Deerington Inbox

[wwrench]

DROP A LINE

Comments

[wwrench]

Type of cat, I think. Maybe neither. I blew a whistle in a dream and it showed up.

1/3

[dividingline]

Of course you did.

2/3

[dividingline]

[ Have a selfie of Grady crouched down by the hyena. They're both wearing sunglasses. ]

3/3

[dividingline]

It's cool we're buddies now

We got doughnuts. He ate one of yours, sorry. Does he like coffee do you think?

[wwrench]

[How can the same man cause such divisive reactions within Wes? He wants to take Grady by the shoulders and shake him, but even as he thinks it he feels the squeezing of his heart in his chest. That adolescent flip like being upside-down on a roller coaster, both delighted and terrified.]

They're scavengers. You better give him decaf.
Does he actually laugh?

[dividingline]

Yeah it's weird, I'm not used to having such a good audience for my jokes. Sounds like Jergen a little. Only I think I trust the hyena more.

[wwrench]

Maybe after you practice on the hyena, Kurt will give you the stage at Pixie's for a stand-up routine.

[Does he expect this suggestion will be well-received? No. But Wes is not-so-subtly trying to feel out where Grady's thoughts have landed now that they're finally back somewhere resembling a home.]

[dividingline]

See, we can both make jokes.

[wwrench]

How did you get the sunglasses to stay on the hyena's face?

I guess he needs a name.

[dividingline]

I asked nicely.

You haven't named it yet? What about Hanzee

[wwrench]

You know he and I can communicate telepathically, right?

[He probably should've saved that detail.]

Be the first time someone named Hanzee ever laughed.

[dividingline]

Wait you can talk to it?

Is that why he's following me

What the fuck

[wwrench]

He says you're cheap. Next time he wants the raspberry filled donut.

[dividingline]

Ok first of all I'm not getting sassed by you through a damn hyena

Second of all. What the fuck, you don't trust me? That's why he's following me, right?

[wwrench]

He's following you because I'm at work, and these damn strings make me feel like I'm suffocating every second you're out of my eyeline.

[dividingline]

[ Don't mind Grady, he's just going to stop walking and stare at that message for a little while. Wes might see the "typing" notification turn up and disappear a few times as he writes various responses, deletes them, and starts over. ]

What's that supposed to mean

Is that just the strings or

Do you

[ Fuck it. ]

They do that to you too?

[wwrench]

I fucking can't stand to be alone. Worse than usual, you know. This is the kind of thing they do to us here. Not just monsters.

[dividingline]

Why didn't you tell me that before? About it being worse.

You gotta talk to me, man.

[wwrench]

Why? So you can feel like it's your responsibility to take care of me?

We're both here. What else really matters?

[dividingline]

Maybe I want to do things better this time.

[wwrench]

Maybe I do too. Maybe I don't want to keep driving you off like always before.

[dividingline]

[ The response comes quickly, which is perhaps surprising given the subject of the conversation, as if Grady wants to get it out before he has time to regret it. ]

That was never about you. It was never your fault.

[wwrench]

Is that why you put that word across your chest? Because it wasn't about me?

[dividingline]

I told you that was a mistake.

What the fuck

Do you think I don't regret that?

[wwrench]

I think it sounds nice to say it's not my fault, but if I'm the one you're trying to get away from it hurts just the same.

You never had to live without me, you know. It was always your choice. It's your choice now, that you keep your distance. I didn't get that. The universe didn't ask me what I wanted.