un: sweet lily of the hidden valley; voice

[bearshermark]

[Eleven's voice comes through hushed, yet tinged with urgency]

This one is asking for a mirror.

[A different, fainter voice, words heavy and slurred as through from disuse] Take me to mirror..

[Eleven audibly hesitates, his attention turning briefly away from the network as his voice lowers, softer] Are- are there more of them? The one on the ship shattered..

[A halting pause from the other side] ..End pain..

[Grief, bleeding through compassion] I will. If I can't help you, I promise.

[Eleven takes in a deep breath and clears his throat] ..I know it's probably too much to hope there's another mirror we could easily find, but he seems convinced it would help. It was said the body in the lake had a similar aura. I didn't think much of it then, but now I wonder...

Comments

[somebadnews]

[ Is he slightly curious what the mirror would do...? Maybe. But it still seems like a terrible idea to entertain. ]

It seems strange that he would unfreeze in this weather, doesn't it?

[bearshermark]

Yes. Karsa said Unhalad was losing power, didn't she?

[Admittedly, he'd taken exception to her lecture and didn't stay to listen to much of what she had to say]

[somebadnews]

[ Frowns, because he doesn't like to admit to missing things. He has his own problems with Karsa, though he'd use stronger language. There was that bit about Anurr controlling the weather... ]

So you think they're vulnerable, right now?

[bearshermark]

I'd guess that's what's happening.

[A breath] The people in the Citadel that support Anurr are certainly growing bolder.

[It's a little worrying, for reasons he hasn't quite put together yet]

[somebadnews]

Not just there.

[ They're straight up fanatics, that Anurr is apparently calling out to. He witnessed that first hand. ...And now you've got him thinking. ]

They know they've got an opportunity.

[bearshermark]

I guess that makes sense..

[He hums shortly]

I'm glad we left the Citadel. It was never safe there, but it feels worse, now.

[somebadnews]

It's not safe anywhere.

[bearshermark]

It's just a different kind of threat, I think.

[He sighs]

But if Unhalad's power is truly waning, then perhaps this is what becomes of those that the undead warlords can no longer control. Maybe we can't save them, if it's only the curse of undeath that's waning. It might just be that they return to their natural deaths..

But I really wonder what the mirror would affect.

[somebadnews]

[ Is the experiment worth the risk? Probably not. Definitely not with El involved. Who knows if it's even about the same mirror? Some random object he grabbed...

All these damn mysteries. ]

What's your plan now?

[bearshermark]

Hm. Well, I don't see the harm in bringing him to the edge of the lake. Beyond that, I'll look after him.

[somebadnews]

[ He doesn't see the harm. Definitely wasn't listening to him at all. ]

You'll watch him suffer. Who are you really helping?

[bearshermark]

I'm trying to understand what's happening so we can help. I watched the miners deteriorate into undeath. This looks like the reverse.

Unless you already know what will happen if he's brought to the lake or looks into a mirror.

[somebadnews]

[ El is going to do it anyway, he can tell. What he knows is surprisingly little, for all his efforts. Cryptic warnings that don't add up to much more than frustration. ]

I don't.

[bearshermark]

[A pause]

I'm worried too, but if it might help..

And if something goes wrong, I will handle it.

[somebadnews]

[ Who said he was worried? He doesn't like it, but it isn't up to him to tell him to be careful. ]

Sure. Let me know how it goes.

[bearshermark]

[Non-worried people wouldn't tell him it's a bad idea]

Probably nothing, after all this.

[somebadnews]

[ That grates him, just a little bit more. ]

Tell yourself whatever you want.

[ Sometimes he just likes to go on the record for having said something. At the very least, he's expecting a gruesome death on his hands, and some kids aren't as up for that as they think they are. ]

Later

[bearshermark]

[A quiet breath]

He died. The body thawed back to a more natural death state as he wandered into the lake.

[somebadnews]

[ He's legitimately surprised to hear back from him. As for the results... that's interesting. ]

How hard was it to get him there? Was he drawn towards it?

[bearshermark]

It seemed that way. He walked into the water on his own; we didn't force him.

[somebadnews]

Strange. [ Does that mean anything? It ended with the same result as it would have if he killed him outright. ]

Did you leave him?

[bearshermark]

No. We pulled his body out and cremated it.

[somebadnews]

[ Hm. He would have wondered if Anurr would have claimed the body if he hadn't, if that's even possible. But despite his warnings, he has to give him credit for going through with the experiment. ]

It could have been worse.

[bearshermark]

It wasnt.

[He took pretty good precautions ok]

[somebadnews]

[ Don't get cocky, kid. He was wrong once. ]

You're not disappointed?