eastbound | un: ut malum pluvia

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un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[ Five is walking out of the lighthouse as he addresses the network, since it's generally quieter where ghosts aren't constantly interrupting his thoughts. The beauty of this form of communication is it's not entirely unlike talking to himself, which is really his preference. ]

Okay, listen up. Since we're all sharing, let's see if we can't come up with an actual plan, before we experience the next shift and you all inconveniently forget who you are again.

[ To say nothing of a haunting that has already sent him into a panic attack or how he nearly drowned just to see for himself what he'd already heard second-hand. Nothing but success for Five Hargreeves. ]

Two orders of business. One, Miang-Si is obviously a catalyst, if not the cause of what's happening here. I searched her room one of the nights she was out galavanting with her lake friends. There was correspondence that suggested she was enamored with someone, who I now assume was the Huntress. I also found evidence that the woman in white, and another in red, visited her there. The witches she's involved with also may have dragged in women doing laundry nearby into their lake at some point, judging by what was found with the skeletons at the bottom.

Secondly, these hauntings aren't just some curse. If they are spirits, we need to figure out a way to trap them. There's a woman in white, a man in black, a lumberjack, and another woman in red. Who else has been seen and how often? If we can capture one of them, maybe we can get some answers before whatever triggered this starts again.

[ He has no doubt it'll happen at the worst possible moment.

Just as he's about to continue with his all-important conspiracy theories, he's approached by a young girl with a silver coin in hand. Distantly she can be heard saying she's worried about her family, and asks him to take a donation for Kathoo'lul's blessing. Dumbfounded, he takes it and promptly loses his train of thought as she scurries away. ]

...Amazing how easy it is to start a cult around here.

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[ She gets it before he has to clarify. As usual, she doesn't allude to anything about herself. Not even which one of five ghosts could have attached to her. ]

Because you think it's too dangerous, or you're afraid of that one in particular?

Perhaps both. Were I to expose myself to their realm, then I don't know if I would be able to protect myself. If these spirits have any malice toward us, and if one of the more powerful spirits, or whatever commands them, took hold of me, I—

[ How she hates it. What strength she gained in her short return to London has been far too shaken since. She doesn't trust herself. ]

I would never wish to hurt anyone.

[ This much information is likely something Wrath himself deduced, so she doesn't care should they gossip. However, given this line of questioning, it sounds as if Five still knows little about her. If he did, she has a feeling he would be much less amicable (as he is in his brusque way). Perhaps the two of them do not discuss everything, as she assumed.

It wouldn't matter. There are other reasons she needs to be careful of what else he learns. This much, at least, may be wise for one of the more pragmatic in their group to know of. He does understand that dangers are everywhere. ]

Edited 2023-07-01 21:51 (UTC)

[ ...That's interesting. Even if he was in bad shape in Alem, he remembers running into her, after he assumed Wrath chased her off when he was trying to seal the gates of Hell.

Not what he was after, but she's always made herself a mystery. ]

You're more worried about what you would do, more than anyone else?

[ A soft sight, and softer said: ]

A worry since youth.

[ Slightly louder, with more gravel her voice. ]

Killing is something you find easier than the others. [ Not a question. Anyone paying close attention could learn that. ] But does it still hurt you?

[ Not what he expected her to pick up on. He's not sure why she'd bring it up now, unless she's deciding it's a good time to ask for advice. ]

What I do isn't personal. [ Why did he even answer that? ] I'm in favor of doing what needs to be done.

[ 'Not personal.' Tell that to the dead. ]

This world has revealed time and time again that there are beings who can find ways to control us no matter where we travel. It seems to occur with more frequency than before.

[ The hauntings in Alem, the forced sleep and stolen dreams on the Sandman, the altered memory... What else could happen if the enemies learned what they could do with her? ]

And so my concern has grown. I worry over the eventual goal of those who may control the spirits, or whomever leads the witches, should they discover me.

[ In her experience, she would assume it to be the same source, but Satan in the incarnation she understands does not seem to be here. ]

[ He told it to Lila after killing her parents. She didn't like hearing it, but she got it eventually. ]

Should they... [ He trails off as he starts to connect the pieces. Her primary concern isn't the spirits, it's what might happen if something took control of her body. Whatever she thinks she's capable of, she obviously sees him as someone who would have no remorse about taking out a threat.

In a way, she's giving him a compliment. He doesn't know how he feels about being the first one she thought of, but she's not wrong. ]

Are you asking for a favor?

With what I know of you, I have little doubt that you would do what needs to be done no matter if I asked.

[ So, perhaps it's more of a heads-up. Or permission? Or— ]

Should you ever come to such a conclusion... If you have a favor to give, or any mercy, I would ask you to not let the Doctor bear witness.

[ He's not an idiot. He's seen Vanessa snooping around the lighthouse and he's had his suspicions about the Doctor, but this is the first time she's come out and told him anything about herself. Funny that it would be over something like asking him to be her failsafe.

It'd be nice to know she trusts his judgment, if it didn't have an edge of desperation to what she isn't saying. ]

Easy enough. [ He can't imagine the Doctor would appreciate that. Still, she says it like she expects it to happen. ] I take it you believe that you're a bigger threat than the rest of them? Why?

[ A sharp breath. ]

No, I—

[ Well yes. But she is still reluctant to say why. She'd rather not have him be over-eager about it, should she actually be able to fight off any imminent threat.

She doesn't expect it to happen, but her memories have been altered. That means nothing is off the table, and she plans on finding ways to better protect herself. In the meantime, a failsafe should be implemented. Though she might rather die by love's hand, the Doctor could never be the one. For him of all creatures, it would be too cruel. ]

I would not presume to say as such. But the craft I wield could cause harm should I be taken over by a powerful enough force. Even one more innocent person's life destroyed by my hand would be too much for me to bear.

[ 'One more.' He's killed innocent people, on purpose, more times than he cares to count. It takes a certain type to be able to see the bigger picture, and understand what it's for. He took that burden on so that others could live, and he can barely muster up regret that it had to be that way.

For whatever reason, she asked the right person. Despite appearances, he doesn't kill unless he deems it necessary, but he also won't hesitate. He is who he is. ]

Magic? [ Assuming that's what she means by craft. She's never shown him what she can do, but he's always had a sense that something was off about her. ] That day in Alem. They were affecting you, weren't they?

Yes, a sort of magic.

[ Not really a term that Joan preferred, and Vanessa has only ever considered her powers a curse, though she is coming to terms with it being far more. ]

I am afraid that my memories of Alem are not as clear as I would like. I scarcely recall what you mean.

[ Look now friend, she's not about to just start spilling all her vulnerabilities here. She remembers (mostly) what he's talking about, but better just to play dumb about that.

If the Doctor of all beings had once turned against her quest because she had shared such vulnerabilities, then what might anyone else do with the information?

Her voices are her own. Her powers (curse—magic), she hopes, will remain her own. ]

[ He hates that he can't recall more himself. The Gut's Bind was not a good combination with his curse, and he was in a miserable state when he ran into her in the tunnels. But he remembers enough. If demons were drawn to her, it would make sense why Wrath would send her away.

If that's the case, why didn't she ask him instead? Wrath is more than capable of being pragmatic, it's part of why they get along so well, but somehow she decided she was more comfortable putting her fate in Five's hands. Or maybe it's simply timing and he's the first one she spoke to once she made up her mind. ]

We spoke in the tunnels. If you're worried about possession, I doubt the gates of Hell were a good place for you to be. [ It wasn't a good place for him either, but he was stupidly determined to do something. ] Were you trying to help seal it, or break it?

[ Even playing dumb seems to serve her no good in this case. How fortunate that he can't witness her scowl. Everything he's saying has been said by everyone who's had the opportunity, and if she sounds offended and tired of these implications then it's because she is.

Vanessa will never be done with having to prove herself, will she? She will never be trusted. ]

My memory of that time may not be at its best, but I can say with assurance that never once did I lose control of myself or my actions. I was never anyone but myself. The same cannot be said of others in our gathering.

[ See if she ever invites him to commit a mercy kill again. ]

[ Five has never been one to care if he offends, but he allows her that much. Worry about what might happen if she’s possessed doesn’t mean it’s happened already. If he cared to reflect on that time, he’s the one who nearly ended up in Hell when his mind failed him. He doesn’t care to. ]

That’s fair. [ Leaving at that time would have been the smartest move she could make. He can respect planning ahead. ] Is possession your biggest concern?

[ Indeed, for all the Doctor's concern, he had been the one to willingly allow himself to be possessed, only to question her agency. She has forgiven him but she has not forgotten.

Five's swift acceptance settles her nerves once more, and it's only her appreciation that keeps her from immediately shutting down his next question. ]

It ought not to be any longer, were this realm not so capable at diminishing my strength. I mastered the great beast who dared intrude on my life and person since birth. Whatever commands the darkness here should not be stronger than him, but I have been proven wrong already.

Nothing is more concerning than loss of self. It is as if one ceases to exist. Death is kind by comparison.

[ 'The great beast.' He can't help but be curious who that is, especially when it seems to be the reason she asked for his help. There are only a few especially powerful people who have mentioned this place limiting some of their abilities. ]

Death has a bit of a different meaning here. [ The undead, ghosts, and now time travel has been thrown into the mix. ] Luckily I know the precautions. Is there something I get in return?

So it does.

[ Even more reason to be certain that she has a clean death if the time should ever come. Vanessa never expects it to; she has her goals. But this world has proven she should still always prepare for the worst.

Yet he hopes to be compensated for killing her? Callous and cheeky. And rather difficult to promise given she would be dead. There's nothing to compensate him for before he does it. The time may never come. Does he think to swindle her? A rather lot of nerve.

That tends to be why she favors him for the more difficult tasks, though. ]

What would you wish for?

[ He's thinking of something beforehand. There aren't exactly a lot of options for getting favors from ghosts. ]

You know a lot more about me than I know about you. [ Not by choice. She has unfortunate timing. ] You know that I'm willing and more than capable, if that time comes, but I'd like to know more about what I'm keeping from being released into the world.

In case it's ever a question. You've never shown me what you can do.

And let us hope that I never have to.

[ Those powers are bad, that's the whole reason she's requesting this! Certainly not parlor tricks. If he wants her to explain the details, that is exactly what she has been avoiding... ]

Shall I read your cards? [ This is sarcasm, of course she knows he doesn't want that, and those aren't the powers he means. ] This curse, this gift, it is not something to be summoned for anything less than the most brutal of causes. It is the source of evil, of torment and hatred. I was born with it and will never be free of it. For all I can do is to keep it hidden from the claws of other evils. That is all you are required to know.

[ And it's more than almost anyone else knows. ]

[ If that was supposed to satisfy his curiosity, she should have really thought more about her choice of words. He can't tell how much she's exaggerating, but it can't be much after what she's asking.

He knows a little something about being born with a gift that ruined his life, but it doesn't sound like what she's describing. He'll have to ask Wrath. ]

How fortunate you're on our side then.

[ It wasn't! But it's as much as she suspects Wrath figured out by now, so it's the most she's willing to share. Leave them wanting more, Miss Ives.

Remarkably, this is one of the times she wasn't being overly poetic. It's all disturbingly accurate, sorry there friend. ]

As blessed as we are to have you in turn, Mr. Hargreeves.

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