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

[makemeasong]

I really don't think he means for any of us to be sick or hurt. I know we can't trust him, but he was upset about it. Genuinely. If I had to pick any part of the conversation as being an act, that wouldn't be it.

[ Clara closes her eyes and thinks, replaying it in her mind. ]

He left me the umbrella. Maybe not for a reason, or maybe so. I guess the question is why?

not to sound ignorant, but huntress? Who is that?

[weifinder]

The Huntress would be his mother. The one who offered him as sacrifice to the volcano. If the Beastmaster is his father.

She's another lord of the dead. Fled from the rest of the Brotherhood, when we were in Ke-Waihu. Asked for us to provide sanctuary, through the mouth of Anurr, the lord of the dead who predates the whole of the Brotherhood. Pestilence was her corruption of landscape as she rode nude and weeping, astride a horse, in Taravast: a bit different when asking for help, but you'd want to ask those who tended to her more directly.

I wasn't one of them.

[makemeasong]

[ Clara briefly wonders if she'll ever hit a point where no one is telling her brand new information. ]

I'm just gonna ask. Do you know if the people here view the child's mum as sympathetic or not? Because everyone's focus seems to be the kid, and I'm hearing his mother wanted this to happen. So why isn't the anger flowing toward her?

[weifinder]

I don't know, and also, she didn't really succeed in the way she planned. Their child survived for years on that mountain before he disappeared from there, and not into the volcano from what I gleaned. By now I suspect his disappearance might be linked to the man in white.

As far as I know, people would hold her accountable, when she never went looking again after. It's difficult going against your culture and society, I know that, but I will never understand sacrificing other people for your sake.

[makemeasong]

He has burns on his face under the mask. That tracks with being near something hot.

[ Where Clara's sitting, she lets her head fall back against the wall in thought. ]

Honestly, I think all religion is a bit cult-like, but sacrifice was weirdly common on Earth, too. Especially young girls.

[ She's pretty sure she remembers a culture of ancient Incans or Mayans (maybe Peruvians, she can't remember, secondary school Ancient History was so long ago) who took girls as young as three and four to the top of a volcano every year to keep it from erupting. ]

With everyone that's here—and I said this in another convo—there has to be a way to contain him, or bind his ability somehow. Something that'll buy us time to figure out whether or not we can help him.

[weifinder]

With the robed figure on one of the tower's level wearing the garments of those from the House of Ravens, it would further indicate his links back to whatever did happen. Only he did feel vibrantly alive... same as the man in white.

Whatever they are, is likely key to understanding what he does, and what he might be. Or what we can or cannot do for him.

We need to know more.

[makemeasong]

[ There's so much to know, and before she can even reply she has to rub her face with her hands. Taking a deep breath, she lets it out slowly and looks at her device again. ]

We need to know more, and we need to know how much time we have before he goes nuclear.

My only theories right now are 1) possession 2) old soul reborn into a young body that doesn't know how to adjust 3) too much power in too small of a vessel.

If it's two or three, maybe we can teach him how to control what he can do. And if it's the first one I have no idea. That's where containing him—safely—could be our best option for now.

[weifinder]

If it's those cases, then it's possible we can ward him to have it be contained. My concerns then lay with the white man and his intentions, because he's as linked to events we've followed as anyone else, and I can't say if what he does helps or harms about equally, or not.

But he did temper the fox-masked child's impulses before. While also likely being the one to bring him here. We aren't the members of the House of Ravens who hurt him, but there was evidence of them on that floor where the strange dolls played games of chase. He's linked to that trauma, one way or another. Perhaps if he has reason to laugh...

I don't know. Until we learn more, I won't speculate too much.

[makemeasong]

I think you're right. Too much speculation is only going to muddle things. We should stick with the facts as we know them so far, and try to come up with a plan from there.

Based on all of that, I do think he wants to have fun with us, but his idea of fun and ours are obviously incredibly different.

[weifinder]

Right. And it might be enough if we impress how that difference isn't good, or it might not... but right now, he's beyond our reach. We'll see what navigating unmaking the cursed state of this citadel allows us when it comes to finding and dealing with him, peacefully preferred, otherwise as needed.

[makemeasong]

[ It seems like, for now, that part is settled. She can't let the conversation go without checking after them, even with someone she doesn't know. They've all gone through something worse than awful, she can't help it. ]

Did you and the people you care about make it out of the tower mostly alright?