E.M. Clarington

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

Jackson: That seems grand considering the exact opposite happened.

[a beat]

Jackson: I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that to you.

Jackson: Fair trade. I feel like this is something that shouldn't be addressed in a text.

[a beat]

Unsent: I would love to see you

Jackson: I would like to get coffee with you in the very near future. My flight just landed back in San Francisco.

Edgar: It's alright, I'm aware of how it all went wrong. My thinking was meant to not make me feel as bad when obeying my father and his wishes, I know for a fact it's complete--pardon me--bullshit.

Edgar: No, not particularly.

Edgar: Ah, well...welcome back. I hope your flight was fairly alright. Not too claustrophobic.

Edgar: I'm free for the next few days leading up to Thanksgiving and afterwords, I'm not up to much considering I'm still getting settled in. Do you have a particular day or time in mind? I assume we're not putting our coffee talk to a chance meeting?

[darkpoetclarington]

Text||Siblings

Helios: ?? I'm p sure most food is edible, even if it's not healthy-healthy. Unless you're trying to eat books instead of read them.

Helios: "Engage" makes it sound like she's a Star Trek alien.

Helios: man though, if she had lived that long, it'd be great for a mousey-nouse. I promise I'll be kind to the butterballs.

Edgar: Yes, Helios, I've been eating all those books I buy instead of reading them. You'd be surprised how much space it saves.

Edgar: Perhaps she is

Edgar: I miss her, she was a lovely companion, however she was a rat so I didn't expect for her to survive forever. Please do be nice to my rodents, they appreciate not being manhandled.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

Jackson: It's hard to ignore you when you are very much a presence. Not to mention... my closeness to your siblings means awkwardness for everyone.

Jackson: What could you have done to make things stop? You're not a superhero.

[a few moments]

Jackson: ...did he hurt you?

[several minutes]

Jackson: As much as a heartfelt letter is appreciated, it seems a bit impersonal for this discussion and us. Um... a phone call I would not mind at all. Perhaps even...in person is also an option as well.

[a few minutes]

Unsent: You have no idea how much regret I have...

Jackson: It speaks volume that you're willing to try. That's a good place to start.

Edgar: I know I'm no superhero, that's precisely why I convinced myself that what I did was justified, I wanted to help lessen the tension and ensure no one I cared for got hurt physically or mentally.

[A few moments]

Edgar: I'd rather we don't talk about that aspect of my past at the moment. Perhaps if/when we meet to talk in person?

Edgar: Jackson, would you perhaps like to get coffee or tea with me at some point in the very near future in order to discuss things in a more intimate and personal manner?

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

Jackson: I wasn't expecting you to respond to be very honest.

Jackson: So... you're here to do a literal reunion? What do you mean by making your own decisions? You've always made them.

[several minutes]

Jackson: Oh.

Jackson: You were never one to listen to him so how you ended up falling into his grasp is shocking to me. You were always on your own path and proud of everything you did. What changed? I won't lie, this reveal has me a little concerned and curious about where your ended up. Although on the outside you appear fine to me.

Edgar: I wasn't expecting you to have any sort of desire to talk to me ever again, I guess we're both full of surprises.

Edgar: It was just all of what was happening out of my control, to a particular person and their family, things I could do nothing about, I felt responsible. I wanted to make it stop.

Edgar: I always try to do what I think is the most logical way to go about things, try being the key word. I can't explain it exactly but I suppose it just seemed better for everyone that I start listening to what he said, and soon it made sense (to my horror).

Edgar: Pardon me for the senseless rambling that probably doesn't at all answer any question you have. If you have a moment, I may be able to explain to to you better over the phone or in some sort of written essay format over the course of a few days?

Edgar: There's so much I regret and I just want to fix what I can to the best of my ability, and this most certainly isn't that.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

Jackson: Why are you back in town?

Edgar: There are plenty of reasons: to rejoin the show, to have a change of pace, to confront the past, and most importantly to start making my own decisions and set things right.

Edgar: For the longest time I cared too much about what my father had to say, I let him convince me of things that were obviously untrue and part of his own brand of tyrannical propaganda. Not anymore.

Edgar: You could say this is my second coming, my rebirth, but I wouldn't because that has too much of a religious connotation.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

[a minute]

Unknown Number: You have quite the extensive memory if you can remember details of someone like that so vividly. Normally such detail is saved for someone who you're fond of and consistently keep in memory.

[a beat]

Unknown Number: You feel guilty talking to me? Why? I haven't done anything.

Edgar: Precisely.

Edgar: I don't feel guilty talking to you. I'm fairly sure you can infer what, exactly, my guilt stems from.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

[several minutes]

Unknown Number: That game sucks and it's been years. How well can you possibly know someone from a decade ago?

Edgar: The process of elimination is a logical approach when faced with a mystery such as this and therefore I used it. And I know you, no matter how long it's been. I know the pattern with which you use words and some of what you suggested hinted at a closer knowledge of my teenage years.

Edgar: Frankly, it could just be me projecting my overwhelming guilt, though, so I apologize wither that's the case or not.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

[several minutes]

Unknown Number: You didn't answer my question first.

Edgar: A combination of the process of elimination and the fact that I know you.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

[several minutes]

Unknown Number: What makes you think this is Jackson?

Edgar: Is my assumption false?

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

Unknown Number: Very true

Unknown Number: Night terrors don't come from nowhere. I hope you find inner peace enough to rest peacefully for a night.

Unknown Number: Either or. Unless you're afraid to say a name.

Edgar: Thank you, Jackson, for the well wishes.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

Unknown Number: But again, why would it? Unless you've done horrible acts in your past you need to atone for, I can't imagine someone wasting money on a robot project like that.

Unknown Number: Why aren't you sleeping?

Unknown Number: Hypothesis are like that sometimes. Who do you want me to be?

Unknown Number: It's distracting and humane.

Edgar: The human race wastes money on a lot worse.

Edgar: It's not a lifestyle choice I've made, not sleeping, I just have night terrors so sleep doesn't come. I assume at some point things will turn for the better and if not, there's always the medical professionals.

Edgar: Who do I want you to be or who do I believe you are? Not that those two are necessarily exclusive categories.

Edgar: There are worse ways to spend time.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

Unknown Number: Why would a robot exist to survey you about your past?

Unknown Number: Maybe because you have an inkling on whom I might be. Or you can just be another lonely and bored individual that is secretly enjoying this.

Edgar: Not exclusively me...

Edgar: I don't know... I'm going to blame my oddities on the fact that I haven't slept in 37 hours.

Edgar: I do believe I know who you are, oh mysterious one, but I feel as though my hypothesis could most definitely be proven wrong at any moment considering I have no 'why.'

Edgar: I do enjoy a good conversation, even the frivolous ones.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text||Siblings

Helios: Anything can kill you if you eat or drink too much of it. Even stuff like water, and milk. Don't worry, it'll be alright. Now I just feel like you've put me up to task to be more creative about it.

Helios: Yah! I've been the best at avoiding death. Though I can't say the same for my original fuzz ball friends. They lasted pretty long in there though.

Helios: If she's texting you at 3am, is she in Hawaii or something, why is she awake at 3am? If it was one of us, I'd assume a bender at a party, but she's kinda a bit beyond that phase.

Helios: oh did Veronica have baby mice? I don't remember this occurring...

Edgar: I know, I wasn't planning on gorging myself, Helios. That wasn't my intention but please, by all means, take as much creative liberty as you'd like. I look forward to something edible.

Edgar: I have no idea why she's decided to text me at such odd hours but I've decided to just...not question it and hope to avoid it as much as humanly possible. If you don't engage her, she stops sending messages pretty quickly.

Edgar: No, Veronica died a while ago, I've bought two new fellows to keep me company while I work on my manuscript. I'm sure they'd love to meet you.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

Unknown Number: I could very well be a lonely or bored human being. Or from beyond. It is possible.

Unknown Number: So since you won't tell me how long you're sticking around. Aren't you the least bit curious as to who this might be, since you half heartily believe in random texting.

Edgar: I am curious, but seeing as you don't seem to want to provide a straight answer, I have resigned to assuming you're a robot sent to collect meaningless information for the future in an attempt to research what, exactly, went wrong in the past.

Edgar: To be completely honest, I'm not positive as to why I'm humoring you and your mysterious ambiguity.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text||Siblings

Helios: Don't be open to "anything I bring", I could bring you food you've never heard of before. That's a lot of trust in another human being, which seems uncharacteristic of you.

Helios: I've been... around. East coast mostly. Salem said the same thing. I don't fly back very much.

Helios: I don't even think I have mother's contact information, I'm not even sure she has /mine/. Weird, broski.

Helios: He normally gets my voice mail, because time zones. And calling a military base always makes me roll my eyes. Like why do you think I'm calling? Pls.

Helios: Do you want me to bring my cat?

Edgar: All the more reason to be open to it. I need to work on accepting change and I trust you not to poison, drug, or otherwise contaminate the food you bring.

Edgar: Around. Rather specific of you, there, my friend. I won't pester, I'm just glad you're alive and seem well. Yay for avoiding death?

Edgar: I haven't changed my number...ever I don't believe so that could be the reason mother is actually able to send me cryptic text messages at three in the morning. I'd have to agree with the statement "weird."

Edgar: You can bring your cat, though I must ask you to keep an eye on said furry fiend as I have small, furry roommates of the rat variety.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

Unknown Number: The whole world doesn't exist to me in this point in time. It's a bad dream. Sticking to your guns is what you do best.

Unknown Number: I could very well just be someone who purposely pushed a bunch of numbers to see what stranger would engage me in conversation.

Unknown Number: Not quite famous enough?

Edgar: This is true, though I highly doubt you're a random person who has decided to troll the cellular channels looking for light conversation. But I suppose it's still a possibility.

Edgar: Not quite, and that's a good thing considering how horrifically noisy fame can be, even when you're only dimly lit in the background of stardom.

[darkpoetclarington]

Text | Edson

Unknown Number: Throwing caution to the wind can be fun. Letting loose should always be a thing.

Unknown Number: Only six? I see your olive branch still remains small. What if i'm neither of the six? Will you still answer my question?

Edgar: Perhaps another day as it seems the whole world has thrown caution to the wind recently and someone needs to keep their wits about them for the oncoming apocalypse.

Edgar: Only six, my Puckish friend. If you happen to be an outlying party I'm afraid I have a security breach.

Edgar: Heh, I'm aware that sounded a bit self-important as if I am someone whose security is worth breaching and for that I apologize.