011. [Video]

[twinsanity]

[Alfred has been a bit...absent for the last week.

It's not unheard of for him to disappear for long periods at a time, vanishing behind the closed doors of that house he owns in Goldenrod; he's been known to have his reclusive spells, and for all intents and purposes this probably hasn't seemed much different. Granted, it's a longer period of time than he usually goes without being present in the Rocket labs – he's usually in there once every few days at least and he's been taking far more of an interest in chemistry than is really healthy lately – but altogether speaking it isn't abnormal, either.

The abnormal part kicks in when his video feed goes active today.

It's not terribly well set-up, though it doesn't seem like an accidental broadcast, either; the angle is just careless, aimed a bit too low to really give anyone a good idea of what they're looking at, but there's the usual red jacket and the shoulder guard and the medals, and once in a while one of his hands flicking across the screen where it comes in full view of the camera.

His breath is shaking a bit when he draws it in; it sounds almost like there's a laugh behind his words when he finally speaks, but it doesn't seem...right. The way he's speaking in general doesn't seem right, really - a bit too uncontrolled, a bit too high and pitchy and strange.]

So I'm going to assume that this particular week-long bout of sleep was just me...

[He laughs again, under his breath; it's closer to tittering than anything.]

That wasn't very nice of this place, now, was it? Why, it got my hopes up for nothing...I didn't even get to fight anything good, just –

[And he cuts himself off then; hesitates. Adjusts the angle of the camera so he's a bit more clearly seen. He's raking his hand back through his hair as he does so; it looks like he's been repeating that gesture a lot, given that he's far more disheveled than he ever allows himself to be on-camera.

His gaze is what's a bit worrying; it's oddly unfocused, a sense of distance there that isn't usually, not on days where anything's right in his head at all.

His words are still retaining that rushed, manic tone when he continues.]

Tell me, tell me – what's the last thing you remember before coming here? I'm sure you have some sort of story, just because no one here doesn't.

I didn't think I did, not really; apparently I was mistaken about that.

Comments

private text forever;

[aufsassig]

What's the matter, sunshine? Overslept?

[Video]

[francia]

[France's expression is a bit tense but mostly sympathetic. He's not going to ask his fight question, which was "what did you fight?" immediately because he has manners.]

I'm afraid I actually don't have a particularly interesting story for that. The last thing that I remember before coming here is going to sleep late after a long day in meetings. We were having nationwide strikes, and there was a global economic crisis, but those were ongoing.

[He's expression becomes somewhat more noticeably strained.]

It's been four years since I came here, though, so things have doubtlessly changed.

video;

[majorcrotchgrab]

The last thing I remember...? Having a meeting with some comrades on how to deal with a certain problem.

[Vague as hell because he's still paranoid about discussing things from his homeworld.]