2025-03-09 - I Don't Buy the Altruism

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Ring ring

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: heyyyyyy you caught me at a good time. I'm on break

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: what's up?

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Weird shit

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: Weird how?

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Well brace yourself. This is going to shock you

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: But apparently a theme park with real live magic and strange creatures and ghosts and shit

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: Wow. Color me shocked.

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: I hope you hear the sarcasm

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Oh I do and there's more

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: You turned into a dragon?

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: Grew an extra arm? Honestly, it'd be helpful to have a third. I think about that all the time.

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: LOL no you type so fast

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: you have like magic fingers. don't finish that thought. what i'm trying to say is

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: this theme park etc etc has feds and ominous dudes who never take their sunglasses off asking questions

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: and last night one of them tracked me down. God knows why. Apparently he'd been talking to our good friend Derek

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: I'd have told you sooner but you were working on your big final dissertation and i may have learned to respect your need for focus on that at some point in the relatively recent past

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: mmmk

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: are they like an industry person?

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: if this guy's with a record company it's Men In Black Records out of Roswell, NM

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: Weird

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: anyway. he spooked me. and you probably know THAT takes a lot.

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: yeah.

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: Why did they talk to Derek?

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: getting to that. "security"

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: apparently whoever these guys are with is worried about certain high visibility individuals and the impact of all the weird shit on us.

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: i don't buy the altruism angle for the record

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: i read this as these people think if something happens to someone with a big social following, the world is going to find things out that they don't want getting out. he SAYS they want to protect me. you. us. whoever. but i just don't buy it. i don't like it. i've never liked people like this

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: Eh, I don't know. You're online presence has gotten a bit more lively. I could see there being a need but it's also kind of odd that it's related to magic specifically.

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: So it's about PR

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: thats what I think

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: Annoying but a part of me gets it

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: He said they want to protect YOU. and that made me listen

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: I'm not a rock star

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: Why do I need security?

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: you're not a rock star. but you're with a rock star. and when they start hinting about you being danger because of me

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: and look, again... i don't know what to believe.

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: I told this guy I don't have any enemies and this idea of either of us being in danger is kind of bullshit

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: Are we sure this guy is even legit?

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: If he isn't he has Derek fooled. And he had proper ID

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: He's a "contractor". My brother had a high school friend who was special forces. This guy has the same demeanor

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: I don't know what the fuck it's all about, Rubes

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Oh. Thats the other thing

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: He said you're "slated to go diving to find something in the water"?

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: Yeah, I'm going on a dive tomorrow. It's in relation to that event that happened on New Years. Honestly, I'm not sure what it's all about. I've been so busy between work and my final semester.

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Okay..

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Well this guy knew about it. So you should know about him

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: i guess its fine if he knows about it but like... unless he's planning to dive in idk what to tell him

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: I’m not sure you’ll have to. He just claims he / they / whatever will be keeping you safe

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Look. I hate having to say this on a text

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: And you’ll probably tease me and call me clingy

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: But be careful ok? I love you, Surfer Girl

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: I love you too. I'll be careful.

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: I'll probably just go dolphin mode. As long as it's a short dive it shouldn't cause any problems.

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Oh hell yeah! I always forget you can do that

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: You have no idea how much that just improved my entire worldview

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: haha glad to help

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Awesome. So. Meet me at the Balcony tonight?

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: Last date before my big dive just in case?

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Hahahaha umm

[TXT to Ruby] Brandon: Yes 😂

[TXT to Brandon] Ruby: haha sure i'll meet you there after work