[given that things have gone to shit on the moon again, riptide did exactly what he did last time: realised he's far too big to be of any use and opts to stay on earth until it's all over, then he can go and help with repairs in the vaccum. he's good at menial tasks!
he has his hoodie on when he goes to visit cass, hands in the front pocket, worrying something inside.]
[ Well, that's already done. Cassandra doesn't look good at all. She's kept on the gloves- she can't stand to look at her hands- but even makeup is barely helping to cover the bags under her eyes. Her hair's a little mussed, even.
She lets him in anyway. If anyone can see her looking shitty, it's Riptide, who she doubts cares all that much. ]
I don't know if I'm in the mood to drink that much. The fuck's going on?
[he follows in and... there's a minute pause when he sees her-- one just half a second longer than he might've offered before. riptide doesn't say anything, just puts the bottle on the kitchen counter once he's followed her in and grips what he has in his pocket a little tighter.]
Some robots or whatever. Not as bad as last time but still a big yikes!
[He's been monitoring the names on the network. People don't always come back, but they can. And then, one day, there it is - Cassandra Igarashi.
He doesn't call until the next day. There's a lot she'll need time to deal with, and he probably shouldn't add to that right away. But he does call.]
Hi. This is Norman. [He keeps his tone neutral. He doesn't know how she feels about coming back, or even if she remembers being here before, after all.]
There are plenty of people in her life here that she cares for, but Cassandra doesn’t always remember to contact them, to keep in touch. To some extent, it’s simulated distance. Do they really care about her that much? They’re not that close. But often they reach out, and she finds she was wrong.
This is one of those cases. And for a child to reach out...
She ought to play it cool. ]
Hey. It’s- is everything okay? [ Maybe he has another reason for calling. ]
I'm fine. [He's less neutral now, going instead for a sort of comforting optimism, the kind of tone he uses with friends in tense situations. Whether or not it'll work, well, he'll see.] I just wanted to check if you need any help.
[He was going to say "if you're alright," but she'd just tell him she is no matter what, wouldn't she? She'll probably say no to this too, but at least the question is more definite.]
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