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]

[He expected anger. The explosive burst of emotions that would cut Jonah deep, like Tim always had a way of doing right up to the end. "Why didn't you stop it?" "Why did you keep reading it when you knew what it was?" "Why did you let it happen?" All things he kept asking himself

If stopping reading would have killed him... maybe that would have been worth not destroying the world. It's what Jonah keeps telling himself when he can't sleep.

It's surprising when the anger isn't directed at him. He looks up at Tim, bewildered and openly vulnerable, having been ready to defend himself.

Where he had the words ready to explain about how he couldn't have stopped, Jonah sits. Speechless and lets Tim express what he doesnt have the energy to anymore.]

[kayakking]

[And then it goes off. Tim is out of his chair abruptly, the wood clattering against the kitchenette table as it's slammed back in. (The others hear.) He's working out the frustration that should have been tearing chunks in the spaces between his intentions and actions... instead, as he paces, the futile rant is directed at someone neither here, nor honestly would even care enough to enjoy it.]

Of all of the petty, evil bullshit! Consigns a whole fucking world to- to one of those- all of those things because the wretched old fool doesn't want to die?

It's not enough? A whole building full of suffering. Of all of the - the absolutely random horror poor fucks somehow live through and it's not enough. No, he kills all of us and rips it out of you.

[eyediot]

[It's odd, feeling so prepared for the anger in front of him, but watching it be directed to the pair of eyes trying to see from across the city. (It's only because of Algric and Martin that Jonah hasn't been found out. It's still too early to show the cards.) Elias definitely wouldn't care to hear or savor any bit of this; anger and fear often coincide together, but rarely make a nice palette for the Eye's tastes.

The other thing, though, is how uncomfortable it feels, sitting here and listening to someone be angry on his behalf. That feeling of being seen for the first time in ages - not as the Archivist, or an Avatar, or a harbinger, or a tool. But as someone worthy of being angry for. Someone who, despite all the mistakes he's made and likely will continue to make, has suffered in the eye of the storm.

His jaw is trembling when he finally finds his voice again.]

Tim. There... It's too late in my timeline, but. There's still a chance here. We can stop it from happening.

[kayakking]

[His attention snaps back to Jonah at the sound of his name. His fist clenches and then- then relaxes, and stays relaxed. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.]

I... Yeah. Yeah. We have to.

[eyediot]

[Jonah watches him, eyes a perfect mixture of hurt, hope, and vulnerability. Behind that black sclera is a man who was hurt, badly, for his mistakes, and the regret of an entire world on his back. The exhaustion and weight on his shoulders is visible now, even if he hasn't expressed what the end of the world fully entails. Tim probably doesn't need it.]

He's... already marked a bit faster than I was. By four. As long as we keep him from at least one, it should work out.

[He's already mentally working out which may be the easiest to avoid. The Vast, probably. Simple. Just don't go looking for Michael or Simon.]

[kayakking]

[Tim returns to the chair, gripping the back of it. But hasn't pulled it out. Hasn't sat yet. There's still... too much.]

How do I help?

[eyediot]

First, we stop the Unknowing. That'll... Keep him from a potential mark of The End, though there's no guarantee it won't happen some other way.

[For as much as these things hunt The Archivist, trying to keep Jonathan Sims alive will prove a fun task.]

Simon Fairchild and Michael Crew. Both for The Vast, and I know Michael particularly just wants to be left alone. That's an easy mark to avoid.

[kayakking]

... Fairchild's a wildcard though.

[He's read those statements.]

[eyediot]

He is. But he generally works more... with funding large projects than randomly targeting. Crew only... marked me because I went looking.

[While there's no outward scar of the Vast, his lungs remember it.]

I also don't... Think Simon cares much about Elias, so it may be a nonissue.

[kayakking]

... so that offer to ask you anything still good?

[eyediot]

...Yes. Any time.

[kayakking]

It's... different for Jon. And you, isn't it? Is just being free of the Institute going to be enough?

[eyediot]

[Jonah focuses eyes on Tim, then at the wall, with Jon on the other side, talking with the Martins. Worried about what's happening to him, is he going to look like that? All scarred and bruised and -

Can they really be free of it all? Jonah knows he can't. It's far too late for that. But for Jon... There's only one real, strong harness on him after the Eye.]

For him, probably not. Not entirely. One of the reasons Elias chose m-... Him. [Hm.] Us is because when we came to the Institute, we were already marked, had been for years. By the Web. And it will.. probably never let us go.

[kayakking]

So what? What does THAT one want in all this?

[eyediot]

...I don't know.

Elias didn't know either.

[kayakking]

Great. Well, no point getting tangled up in chewing on that, then.

[eyediot]

Agreed.

[Jonah does feel a little more at ease without that righteous anger directed at what happened to him.]

Those will be the easiest to avoid, I think, and without all of the marks his plan won't work.

[kayakking]

... You said, the rituals collapse. But we're still going for the Unknowing.

Why?

[eyediot]

... Would you believe me or think it was stupid if I said I wanted to keep a promise I made to the you in my time?

[kayakking]

[There's no curl of Tim's lip or withering stare before the pitched sarcasm. No, whatever happened with Jon, it's enough that Tim just ... looks at Jonah. Wrapping his head around the ... sheer idea of a promise he hasn't asked for yet helping him.]

... What was it?

[eyediot]

[Jonah watched him another breath, then looks down, thumbing one of the worm scars in his hand.]

In my time, I... ruined us, you know? By the time it was over we couldn't even be in the same room without going for each other's throat. And... you had every right, looking back.

But when you found out about the Unknowing, that it was the circus. Elias didn't want you going. I promised you that I wouldn't go without you, I wouldn't cut you out of the loop.

I made sure you were with us, and. Things .. ended the way they did. I want to still give you the chance to. To end that on your own terms. And maybe... I want to see you survive it.

[kayakking]

You know, I'd gotten the feeling things got bad from Algric.

[His own fingers press together as he sort of... works through it. It's not that he can't picture what Jonah was saying. He could picture it all too well. There'd been moments before Algric had stumbled into this timeline, when just the sound of Jon's voice would pitch a spike of such irritation he'd just- just off and have a break or find Martin or Sash.. find Martin to go bother him.

But, bloody hell, that last confession, in particularly causes something to band in his chest and squeeze.]

I'm.. not trying to get myself killed.

[eyediot]

[He sighs through his nose, still not looking back up at him.]

Algric tried... desperately for months to get us to at least talk. He wanted us to. [He hesitates; Tim knows how Martin is.]

And I-i know you're not. But. I'm not entirely sure about the you in my time. He might've gone in with the intention of not coming out. I-i don't know.

But the circus took your brother. And. I think it's only fair you have the chance. If you don't want to be there, then I understand.

[kayakking]

[His jaw sets, but he doesn't look Jonah as he speaks. Not until that last. His fingers on the back of the chair suddenly whiten from the pressure, and there is an intensity he snaps back into.]

No. I-

[A breath, and a very, very conscious relaxation.]

No, if there's an option. I'm going.

[eyediot]

[Ah. There it is. That's what he's familiar with. But then it's gone, like a slow exhale.

Jonah nods.]

Right. Then we both have something personal in this. [He rubs at his face, not unlike he would if he had his glasses on.]

The gorilla skin is already destroyed, so they're going to still look for something else to use. Which... may still mean they come after Jon here. It'll take them months to realize it's destroyed, though, so there's some time to prepare for that.