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
no subject
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?
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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?
no subject
no subject
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?
no subject
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!
no subject
Okay... who was Roland Cummings to you? He was your friend?
no subject
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.
no subject
Do you hold the King responsible for Roland's murder?
no subject
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.
no subject
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. ]