audio { un: hide-and-seek }

[makemeasong]

[ Clara isn't sure how long it is before she feels capable of having a conversation, one where she's able to coherently explain her interaction with the Child. She's been sitting with her thoughts, turning over every level in her mind, all the things she saw and felt. By the time the Doctor had found her on Level Three, she'd already been through enough to hide in a dark room, uncharacteristically unsure of what to do. They'd wound up getting to the top of the tower together, he'd seen her through the sickness, but he'd gone back for others. That had left her alone to talk with the Child when he appeared without a sound by her side. Now, it's time to share what she's learned.

She may be feeling up to conversation, but not enough for video, and after this, only enough to text. When she begins, her voice is already hoarse, rough around the edges. ]

Right, jumping straight to it this time 'round. I had an interesting conversation with the Child. The kid in the fox mask. He said some things I'm sharing so we can talk them out or whatever we need to do. This may be a coincidence since I dunno know what the tower was or wasn't manipulating at that point, but anytime he stood with his umbrella over me, I felt better, less like I was sick. I also still have it, the umbrella. He left it.

[ She'd tried to give it back to him, and he'd let her have it without saying anything about it. ]

Alright, I'll get to it because we're all exhausted. The conversation started when he told me I 'wouldn't like what I see' and followed that hit up with 'seeing the undead isn't the same as knowing what's happening.' I guess he knows about the dragon eyes and what they do. I asked him who could help us know what we need to understand the rest, but his only suggestion was to ask his parents. He mentioned his father knows everything. Lots of kids think that, though.

Third fact of fun: fox-face told me his father could help anyone except me. And I dunno if he meant me specifically or all of us? Because he finished that bit up by saying he—as in himself—'made things sick' but didn't mean to and he's sorry. The kid also referred to a 'him' and 'he' a lot. Mentioned if 'he' were here, 'he' would know why we were sick. I'm assuming the father is the same 'him,' but it was never clear. Could be two totally separate beings.

[ But here's where things get even more interesting. ]

Next, kid says he was in Serthica after a ship dropped him off to play with the dragons. He seemed pretty excited about the idea that said dragons were big enough to eat 'him.' Still dunno if that's different from dad.

[ Now for the real dick move: ]

The Child said he was playing with me, with us. I think I guilted him into admitting we're his toys, just playthings. The dollhouse built just for him with us as the living dolls. Then he was gone. Not before saying he was glad to have us as toys.

[ Clara rubs a hand over her face, sighing audibly. ]

Other fine details include: he doesn't know how to keep us from getting sick, he doesn't understand why we get sick or how to stop us from dying (so he claims), and he blamed me or...us, I guess, for coming to a place where the sickness is. He insisted he was a good kid who only came to play with dragons.

[ By the time she's done, she's satisfied she hasn't missed anything — hopes so at least. ]

That's all I know. Or at least it's all I can remember. Was a long day, but I don't have to tell you lot that. Hopefully, this helps with something.

Comments

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ Of course Five wasn't the only one who saw him. He should have acted on his first instinct, but he'd pushed his luck trying to get answers. It didn't go as well as he'd planned. He's exhausted or he might be more outraged that he thinks of them as dolls. Not that it's surprising.

At least they should all agree with him now, right? The child is a problem. ]

I'm pretty sure we know who his father is. [ And this pains him to prove Wrathion's theory right, but... ] The sickness spreads from him. I watched spores form out of his tears.

[ Let's just ignore why he might have been crying and appreciate that Five is sharing with the group for once. ]

text }

[makemeasong]

Fill me in? I've never seen anyone who fits that very fucked description.

[ Clara doesn't feel much like talking anymore, so text it is. ]

The father passed it on to his kid, so how do we reunite them? One big happy family out of Serthica.

| text

[somebadnews]

[ He's assuming the switch is to better record what he has to say to refer to later. It's a lazy way to take notes, but he cuts her a break this time. ]

If you go by how he reacted when I mentioned Hyang-Won, he's already dead. A knife through the chest took him down.

[makemeasong]

He definitely didn't talk about him in the past tense at any point. But maybe Hyang-Won is who he wanted a dragon to eat?

Did you talk to him too, by the fire?

[somebadnews]

I did. He didn't know he was dead until I told him.

Hence the tears.

[ Five didn't exactly break it gently. The child didn't answer when he asked if he was his father, but it's the natural conclusion. ]

[makemeasong]

Guess that tracks. I don't know how much any of this helps, since we (general 'we;' haven't been here long enough to take any credit) seem to already know or highly suspect a lot of what he told me.

[somebadnews]

It confirms some of my suspicions. And tells us who we need to stop to put an end to it.

[makemeasong]

there's our 'who.' Now what do we do to figure out 'how?'

How do we make any headway when we're all being put through absolute shit every other week?

[somebadnews]

[ He went up that tower to do just that, and failed. In hindsight he should have thought of how beforehand, but he didn't count on it going quite so badly. ]

He crumbled to dust before I got that far. But from what I've heard, he's alive. That at least gives us one advantage.

[makemeasong]

I know he knows more. The kid, I mean. The problem is, trust is gonna be a tricky thing with him. He doesn't want us to leave because he wants to play, and if he thinks we're trying to get the hell out of Dodge, I'm guessing he'll shut down. Possibly do something with his ability because it comes out when he's upset.

Now we're here, he doesn't want us to go.

[somebadnews]

[ If she's worried about upsetting the child, she wouldn't have liked to be there when Five confronted him. He was ready to kill him, but he can tell that thought never crossed her mind.

With the way people tend to jump on him over the network, it's better that he lead her to that conclusion. ]

You already tried reasoning with him. Now that he knows what happened to his father, I don't think he'll be eager to help us.

[makemeasong]

Sure, because most kids who've never had any real parental guidance in their lives act like angels when adults are angry.

He understands what he can do, but does he know why? Does he know he's being used? Did anyone who unleashed this ability on him bother to try and teach him control?

[somebadnews]

You think he's being used? For what?

[ He frowns to himself, thinking of what little they know about the man in white. There's more to that story. ]

I saw his face. It had burn marks all over it.

[makemeasong]

Dunno what for. But someone told me his mum left him at her weird cult, and this could all be a result of that. I'm putting pieces together because I only go back as far as the Unwinding, but as far as I understand it, he was supposed to be a sacrifice, and his dad was angry when he found out.

[ What a screwed-up card to draw in life. 'Mummy's Little Sacrifice.' She pauses and re-reads the message before replying to the last bit. ]

I'm not even sure what to think about the burns. Were they scars or fresh?

[ She doesn't want to give in to the questions her mind is asking about how a small child gets burned in the face. She'd rather stay blissfully unaware, though she knows that isn't likely. ]

[somebadnews]

[ His mom, who they helped to hide, just before Five's brother killed his dad. There's really no reason they should hope the child will cooperate with them. ]

The skin around them was dark, so if they were old, they aren't healing right. If he is the child she sacrificed, they could have come from the volcano.

I should have thought of that.

[makemeasong]

Obviously a kid couldn't survive that. So could someone be using him like a puppet? Like he's...something else inside a sympathy-inducing body.

[ She doesn't feel good about threatening a kid, but if he isn't an actual kid... ]

There have to be other ways to figure this out.

[somebadnews]

Just because he looks like a child doesn't make him innocent. We know everything we need to about his motivations. It's a matter of how you stop someone like him.

His mother isn't dead, but bringing her here might cause more harm than good. There aren't many other options.

[makemeasong]

His mom really fucking sucks.

If we can't stop him, I'm not naive to what might need to happen. But I'd like to know there's really zero chance of him being a normal kid before then.

[somebadnews]

[ He didn't expect anyone to be this reasonable. It's not like Five enjoys killing kids, but they have to be realistic at some point. ]

The only way to fix him is to go back in time, and that's a road you don't want to go down.

We need to be focusing on a way to trap him.

[makemeasong]

[ This is the first time anyone's suggested trying to keep the kid contained to her, and Clara sits up a little more. She's also intrigued by the time comment. ]

Him being tossed in a volcano is probably a fixed point anyway, if I had to guess. Couldn't change it without potentially causing something worse.

Containing him, yes. But if you think he's uncooperative now, wait until we try to put him in a cage.

[somebadnews]

[ Five narrows his eyes at that. The Doctor was the only one he knows who went on about 'fixed points'. Although she's not wrong that it's a bad idea to mess with time just to save one child.

He'll put a pin in that for now. ]

He might lash out if we put him in a cage, but the alternative is letting him make another tower the next time we try to reach him. Or worse.

There are those of us who could pull it off, if you can get them on board.

[ People tend to not listen to his ideas, just because they come from him. No idea why. ...Wrath might, if he asks him, but it'd be nice to have public opinion on his side for once. ]

[makemeasong]

[ Clara has to think about that for a minute, glancing at the Doctor as she rubs her thumb over her bottom lip. ]

Maybe if I can get a few people I know to at least listen to the idea, strength in numbers could help persuade the others who can trap him.

[somebadnews]

[ He can agree with that. Mostly because he has no way to trap him without their help. ]

Let me know how that goes. It'll take planning, so the sooner we get started the better.

[makemeasong]

Alright then. It's sort of a loose form of some kind of plan. All we can do now is try and see where it goes.

[ She knows what she's hoping for, and she's sure she doesn't need to say it aloud. If it doesn't work, then...then. But for now, a bare-bones plan. ]

[somebadnews]

[ He doesn’t love a ‘try and see’ approach, but she seems like she’s willing. Working with others isn’t his strong suit, and it’s an effort to curb his impatience. ]

You aren’t going to convince everyone. Some people can’t see past what looks like a child, so don’t waste your time on them.

Remind them that he has a reason not to like us after the tower. There’s no room for moral dilemmas.