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[rule_britannia]

[His handwriting is barely legible, as if he's shaking so badly he can barely hold the quill]

I need some help

Hes dead hes

Eriqs dead I dont know what to do

fuck

Comments

[eighttimeshandy]

Good.

[he pauses, shifting around to sit in front of the other boy - about an inch above the floor]

I'm flattered that you're so upset by my untimely passing, by the way.

[rule_britannia]

[He lets out a breathless-sounding little laugh that's utterly devoid of humour]

You thought I wouldn't be?

[eighttimeshandy]

[he shrugs] I never thought I'd die so young. And now that I'm dead.... [He reaches back, rubbing the nape of his neck] Well, I kind of figured there would be a fuss, since a dead body is rather disturbing, but I didn't really think much beyond that. I feel very placid about the whole thing, if you must know.

[rule_britannia]

That sounds like the right kind of reaction for you.

[He sighs, slowly]

You're one of my best friends you bloody tosser and I have precious few of them, of course I'm going to be upset.

[eighttimeshandy]

Well, you know me. [He rolls his eyes, sticking a foot out to nudge-poke at Arthur] Mr. Empathy.

But... I'm still here. Nothing's going to really change! It's not like I was hugging you all the time, right? I can still watch you sleep, you know. That's how I spent the first half of my afterlife, after all.

[rule_britannia]

... I'd ask you if you're serious, but I know you are.

[Using the wall as support, he gets up, still feeling a bit shaky about this but how calm Eriq is being is.. well, he can't very well continue panicking when the dead guy is the one being calm. It feels just a bit silly. He sits down on his bed instead, then flops down onto his back]

I suppose 'I'll miss you' is a rather pointless thing to say.

[eighttimeshandy]

I didn't exactly no what else to do! [He protests, shrugging again] I mean, I kind of tried picking things up a bit, but that didn't go very well, So I just gave up and watched you sleep for a while.

Then Marshall was throwing up down the hall, so I checked on him. But I came right back afterwards.

[He shrugs again, then smirks, leaning forward, dropping his chin onto his hand as he bats his eyes at Arthur] Oh, darling, don't you know? I'll haunt you until the end of time~

[rule_britannia]

[Arthur watches his friend for a little while, then sits up again, drawing his legs up onto the bed]

... You know, they say that ghosts imprint on people who meant something to them when they were alive, and haunt specific individuals for personal reasons. Should I be flattered?

[eighttimeshandy]

I dunno. Do you want a ghostly teenager following you for the rest of your life? Seems like it'd cramp your style a bit.

I mean, just imagine what it'll be like when you finally get with Alfredo Sauce. I will be there. Watching you smooch. Watching you do the nasty. Always staring.

[rule_britannia]

Hmm, I suppose you have a point.

[This shouldn't feel so normal.. but somehow it does. He should have known death wouldn't change Eriq all that much]

... Oh my god would you shut up about that!

[And then there's a chess piece flying at him.. straight through him. Creepy]

[eighttimeshandy]

[Sniggering, Eriq holds up his arm to shield himself from the flying chess piece, mostly out of habit than out of any real fear of being hit]

Well? It's not like you've stopped muttering about him in your sleep! If anything, it's gotten worse! He must be doing something right, if you've got him on your mind so much.

[rule_britannia]

I'm beginning to think you're just pulling my leg about that, you know.

[He narrows his eyes just a little. Arthur knows he talks in his sleep but it can't really be that bad, can it?]

I..

[Sigh]

I don't know. Maybe he is.

[eighttimeshandy]

I may be exaggerating slightly. Just a smidge.

[He smiles innocently, as if there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. He likes this topic much better than his death, too. It's far more inconsequential.]

You know I just tease you about him because I care, right? I mean, I know he's always picked on you, but it's never been like your brothers. He's a prat, but I think he usually means well, is what I'm trying to say. So I'm not judging you for liking him.

[rule_britannia]

Git.

[He manages to be good-humoured about it, at least. Somehow this is seeming less and less distressing. Well, no one can say Arthur doesn't bounce back quickly from a crisis, given no other option]

I don't think anyone's ever been quite like Will and Phineas.. and what the bloody hell do you mean by that? If looks could have killed when I told you I'd be as dead as you are.

[eighttimeshandy]

No, I'm pretty sure that is not how it went. I'm pretty sure I only looked at you like you are crazy. Which you are, but I think that goes without saying.

[He smiles vaguely, dropping his chin into one hand]

Of course, it could just be... [he gestures to himself] All this. A lot of things that bothered me before seem kind of petty and meaningless right now. Like I'm floating in a miasma of general apathy. It's rather nice.

[rule_britannia]

Is it? Hm. I can't say I'm not going to miss your entertaining melodrama but it might be nice to be able to have a conversation that doesn't end with you flouncing away.

[He smiles in return, then his expression turns thoughtful]

Though, since I have you in this mood, what do you think I ought to do?

[eighttimeshandy]

Just wait until I'm trying to use the journals again. I'm sure I'll perform some dramatics energetic enough to entertain you.

[He hums a bit at the question] Well, don't kiss him until you're absolutely sure it's what you want. I kissed Herbert and Aranea before choosing one over the other, and now I can't have either.

[rule_britannia]

[It's a good job he isn't drinking anything, because he would have done the most tremendous spit-take known to man at that piece of information]

You kissed Herbert?

[The fact he kissed Aranea doesn't even get a comment. Arthur saw that one coming from the other end of the country]

[eighttimeshandy]

well, yes. [blank look] I didn't anticipate that I'd be kissing Aranea any time soon, and I wanted to experiment further after our kiss. It wasn't so bad, and he was far more enthusiastic than I would have ever imagined. Kissing Aranea was very soft and sweet, but any time I kissed him, he seemed almost... hungry.

[rule_britannia]

.. Huh.

[That's not something he would have expected of Herbert West, but really, the mental image of he and Eriq kissing is not one that Arthur needs. He rubs the side of his head]

Maybe he fancies you.

[eighttimeshandy]

[What, Arthur doesn't find the idea of awkward nerds smooching to be appealing?]

Likely. [He tilts his head to the side, lips pursed.] I'm just not certain if I fancy him, or if I just like the attention. I suppose it doesn't matter, now.

[rule_britannia]

Knowing you, either one is a possibility.

[He shrugs and then sighs, pushing a hand through his hair and leaving bits of it sticking up. Now he's thinking about Alfred, and he doesn't want to be]

What'll you do now?

[eighttimeshandy]

I don't know. I guess have my body taken care of. Attempt to figure out how to carry books and quills and the like. Carry on like usual.

[rule_britannia]

Huh. I really didn't expect you to be so practical about all of this. I suppose that apathy has its benefits.

[eighttimeshandy]

I suppose hysterics would have been more what you were expecting? [he smirks a bit, arching an eyebrow. then he shakes his head] It just seems so pointless. I just keep thinking, "I'm dead, it doesn't matter." I'm dead, and there's no real point to anything! [His voice rises a bit in pitch, just a little bit of the aforementioned hysteria echoing in it] So why throw a fuss when it's all completely bollocks, anyway!