VIDEO

[unobtainableredemption]

[Kaine had been trying to wait until Peter or someone got the consoles fixed, but that didn’t seem like it was coming any time soon, and he didn’t want to wait any longer. Taking a page from some of the others, he holds up a piece of paper with the same message written in four languages: English, French, Spanish, and Japanese. His handwriting is sloppy, but he was trying his best to make it legible in every language. The only thing betraying his true feelings on the news he’s delivering is the way he tightly clutches the paper. ]

May Parker and Miles Morales have gone home.

[He holds it up for about a minute, before holding up a new page.]

Anyone with business with either one of them can take it up with me.

[He pauses for another minute, then holds up a third piece of paper.]

What’s a more secure way to talk to people?

[Another minute, then a fourth piece of paper.]

Want to talk about the shit going on. Not stupid enough to do it here.

[He holds up one final piece of paper.]

Open to suggestions.

[He puts the last piece of paper down and turns the feed off.]

Comments

[werethatgood]

Less camera. Less relative to May, too.

You sure they're both gone?

[unobtainableredemption]

[He's got both of their webshooters in his sidetable drawer and a trunk full of costumes in the spare bedroom.

But as he doesn't know she knows, he instead picks up a framed photograph of May and her family, the one he found at landfall and gave her, and hands it to Cassie. There's two other photographs on the table--one of Kaine and his friends, and the other of Miles and his family. He still doesn't know why he grabbed it as he barely knew the kid, but he... he just didn't want the Kedan to take it.]

I'm sure.

Didn't know you were their friend.

[werethatgood]

[ Cassie bites her lip, but manages to hold tears back, for now. ]

I... yeah. May knew the me from her world. And Miles, he and I...

[ She waves a hand. We maybe kind of liked each other a bit, she doesn't say, because she's not even sure-sure, just. The thought that he's gone makes her hurt right there. ]

He was going to start an arcade. I was helping.

[unobtainableredemption]

May's my niece. Different universe, but...

[He makes a fist, digging his nails into his palm. He refuses to fall apart because some kid happened to know the other two kids.

He gives a bitter laugh, softly:] Heh, guess there's no reason for one now anyway, is there?

[werethatgood]

Yeah. Different universe. And that's how you know - not from May, I mean, from... the whole family thing.

[ She looks down, hugging herself a bit. ]

There's a reason, but I don't think people'd appreciate it, with... everything that's going on.

[unobtainableredemption]

[Kaine isn't exactly sure where Cassie's going with that.] Peter Parker's my older brother. That's how we're related.

[He bites the inside of his lip as he puts the picture down. Of course he said the wrong thing, what else is new.]

Try me.