that one time travel psl

[eyediot]

sad bad end s5 jon and tim on a monster road trip



[Algric had given the trio a fair warning of what was happening. Not the specific details of what he was coming from, but he was from a little further along Algric's timeline, and came through Hilltop Road. Never pleasant, but he's here now. IT took a few days of settling, readjusting, and putting some firm self-imposed boundaries on himself before Jon felt comfortable enough to see the others.

After a few minutes of surprise and staring, Jon ends up sitting alone with Tim for a few minutes; the others having some things to take care of themselves. He sits there, fiddling a bit with his fingers, trying not to be self conscious. He can't do anything about the myriad of different, newer scars, nor about his black sclera or so many other things about himself now.

But god... Tim. Alive and not shouting at him right this second. How novel.]

Tim... I.. [Where does he even start.]

Comments

[eyediot]

[That voice from so many lifetimes ago whispers in his ear you can't trust him. He was going to do this without ever telling you, you can't trust him to his.

Jonah curls up tighter into himself, face buried in his knees and that mist getting stronger around him. After everything he survived and forced his way through alone...]

All right.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Damn it, Jonah. He knows that mist and he hates seeing it on you. Algric hesitates for a moment, miserable. Then - he reaches through it, trying to pull him into a hug. ]

You can - you can compel me. I'll let you do it.

[eyediot]

[He's easy enough to move. Jonah's miserable, he isn't struggling or fighting it off. He moves with the motion almost dead weight.]

I wouldn't. I told you I wouldn't.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Then Algric just holds him close to his chest, squeezing him gently. ]

I know - I know. But this - this is an exception. I-if it will help you - if you'll feel better -

[eyediot]

What would you have me do?

[curriculum_fictae]

Compel me not to - not to go after Elias without telling you first.

[eyediot]

[He thinks about that. Really considers it, limp against him. Jonah said he wouldn't compel Algric, and he's been fighting it any time he starts to unconsciously.]

...No. I-i won't do that.

[He wants so badly to trust him. To trust that Algric will tell him on his own.]

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric slumps a bit at that, despairing. ]

Is - is me promising enough, then?

[eyediot]

... I want to believe it is.

Martin, I love you. I-i have to believe it is.

[curriculum_fictae]

Do you, Jon?

[eyediot]

Yes. I... Spent so long not trusting or believing in anyone.

I-i need to. I need to believe in you.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Oh, Jon. Algric winced with guilt at that. ]

Then - I promise. Before Tim and I go, I'll go fetch you. I can't promise we'll let you come, but we won't go without telling you.

[eyediot]

Thank you.

[With that, Jonah gently puts one arm around him, but pointedly not his burnt one. That one stays tucked close to his own chest. That little bit of trust he had, well. It has to be rebuilt.]

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Damn it. How does he always screw this up? Every time ... He doesn't know how to fight his way back from that.

Slowly, achingly, he reaches for that scarred hand again. ]

Jon ...

[eyediot]

[He can feel Algric reaching for it and instead sort of. Pulls away, but it's with a purpose. Jonah looks around the room, then gets up and to Tim's dresser and kneels. He grabs the tape recorder under there. It's not turned on, but it's available. With that in hand, he starts toward his pack.]

Can I-- Martin, I need to. I didn't want to share these, but. I-i think it would. Help with why I'm, wh-why I need to... Trust you and not. What you asked me to do.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric startles at that, immediately concerned? But ... oh. It's just a tape recorder? ]

All - all right? If it will. Help.

[eyediot]

[With the okay, he starts rummaging through his bag. He knows exactly which tape it is, it's just getting to it underneath everything else.]

It's not good? It's... really bad.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ He just shrugs helplessly. ]

If you think it will help, I'll listen.

[eyediot]

[Even with tape in hand, he isn't sure it will help. He's having second thoughts. Jonah stares at it in his hand and. No, he started. He said he would share this.]

Just. Just so you'll understand. That's all.

[He brings the recorder and cassette to sit on the bed with again.]

I... I kept recording. As I went through the domains, recorded... everything. I. I needed someone to talk to. And the recorder was all I had.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric stares at it, not entirely realising the gravity of that. ]

During - during the apocalypse?

[eyediot]

...Yes. During the apocalypse.

[curriculum_fictae]

All. All right. I'll listen.

[eyediot]

If you're sure.

[One last chance to back out. But with no interruption, he puts in the cassette and hits play.

There's the sound of some machines. Rides, yelling. Screaming, but it's hard to tell if it's joy or fear. Something loud and large is whirring in front of him, like it's going in circles. Jon's voice on the recording breaks a bit, commenting on how large the merry-go-round is. Noting what it's made of, how large it is. And then the breath that's familiar to Jon but new to Algric, that sense of being overwhelmed and full before he gives that poetic, horrible statement of the Stranger.

It seems like that's the end of it when he finishes. But then there's a muttered "Oh no" before her voice comes into it. Berating Jon for coming all the way through the neighborhood and not stopping to say hi.

Jon had hoped to not run into her. She jokes with him. That he's all alone. Got everyone killed, did he? Jon's silence is telling. It's all right, Jon, all these other domains and avatars may worry about him, but she knows who he really is. The paranoid little man down in Archives, who drove everyone away from the start with his mistrust. If he'd trusted Tim and Martin sooner, maybe none of this would have happened.

Of course, it wouldn't have saved his stupid friend she ate.

The dangerous pause gives her the wrong impression. But then Jon speaks. Forces her to stay where she is, not move. And then... Well. The Ceaseless Watcher turned its gaze at Jon's command. It's horrible. After it's over, Jon is audibly scared. He did that. He smote her, and he has no idea how he did that, or what this means for him.

Jonah, by the end, has his hand covering his mouth and looking fairly disgusted with himself. Then carefully reaches to hit stop on the player.]

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Oh. Oh god. It's horrid from the very first moment - Algric flinches viscerally at the sounds of horror and agony coming from the little cassette player - but it only gets worse from there. The carousel. Not-Sasha. And then -

And then Jonah destroys her. As justified as it might be, Algric can't help the sudden spike of terror at it. Jonah can just murder people? Just like that? With a compulsion? And Algric had nearly asked him to do that?

He stands abruptly, trembling all over. ]

[eyediot]

[Jonah does him the favor of not looking at him. If he needs to leave, Jonah understands.

His voice is so gentle. Scared.]

I have to trust you.