Am I my Brother's Keeper?

November 20, 2023

Harper sets some bags down by the front door. She looks up to see Terminal still sorting through various papers. Harper sighs, "So you ready to move out yet? You have your own home you know." Terminal is sitting on the sofa with boxes around him as he responds, "I'm still going to have a use for that faraday room I'm renting... just need to figure out how to get to him."

Harper walks over to the back of the couch to watch over Terminal's shoulder. She raises an eyebrow, "Sage, I mean this in the kindest way possible. You're an obsessed stalker and freakazoid."

Terminal grumbles as he flips to another paper, "I'm not and the name is Terminal."

Harper rolls her eyes, "You're currently going through what looks like this stranger's medical records. How the hell did you even get your hands on those?"

Terminal puts the papers away in a vanilla folder. He sounds more and more irritated, "Not all of them. I'm still missing a few."

She scoffs, "Sagey, having anyone's medical records without them knowing is creepy as fuck." Harper stands upright and heads towards the kitchen.

Terminal sets the folder down and looks in Harper's direction as he remarks, "Like you have room to speak little miss receptionist~"

Harper pauses in her tracks for a brief moment, "Touché." She resumes walking and gets a clean wine glass out from a cabinet.

Terminal adds, "And can you stop calling me Sage?"

Harper grabs a two liter bottle of bright green soda, "Why? It's just your middle name."

Terminal stares at the soda and wine glass a moment with a confused expression before continuing, "It's only my middle name because it's my brother's first name."

Harper pours herself some soda. She holds the glass with one hand as she walks back to the living room, seemingly proud of the beverage, "You have a brother?"

"He's just a loon."

Harper nods her side to side, "Ok but like you never told me about him. Let alone I've never seen him."

Terminal gets up and grabs one of the boxes, "He doesn't live around here. Don't see why you would need to know."

Terminal begins heading towards the door downstairs. Harper quickly steps in the way with her free hand going to the doorframe. Terminal manages to stop before plowing her down with a heavy box. He looks annoyed as she speaks, "Dude, we literally grew up together and you never mentioned him once? I even know about that time you got your tail stuck on a sewer drain and couldn't get to school."

Terminal rolls his eyes and sighs, "I don't like talking about him. He's... well he's a loon."

Harper raises her voice a bit, "Just a loon!?!"

Terminal shifts his weight and grip on the box as he waits.

Harper scoffs, "You know how I am about connections, just a loon isn't just another loon. Especially if they live in Haze borough of all places. How the hell is your brother managing that???"

Terminal grumbles under his breath, "I never said he lived in Haze borough."

Harper raises an eyebrow and sticks her chin out, "You said they didn't live here either."

Terminal sighs and sets the box down on the ground, "They live in Trotston Enclave."

Harper sassily shakes her head, "Very funny."

Terminal groans, "What now?"

"They don't live in Trotson either do they?"

Terminal is sounding more and more uninterested in the topic, "I just said they did, didn't I?"

"There's no way he lives there. Do you even know where he is right now?"

Terminal looks away in annoyance, "Ok. Maybe I don't know where he is right now but I don't particularly care either. He's insane. Probably out in the woods hugging a tree or something."

Harper smiles as she moves out of Terminal's way, "I knew missing cards from the deck ran in your family."

Terminal picks the box backup and deadpans, "Very funny coming from someone who is also related to me."

"At least my family didn't have a thing for snakes," Harper squinted after taking a sip of her soda, "Why is it always snakes?"

Terminal shakes his head as he heads down the stairs.