003. (v2) [video]
[At first, there is no sound; there is only the image of Xanth's forearm. Lines of letters curl around his fingers, twist around his hand, and spiral onto his arm. The ink, jet black, is stark against his pale skin.]
Th-this-- it means I-I've been-- t-too quiet, right? I-It... it wants me to-- t-to say... s-something.
[It's been a while since he's checked in, made sure people knew he hadn't vanished, but there is nothing to say.
The feed remains set on Xanth's arm.]
I'm... o-okay. I'm s--still here.
A-Are... are you guys... o-okay, too?
[He heard that crack some days ago. No one has called for help on the journals, so no one was hurt in the expedition that came after, and no one had been hurt during the initial bang.
Or so he hopes.]
Th-this-- it means I-I've been-- t-too quiet, right? I-It... it wants me to-- t-to say... s-something.
[It's been a while since he's checked in, made sure people knew he hadn't vanished, but there is nothing to say.
The feed remains set on Xanth's arm.]
I'm... o-okay. I'm s--still here.
A-Are... are you guys... o-okay, too?
[He heard that crack some days ago. No one has called for help on the journals, so no one was hurt in the expedition that came after, and no one had been hurt during the initial bang.
Or so he hopes.]
[Commentlog]
I, I'm not sure. Maybe I just haven't found the right book but
[She trails off.]
[Commentlog]
W-Well you-- y-you can-- keep trying. I-If, you know, you'd-- l-like.
I'm gonna... t-try to-- to wash this off a--again.
[Commentlog]
Yeah like that would work. But what I'm going doesn't seem to be all that helpful.
[Commentlog]
H--Hey, it's, i-it's worth a-- a try.
[And that's why Claudia's over here in the first place; it was worth a try.
Xanth makes his way over to the tiled alcove, then fiddles with the shower to get it working. A small trickle of water pours from the spout. The water pressure here sucks, but it's all Xanth needs to get his arm wet and start scrubbing at the letters.
The ink smears, then flows with the water down the drain.]
[Commentlog]
Seriously? Come on! Water?
[Commentlog]
[Xanth frowns down at his arm, despite the fact that the ink is so easily washing away.]
I-I, I-- I tried this, before I... w-went to the journal. I-It... didn't work. N-Now, it does.
It's... w-weird.
[Commentlog]
[Commentlog]
The-- the place I was in b-before, it, it had something like this, b-but that just... spat water a--at you.
[The last of the ink washes away and Xanth turns the shower off. Then, he goes for a towel from his closet and begins to dry off.]