... If I got a bed brought in for you... would you feel ready to move in with me and Ramona? I mean, this place is great to just... mingle and be ourselves, but you might... I dunno, maybe you want more. Got an actual fridge and everything, had to move the pinball machine for space.
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?"I..." Eires started before thinking.
"I like things here. It's safe, so to speak. I haven't had to worry about all the things I used to, and I've found myself again. I want to be able to be here if I need to be. But it isn't the real world, wherever this is."
Eires laid back, staring at the sky.
"I can't go to school here and I'm disconnected from everything because I can't get into trouble here. Every time something happens it all turns out fine in the end, but what am I doing here otherwise?"
"Yeah, that sounds good, Sandra."
[forum cryptid: it/it's]...
-She wraps her arms around them, tight-
-Sandra never just hugs you, Eires-
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?Just...
This is real again. It hasn't been real since '74 for me.
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?... I mentioned Alex, right. Alexander. We met in the sixties, and got... real hooked on each other. Except it was near on a decade... he'd made it to his thirties and I was still... me. Still ready to hit it out every night. He didn't want it any more. He wanted kids. Grandkids. So he left. That was '74.
He's got eleven of them, you know? Grandkids. I keep an eye on them, now and then.
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?He had three. The three had eleven. Twelfth on the way. He's old, now. Eighty four. Won't be long til...
...
He met a real nice girl. I really couldn't be happier. Really.
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?-She laughs, kissing their cheek-
Yes you are!
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?That's... uh... where do I begin...
I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Not the swankiest apartment but it's loaded with the good stuff I deal in - old horror merch, the real classic stuff. I don't need much in the way of cash, the only real expense is rent. I do odd jobs for pals, make art pieces now and then when I feel the buzz, sell the occasional bit of Hammer curios I can bear to part with. It gets me by.
Now that Ramona's getting put through school, I'll probably have to do something more permanent...
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?It's interesting, living with Ramona. Adjusting to an actual schedule. Having someone's company. I think I'm ready to have you with us. I really... really want you and Ramona to have a chance to get closer.
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?"I like her, we just didn't talk much."
Eires sighed.
"Alexandria. I'm still mortal. I have all the reason in the world to believe that I'll still look like this, feel the way I do, and function as anyone my age now, should. I don't know what to think about that. I'm not...not scared, just uncertain."
[forum cryptid: it/it's]...
Your heartbeat goes away. You stop feeling warm, and that stops bothering you. You can't blink. You can't cry. Every night you wake up with your bones aching from rigor mortis. And you want blood. You can't distinguish necessary hunger from just plain addiction, it's not like a human hunger. It's bad. I only got mine under control through discipline and experimentation.
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?

"I hadn't noticed!" They said with a laugh.
[forum cryptid: it/it's]