Inbox, IC Contact

[calltheundertaker]

Howdy, this's Jesse McCree Cole Cassidy. I ain't here at th' moment, but if'n ya leave a message I'll get back t' ya soon's I can. Thank ya kindly.

BEEP

Comments

[Voice]

[caduceusvalkyrie]

Jesse? It's Angela, we need to talk.

Re: [Voice]

[calltheundertaker]

Well hey there, Angie! Ain't seen ya in a minute, how're you doin'?

[caduceusvalkyrie]

[How does he manage to make things feel a little better?]

I'm...doing okay considering everything. [Which was actually true. She'd forced herself to try and get at least an hour more of sleep each night. Progress!]

How have you been holding up lately?

[calltheundertaker]

[It's that McCree Magic]

Oh, I'm doin' alright, y' know how it is, always somethin' happenin'. Sure is nice t' hear from ya, how's that job treatin' ya? I know it wasn't easy t' pull you outta that lab ah yours, you're takin' care of yourself, right?

[He will continue to small talk if not stopped, but Angela probably knows that]

[caduceusvalkyrie]

It's good! Not the same as home, but I don't think there's much that could really compare to that feeling and comfort.

[She laughs at that last question.]

Define 'taking care'.

[Oh, she is well aware and actually goes along with it as a distraction because what she had to say was not easy to talk about.]

[calltheundertaker]

I'm kinda fond of havin' a couch m'self. An' Shinjiro's a good cook, so I'm actually eaten' pretty well.

[He's really not doing bad, now that he thinks about it. Which is a strange thing to think about. Other than all the weird shit that keeps going down.]

[He sounds a bit doubtful though]

Oh, I don' know, gettin' enough sleep an' not livin' off nothin' but coffee like ya used ta.

[caduceusvalkyrie]

Oh, that's good! Saves me having to come over to you and bring care packages.

[Oh boy, good thing this was voice and not video or she'd look as guilty as she sound.]

Hm...yup. To both of those.

[calltheundertaker]

[He hears that guilt in your voice, Angie.]

Uh huh. You sure 'bout that? Maybe I need t' send you a care package. Shinjiro made some ah them pancake kinda things Genji liked this mornin', I can bring ya some.

[Don't make him feed you, Angela Ziegler. Don't make Jesse McCree be the responsible adult here.]

[caduceusvalkyrie]

I wouldn't say no to those.

[There's a heavy sigh.]

Honestly, I'm okay? I don't think it's possible for me to sleep for more than four, sometimes five hours. And coffee is basically my blood now I've accepted that. It's working. [Somehow.]

[calltheundertaker]

Now I ain't no model ah self-care, but I'm pretty sure ya can't live by coffee alone.

[It's coffee, beer, and burgers, Angie. Get it right. Jeeze.]

[caduceusvalkyrie]

[You can't tell her what she can and can't do Jesse McCree!]

There's wine too. I forgot to mention that. [She's almost there.]

I appreciate your concern, Jesse. I'm managing though. Promise.

[She's quiet for a moment because she's enjoying just talking to him. And not for the reason she initially called. But she sighs and she's frowning on her end. Her tone takes on a more serious and yet tired edge.]

Do you remember hearing the reports back home about a Soldier 76? He uh. He showed up here some time ago but was ported out before you arrived. I spoke to him.

[She's quiet again and then sounds...sad.]

I found out who he was.

[calltheundertaker]

Solid food, Doc. I'm bringin' you some ah those pancakes, maybe find some ah th' leftovers in th' fridge too.

[But now that's a gear shift and he figures they're getting to why she actually called him. Not that he wouldn't love to just chit chat with Angela some time, but he hadn't figured that this was just to shoot the breeze]

I heard 'bout him. Ain't crossed paths with him, saw some pictures, an' I thought he looked familiar...

[He raises an eyebrow, even if she can't see it.]

Yeah? You mind tellin' me?

[His tone is gentle, since she obviously doesn't want to, but this is what she called for, so she might as well spit it out.]

[caduceusvalkyrie]

[Jesse deserved to know. There was more she knew but she didn't know if that could be shared. Not because she didn't want to, she didn't want Jesse to be hurt if he didn't know. But he also deserved to know about Gabe.

Angela takes her time, a few seconds although it feels like days.]

It's Jack. He's alive.

[calltheundertaker]

[There's silence on the line for a good few seconds, and then the sound of a screen door slamming shut as Jesse goes outside because right now he needs a smoke to go with his beer]

Run that by me one more time, Angie. Cuz I'm pretty sure dyin' ain't somethin' even you can' fix. I remember seein' the funeral on TV.

[Even in disgrace Jack Morrison had been a hero after all. It hadn't been the same fanfare he would have gotten during Overwatch's heyday, but it had still been impressive.]

[caduceusvalkyrie]

Jesse, I was at the funeral. I thought he was gone.

Something happened here, a memory thing. Archie told me what he saw from the explosion and I remember seeing the Halloween party but from Jack's perspective.

[She sighs as she falls into her couch and rubs at her forehead.]

I went to see him, to get him to confess to it because that was far too many coincidences. He took his mask off and it was...it was him. It wasn't some trick.

[calltheundertaker]

[There was a lot going on in Jesse's head right now, so all Angie is getting is silence as he smokes most of the way through his cigarillo.]

[Because of course Jack fucking Morrison would survive an explosion that leveled a building. But if Morrison had survived... couldn't Reyes have as well? Jesse knew, the whole Blackwatch team did, that Commander Reyes could do some freaky shit, but he'd always been able to do freaky shit, and it helped him survive and helped them get their missions done so no one ever looked at it too closely. (Well, except Dr. O'Deorain, but she was always looking at things too damn closely if you asked Jesse. No one ever did.) There's a loud sigh from his end before he responds]

Alright, so Morrison is explosion proof. Good t' know. But he ain't here, so I ain't sure how relevant this is, Angie.

[caduceusvalkyrie]

Because he can come back. And if he comes back he might remember being here and he might not. And you needed to know. [She's quiet.]

I needed to tell someone.

[calltheundertaker]

Alright, well now I know.

[He chuckles, imagining Jack showing up and thinking no one will know who he is, and Jesse McCree knowing. Oh man that would put his regulation briefs in a twist.]

[His voice softens a bit because yeah he had to figure that was weighing on Angela a bit. She worried about a lot of things, what would happen when Morrison came back had to have been one of them.]


I'm glad ya told me Doc. Did he say anythin' bout what happened to Geneva?

ignore this if you want- we can handwave the rest if you'd like

[caduceusvalkyrie]

[She could tell him. Right there, she could tell him everything Jack had told her. About Gabe, being alive, being who he became. But she shook her head even though it was voice.]

Not really, just what we already know. With the addition that Jack somehow survived.

[Oh it was good that this wasn't video or even worse, face to face. There was probably a low chance she could have lied.]

how about a convenient interruption?

[calltheundertaker]

[There's something off about her voice, something that makes Jesse think she's leaving something out and it's bothering her.]

Yeah, that's a pretty big thing t' know. Is there--

[But then there's a voice interrupting his question, reasonably clear, probably because Lucifer just draped on him and is talking next to his ear]

Hey, Costner! C'mon, let's get going, unless you want to try and bodyguard from the hotel. I found a place that has a buffet and strippers. Fuck, I love Vegas.

[He sighs the sigh of the perpetually weary, yet also fond.]

Yeah boss, gimme a sec.

[Then he's talking to Mercy again]

Gotta go Doc, gimme a call though, it's nice t' hear from ya.