[Accidental Visual | Location: the streets of Osten]

[faderbroderson]

Godric is walking leisurely down the street toward Fangtasia when the music swells up around him. He stops and looks around, briefly perplexed before becoming alarmed. Oh no. This glitch has been affecting everyone else, and now it seems it's his turn. Before he can swear, the song rises up in his throat and escapes in an pleasant melody. He wouldn't win American Idol, but he can sing.

We're bound to wait all night
She's bound to run amok
Invested enough in it anyhow,
To each his own
The Garden is sorting out
She curls her lips on a bow
I don't know if you're dead or not
To anyone

Come on and get the minimum
Before you open up your eyes,
This army has so many heads
To analyze...
Come on and get your overdose
Collect it at the borderline
And they want to get up in your head...

At first, the song seems fairly innocuous, the metaphors up to interpretation. And then abruptly, things start hitting too close to home for Godric.

Cause they know and so do I
The high road is hard to find
A detour in your new life
Tell all of your friends goodbye

The dawn to end all nights
That's all we hoped it was
A break from the warfare in your house
To each his own...
A soldier is bailing out
And curled his lips on the barrel
And I don't know if the dead can talk
To anyone...

It's hard not to choke on the words, his expression becoming increasingly disturbed.

Come on and get the minimum
Before you open up your eyes
This army has so many hands
Are you one of us?
Come on and get your overdose
Collect it at the borderline
And they want to get up in your head

Cause they know and so do I
The high road is hard to find
A detour to your new life
Tell all of your friends goodbye

It's too late to change your mind
You let loss be your guide...

It's too late to change your mind
You let loss be your guide...

It's too late to change your mind
You let loss be your guide...

It's too late to change your mind
You let loss be your guide...

As the music fades away, Godric doesn't move. He remains where he stopped, perfectly still. It's impossible to tell what he's thinking.

[Here's the song if you'd like to listen.]

Comments

[visual]

[oneofthequick.livejournal.com]

[Emptiness is a long story
that swallows up heaven and earth.
No one questions my silence:
The all-knowing bird of night flies out of my mouth.]

[visual]

[faderbroderson]

"...Doul?" This is clearly not the Doul he knows, but he doesn't know if it's Doul under a glitch, or Doul's twin brother, or another version of Doul entirely. He still looks disturbed about what just happened, but takes Doul's odd appearance in stride.

For now, he chooses not to dwell on the poem he's just been presented with, but he'll think about it later. He thinks about a lot of things in solitude.

[visual]

[oneofthequick.livejournal.com]

[I am En-Doul, a glitched alternate of the Liveman you know. I believe you are Deadman Godric?] Despite being, well, dead, he looks considerably younger than the usual Doul.

[visual]

[faderbroderson]

"Yes, that's correct." He hasn't seen Doul in a little while, and this new version is strange, but not overly distressing. Dead, clearly, but not distressing. Doul's world contains many things he doesn't know and doesn't understand, but he does not judge.

"How long have you been here?"

[visual]

[oneofthequick.livejournal.com]

[A few days, not long. It's been very strange, but wonderful.] He doesn't have any facial expressions, but his signing is meant to convey his enthusiasm and happiness.

[Everyone has been very good and I've been fortunate enough to have thorough notes left behind by my alternate.]

[ visual ]

[fogdar.livejournal.com]

"Godric, what was that bullshit?"

Eric gets directly to the point, as ever. He can't keep the accusatory note out of his voice - the unmistakable sound of the 'you promised you wouldn't leave me again' he leaves unsaid.

[ visual ]

[faderbroderson]

Godric snaps out of it at the sound of his child's voice.

"Eric...I don't know." His voice is strained, but he isn't lying. He doesn't know what the hell that was, other than sorrows and regrets and things he hasn't voiced, even to himself. His feelings about his death and this second (third?) life in Taxon are muddled and confused, and he hasn't come to any conclusions about it yet. Singing about it publicly had not been even remotely on his agenda.

[ visual ]

[fogdar.livejournal.com]

Godric looks more than just unsettled by the fact that he was overheard, he seems to be surprised by the singing in itself - Eric has personally done more than his fair share of it, so he's not. It's the content of Godric's song that worries him.

"This is the first time you've sung." It's one of those statement/questions that hangs on the border and isn't quite either one.

[ visual ]

[faderbroderson]

"Until now, the glitch hasn't affected me. I don't know why it..." He cuts off suddenly as another song begins.

Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself how much I let the fear
Take the wheel and steer
It's driven me before
And it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal
But lately I'm beginning to find that I
Should be the one behind the wheel

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

So if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive
Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive?
It's driven me before
And it seems to be the way that everyone else gets around
But lately I'm beginning to find that
When I drive myself my light is found

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

Would you choose water over wine
Hold the wheel and drive

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

When the song is over, he lets the silence hang. There isn't much else he can add to that. He has no intentions of committing suicide again any time soon. He's long since resigned himself to staying in Taxon until Eric is released and Godric can be assured that when he dies, he won't just be brought back. But now those reasons seem more like excuses. There's something else slowly taking the place of his previous motivations for staying, but it's so new it's difficult to put his finger on. He's been trying not to think on it at all.

[ visual ]

[fogdar.livejournal.com]

Eric can't help but look a touch taken aback when Godric starts singing again, though the words of this particular song are much better - almost enough to erase the worry generated by the first. Almost but not quite. He opens his mouth to say something in reply, but finds himself overtaken by the rising music.

"I can't believe it's over
I watched the whole thing fall
And I never saw the writing that was on the wall
If I'd only knew
The days were slipping past
That the good things never last
That you were crying

Summer turned to winter
And the snow it turned to rain
And the rain turned into tears upon your face
I hardly recognize the man you are today
And God I hope it's not too late
It's not too late

'Cause you are not alone
I'm always there with you
And we'll get lost together
Until the light comes pouring through
It's when you feel like you're done
And the darkness has won
You're not lost
When your world's crashing down
And you can't bear the cross
I said, you're not lost

Life can show no mercy
It can tear your soul apart
It can make you feel like you've gone crazy but you're not
Things have seemed to change
There's one thing that's still the same
In my heart you have remained
And we can fly fly fly away

'Cause you are not alone
And I am there with you
And we'll get lost together
Until the light comes pouring through
It's when you feel like you're done
And the darkness has won
You're not lost
And the world's crashing down
And you can not bear the cross
I said, you're not lost
I said, you're not lost
I said, you're not lost
I said, you're not lost"

Well, that makes his feelings quite clear. Though it's a good thing Chow isn't here, because if he knew Eric was singing Avril Lavigne and Michael Buble, Eric might have a leadership challenge for Area 5 on his hands.

[ location: osten streets ]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

River is taking inventory. Some are already accounted for, others are missing, and Godric's broadcast is as good a cue as any for her to go reassure herself of his status. The fact that he's still here, broadcasting and (somewhat regrettably, but River doesn't register that part of it) singing is a good sign.

So, she's making her way over to where his dot is on the map.

At a run, which leaves her windswept and wobbly and out of breath when she finally gets there and just stares at him. There goes the mental tally mark in the 'visual confirmation' column.

[ location: osten streets ]

[faderbroderson]

Godric's eyes shoot up at the sudden breathless girl that appears before him. That River might want to see him or speak to him is not unexpected, but her urgency and the way she stares is almost alarming.

"River...?" He's too startled by her demeanor to even use his pet name for her.

[ location: osten streets ]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

She just nods, slowly, and reaches out to touch his face. Not the wisest move, touching a vampire without warning, but River is... Not in a mind to make wise moves.

"They leave," and it occurs to her that it defaults now to Godric, that she needs to tell him about the Master. How he said he could fix her. "Left. Confirmation is necessary," she says and pulls back, head still nodding.

[ location: osten streets ]

[faderbroderson]

Godric would not normally like to be touched without permission, and might catch that hand and divert it away. But River seems to need the contact, and the slowness of her motion gives him ample warning, so he allows it. It's only a brush of warm fingers on the cool skin of his face, but apparently it settles her.

"Leave?" He turns that over in his mind. He knows about her brother, but... "Who else, Litten Amiral?"

[ location: osten streets ]

[biverbam.livejournal.com]

"Sol."

With her hand back at her side, she starts pacing to give that impulse to move buzzing just under her skin a way to quiet itself. "Others. Go and leave... Cracks. The empty spaces but nothing here is a vacuum."

[voice]

[levilup.livejournal.com]

Godric. I'm not sure I like the sound of the dawn to end all nights.

Are you alright, sweetheart?

[visual]

[faderbroderson]

"...Yes." At least, he thinks he is. He tries to smile and it ends up a sad shadow of what it could have been.

"I'm fine. Just old sorrows, and maybe some regrets." That's what he assumes, anyway. Explaining his feelings surrounding the extremely touchy subject of his suicide is something he can't even do for himself right now.

[voice]

[levilup.livejournal.com]

Would you mind if I came to keep you company?

[visual]

[faderbroderson]

"I wouldn't mind at all." A little company sounds good about now.

[ visual ]

[sirachi.livejournal.com]

Siri's staring at the screen with unshed tears in her eyes, for someone who's as hypersensitive as she, even if she can't get a good feel on the vampires through the Force, that sang out to her (no pun intended) so sharply that she can't help but be moved.

[ visual ]

[faderbroderson]

It's a while before Godric stirs from his still contemplation, and when he does, he's surprised to find Siri's face on his tablet. He hadn't realized anyone had been watching.

"Miss Siri?"

[ visual ]

[sirachi.livejournal.com]

She blinks the tears back and quickly reigns in her senses and recollects herself so that she looks much more composed that she was a moment before.

"Your tablet was recording," she offers up, though she assumes he's already aware of this.

Re: [ visual ]

[faderbroderson]

"Thank you," he nods gratefully. He already knows, yes, but it's a nice gesture, and he'll respond in kind.

"I'm sorry if I upset you." Exactly why she's upset, he doesn't quite know, but it doesn't really matter.

[ voice ]

[lajolieblonde.livejournal.com]

[ sookie's voice is sympathetic, quiet. ]

Is everything all right, Godric?

[ the sound of guitars come up, and she manages a frustrated sigh before: ]

Take a shower shine your shoes
you got no time to lose
you are young men you must be living
go now you are forgiven

[ voice ]

[faderbroderson]

Godric opens his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by Sookie's song. He listens quietly, and when she's done, he's smiling fondly (with a bit of a bittersweet edge), unable to keep from chuckling just a bit at her frustration.

"I'm alright, though it seems most of us aren't getting along well with this glitch. You have a lovely singing voice."