Participants:
| Scene Title | Eggnog Erosion Euphonium Eli |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | There's a lot of keyboard smashing typos when Emily peeks back into the Lighthouse groupchat. |
| Date | October 19, 2020 |
A phone long-dead winks back to life after being connected to a borrowed charger. After the screens glow through start-up, a sea of unread messages and notifications are only briefly considered before dismissing them all wholesale.
The obscenely large number on the messaging app is still there as a reminder of them, though the list of them is quickly jumped past in favor of picking up one of the group chats that hasn't died in her absence.
The little light by her name winks green.
"Okay," she breathes out, uncertain of what, if anything to say. For guidance, she looks up to herself in the mirror. And for a lack of finding knowing, eventually just holds up her phone, too.
10:48 am
Emily
someone tell joe I don't need him to commit voter fraud for me anymore
10:48 am
Hailey
Nu fone hoo dis?j/k But really who are you and why are you playing mean jokes? Elmily is a tree, you dinkwrinkle.
10:49 am
Brynn
Who is this???
10:49 am
Joe
OMG EMILY HI! SO THAT WAS REAL! DREAMSCAPE SHENANIGANS!!!
10:51 am
Finch
Embolism
Euphonium Eli
Of my gosh phone I'm so sorry
I'm crying
Emily??????????
With a snort, Emily continues to hover over her phone before realising, right, she should reply. She settles back onto the bed, pulling close the notepad on the nightstand. The current date is written on the top, torn off and awkwardly held up for another selfie.
This time with a middle finger added for emphasis.
10:52 am
Emily
definitely not elmily
10:53 am
Brynn
You're awake!?!?!
How?
When?
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're coming to see you!
10:54 am
Hailey
rofl… okok Yeah you’re Emily fo’ sho.
Man, I’m so happy you’re back. This is such a frikkin TREEt.
10:54am
Finch
Where are you??????
10:55am
Joe
Emlee. I'm sorry if you smell like anti termite spray. You should probably take a shower. Or five. Also where are you so I can come hug you?
10:59am
Sqks
funny I'm at raytech and you all know lunch is like an hour away at least
11:00am
Sqks
who's spoofing emily?
There are two wolves in this group chat. Jesus.
Emily spends a long time considering the reply window, a response half-typed, then abandoned, then started anew. She can almost hear (see?) Lance's encouragement of type faster, Emily, but she's got what she's got when it comes to messaging skills. In this case, it takes time to find the right packaging for what she means to say.
11:10 am
Emily
still getting used to all my fingers and toes again. liable to tell anyone who makes a tree joke to take a long walk off a short pier.
That's not the full story, and it's also not where, Emily.
11:11 am
Emily
I'm not home. still trying to figure all of that stuff out. where home is now, what life is going to be like
i've got like
therapy and shit I have to go to.11:15 am
but I didn't want to give you the silent treatment, either
i know how worried you guys were. you deserve better than that.
11:16 am
Hailey
Fine FINE… I’ll leaf the jokes alone.
.
.
.
For now.
What do you mean ‘where home is now’? Did you get evicted or some shizzle?
You could always crash on the couch here or whatever. I hear Brynn’s a room sharer.
11:18 am
Lance
EMILY?!?!?!?!?!?!
YOU’RE HUMAN AGAIN HOW WHAT HAPPENED
WHERE ARE YOU
I BOUGHT YOU A STUFFED SQUIREL
11:25 am
Emily
yeah, they arrested the girl who did it and she undid what happened
my dad and julie and devon found her
if she un-did it to me, maybe they can do it for the others, too.
11:29 am
idk, things are just weird when you bail on your rent for eight months and are effectively presumed dead
i'll figure it out.
when I'm feeling a little better I want to swing by and say hi
not today. still showering off all the termite spray. 💜
11:25 am
Finch
I'm still crying
I'm @beach with bad connection so msgs are slow
but I'm so happy
we love you!!!!!
11:31 am
Sqks
wait so that's really emily?
you're really actually not a tree?
11:33 am
Lance
you always have a home with us if you want/need it
we have new windows!!!
11:34 am
Hailey
beeteedubs bruh, you spelled squirrel wrong
11:36 am
Brynn
I can share! No prob
What kinda botswarf is losing apartment? Where Teo?
R U rly OK?
11:40 am
Gene
EGGNOG
EROSION
Ong I VCR dig right nod sn UK JT????????,
😭😭😭/
11:40 am
Finch
I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11:41 am
Hailey
Hi Idiot
Emily lets out a quiet laugh to herself at the latest message. It helps distract from trying to address the uncertainties of what happens now, even to herself. Imagining the incomprensible messaging being possibly caused by Geneva's cat is a pleasant enough image to focus on to get her through at least some kind of answer.
11:42 am
Emily
idiot is a very good cat.
i'll … let you know once I know more about everything. that's the best I can do. ok?
11:45
Brynn
Missed you, Em
Show up whenever — door's open.
Emily smiles at that until the words blur and she has to silence her phone and set it aside. She braces a hand on her knee as works away the urge to cry with relief. Yeah, it was unexpected and confusing for her to be back again, but once the initial confusion was over, her friends were there for her in a heartbeat.
It's a step forward. One of many. And she's glad to have the people behind her she does.