wish we could turn back time to the good old days [ CLOSED ]

[cryptologic]

Who: Dipper & various hospital visitors, fellow jungle boogiers, and probably some sailor senshi
When: IC 4/7 and onwards
Where: The hospital, maybe other various locations
What: After his fun jungle adventure sends him to the hospital, Dipper has visitors to see him, apologies to make, and a new place to crash for a few days.
Rating/Warning: Mentions of death and gore



[ It's only after two and a half days of solid sleep in the hospital that Dipper finally wakes up, a throbbing haze lingering on his mind as the heavy memory of why he was here settles upon him. In the jungle, he'd been the last one lured by the hallucinations in the trees to a monster lying in wait. He'd been the first to fall in the ensuing fight. And it wasn't even the monster that got him. Wasn't that ironic?

Everything had fallen apart because of him, and of the injured, he was the only one who wasn't hurt by the monster. Go figure.

It takes Dipper several hours and an essential conversation with Yu before he's really ready to see anyone else. He's exhausted, mentally and physically, but he sets aside the gnawing desire for more sleep in favor of what he knows he has to do. He has to apologize, and for those visitors who weren't on the ill-fated jungle expedition, he needs to be okay. Or try to be, anyway. No one else needs to worry about him. No one else needs these circumstances to weigh on their mind. He created this, so he'd take on as much of it as he can.

Visitors will find him with his right arm in a sling, bandages just peeking out of the collar of his hospital gown. His trademark hat sits next to him on the nightstand, and beneath it lies the journal. Reflexively, he wants to tuck it away and hide its knowledge, but what was the point? What good was it doing him here? When he'd needed it most, it had been completely useless. So he leaves it set aside.

After a few days in the hospital, Dipper is finally dispatched. Before he goes anywhere else, however, he pulls out his CereVice. To the members of expedition team he hadn't seen at the hospital - Dipper couldn't blame them at all for not coming to see him - he sends our a short message that for all its simplicity takes him several minutes to send. ]

I need to talk to you in person.

[ And that's it. ]

Comments

Take Two...

[bewrightback]

[Phoenix had been worried ever since he caught wind of the kid's hospital stay and did what he could to keep tabs on him. So once he heard that Dipper was taking visitors, the older man was on his way to visit with a small box of goodies in hand.

And so at some point in the day, Phoenix raps on the door to Dipper's room.]

Hello, Dipper? Can I come in?

my license to gagtag has been revoked.

[cryptologic]

[ When Dipper had started accepting visitors, he'd thought he might get a few of the jungle crew to see him, if only because he owed them an explanation, and he was sharing a room with Yu. He hadn't expected anyone else to go out of their way to come see him, and so when he hears Phoenix outside the door, he's more surprised than anything else. ]

Yeah, uh - come on in. [ He can only begin to guess why Phoenix is here, though. ]

You could have had it all

[bewrightback]

[This is no guessing game!!

Phoenix comes in with a somber look on his face and looks over the boy's condition as he opens.]

Hey there.

How are you holding up?

trolling in the deep...

[cryptologic]

[ Dipper takes a deep breath. ]

Well...I'm? [ Does Phoenix want an honest answer? Probably. But it's hard to sum up and words aren't his best friends right now, so Dipper more or less ends up gesturing to all of himself. ]

This...about sums it up.

[bewrightback]

[He frowns and pulls up a seat at his bedside.]

...I see. [Well, it doesn't explain a lot. But they'll get there.] Any idea how long you'll be in for - and are you able to eat normally?

[cryptologic]

Yeah, I can. [ Whether or not he wants to when it's hospital food? That's another story. ] And I'm in for just a couple of days. They told me I was lucky. You know, no vital organs damaged, and such.

[ But it's funny - he doesn't feel lucky. Not one little bit. ]

[bewrightback]

That sounds like it fills some definitions of luck to me. [He says with a weak smile.]

So if you can eat, what do you think of this? [He reaches into his little package and pulls out something that he offers to Dipper. It is a Pop-Tart.]

[cryptologic]

[ Dude...is that a Pop-Tart?

Dipper's eyes shine as he takes the breakfast treat, like Phoenix is offering him the manna of life. ]

I think this sure beats cold mashed potatoes.

[bewrightback]

[He smiles proudly as Dipper accepts the sacred treat.]

I can't argue with that logic! Enjoy, Dipper. I... I guess it's the least I can do.

i don't know whether to hate you or love you right now

[cryptologic]

[ Don't mind him just immediately cramming the whole thing into his mouth.

And through his mouthful: ]

Honestly? This is kind of better than everyone rushing in here, trying to absolve me of guilt, or whatever.

[ So they're talking about this. ]

Why not both

[bewrightback]

[Phoenix gives a warm-hearted laugh as he consumes this.]

Heh... As much as I'd like to, something like that is something you can only do for yourself.

...Well, depending on the context. If it was absolving guilt in a court of law, I think I'd definitely be more likely to offer my services...

you've gone mad with power

[cryptologic]

[ Man, this is actually a pretty refreshing conversation. And not just because of the Pop-Tart. ]

Iiii don't think that will be necessary, at least.

or have i gone power with mad

[bewrightback]

Well then, that's some less work for me! [He says with a smirk.]

...But if you do need anything, or to talk about anything... I'm here.

evidently yes

[cryptologic]

[ He leans back onto his pillow. ]

Well...maybe we could talk about something not-jungle-related. Like the most un-jungly thing we could possibly talk about.

[bewrightback]

...

...I'm guessing the jungle is an unwelcome subject...

I don't know, what's the opposite of a jungle?

[cryptologic]

[ Gee what gave you that idea, Phoenix. ]

Uhhh...the north pole?

[bewrightback]

Well... That would definitely make for a polar opposite...

[cryptologic]

[ ...

If he didn't have a gaping puncture wound in one of his shoulders, that would have earned Phoenix a double face palm. ]

...Er, yeah, you could say that.

[bewrightback]

...Sorry about that.

I get it. You don't want to talk about what happened. And I shouldn't really demand that of you. ...I just hope that you talk things through with someone.

[cryptologic]

I...kind of already did.

[ With a few people. It just hadn't quite taken as well as they might've hoped. ]

The thing is, I don't know how much talking it out will fix things. What I have to do is prepare myself better so something like this doesn't happen again.

[bewrightback]

...Well! You might be a few steps ahead of me, then. There's no solution that can fix everything, but... Everything has to help at least a little, right?

[He offers a light-hearted smile.]

No doing dangerous things in the jungle sounds like a nice first step.

[cryptologic]

[ His mouth draws out into a frown. ]

Yeah, I...guess so.

[ His chance to prove himself. His chance to make right what had happened to Mabel.

He'd totally blown it. ]

[bewrightback]

Dipper... [He mutters in concern.]

...Is there anything else you have to say?

[cryptologic]

[ Phoenix said he only had to talk to him if he wanted to. Did he want to? ]

I just...I wanted to prove myself out there, but instead I messed everything up. I-I lost my sister in the jungle, and I thought maybe, if I went back and did better the second time, it might start to make up for...for losing her.

[bewrightback]

Dipper... [He looks down sadly as he listens to that. His heart aches for the boy's problem, but he also thinks that he's going about this the wrong way.]

I know your heart is in the right place. But something like that isn't something that you... that you 'make up' for. When you try to focus on fixing mistakes that already happened, you can get lost in them instead.

It's not an easy path, but what you have to do is move forward and focus instead on not repeating mistakes, while taking care of everything that you still have left.