[Video, Sunday afternoon]

[catchingflies]

[There's a kind of nervous-looking Toad on the network today. He's obviously flustered by something or another, but knowing him, that could be anything from Outer Authorities to an unplanned encounter with a bar of soap.]

Yo, guys! Where the heck are ya? I've been lookin' everywhere for you guys! Edmund's takin' people outa town, I wanna get goin' and you three'd better come along, a'right?

[Yeah, so this is wide-open to everybody. It's not really all that clear who he's talking to, but probably the people he's actually talking to can guess he means them. Probably. Maybe? He hopes?]

Comments

[thefuzzyguy]

[The video is on, but not pointed at anything but a bit of wall. Kurt doesn't have it in him to lift up the communicator, even with his tail.]

Mein freund, I can't focus my eyes long enough to read the numbers on the thermometer. Und I may have forgotten English most of this mor-

[His attempt to crack wise about what may well be impending death is interrupted by an awful, choking cough for a few seconds.]

Also I can't really move and that might be blood. You have fun though!

[catchingflies]

[That particular answer is one Todd half-expected and had been trying very, very hard not to think about. And now he's going to try very hard to deny it, even if Kurt is pretty obviously not lying.]

What? No way. You ain't sick. Not that sick. C'mon.

[thefuzzyguy]

Ja, das ist Blut... I'm exactly sick enough to cough up blood. How's that?

[catchingflies]

[This is not good. This is not good. Since when are his friends supposed to get sick enough to cough up blood? Since never, dangit!]

How sick is that? Yer not supposed to do that, fuzzball.

[He sounds almost angry, but he's really just nervous. Which has a tendency to come out as angry, with him, anyway, when it isn't screaming panic.]

[thefuzzyguy]

[Though still determined to carry on conversation like it's a stand-up routine, Kurt's barely aware enough to string words together, never mind be offended at the Toad's tone of voice.]

Nein, was a bad idea. I don't know what I expected to happen working at the hospital, though, ja?

[Oh, right, information... That he has...]

Oh, Quicksilver's down, too.

[Heh. He never noticed that before. He says it like "kuh-VICK-zil-fah." Is his accent always that funny? He'd laugh, but he might die coughing.]

[catchingflies]

Wait wait-- Pietro? He's sick, too?

[Less angry now, more panicking, with his voice going up an octave and everything. It's not hard to rattle Todd, really, but deadly plague infecting his only two people from "home" is pretty much up there.]

I was gonna get you guys out! Where are you?

[voice]

[jimkirk]

[ Jim's pretty sure this post has nothing to do with him - which is good, it's not like Todd is his buddy or anything - but he chimes in anyways. ]

You managed to avoid this sickness, huh?

[ score one point for Todd on his next stage thing. ]

[Video still]

[catchingflies]

Hey bro. Yeah, I'm fine. Guess I got the whole immune system thing goin' an' all.

[He both looks and sounds a bit less confident than he did a minute ago. His fellow mutants, after all, are both sick! This sucks, man.]

You?

[permavoice]

[jimkirk]

I'm right as rain, shockingly enough. I'm not sure what keeps us immune, but we can't do a lot of good here, you know? Other than have our luck run out and get sick.

[Permavideo, cuz he's not turning it off]

[catchingflies]

Well, unless you just ain't caught it yet. But I'm kinda havin' second thoughts about the whole leavin' thing.

[Not entirely, but maybe a little. His friends are sick! Not that he'll call them friends to their faces, or anything, but still.]

[jimkirk]

Way to be optimistic.

[ a pause. ]

Yeah, I...I don't know that it's the best option, but maybe something from outside can help us find a cure. We're not doing much just sitting here.

[Audio]

[cantcatchme]

Oh, geez.

[He so does not want to talk to Todd right now. He was hoping the guy would just kind of take care of his own skin and forget about him.]

Don't be so dramatic. Blue-boy doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm fine.

[Except he sounds hoarse and... oddly slow. Also he keeps getting confused and asking about Wanda and his father. But he'll be fine.]

[Audio back, this time]

[catchingflies]

[Todd's reply is loud and, yes, still kind of panicked. But mostly just loud. Be grateful you don't get a screenful of Todd's face, to go along with it.]

You had seizures! That's kinda bad, yo!

Re: [Audio back, this time]

[cantcatchme]

And I'm handling it!

[One gets the impression that he's holding the communicator at a distance and grimacing at the noise.]

Cool it. Go on your little camping trip or whatever. I don't care.

[catchingflies]

Yeah, like you handle everything else.

[He sounds a bit less panicked, though, and a bit more annoyed. Maybe a tiny bit sulky, actually, at being shut out so thoroughly.]

So what happened? I mean... you really did the whole-- shaking and falling down thing?

[cantcatchme]

[Some day, Todd might realize that the whole 'being a dick' thing is a defense mechanism, and that Pietro actually saw him as a friend. As much as he did anybody. Because he was actually feeling a little guilty. Maybe it was just the sick.]

Only because Blue Boy there botched a teleport!

[That's his story and he's sticking to it. Even if he's had a couple smaller episodes since.]

[knightoflight]

Tolansky? Do you need help?

[Video]

[catchingflies]

Oh, uh, hey, Wing!

[The kid offers a smile that's definitely not very real.]

Naw, I'm... all right. I'm fine. I ain't sick or nothin', anyway.

[Video]

[knightoflight]

You don't sound fine, Tolansky, though I'm glad you're not sick.

Is there anything I can do?

[Video]

[catchingflies]

No, I don't--

[Idea.]

Hey wait. Maybe you can. I'm tryin' to find where my friends are holed up, it ain't the hospital. It's somewhere west of that? Think you could take me on a fly-over an' we see if I can find where they're at?

[That'll make it go much faster!]

[Video]

[knightoflight]

I'd be glad to.

You're a good person for worrying about your friends, Tolansky. And I enjoy flying with you.

[text]

[tiptoeing]

Where is Edmund taking you all, do you know?

[Text]

[catchingflies]

[Text? What is text? Todd tries to reply, and is all thumbs. His hands need to stop shaking, yo.]

dunno he dnt say. guess somwer e nature-y cuz he says bring beddng n stff

[video]

[tiptoeing]

[Bruce sighs and switches to video. He looks and sounds terrible.]

I would offer my mattress and blanket, but I'm afraid you'd only catch the disease from using them.

[Video]

[catchingflies]

[Oh hey, sick dude. Todd looks vaguely disturbed by the sight of him, mostly just because it makes him think of Kurt and Pietro, not because he feels bad for Bruce.]

Uh, thanks, man, but I'm cool. I got stuff I can use.