealous.

...also to be fair Jacobi kind of deserved his, but he still punched me for being annoying. True facts.

[abrightboy]

I don’t think I know those people.

[littletonoidea]

Oh- Crozier's last inmate and Lester's current inmate? Also Jacobi was an inmate who graduated, he's from my world. Same ship and everything, but he's got more history on us than I do since I'm the blast from the past.

[abrightboy]

Lester’s current… oh, Mandrake?

[littletonoidea]

Yeah, a couple of tweens curb-stomped my ass.

[abrightboy]

Teenagers are generally kind of mean, though.