ArchivedLogs:Not a Wrong Number

Not a Wrong Number
Dramatis Personae Dex, Sebastian
In Absentia	2014-01-04 '
Location Phones
It isn't terribly late when Jackson's phone pipes up it's ringtone, whatever undoubtedly awesome sound that makes. It'll read as a call from Dex Allen, and not a strange or unknown number. On Dex's end, he's curled up in his room, the hum of noise from his Grandma's loud TV coming through his wall, picking at the surface of a worn yellow comforter thrown in disarray over his bed, and trying to decide what exactly he'll say in his message: after all, it isn't like he expects anyone to answer. Someone /does/ answer, though. On the third ring, probably just before it switches over to voicemail. There's sound in the background, violin music playing somewhat distantly. The voice that answers is assuredly not Jackson's, a little higher in pitch, very much lacking his distinctive Southern drawl. Sebastian sounds -- cautious. A little /puzzled/. "... Hello?" "Uhhhh," Dex answers, pausing, sitting up quickly with a minor rustle. But maybe it's just a messy connection, or Jackson has a different pitched phone voice, so Dex clearly just goes on with a bit tentatively, "Hello! I... Well, I'm looking for Mr. Jax," Dex says. His own accent is New Yorker, and clearly teenager in age group. For a few seconds there is silence. "Apologies," Sebastian eventually answers, still sounding puzzled. "My Pa isn't available." There's a brief hesitation before he continues uncertainly: "Did you -- need him for something?" The silence is returned with a silence. "I-- no, I guess it doesn't matter," Dex answers slowly. His tone reeks of disappointment, although not frustration. "It was about transferring to this other school, and I /meant/ to call earlier but I couldn't," Dex says, clipping his own words some with his rapid explanation, as if trying to backpedal in the conversation. "Couldn't?" Sebastian has a mild note of curiousity in his voice for this, but it fades soon back into caution: "Transferring? Was it the school he teaches at?" "Yeah, I was in the hospital again," Dex answers offhandedly, as if that was the least of the things he's worried about mentioning. "I don't remember-- maybe? He didn't say if he taught.... It, uh," Dex pauses as if to decide, but then plunges: "Supposedly they teach how to control /mutant/, er, things, but maybe that's not really true," Dex continues, clearly hedging. More silence. Though there's a sound in the background like fingers moving rapidly against keys. "Can I call you back?" Sebastian asks, abruptly. "Like. Half an hour." "Who'm I talking to?" Dex wonders immediately, and sounding a little spooked. "Probably Homeland Security," Sebastian mutters under his breath. And more clearly: "Sebastian. Jax is my dad." "Um, yeah, okay, Sebastian," Dex says, but the spooked quality has faded into something more resigned. "It's fine though, if you don't have time. It's not really that important," Dex lies, but is making a good show of sounding relaxed. "'Bye." "Bye." Sebastian hangs up. But twenty-seven minutes later Dex's phone rings again. This time it's an unfamiliar number. City-noises in the background. The rush of traffic. Intermittent voices. "Hi," Dex answers on the first ring. No change in the sounds on his end-- in that there's still not much to hear. "{Sorry,}" comes initially in Vietnamese though an apologetic /tone/ is clear enough to not need translation. "My house isn't great for talking. I called the school anyway, they say he talked about arranging a visit for you. -- Um, I go there, too, by the way. I guess I should've started with that but my mind's been sort of everywhere." "My grandma doesn't care what I do, I can talk fine even late," Dex answers in 'understanding' ruefully, ---misunderstanding the comment about the house being unsafe, apparently. Which can probably suggest he doesn't actually know what's going on with Jax, or just jumped to a wrong conclusion. "I kind of doubted the school existed, maybe it was made up or I misunderstood." As if said misunderstandings are common with Dex and taken in stride. "No. The school's there, it's --" Sebastian pauses for a moment. "Helpful. Um. I don't know what it is you do and you don't have to tell me. /I'm/ kind of -- blue, though. And -- sharky. And /I/ go there fine other schools wouldn't really take me. /Um/. But they said he talked to them -- and if you want to. Come. Still." For some reason he sounds like he is rather expecting Dex to maybe have changed his mind. "-- They can set up a visit." There's a weird silence after Sebastian finishes speaking, as if maybe Dex didn't expect all that, but once he figures out what to say, it's not as tentative, but very ... /curious/. "/Blue/," Dex repeats, but not disturbed, mostly just surprised. As if he should have known that by voice. Dex then proceeds to explain, but it's a little fragmented: "I'm just normal colored. I really just want to... figure out what my limits are. I can tell you what I do so far, but your dad didn't really seem to... /like/ it... so... well. Mr. Jackson didn't want me to figure it out by myself, he thinks somebody will be hurt, so he said they teach how, at the school.... is that true?" "Usually blue. I get kind of almost black if it's too -- /um/." Sebastian pauses here, and he continues a little more rushed, a little more flustered. "Apologies, you don't really need to -- um, yes, it's true. Well the part about teaching how, I don't know about -- whether someone will get hurt. A lot of people have powers that can hurt someone though so that's maybe-true too. It's good to have a place to do it safely anyway." Another pause and then: "Are you free tomorrow? This weekend would be good because it's winter break but classes start again Monday." "I'm free whenever. I don't go to school anymore now since the Plague," Dex clarifies. The way he says 'plague', it sounds like it's a huge, serious deal for him. His voice tightens from the loss the word draws up to the surface. And also draws some defensiveness: "I've never hurt anybody other than myself, I've ONLY tried to fix people." "... I guess it ruined a lot of. Lives." Sebastian answers the comment about the plague stiffly, his voice tighter than before. To the rest he only offers a very meek: "Okay." Not arguing. Not anything. In the background there's a tenser exchange of voices. "When is good for you?" Sebastian asks more hastily. "Or I can just give you the number, okay? You can call the school yourself and set up a visit." "Well, give me the number anyway?" Dex suggests, skirting the topic of the plague entirely. "Maybe I'll call tomorrow," Dex says, but it sounds mostly like shyness. All of this work, and then shying at the end a little bit. "I mean, they could freak out." "They're not going to freak out. Did you forget I'm blue? -- Do you have a pen or something?" Sebastian still sounds rushed. now. He waits just a little bit before giving Dex a phone number. "There's always people, call -- whenever." "Yeah I have a pencil," Dex agrees, catching onto the rushed tone. "Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you," he says, honestly apologetic. "Can I ask real fast before you go though-- did you have to like, prove your ability or show it?" he asks, worried. The voices in the background are growing sharper. "Uhm --" Sebastian sounds a little puzzled at this question. "No. I mean how would they do that like what if your ability is /melting/ people they're not going to make you melt someone. I guess. I don't know anyone who melts people." He takes a moment to repeat the number once more, but then: "-- {Sorry,}" is hasty Vietnamese again. "I gotta go. But maybe I'll see you soon? Blue. Gills. I'm hard to miss." "Okay, yeah, I got it!" Dex agrees, with a return of "Bye" in the same way as the first time. "-- /don't/ want to --" Against the background angryvoices, Sebastian's voice has grown sharper and it doesn't sound like he's talking to Dex anymore at all. The phone clicks off halfway through this sentence, leaving Dex with only dead air on the other end.