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]

[Before Algric can start in on the "collapsed" comment:]

I made. The choice to either.... extract a statement from those things, or. Or get Tim out as fast as I could. It was... already almost too late, so.

[Jonah still has no sense of self preservation in any small, consequence standing way.]

[kayakking]

Wait. [That whole part is buried in the confusion of the Unknowing itself...]

What?

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric is not having a good time here. Neither comment is good, god damn you both. ]

So - so you saved Tim, but hurt yourself?

[eyediot]

[One day, Jonathan Sims is going to learn to keep his mouth shut. One thing said aloud, and already it's twisted. He ducks his head to grip at his hair and pull gently, grounding himself; to them it likely looks a bit silly, his hands not knowing where exactly they grab.

He hates quoting Elias. Especially when he's right. God damn that man.]

The Stranger is. [God how had he put it?] Antithetical to the Eye, to me. I knew in a different timeline, in their place of power, during their ritual it would be hard to go through. So I-i had. Talked with Algric and the plan was to go in... fed. And, and partway through extract a statement so I could keep going.

It was all going too fast, and Tim was... Tim, you were barely holding on, there was just. Not time for me to do it. So I focused on. Using the last I had to getting us out so you'd be alive. It wasn't meant to be "save Tim and hurt myself." It was supposed to be "save Tim and be drained for a little while."

[kayakking]

I don't- I don't remember that?

[The frustration shudders in him, boiling. The air around him might be a bit warm.]

[curriculum_fictae]

B-but - but you didn't extract a statement in the middle. A-and while I'm desperately glad you helped Tim -

[ In contrast to Tim, Algric is freezing cold now. The two temperature steam dimly in the room. ]

God, I should have been there. I - I could have helped you.

[eyediot]

Tim, you were at the point you barely knew you existed, I-- That isn't the point.

[He pulls a little harder at his hair. Why are they drifting off point. Why can't they understand-

He's shivering and sweating, feeling like he's got a fever.

Is this why Elias just. Puts things in people's heads? Because it saves time and frustration trying to use words?]

After. Everything went off. I'd gotten us to the one spot that I knew we'd be safe. A-and Tim, you were. You got it open.

[kayakking]

[Jonah only hears a rustle of clothing, but Algric watches Tim fold, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. His fingers, white tipped, press hard into his face. The pain is grounding, at least.]

I was becoming a monster. Is what you were saying.

[eyediot]

[His voice is so quiet but so shaky with the trembling from Algric's cold.]

That is not what I said. I said-- Th-the Unknowing. It literally... You literally no longer know anything. You didn't even remember your brother.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Sorry, Jon. He doesn't mean it, but the chill is just unrelenting. ]

Let's - let's not get off topic. Fine, you saved Tim and - now something's wrong with your eyes?

[eyediot]

[The tension in his shoulders drops. He's still feeling the temperature extremes - now he just feels feverish altogether.]

I-i can't see. I can't See either.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ And Algric's heart plummets to the bottom of his stomach, taking the temperature with it. ]

W-what?

[eyediot]

[He swallows, huddling up a little tighter with his shivering.]

I. Can't see. I can't see anything. And it-- [God, he's been battling between focusing and trying to ignore it and he can't ignore it now.] It burns.

[Oh, Jude would be living for this right now if she knew.]

[kayakking]

[That's the problem isn't it? The misery, pain and devastation in Jonah's voice feels so delicious. It settles in his mind, bright and boiling, the further it curls the more he can feel the details of it, his frustration with not being understood, the hunger, the use-

Wait.

Tim's head snaps up.]

... You're hungry.

[Something in him twisted, furious at himself. Spite and contrariness was more than enough to push forward.]

Jonah, you couldn't see when I pulled you out either.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric fights back a strangled noise of panic. Jon can't see, he can't See, he -

Thank god for Tim. ]

We'll feed you then. We've both got - got plenty of misery.

[eyediot]

[Jonah tilts his head Tim's direction. Thinking for a moment, trying to remember. He'd been so worried about Tim at that moment...]

No. Nnnno that- [It can't be that simple.

Then again most things like this were that simple. But it is true he hadnt had a proper statement since that night. And... well. He could see after it.]

God this is stupid. Worth a try, I guess.

[Worse comes to worst, one or both of them have nightmares for a while.]

[kayakking]

I'm not sure there's anything about me you don't know yet, though.

[Aside from the general fear of being Seen. It's why he's always been evasive and reticent. He shift, uncomfortable.]

I can try, though.

[curriculum_fictae]

I'll try too. I've - I've done it before.

[eyediot]

[He listens to them both, then shifts to try and run a hand down his face but not being able to see and the shifting letting in the fresh cold made that miserable.]

Sure, I.. I'll listen. But could I... also get a blanket? It's um.

[Everywhere Algric did touch is still a little frosted.]

[kayakking]

Right.

[The couch shifts under Jonah again as Tim pushes himself up. There's the sound of a wooden door (cabinet or a chest?) opening... and not long after there's a wash of warm, as Tim wraps the fleece blanket around Jonah's shoulder. Then oddly, it ebbs, as Tim sits back down a little ways away.]

[Tim glances at Algric, thinking.] What it's like to work in the Institute? That could fly.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Oh. Oh. Algric withdraws a little then, trying to keep the cold away from Jon. He's ... not entirely successful, but at least he has a blanket. ]

I - I mean - I feel like it has to be something Jon doesn't know yet?

[ A pause. ]

... I could talk about working for Lukas.

[eyediot]

[Bless, he huddles under the blanket and tugs it closer.]

... Are you sure that's what you.. want to talk about?

[Does Algric still have to worry about the nightmares? Does his being bound to Jonah now negate that and protect him? He isn't sure. And Lukas isn't what he wants to test that with.]

[curriculum_fictae]

[ He's been very quiet about whether that initial feeding had caused him nightmares. (He had, though they hadn't been ... too bad? So far.) ]

I - I think it's the easiest topic. Yes.

[eyediot]

... All right.

[He takes a deep breath, the green in his eyes flickering like a radio signal sputtering in and out under the angry red.]

Tell me about when you were working for Peter Lukas.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric takes in a deep breath, steeling himself. ]

Most days, I didn't see him. I mean, nobody saw him, but. That doesn't mean he wasn't there. Every time I'd relaxed just enough to think that maybe he wasn't hovering invisibly behind me, he'd just. Appear. And whatever mistake I'd just made, or. Or had made in the last week, he'd just rattle them off condescendingly, or. Just imply that he'd known, and my mind did the rest. I swear he's got some Eye in him too, I just -

[ DEEP BREATHS. ]

I couldn't talk to anyone. There - there weren't many I could talk to anyway, just. You know, Rosie? My old library pals? I did try with them, but. It had been a couple years since I'd moved to Archives, and strange things had happened, and ... you know how it is. Archives had always been kind of untouchable to begin with, and. Well. After the Flesh attack ate Tobias Fisher, they blamed us.

[ His voice falters a little. ]

Melanie hated me. Basira thought I was useless. They were both right. And my mother had just died, and ...

[ Now his voice is a whisper. ]

It got to be that Peter was the only one I talked to at all. That work was the anything that had any spark in my life. On the weekends, I just didn't get out of bed. Didn't clean, didn't ... take care of anything. I just shoved aside whatever trash had built up on my bed and. And slept in it.

I was miserable and there was no one there that could do anything about it. Least of all me.