eastbound | audio { un: hide-and-seek }

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audio { un: hide-and-seek }

[ 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.

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[ ... Ah, this does make sense. ]

Many of the creatures we think of as undead lords have particular abilities. Plants wither under their feet, they control animals, and so on. At least one, we think, was granted these abilities by the figure we call the White Wanderer. Potentially more.

This child, perhaps, has his own ability to cause sickness wherever he travels. Unfortunate, then, he has been left to play in Serthica and cannot control it.

[ 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. ]

The child lies.

( said softly, and with great sadness, for many, many reasons. )

Whatever his intent, he knows it links to him. He didn't say how long he's been here, did he?

The only thing he repeated more than once was that he didn't 'mean to.' So what now, next time we find him we send him back to wherever he came from?

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.

No. just that he came to play with dragons.

I tried to read between all the lines, but people here do love their cryptic wording.

If it simply happens, wherever he goes, I am sure he didn't mean to.

If we are correct, the White Wanderer granted him this gift as he did to his father -- potentially, to his whole family. That means he could take it away. We don't know of any other such means to do so ourselves, to change a person permanently. The unfortunate thing is, if he makes people sick then nowhere with other mortals is safe for him.

[ 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.

He seemed confused when we were in the Unwinding, not recognising us as separate from someone or something else. He may be unintentionally more cryptic than some others are by intent.

The man in white. I wonder when he'll arrive, because he's linked to the dark waters, and those waters are what make the burlap dolls do what they do. Though it's strange... this illness is more the kind of pestilence that the Huntress was known for, I thought.

The person we need then, is the White Wanderer, but that isn't the same person as his family. Maybe that's who the Child was hoping a dragon could eat.

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?

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?

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. ]

It was the white wanderer who built the citadel, by the child's claim. The man could also, as so claimed, cure the sickness if he chooses to, but there was no answer as to why he hasn't returned to do so. The boy only said "he can't stay" and that he won't tell the boy his name.

His nature may be that of a child's, but that does not make him an innocent. To say that he "didn't mean to" means that he knows he is culpable in the suffering, no matter how sorry he is for instigating it. He then turns around to claim that everyone here is happy, and that we are the ones about to ruin it all. He avoids responsibility by work of his own delusion.

I suspect the White Wanderer brought him here. I suspect the White Wanderer has acted as a friend to him. The current guess is the child's parents are Hyang-Won, who became the undead lord the Beastmaster, and Anui, who became the Huntress. We know they did have a child, and Anui -- who was devout -- took that child to be an offering at the House of Ravens. Hyang-Won was not devout, and became enraged. At some point, the White Wanderer spoke to him, and after that he became the Beastmaster, and his wife the Huntress, and he chased her down seeking revenge. Anui came back to her home when the House of Ravens was due to re-open, to see if her child was still alive. He wasn't there, but we know he did survive for quite some time. It would have been years, so I'd think whatever kept him alive was unnatural.

If this is correct, and he didn't go as willingly to be scarified as his mother suspected, I'd expect if he wished harm on anyone it might be her.

Everything in the tower had some distant echo of Ke-Waihu and the House of Ravens. Mutated half-human creatures? Those lived in the volcano there. The skeleton ancestor? Honour your father, dishonour your mother. The scarecrows wore the robes of the priestesses of the House of Ravens, and played a game of offering each other as a sacrifice.

It all does add up.

As children are wont to, without guiding hand.

You are harmed?

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.

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

Whose fault is it when a child behaves a certain way? Kids are kids, they don't come out pre-programmed.

[ At least that's what Clara believes, it's what she's always believed. ]

Define 'harmed.'

I don't believe he would accept our guidance. Even so, what benefits the attempt, if he cannot control the sickness that he spreads?

Fault has no bearing on the matter at hand. He seems to be either the source or is closely connected to the source of disease. Perhaps he did not choose it, perhaps he was cursed, but if he can't control it, then that is a grave concern.

[ It all reads like a transcript of Dateline: London. One of the episodes that needs to be a three-parter because it goes deep. Reading the message a few times, Clara frowns at her device but has to agree. It makes sense. ]

Is anyone actually trying to help the Child? This isn't his fault, he didn't ask to be a pawn between his parents.

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?

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