I want him far away. I want him to vanish. // The birds in glass. What he doesn't know, he can't fake. // Are they pretending to trust him, like I'm pretending to trust them trusting him? // Remember: they're saying what I hear. Remember: they're doing what I see them do. // John swore that the bracelet worked.
[ Okay. Not stalking him. That's good, at least. Now what else can I use here...
John. That's the other half of the King in Yellow from what I read in Arthur's file. He's a warden, and always has been. But it sounds like he trusts him. And a bracelet? ]
Tell me about the bracelet. What is it supposed to do?
[ Charlie's voice is calmer on this topic, but for a sharp interjection. ]
Hunter survived being the King's warden with this. // Magic to fight magic makes sense to me. // No falling backwards into dream. No false faces. No voices the colour of spiders-under-my-skin. That was the promise. // Wake up!
Do you sleep if I don't dream it? // Wake up! is the physical jerk when you start to sleep is the slap is the survival instinct // You exist. They exist. We exist. I'm awake. // is the cold water is the question about Roland is the impulse to grab when you're falling is the survival instinct.
[ What comes through in tone is... a mixed bag. Deep fondness at some points, fear and upset at others. ]
Steady. Steady. Breathe. Steady. Breathe. // You're a good guy. Please, please remember you're a good guy. // What a smile. // Your brother? Am I the only one who sees how fucked up that is? Are we all pretending it's okay? // What a poker face. // More love and joy and kindness in his little finger than I think I got left in my whole body.
[ Like night and day. Interesting. It's obvious he has concerns, and she can't say she blames him for that. But the answer couldn't be less different. ]
Why do you say it's 'fucked up'? What do you see is the difference between the two?
He wasn't there. He didn't touch me. The King sought him. I had no idea what he sought. // Lorick said nothing about Yellow. // How can he trust the King that trapped him in a prison? In a hell? How is it not like putting his hand in molten gold? // The yellow lipstick on my throat won't come clean, and won't come clean, and won't come clean, and he still calls the one who kissed it family. // The King's cruelty was an ocean. Where would it drain?
[ Poetry and puzzles. She really shouldn't be surprised. The world works through narrative, through stories, and here she is only getting a few of the pieces, snippets, Youtube clips of his experience. It would be easier if she could be entirely clinical but she can't.
No wonder he reacted like he did. She feels more than a little empathy for him. ]
So it's because John wasn't a part of the King when you dealt with him. [ When he hurt you. ] Okay. And the King imprisoned you. Where? How?
The shadows lengthen there. // I would rise with the shape of paving-stones debossed on my cheek. // In Arkham, more than a decade ago, I began to hear voices and to sleepwalk. // The city that is its god that is his city. Lost Carcosa.
So the King in Yellow was in the Dreamlands, tormenting him every night. No wonder he's having trouble trusting what he sees. Living in a walking dream...
She decides that she's got all she needs from this avenue. She glances down at his file and sees a couple of new cards. She decides to try and make a smoother transition if she can. One of these names sound like they come from the Dreamlands and the other one sounds like a guy from, say, Arkham. ]
[ A pause, like an exhale. The image of Charlie is looking down, a smile on his face. A complicated smile, but a good one. ]
A cana. // His outsized hand, damp and cool, steadies me at the edge of the pit. // How could I not promise him? // He knew my name when I didn't. He knew a lot of things. He must have known he'd be punished, and he did it anyway.
Arthur says he was thrown in a pit. Arthur says he saved him. // Could I have made myself go back? // He doesn't follow me out of the caves. I don't question the plan. Still half out of my mind. // I could have done something. I can never do something. Always when I'm not there. // Will I see him again? // Did he know it would all happen?
[ She makes a mental note to ask Arthur about the cana, see if she can find out any more since Charlie's clearly concerned about him. Maybe knowing that he's all right will steady him a little, or at least start working on that gnawing guilt. ]
Arthur helped him get his freedom. [ For some reason, it feels better to say out loud. But she keeps thinking. What about the other one? Was he a fellow prisoner?]
What about Roland? Who was he? Do you know where he is now?
[ The tone whips immediately to dread and panic, cadence uneven. ]
Don't tell! Don't look! Don't ask! // WAKE UP hold onto it so tight your fingernails bite your skin. // Murdered and murdered again. // He was gone when I got back to Arkham. // Not even a voice! // Buddy, what did you get into while I was away? // What are Roland Cummings' plans? // WAKE UP palms bleeding I remember I don't know I won't forget. // No no no!
[ There's no transition from panic to not. This is an answer to a question, not a person with a consciousness or a continuous experience. There's just another image of Charlie flickering into view, and the image is quieter this time. ]
The closest thing to going home after the war. // We made pretty good partners, didn't we? // I couldn't talk fast enough to save him. // His old lady doesn't like what we're working on. Late nights, dangerous suspects. Can't turn down a job with the world like this. // I wouldn't tell you even if I knew.
Right in front of me. // The King can draw out a death as long as he likes. Roland's was faster than mine, only days. // It's really you. It was really you. // Both of us were unamusing to him now.
I'd have trouble dealing with that person's 'redemption' too.
A small huff at herself.
I'm having a hard enough time with Wake. Losing Casey like that...
She's done for the moment. Now, she has work to do.
...really annoying work on her laptop to do, but it's very much the least she can do, now that she knows. She hopes Charlie is willing to at least open the door. ]
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makethestory) wrote2024-02-23 11:51 pm
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John. That's the other half of the King in Yellow from what I read in Arthur's file. He's a warden, and always has been. But it sounds like he trusts him. And a bracelet? ]
Tell me about the bracelet. What is it supposed to do?
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Hunter survived being the King's warden with this. // Magic to fight magic makes sense to me. // No falling backwards into dream. No false faces. No voices the colour of spiders-under-my-skin. That was the promise. // Wake up!
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You keep saying 'wake up'. Do you think I'm asleep?
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You mentioned John, the other half of the King in Yellow. How do you feel about him? Do you trust him?
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Steady. Steady. Breathe. Steady. Breathe. // You're a good guy. Please, please remember you're a good guy. // What a smile. // Your brother? Am I the only one who sees how fucked up that is? Are we all pretending it's okay? // What a poker face. // More love and joy and kindness in his little finger than I think I got left in my whole body.
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Why do you say it's 'fucked up'? What do you see is the difference between the two?
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No wonder he reacted like he did. She feels more than a little empathy for him. ]
So it's because John wasn't a part of the King when you dealt with him. [ When he hurt you. ] Okay. And the King imprisoned you. Where? How?
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The Dreamlands.
Shit.
So the King in Yellow was in the Dreamlands, tormenting him every night. No wonder he's having trouble trusting what he sees. Living in a walking dream...
She decides that she's got all she needs from this avenue. She glances down at his file and sees a couple of new cards. She decides to try and make a smoother transition if she can. One of these names sound like they come from the Dreamlands and the other one sounds like a guy from, say, Arkham. ]
Tell me about Lorick. Who is that?
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A cana. // His outsized hand, damp and cool, steadies me at the edge of the pit. // How could I not promise him? // He knew my name when I didn't. He knew a lot of things. He must have known he'd be punished, and he did it anyway.
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[ She knows it isn't really him, but she can't help but say- ]
He sounds like a good friend.
Do you know what happened to him? Do you know if he's all right?
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Arthur helped him get his freedom. [ For some reason, it feels better to say out loud. But she keeps thinking. What about the other one? Was he a fellow prisoner?]
What about Roland? Who was he? Do you know where he is now?
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Don't tell! Don't look! Don't ask! // WAKE UP hold onto it so tight your fingernails bite your skin. // Murdered and murdered again. // He was gone when I got back to Arkham. // Not even a voice! // Buddy, what did you get into while I was away? // What are Roland Cummings' plans? // WAKE UP palms bleeding I remember I don't know I won't forget. // No no no!
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Okay... who was Roland Cummings to you? He was your friend?
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The closest thing to going home after the war. // We made pretty good partners, didn't we? // I couldn't talk fast enough to save him. // His old lady doesn't like what we're working on. Late nights, dangerous suspects. Can't turn down a job with the world like this. // I wouldn't tell you even if I knew.
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Do you hold the King responsible for Roland's murder?
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Right in front of me. // The King can draw out a death as long as he likes. Roland's was faster than mine, only days. // It's really you. It was really you. // Both of us were unamusing to him now.
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I'd have trouble dealing with that person's 'redemption' too.
A small huff at herself.
I'm having a hard enough time with Wake. Losing Casey like that...
She's done for the moment. Now, she has work to do.
...really annoying work on her laptop to do, but it's very much the least she can do, now that she knows. She hopes Charlie is willing to at least open the door. ]