Accidental video | un:Thestrandinstitute

[nobasisinfact]

[The first visual are stacks and stacks of books, then tiny hands grabbing one before there is a pause and another hand reaches for a cup of tea.]

This whole thing is idiotic.

[The boy's voice is deeper, but it isn't the usual smooth voice of Dr. Richard Strand. The intonation and cadence, however, is. Richard has been unmistakably affected by the curse.

There's a sigh as one hand reaches up to, presumably, pinch the bridge of his nose as if he's getting a headache.]

She'll be insufferable if she sees me like this.

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[11calls]

Richard. No it is not.

[That may have been a small whine there.]

[nobasisinfact]

It's only a few days.

[11calls]

You're being stupid!

[nobasisinfact]

It's for your own good.

[If she saw him there would be no end to the parallels between him and Simon, and it would never end.]

[11calls]

Being away from me and my not sleeping is for my own good?! I thought we past those times a hell of a long time ago. What happened to not picking up your ball and going home?!

[nobasisinfact]

[There's a long, long silence. He doesn't feel he's 'picking up his ball and going home.' He feels he's protecting her from seeing his face every day and realizing just how similar he and Simon are. From making those connections and coming up afraid of him.]

It's better than the possible alternative.

[Even without the deep voice, there's a quiet fear in it. He doesn't want her to look at him like that, to possibly reject him. It's another layer of armor, but one that is born for fear of those around him. Fear of what dots might be connected and turn out to be true.]

[11calls]

[Alex knows that fear in his voice, and she just gives an audible frown.]

Richard Strand, I have seen you in so many damned ways, when we've been terrible to one another, when you disappeared, when you were back but when you weren't. Even if you've got your own freaking tall paul over there, it's not going to change how much I love you.

[And then sadly:]

I thought you knew me better than that.

[nobasisinfact]

I've never doubted that.

[Congrats Alex, you have worn him down to a point where you get to see the overly looking like Simon him.]

[11calls]

[Alex just frowns for a moment, before she's banging at his office door.]

You thought I'd freak out because you look like Simon a little? Really? Richard, I already knew that! I saw the Cheryl tape. And the developed pictures.

[nobasisinfact]

[It's no use now. She's seen the reason he was hiding, so he opens the door.]

There's a difference between that and seeing the similarity in person.

[11calls]

Not really. It's not going to change who you are for me, you know. Really.

[Alex just reaches up and touches his cheek gently for a second.]

For being the smartest man I know, sometimes you're just thick.

[nobasisinfact]

I prefer to think I'm cautious.

[11calls]

You? Cautious? Never.

[nobasisinfact]

Better than blindly running into things.

[11calls]

I know that's a jab, but I'm ignoring it in favor of actually being able to see you for the first time in days.

[nobasisinfact]

I did have work to do.

[11calls]

And it had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that you look like Simon. Riiiiight.

[nobasisinfact]

Nothing.

[11calls]

...You know I can just replay that whole thing about me being insufferable when I see you like this post you made, Richard.

[nobasisinfact]

You're often insufferable.

[11calls]

And why I needed to practically kick the door down?

[nobasisinfact]

If you weren't insufferable you wouldn't have had to.

[11calls]

Which you thought I would be about Simon. Arguing in circles.

[nobasisinfact]

Insufferable about me being in a child's body.

[11calls]

Why? I’m in a kid body. Just because you were insufferable about that first my love...