[RL (sort of, WHO WAS PHONE) with Setsuna and later the Doctor, backdated to Worst Fear virus]

[lockon2urheart]

[It was pretty clear from Setsuna's post that for some reason (the community, almost definitely), comments either weren't registering with him or weren't getting through at all. Lockon decided to cut out the middle man and just call him, and prove that he and the others were alive that way. He paced as his communicator called, waiting for the

Comments

[doomedyouth00]

[Not long after he'd made his journal post, Setsuna had shut himself down in Tamaki's basement; he wasn't working on Exia like he usually would be, instead he was sat in the pilot's seat with his hands resting on the Gundam's control panel.

A sudden buzzing interrupted his thoughts and he stared glumly at his communicator. The number calling came up as unknown and he pressed the answer button cautiously]

"Hello?"

[timey_wimey]

[His voice turned exasperated.] "I'm telling the truth! Honestly, this virus..."

[He cast around, looking at Lockon for help.] "Lockon, help me out here! Tell me something to tell him - [he jerked his head at the phone] - that only you and him would know!"

[lockon2urheart]

[He had been itching for a chance to join in the conversation again, such as he could when Setsuna couldn't even hear him.]

He had nightmares when he first joined Celestial Being, really bad ones. I used to help calm him down from them. Confused the heck out of me at first when I tried to hug him the next day and got an elbow to the gut for my trouble. I never told anyone else about it all, so that should do it.

[timey_wimey]

[The Doctor nodded gratefully and turned back to the phone, speaking rapidly.]

"Did you get that, Setsuna? Well, probably not... but I can prove he's here, honestly! He just told me about how when you first joined Celestial Being he used to help you calm down from nightmares that you had. Only then when he tried to hug you the next day you used to give him an elbow in the gut, right? Come on, how else would I know that unless he'd just told me, hmm?"

[doomedyouth00]

"..."

[Setsuna stared at his device, unable to speak. The Doctor was right, he had had bad nightmares back then, and Lockon had been the one to hold him and soothe him (and yeah, he might have got elbowed once or twice but really, that was his own fault for trying to hug Setsuna with no warning). There was no way the Doctor could know that, Lockon had promised not to tell anyone...

Setsuna didn't know what to think. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out.]

[timey_wimey]

[He turned his head to mouth at Lockon "I think we're getting somewhere". Turning back to the phone, he resumed trying to convince Setsuna.]

"So, what do you say?" [His voice suddenly turned a lot more serious.] "I wouldn't lie to you about something like this, Setsuna. I'm not that cruel."

[doomedyouth00]

"H-how..."

[He took a deep breath to steady his voice]

[quietly] "I don't understand."

[timey_wimey]

[equally as quietly] "I know, Setsuna. But you will." [He sighs heavily] "If my hunch is right, then what we've got on our hands here is a particularly nasty virus. And don't say that that's an excuse."

[doomedyouth00]

Setsuna remained silent as he thought that over; a virus? What sort? He didn't feel any different - but then, you usually didn't when you were affected. Still, he couldn't think of anything that had happened recently that was unusual. The past ten months had been pretty uneventful, for the most part.

Still struggling to wrap his head round the whole idea - he wanted to believe the Doctor, he really did - Setsuna struggled to find words]

So he's... Lockon's alive? He's there?

[timey_wimey]

[Simply:] Yes. [And then, almost as an afterthought:] Actually, he was the one who called you first, not me.

[doomedyouth00]

[still uncertain] I couldn't hear anything.

[lockon2urheart]

"Tell him I was talking, Doctor. He just couldn't hear me - or rather, the virus wouldn't let him hear me."

[Lockon was really starting to hate this virus.]

[timey_wimey]

[He nodded at Lockon and turned back to the phone]

"He says that he was talking, but you just couldn't hear him - or rather, the virus wouldn't let you hear him. His words, not mine, by the way."

[doomedyouth00]

[Setsuna kept quiet, trying to sort through his thoughts]

[timey_wimey]

[The Doctor gave him a few minutes, then cleared his throat] "Setsuna? You still there?"

[doomedyouth00]

[speaks quietly] Yeah...