Office Hours, Thursday, 4/29

[tyler_gone]

Right, so the chatter online about Project Mayhem 2.0 had intensified instead of dying down. Wednesday night, Tyler had gotten into a three-hour IM war with one of the ringleaders that ended with the numskull proclaiming "We are all Tyler Durden," as if that settled things. But what Tyler had gotten out of the guy before he retreated behind a wall of cliché was not reassuring. They'd finally found somebody who could make paraffin bombs work. The list of targets was a couple screens long.

It was time for Tyler to have a little chat with them. The kind of chat that took place in person.

They sounded disorganized enough that he figured he had a few days -- long enough to make sure Tony was someplace relatively safe and stick around to see the last few people who had started at Fandom with him graduate. For now, though, he sent out an .

From: tyler.durden@fandomhigh.edu
To: [All staff]; ino.yamanaka@fandomhigh.edu; lindsay.boxer@stark.com
Subject:Office Clean-Out Time

Hi.

I'm leaving the island for a while to take care of some personal stuff. Probably I'll be back come July or September, but for now, anything in my office is up for grabs. Stop by today if you want to pick through the goods.

Sorry to be leaving the insanity. See you when I see you.

- Tyler

In Tyler-speak, that meant "I'll miss you all." He settled in to box things up, leaving the office door open.

[OOC: This is probably one of his last posts, at least for the time being. *clings* If you want to stop by and see him and weren't on the email, feel free to handwave other notification.]

Comments

[intraspective]

"It hasn't yet," she quipped, coming in and raising her eyebrows at him. "So it likely won't. Pouting is very useful, I'll have you know."

[tyler_gone]

"You could be the first," Tyler nodded wisely. "Scientific progress marches on, a face finally gets stuck in a pout."

What? It could happen.

"Thanks for stopping by," he added, glancing away. "I'm not sure how much I have that you'd want."

[intraspective]

"Did you really think I wouldn't?" she asked, ignoring his talk of her face getting stuck. Pffft. As if it would. "I don't miss 'see you laters' 'less I've got a good reason."

A beat.

"I don't suppose you've got another costume that needs taking care of?"

She was innocent. Really!

[tyler_gone]

"I do not," Tyler said firmly. "What, do you think I'm running a costume warehouse here?"

He was joking, mostly.

[intraspective]

"You never failed to provide before," she said, making herself smile. "Can't blame a girl for thinkin' that, yeah?"

[tyler_gone]

"Can't blame you at all," Tyler said, smiling back in a way that didn't touch his eyes. "I have to go home for a while, is all this is. People are taking stuff I said a long time ago way too seriously."

[intraspective]

She chewed her lip.

"Must've been pretty--bad things you said if you've got to go away to deal with them."

[tyler_gone]

"I encouraged the violent overthrow of the corporate system, so..." Tyler wiped his nose on his palm. "I'm not nice, Ino. Never said I was."

[intraspective]

She was just going to... shrug.

“You’re nice enough to me and that’s what matters,” Ino said honestly. “I’m not going to think ‘less of you for somethin’ like that.”

Why would she?

“Why’d you want to, though? If you—don’t mind my asking.”

[tyler_gone]

"It is a very long story," Tyler answered. "The shortest version is that I'm insane."

Said without judgment, as a neutral fact.

"The slightly longer version is that ... my world makes it very easy to die without scars. To kind of exist inside your little cloud of defining yourself by your car, your jeans, the brand of beer in your fridge, how much your job pays you. You need to be dramatic to get people to look up. 'Swhy I know -- the stuff I know." he looked away again, turning to take a poster off the wall and trusting that Ino would know the special skills he was referring to. "It's not all bullshit. But I'm past the point of wanting to risk lives over it."

[intraspective]

“Best to not then, if you’re not willing to risk it,” she observed, crossing her arms over her stomach. “So you’ve got fools back home wantin’ to do the things you no longer do—in your name?”

It was a guess. Even if it was wrong it would give her something to work with while she took the ‘I’m insane’ bit and matched it up with the time she’d met other-Tyler and smaller occurrences. Like sliding bit of a puzzle home, she watched him with calm eyes while thinking hard.

[tyler_gone]

Tyler could have picked nits over Ino's first sentence, but he'd long since learned she didn't think of taking a life in quite the way he did. "in my name," he confirmed. "Got a couple of them saying they're me, and I'm ... I don't even know. Too short. Something."

The Tyler Durdens should go on To Tell The Truth. They'd be a crowd-pleaser.

He narrowed his eyes, evaluating the look in hers, and explained a bit more. "It's called dissociative identity disorder. I'm very lucky I manage as well as I do."

[intraspective]

“I’m sure you are,” she said, with a shift and a shake of her head. “Got to admit I don’t know much ‘bout it even if I can make guesses.” And oh could she make guesses. “I’ll look into it; spare you the hassle of explainin’ it all.”

Please. She was a medic. Ino knew how to go looking for information on medical conditions.

“You going to kick their asses for ‘causing a fuss while faking as you?”

[tyler_gone]

Tyler was curious about those 'guesses,' actually, but he waved a hand. "Thanks," he said. "And ... something like that. I'll try using my words like a big boy first."

[intraspective]

She grinned impishly at him.

"The biggest boys in my world have the strongest fists," Ino informed him. "But your point stands. If you gotta fight, though, fight awesomely."

Because what was the point of a half-assed fight? Puh-lease.

[tyler_gone]

Something feral flickered through Tyler's eyes. "Like you have never seen."

[intraspective]

"Tell me 'bout it when you get back," she said, after a moment to appreciate his words.

Ino locked her arms behind her back. "I should... probably let you finish packing, yeah?"

If it was up to her, he'd never finish and just wind up having to stay--but Ino knew better than to wish for that. He'd said he'd come back. That was enough to work with for now.

[tyler_gone]

Tyler winced. She was right. "... probably a good idea," he said. "I'll be here a couple more days. My email should work once I'm gone."

He shuffled his feet a bit. "So ... see you when I get back."

[intraspective]

She bit her lip and studied the ground for a few seconds. "Did you want me to e-mail you while you're gone? Tell you what's goin' on in Fandom? I mean--not if you don't want me to, kinda weird 'cause you're a teacher and I'm..."

Not.

"But, you know..."

[tyler_gone]

Tyler shook his head. "Thanks, but I don't want to make you do that. If you want to tell me how you are, or what's up with Zack ... wouldn't complain. But I don't need the invasion 411."

[intraspective]

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, trying a faint smile. "I'll--go now. Otherwise I'll just keep chattering until you throw me out and that'd be rather embarrassing."

A quick smile that almost reached her eyes and she darted out the door.

[tyler_gone]

"Goodbye, Ino."

Once she was gone, Tyler flopped onto the couch and stared into space for a moment. Goodbyes were oddly hard.