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[atypical_echo]

What it says on the Tin

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[heydrb]

I'm pretty sure it's not the Hotel California of ranches, but I'll be careful. Promise.

[atypical_echo]

Good. Oh, send me pictures of horses.

[heydrb]

I will.

[atypical_echo]

Thanks. As for me... I think I'm slowly adjusting. To being, you know. I might start looking for work again.

[heydrb]

Yeah?
That's great, Mark. You should.
You deserve something that'll make you happy.

[atypical_echo]

I don't know if I can find happiness. I might be a touch too broken.

[heydrb]

Something like it, then.
But I don't think you're too broken for happiness.

[atypical_echo]

Yeah, Joan tells me that too, but I don't really know.

[heydrb]

If you think that I can start over and figure out some kind of life for myself somewhere, why the hell wouldn’t you think you could?

[atypical_echo]

Because unlike you, I can't just walk away from all the things I've done and use that as a place to start from anew. I can't walk away from everyone else.

[heydrb]

You make it sound like it was easy for me. That any of this is.
It's not. It never is.
I've done this more times and in more places than I care to count. It's never a clean break from one chapter into the next.

Besides your sister, what's really keeping you in Boston?

[atypical_echo]

My friends. Sam.

[heydrb]

Sam could go with you and there’s like a million ways to keep in contact with people these days.

What good is that city to you after everything it’s taken from you and done to you?

[atypical_echo]

She can't. It's complicated.

And in the defense of Boston, most of my trauma was either in being kidnapped too Boston, or what you did. And I'm apparently keeping you?

[heydrb]

I guess that’s part of what makes you a better person than me.

This is the first time I haven’t just completely cut ties after I left a place.

[atypical_echo]

If you remember, you're also part of the traumas that happened to me in Boston.

I still don't get why you didn't cut ties. Might be easier.

[heydrb]

I know.
I left, like everyone wanted.

I really didn’t think you would answer when I text you that night, I was just drunk and lonely.

[How’s that for some honesty?]

[atypical_echo]

Like everyone needed, Damien. There's a bit of a difference.

That night I'd seen my parents. I sort of needed someone to talk to before I did something stupid. Which I then proceeded to do.

[heydrb]

Semantics.

Parents suck, man. Fuck ‘em.

You could stop answering at any point.
You haven’t yet.

[atypical_echo]

Important semantics.

[Because while they had all needed it, Mark still had to be convinced. Because it hadn't been what he wanted.]

You're like alcohol, Damien.

[heydrb]

What, like, addictive?

[Trying to be better or not, there is an unfortunate almost flattery to be found in being told someone’s addicted to you, for someone like Damien. Tread carefully, Mark.]

[atypical_echo]

Yeah, like that. You're a vice. I'm having enough trouble cutting out the alcohol. Apparently I can't stop on you.

[heydrb]

Is this the part where I’m supposed to offer to cut ties and never look back?
Because I walked away from you once, I don’t know if I can do it again, Mark.

I know that’s selfish and it’s not fair for me to put that in you, but…
I mean, we’re just talking. I’m never going back to Boston, you’re never gonna show up in bum fuck Colorado. What’s the worst that could happen?

[atypical_echo]

You make me sound like I'm this amazing thing you need in your life. I'm not that good Damien. I promise.

Yeah 'what's the worst that could happen' is NOT a phrase I like. I told Joanie that once, right before I was going to go see the world. I literally got AM-napped THE NEXT DAY.

[heydrb]

You may not think so. Doesn’t mean I have to agree with you.

Okay, so not that.
Point remains.
What does talking hurt?