accidental video; un: jk21a

[hearuthinking]

[The memory that plays here starts in what looks like a tomb of some sort. People may already recognize Jason but the other man would be unfamiliar to them. Whoever he is, he is clearly also a soldier based on his uniform. Jason examines the pile of skulls, which leads to a little conversation.

At first it sounds a little antagonistic, but there's something almost friendly about it too. Certainly when Jason comments about getting his news from cable TV. The way he smiles when the other man realizes he's being messed with speaks of amusement and maybe even fondness?

They move on to look around the area a bit more. There's a hole that Jason peeks through and comments on a few of the things he sees on the other side. When he pulls away, a vampire pops out and startles him. The memory ends there (at 4:20 in the video. Sadly doesn't have the vampire jump-scare)

When the present-day Jason comes on, he has a smile on his face. This is a good memory for him]


Wonder what you told your son about all that...?


[ooc: memshare player plot! Just pretend that compass wheel isn't in the memory :P]

Comments

video; un: v

[mehanizovati]

That is a vampire in your world? [he feels maybe he should apologize for suddenly seeing someone else's memory, a little invasive yes, but? wow ok not what he was expecting as a vampire.]

[hearuthinking]

Yep. Ugly fuckers, ain't they?

[mehanizovati]

They are... not what I was expecting. [they are A Lot.] Very eh- very 'ugly fuckers.'

[his accent around that is probably hilarious.] And that was Salim?

[hearuthinking]

[He snorts a little at the way Viktor pronounces that, and nods at the question]

Yep. That was when we first teamed up.

[mehanizovati]

Well that is certainly a way to meet someone. A little tense, but I imagine he turned out to have your back by the way you speak of him.

[hearuthinking]

We met topside. He had a gun to me. And later I had a gun to him, so I guess it evened out. But yeah, we saved each other a few times since then.

[mehanizovati]

Has he ever been here? In the Trench?

[hearuthinking]

Not for long. He's got a son back in Iraq. That's where he belongs.

[He says it to convince himself. As good a memory as this is, seeing Salim in any form again is just a painful reminder of how much Jason would like the man here. The brief time Salim was in Trench was too brief]

[seaboard]

What manner of dreadful creature is that?

[hearuthinking]

Vampire. It's something I came across back in my world.

[seaboard]

How could a spirit be so cruel?

[hearuthinking]

No clue. They got infected with somethin', I think. Same thing happened to one of my guys.

[seaboard]

I am... I am so sorry. It is a hard thing, to see your own people fall.

[hearuthinking]

It is. We go into missions knowin' they may be our last, but nothin' could have prepared us for that.

[seaboard]

Are... are such things not common where you hail from?

[hearuthinking]

I would've said "no" before fallin' in that temple. Now, I'm not so sure.

[seaboard]

How terribly strange... I cannot claim to know any spirit so inherently violent but...

I hope you made it out safe?

[hearuthinking]

Two people told me so while they were here.

[The rest of their stories differed in ways, but Salim and Rachel agreed that they all got out. That's the important bit for Jason]

[seaboard]

[ She sighs in genuine relief.

Just because she couldn't save her own people from such misery, she would never want anyone else to suffer the same. ]

I am glad to hear it. You have not met such creatures here, I hope?

[hearuthinking]

Actually... yeah. You know when all those portals were opening up? One of 'em led to the catacombs back home and a vampire came out. I got a chance to listen to its thoughts before we killed it.

[seaboard]

That must have been dreadful! I do not think I could be so brave.

[hearuthinking]

I faced more than my share of those fuckers back in the catacombs. Taking out one in the open was nothin'.

[It was worse for Sharon, but he won't mention that part]

[seaboard]

[ She swallows down briefly. Setting her teeth against themselves. ]

I am a sheltered woman, I know, but that seems a frightful thing even then. I have not the stomach for death I think.

[hearuthinking]

Let's hope you don't have to see too much of it in this place, then.

video | un: sds

[fogsong]

God, I never want to see another one of those things again, Jason. [ The jumpscare definitely caught her off-guard but seeing Jason's smile as the memory ends, she knows it was a good one for him. ]

So, who was he? He seemed like a good guy to have your back. [ Given the back and forth between them and the man's thoughtful responses, never too judgemental, gave her a positive impression of him. ]

[hearuthinking]

Sorry. I didn't do this on purpose. [He wouldn't even know how, honestly. At least it was a good memory he accidentally shared with everyone]

He is. His name's Salim; saved my ass a few times while we were down there.

[fogsong]

No worries, I know. [ She's seen more than one person's memories thus far and it's got her on edge for sure. Luckily, Jason's was a breath of fresh air among all the harsher ones. ]

It kind of sounded like you two weren't exactly on the same side before you wound up down there. [ Enemy of my enemy and all that jazz. ]

[hearuthinking]

I'm a marine and he's in the Republican Guard. Our countries were at war. But that didn't matter after a while.

[fogsong]

[ The Republican Guard? She should have paid more attention in history class. ] Well, yeah, you were dealing with otherworldly monsters that wanted to munch your fucking face. Survival sometimes takes precedent.

How long did it take before you guys realized you needed to work together?

[hearuthinking]

Not long before that. We got separated from our teams, and as far as we knew we were the only ones still standin'.

[fogsong]

How did that all happen anyway? [ Ah, she realizes she's being really nosy and makes a tiny noise in her throat. ] I mean if you don't mind me asking.

[hearuthinking]

Long story. Short version, we thought we were goin' after an underground weapon silo. Salim's unit showed up and we got in a fire-fight. Then there was an earthquake and we all fell in the temple.

[fogsong]

Jesus, that sounds like it must've been insane. Instead of a weapons silo, you found fucking vampires in a spooky temple.

[hearuthinking]

Yep. It was one weird-ass thing after another down there. But we got through it. Salim was here for a while and told me.

[fogsong]

It must suck balls not to still have him around. I've always found it a comfort to have someone here who knows what I've gone through and has gone through it, too. It can be hard to connect with people who don't share your trauma.

So, what was Salim like? The little I saw, I kind of liked him.

[hearuthinking]

[He does miss Salim, and he has a suspicion that thinking about Salim is what helped this memory get broadcast in the first place. But he shakes his head at the question]

He needs to be home with his son.

[The other question gets him to smile] Salim's great. Once I let myself get to know him, I found how funny he can be. He kicks ass in a fight-- killed a few vampires down there. And... well, he's real patient, and has got this steady strength to him. He sounds a little judgey there, but when I told him somethin' real, he just listened. He's a good man.

[Jason, your heart-eyes are showing]

[fogsong]

[ Sharon can hear the admiration in Jason's voice and it's apparent that Salim means a lot to him, though whether that adoration comes from the fact the man saved his life or something more is unclear. ]

He sounds really important to you. [ There aren't many people she can speak about in such a way. Even after all these months in Trench, she's limited herself emotionally with others. ] I know you said he's got a kid to look after but... I hope you get to see him again one day, even if it's not here.

[hearuthinking]

[He shrugs and tilts his head in such a way so his hat shadows his face. Very handy for when he wants to hide blushes]

Yeah, I guess he is. We went through a lot together down there. I wouldn't mind goin' out for a drink with him once we get topside.