tramitem_comm | (no subject)

>> you missed everything!
>> how was the show?
>> i missed you
>> i can feel other people's feelings
>> can i come see you?

...Sure.

>> k
>> where r u
>> in good news, i can almost do handstands again

Home [ Assume address sent along ] Handstands are great. I'm sure it will improve your skating.

>> getting an uber now
>> i'm not sure how it could.
>> i don't skate on my hands.
>> i met another person like us
>> i mean he and another different get memories of a life together
>> not our lives - their lives

Because it uses balance.

...Tell me more.

When you get here.

>> fine.
>> i'll tell you more in person
>> do you have rootbeer?

42 boxes of tea, water, orange juice, and milk. No rootbeer. Sorry.

>> k
>> expectations managed

[It didn't take Anakin that long to get to Ben's home address. Anakin realized this would be the first time he'd been here. Didn't Ben say he had a cat?

Anakin was aching to see how how Ben organized his life. He bet it was very clean and organized, unlike his own home.

He buzzed at the front to be let in.]

[ He had a kettle on and it had just come to a boil by the time Anakin arrived. Ben was fairly nervous, because Anakin was coming here and something about feeling other people's emotions and -

Well, nervous and worried, but he opened the door to let Anakin into the very light, very white, very clean apartment.

Elsa immediately appeared to sniff Anakin's shoes.]

Did you manage to come up with an expectation of a drink that's acceptable?

[The clean, bright whiteness was exactly what Anakin was expecting. He wondered how Ben kept everything so neat and organized. Anakin was a walking disaster and disorder generally followed where he went.

Even Ben's cat matched the decour.

He bent down and held out his hand for the cat.]

Oh my god, your cat is so fluffy! What's it's name?

[He popped an air pod out so he could hear Ben, but kept the other one in to give him enough white noise to ignore the ... other things he could 'hear'.]

Whatever you're drinking is fine.

[ He only did one thing at a time and cleaned as he went, mostly.

Elsa shifted to tentatively and somewhat delicately sniffing Anakin's fingers, then rubbed her cheek against them before sitting back and out of his reach, because cat.

Ben smiled, slightly. ]

Her name's Elsa. Come all the way in and have a seat. Kitchen table seems like a comfortable place for talking? I'll pour tea while you start telling me about the people you met and feeling other people's emotions.

[ He really needed to not 'fuck this up' like he had felt like he'd done before. At least they weren't on ice. ]

[Elsa was a perfect cat, honestly.

Anakin stood up and plopped his bag on a stool and leaned on the counter.]

Mr. Fell- I think you've met him. He has a friend named Anthony Crowley. He's new...er. They have memories that match. Though Anthony also says that he has memories of being a snake. So...

[Anakin shrugged]

The emotion thing is weird. I have to be close to people, and it's mostly like white noise if I'm in a crowd. I really have to focus on an individual person if I want to know what just they are thinking and I think I'm only getting strong emotions. It's not that strong... but definitely there.

[ He focused on pouring the tea and listening to Anakin, then focused on not feeling overly uncomfortable with the news that Anakin had those abilities.

It wouldn't have been fair to be uneasy, but he was... uneasy. He didn't even know why, exactly. ]

It's really good to know there are other people who have complimentary sets of memories. Or overlapping ones, maybe. I'm not so sure the abilities sound great. They sound an awful lot of what I could do in my memories - at least a little of it - and that's... terrifying.

Wait, really? You can feel other people's emotions in your memories?

[They clearly need to talk more.]

I can feel and do a lot of things in my memories....

Like what?

Other people's feelings. Other people's pain. Moving things with my mind. Doing impossible jumps. Hints of the future....

[Anakin is quiet for a moment. Then he pushed away from the counter and started pacing. He didn't look particularly thrilled to hear this.]

One of the Different got earrings she says are from her memories.

Another Different had a tattoo show up on the back of his hand- He says the tattoo was from his memories.

That's all disturbing, but I'm more disturbed by powers that are familiar to me showing up than any tangible object. That...

If this isn't real [ And he still didn't see how it could be. ] The powers aspect is really... invasive.

[Anakin came back to the counter, this time placing both hands (both hands because it was habit) palms down on the cool surface.]

Empathic abilities and telekinesis aren't... abilities any living thing can do on Earth. And clairvoyance isn't a thing either, no matter what network t-v says at three a.m. in the morning.

That we know of.

[ Anakin was pacing. He was standing still - sitting still, even. It was all very, unsettlingly, familiar. ]

Or rather, they haven't until now.

[Anakin looked up sharply, and it wasn't Obi-Wan he was mad at. In fact, he wasn't really mad, he was anxious.]

I'm already a bionic experiment first in the field of prosthetics. I volunteered for that. I don't want to be the first human empath.

I know, and I'm sorry.

We don't know... how much of it's experimental. I just don't know how to make anything else fit.

[ He wants to hug Anakin, but that feels so... much like he's going to break Anakin further. ]

Maybe some of the things that worked for learning to use and control it from the memories can help here.

[Anakin's shoulders slump a little. He knows Ben is trying to help. He would have appreciated a hug - how long had it been since he'd been hugged - but he doesn't think they are at that point in their relationship yet where he could ask for a hug from Ben.]

Okay. [Anakin nods.]

What do you got?