04 ⚓ Video ⚓ For all his desire, so stricken to the heart was he

[hearrrtofgold]

For all the complaints about magic things happening this doesn't seem that bad. That flood thing? [Duke lifts both hands palm-upward and shrugs, the quintessential "I dunno" gesture.] Weird, but from what I can tell we made it through all right. Which isn't to say it doesn't suck to be here, just that there are worse conditions to live in.

[Ah, the naïveté of a new passenger.]

A skating rink, for instance. How many prisons do you know that have those? Or a bar, or a spa. In most places you'd be lucky to clip your toenails, let alone broil in a sauna. If you're Norwegian, you're automatically disqualified from answering.

My point is, what's missing? What do you still want that isn't here? There's got to be something, all of you. Yeah, even the wardens - I'm looking at you, guys.

Comments

[ Video ]

[hearrrtofgold]

No wonder you miss her so much.

So, years plural. How long have you been here, exactly?

[ Video ]

[surfaceshine]

Exactly?

[Dean toys with the model while he considers that, though not very seriously; he spins the driver side front wheel idly and shakes his head.]

Just had my third Christmas here. Came in right before the first one. So a little over two years, give or take, not accounting for all the bullshit lives in between.

[ Video ]

[hearrrtofgold]

Why, are you scratching out the days on your wall?

Three years. [Duke shakes his head; that's a long time to be away from home.] By choice?

[ Video ]

[surfaceshine]

No. [He grins,then.] I'm just not an exact kinda guy. Unless I am.

[And then a rolling shrug that starts somewhere between his eyebrows and barelytouches his shoulder.] Depends on who you ask. I mean yeah, I can give up and go home any time, but.

This is the only place I can sort out the shit I need sorted without making a bigger mess. So, a no on that end. Not many options out there for some of it.

[ Video ]

[hearrrtofgold]

No reason to hold onto details that don't need remembering.

Huh. [Duke gives Dean a brief half-smile, not out of amusement so much as sympathy.] Funny no one else has put it that way yet.

[ Video ]

[surfaceshine]

[Dean raises an eyebrow; he doesn't need sympathy. He doesn't want it. And he's not surprised.]

Well what can I say, I'm a natural with words.