Meanwhile:
"Rory," Ali says, "good news! Navo is dead. Uh, I mean, bad news."
"Who the FUCK killed my wife?!"
"Dirk and Tom. Out of SELF-DEFENSE, don't go kill them too!"
VP - ER: Rory's really mad.
"Those little… Those little fucknuggets!"
VP - ER: Like, really mad.
VP - ER: He just used the word fucknuggets
"Before you go and run off," Ali says, gripping his collar, "You never speak of this to anyone. You got me?"
"OK."
"Not even those little fucking dogs." She releases him.
"Gotcha."
"You gotta watch your fucking back, Rory. I'm super cereal."
"Alright, fine, sheesh, chill. Can I still live in your closet?"
"I thought you said you refused to fo back there!"
"Fine, do you have a spare bed or something?"
"...I didn't think this through."
"Are we going to have to SLEEP together? How scandalous."
"Fuck off! I have a living room, you know."
"Yeah, but the couch wouldn't be very comfy. Can I sleep in your dead parents' bed?"
"N - No! No one enters that room! You got me?"
"Alright, fine."
"I don't want you anywhere NEAR that room."
"Chillax."
"Fine. Sorry. Are you sure you can't sleep on a couch?"
"I SUPPOSE, but that's NO WAY to treat a GUEST."
"Why did I want you to stay here, again? Because I sure can't diddily-dang remember."
"It's because you're hopelessly in love with me."
"As if. I am the embodiment of Hope. I am never Hopeless. Try again, smartass."
"Hopefully in love with me, then."
"I am not in love with you, honey. Maybe I'm letting you stay here because I am a good person."
"In hate with me, then. Gotcha there."
"That's it. Where the fuck are you gonna sleep then, fucknuts?"
Rory pops a Valium and yawns. "I think I'll sleep right here."
"No," she says as he slowly puts his weight on her. "No, no, no, quit that." Too late. She's being crushed.
"So… sleepy…"
"Rory!"
He's lying directly on top of her. Victory.
Rory rolls off of her and pokes her face. "You alive?"
"Barely," Ali moans. She doesn't move.
Rory snickers. "If I laid on you… does that mean you got laid?"
entropicRelativity [ER] is now private messaging derseSovereign [DS]! [2:43AM]
ER - DS: hey where are you?
"It means that you crushed my body with gravity. You did not initiate intercourse with me. Stop acting so high and mighty."
ER - DS: i miss you, can we get together soon?
DS - ER: I'm sorta in the middle of a hatedate right now, dear.
DS - ER: Ali has just professed her undying hatred and lust for me and is riding my dick.
DS - ER: Have a good day.
"Who was that?" Ali wonders as Rory puts down his cell.
"Dirk."
Her eyes widen. "What'd he say?"
"He asked if we could meet up sometime."
"Postpone it. Now is not a good time."
Meanwhile:
"Motherfucker, do not blow me off for our murder date, I swear to god…" Dirk glances back at Tom's prostrate body. What time is it now – 1, 2 in the morning?
ER - DS: okay, i guess. i love you!
DS - ER: Pale for you too, dearest.
ER - DS: dont know what that means. sleep well.
After a sip of water and a bit more sedative (courtesy of his tia's stolen stash), Dirk falls asleep again. He does not sleep well. He is uneasy.
Meanwhile:
"I told him I was too busy having a hatedate with you."
"This qualifies as a 'hatedate', then?"
"Yup. I said you were riding my dick."
"Oh. My. God!" Ali covers her face with both hands. "Dirk's gonna think I'm a slut or something!"
Meanwhile:
Before he falls asleep again, though, he leaves a note for Tom to find in the morning, if he does awaken first.
Your voice is so sweet that your words melt at my touch.
Meanwhile:
"I said it jokingly enough," Rory says, rolling his eyes, "don't worry your virgin little head."
"Says the other cherry in this room."
"Shush."
"Don't shush me, you asshole." She pauses. "Where the fuck are you actually sleeping? It's 3AM, I need to deal with this now."
"I can take the couch, don't stress."
"I'll give you my shittiest blankey." Thank God I don't have to sleep with him.
"Fuck off."
"No way, man. The fluffy ones are mine. You can use a towel." She climbs into her own bed, hiding her body totally beneath the comforter.
"I'll use your panties."
Her voice is muffled. "I'd like to see you try to find them." He's right, of course. She doesn't need her clothes anymore, with self-cleaning god-tier garb. But why should he get to have them?
"I mean, if I'm left with no other option for warmth…" Rory goes to the end of the bed and worms his way under the covers.
"What do you think you're DOING?! "
"Gettin' warm."
"Not in my bed! I never let anyone in my room! I've gotten over that, but my bed is off-limits!" Ali tries to kick him off, but fails miserably.
"There's no other option, Ali…" Rory drapes an arm and a leg over Ali, yawning exaggeratedly. He then pretends to fall asleep atop her, again.
This is not happening. "I know you're not actually asleep, get up."
Rory begins snoring.
"Rory, I'm begging you, my ribs, you're crushing them." One last plan. One last chance. If this doesn't get a 14-year-old off, I don't know what will. "Get off of me, I'm on my period."
"Y'want me to get chocolate or s'm'thin'?"
"Sure."
"Too bad. I'm not getting off."
The Heir is crushed. Her Hope is lost. "I'm… I'm not actually," she says, breaking down into a tearful confession. "I was just trying to get you to release me." A single tear rolls down her cheek.
"That's too bad, son."
"What will get you off of me? Bribes? Food? You name it."
Rory shifts and his codpiece pokes her. "Your blankets. All of them."
"No."
"Then you must be resigned to your fate." Wrapping himself in her cloth, Rory turns into a blanket burrito.
"You just had to have them, didn't you?"
"Ehehehhehehehhehehehehheehehe."
Ali's body takes on a cream-white glow, and soon is a mere whisp of Hope. She reappears beside him in a suddenly significantly tighter burrito. "These are my blankets. You can go fuck yourself."
"Nah. Don't wanna get your blankets dirty. They're really soft."
"That's why I use them. And why you shouldn't. Could you, like, get the fuck out, maybe? Make me some food."
"No."
"Come on. I'm letting you stay in my house. The least you can do is make me some mac & cheesy."
"I don't know how to cook. Besides, it's not like you need food."
"You're the one who stole most of mine! It's fucking mac and cheese, you boil water, put in fake cheese, add noodles, and, boom, you're Gordon Ramsey."
"Shh."
"Fine, then, I'll make the fucking food." She wiggles away. "What do you want?"
"Candy."
"Alright." She begins to leave, but ducks back in with: "Also, the clothing rule is still in effect. The second you step foot in my house, the boner panties are removed, so get those off."
"What? Unfair. You just want me to strip before our first date."
Ali is blushing visibly. "That's not it at all! I just don't want that lewd apparel in my home or in my range of vision!"
"I'm not wearing any underwear underneath these."
"Oh, for – just borrow some of mine, then! I don't fucking care anymore! As long as that shit piece of clothing goes away!"
"But, Ali, I don't know where your panties are!"
"Close your eyes and I'll get you a pair."
"Fine." He does.
"Fine." She does.
"Nice, girl panties."
"Oh, shut up, it's just underwear."
"Actually, I dunno if I feel comfortable wearing these."
"You're fu – what is it now?!"
"Well, I mean, it's your underwear, Ali."
"That has been washed several hundred times."
"Still."
"Still what?!"
"They've touched you… you know where."
"I can find an unopened pack if you'd like. Actually, gimme a sec." After a good two minutes' disappearance, she returns with new, white, lacy lingerie. "Try this on."
"Thanks, bae."
"What?"
"Shut the fuck up."
"Fine, then, asshole. Just get changed."
He gets changed. Naked besides the panties, he strikes a pose.
"Put some fucking clothes on."
"But, Ali, I don't have any clothes!"
"Borrow mine."
"Nah."
"Get dressed!" She blushes harder.
"I'll just get back in the blanket burrito."
"No!" She rushes to the burrito, battling for dominance over it. "Not without – clothes – I'll have to burn them!"
He climbs back into the blanket burrito.
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE! Get OUT of there! Get OUT get OUT get OUT!"
Rory laughs hysterically.
Ali straddles the burrito in response and begins punching it. "I'm going to fucking kill you."
"Ow, shit."
She wrenches him out of the burrito and throws him on the ground.
The lingerie is gone.
Oh my fuck.
Ali stands back and looks at her handiwork. The child is wearing a pair of her baggiest sweatpants, though she didn't bother to find a shirt. A pillow has been placed under his head. He's sound asleep, having brought a screwtop bottle of whatever-the-fuck that powder is. There's something that looks like a prescription on the side, but, on closer investigation, appears to be written in impish chicken scratch. Wonder what he's dreaming about. Thankfully, Ali has no sense of curiosity whatsoever, maneuvering her way down the stairs circa 4AM to make herself some mac and fucking cheese.
Once the smoke alarm is disabled somewhere around half an hour later, her mac and cheese is as good as it's going to get, and she returns to the bedroom. "Oh, my god, you have a boner."
"What?" Rory says groggily, waking up.
"I'm only thirteen, man," Ali says, covering her eyes with one hand and holding her pasta with the other. "I wasn't gonna learn about that shit for at least two more years."
"The state of American education really is appalling. Anyway, you think this is weird? Try having a boner at a time that you've lived your entire life with a pussy."
"I have absolutely no knowledge on anything of the sort."
"Well, now I'm extra knowledgeable about both things."
They just kind of look at each other.
"So. You have a boner."
"It's not like I can control it, Ali."
In mutual, unspoken understanding, they leave it alone and just go to sleep. This game is anarchic enough already.
ER - VP: so! ali.
ER - VP: where the hell IS rory anyway? do we HAVE any clues?
VP - ER: No clue at all
VP - ER: Not a single lead either
VP - ER: At all
ER - VP: well, motherfucker.
VP - ER: Was I supposed to be finding him?
Meanwhile:
Dirk sits atop Tommaso's roof, his polo collar in a state of roguish disrepair. (He's wearing Tom's shirt, dark green and a little stretched to fit his long torso.) His hair, having grown unusually long for him in past weeks, blows dramatically in the mysteriously random winds of LONAB.
ER - VP: you could try.
VP - ER: Something's telling me we won't find him
ER - VP: i mean, he did say last time i messaged him that he was with YOU.
VP - ER: He did?
ER - VP: "DS - ER: Ali has just professed her undying hatred and lust for me and is riding my dick."
ER - VP: ali, i understand, hes your friend. but seriously. he cant be allowed to live. maybe he was okay, once, but hes not anymore. rory is a monster.
VP - ER: He was your friend at one point too.
ER - VP: what?
VP - ER: Maybe i just thought of that and it didnt really happen
ER - VP: maybe.
She is so weird.
ER - VP: i guess.
ER - VP: if he was, i dont remember, but thats not important now. justice has to be carried out! even if we suffer in the process.
VP - ER: Justice for what again?
ER - VP: okay, for one thing, he literally imprisoned you for days on end with bread and water to eat and drink, do you not remember this?
VP - ER: Well yeah but i mean i was god tier then so he wasnt doing any real damage
ER - VP: what about me then?
ER - VP: he used some kind of dark fucking bard of heart mind magic to subjugate me for days, ali! do you not care about that at all?
VP - ER: I care!
ER - VP: if anyone in this session would know about classpects, i would!
ER - VP: you may not have been hurt by him, but that doesnt mean he shouldnt be punished.
VP - ER: Dirk, I know he has done some pretty bad shit but who in this session hasnt? You have too, you know. It isnt just him.
ER - VP: i understand not wanting to betray a friend, but you have to admit at some point that he cant be a friend anymore without turning YOU evil too, just tell me where he is.
VP - ER: even tom
ER - VP: WHAT HAS TOM DONE?
VP - ER: nvm
VP - ER: forget it
ER - VP: ALI!
ER - VP: take that back!
VP - ER: nah
ER - VP: tom is by far the best person in this session, i would die for him if i had to, YOURE the one who tried to commit LITERAL GENOCIDE!
VP - ER: BACK AT IT WITH THIS SHIT
VP - ER: FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME
VP - ER: I WAS NOT CAUSING IT HONEY!
ER - VP: my point is that YOURE in no place to judge.
VP - ER: And neither are you!
ER - VP: do you know how much trauma rory has caused me? do you know what its like being mind controlled for at LEAST a week just because someone wants a fucking slave? YOU are in NO POSITION to absolve rory of his sins!
ER - VP: tom is the jury, and i am the executioner!
VP - ER: Fine. Go ahead with this. But just know I'll have no part in it.
ER - VP: where is he?
VP - ER: Why would you expect me to tell you?!
ER - VP: i would hope because youre a decent person.
ER - VP: is that really too much to hope for?
VP - ER: I am a good person.
VP - ER: I'm protecting my friends.
VP - ER: There's nothing wrong in protecting freinds.
ER - VP: there is when those friends are assaulters and abusers. if you were a true wielder of hope, you would know theres some situations in which hope cannot develop further until its obstructor is removed.
ER - VP: if you still consider rory your friend, then you are part of that obstruction.
VP - ER: I know jack about my aspect and you should assume that
ER - VP: which is why you need me to tell you, ali!
ER - VP: if we dont punish those who execute unforgivable crimes, then theyll just keep committing them. somewhere, it has to stop!
VP - ER: Then stop it yourself.
ER - VP: THATS WHAT IM TRYING TO DO, YOU SMUG BITCH!
ER - VP: GET OUT OF MY WAY!
VP - ER: okey
VP - ER: jk get fucked m8ty
ER - VP: oh my god. youre in love with him, arent you?
ER - VP: youre hella black for him.
ER - VP: i hope youre happy to sacrifice the rest of us for rory alone.
ER - VP: i hope the two of you will be happy together for the rest of eternity, once were all dead.
ER - VP: and i sure as HELL hope that no part of your conscience remains alive to bother you about it.
VP - ER: oh fuck yourself! It's not like that at all!
VP - ER: EVERYONE IN THE SESSION HAS FUCKED UP EXCEPT FOR HIM!
ER - VP: who was the only one on my side when you were all LITERALLY trying to KILL me?
VP - ER: DIRK
VP - ER: SHUT THE HELL OFF
VP - ER: YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF
VP - ER: you're just so fucking oblivious aren't you?
ER - VP: at this point, tommaso is the only one i can trust. hes the only one here whos never tried to KILL me. who do you trust, and why do you trust them? how can you be sure they have the interests of EVERY PLAYER that they can afford to have in mind in mind?
VP - ER: HE'S MANIPULATING YOU
VP - ER: JESUS CHRIST
ER - VP: IM IN LOVE WITH HIM!
ER - VP: he would never hurt me.
VP - ER: HE'S TRICKING YOU
VP - ER: YOU'RE JUST TOO BLIND TO TELL!
ER - VP: how is he tricking me?
VP - ER: just forget i said anything
VP - ER: have fun playing house
ER - VP: you cant just make these stupid obscure HINTS and then not TELL ME anything! how am i supposed to make judgments without KNOWING anything? things like this are WHY i NEED tom! no one else will tell me ANYTHING!
VP - ER: We're not telling you BECAUSE WE CARE ABOUT YOU
ER - VP: THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!
ER - VP: let me make my own judgments!
ER - VP: do you not respect me enough for that?
VP - ER: YOU'RE NOT MAKING YOUR OWN DAMN JUDGMENTS
ER - VP: ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME? I CANT BECAUSE YOU WONT TELL ME ANYTHING
VP - ER: Dirk i need to know something
VP - ER: If god tier powers were tempered with, what effect could it possibly have on someone?
ER - VP: um, i cant imagine any way that someone could directly tamper with your gt powers? unless the gods somehow interfered?
ER - VP: if the dark gods granted grimdarkness upon a player, that player would become a lot more active, and they wouldnt be able to communicate with any non-grimdark players...
ER - VP: well, usually, there's some instances where the god-tier would be able to break some of those restrictions. a witch of void, at first thought.
VP - ER: I just mean whats the strongest effect god tier powers can have on someone
ER - VP: the strongest gt powers could be considered that of a witch, they directly contradict all the usual rules. like i said.
ER - VP: but the strongest EFFECT gt powers can have on a SPECIFIC person is the one mine usually have. death.
VP - ER: And the strongest effect a grimdark player's could have?
ER - VP: i mean. theres not much stronger you can get than being DEAD.
ER - VP: perma-dead, i mean.
VP - ER: okay. thank you.
ER - VP: why? just because im the strongest player DIRECTLY doesnt mean anyone else isnt dangerous! just because you THINK you can trust them, ali, that doesnt mean you can...
VP - ER: you should take you're own advice, dirk.
VP - ER: reevaluate who you can trust.
VP - ER: Everyone in this session has motives.
ER - VP: tom loves me as much as i do him, im pretty sure his motive is just being with me. what evidence do you have that i dont?
VP - ER: Dirk, I dont want to get into this with you. that should have been evident from the start.
ER - VP: no.
ER - VP: not allowed.
ER - VP: i will not permit you to give me an entire argument based on me trusting your blind interpretation, with no evidence attached whatsoever, and then say that you never meant to talk to me.
ER - VP: i cannot reevaluate with NO new evidence.
ER - VP: im TRYING to trust you...
ER - VP: dont you want us to be friends?
VP - ER: Dirk I have never done you wrong. You should trust me as much as you trust tom.
ER - VP: unacceptable. you attacked me with navo. and, AGAIN, i cant trust you if you dont tell me anything! tom tells me what everyone else seems so reticent about, i dont have any choice about who to trust, i HAVE to trust everything he tells me if no one else will tell me anything!
ER - VP: this is not a novel, you are not the main character, above all reason, and you do NOT get to install these double standards and tell me that tommaso is evil, which i have evidence against, and that rory is good, which i have evidence against, and then expect me to just sit here and take it.
ER - VP: if im going to trust you, you have to trust me.
VP - ER: I have not stopped trusting you.
ER - VP: then why wont you tell me anything? imagine if you were in MY place, ali! im paralyzed, i cant do anything without input!
VP - ER: YOU WANT TO KILL HIM!
ER - VP: MAYBE I WOULDNT IF YOU WOULD JUST TELL ME WHATS GOING ON!
VP - ER: TOM IS FUCKING WITH YOUR MIND, ALRIGHT?
ER - VP: what do you mean?
The heavy atmosphere on the Land of Night and Bullshit seems suddenly oppressive, the dark obfuscating and secretive rather than a cool respite from pervasive light. Dirk is sweating heavily. When did he start sweating?
VP - ER: He's using his powers in some way to make you forget things. You used to be very close with rory (almost too close if you ask me) and he never fucked with your head. in fact, tom is. He's manipulating you
Something is wrong here. What is wrong here?
ER - VP: but he loves me...
VP - ER: he loves you so much that he's tricking you into thinking you love him and only him
The sweat on Dirk's cold arms is nearly ice in the nighttime. With trembling fingers, he removes Tom's shirt, stares at the cloth in his hands, he is shaking, Dirk is shaking, what?what?what? what is happening? His hand finds its way to his head. His head is pounding. His head is feverish. His head pitches forward and thin vomit spills from him (he hasn't eaten) and Dirk is reduced to something he isn't familiar with.
VP - ER: Are you there Dirk?
Dirk is shaking as he vomits again, vomits, dry heaves, what?what?what? what is Tom? Why does his memory what?what?what? match his sight in double-vision?
VP - ER: Dirk I need to know that you're alright
entropicRelativity [ER]'s device has been destroyed! [6:16AM]
His phone drops off the roof, shatters against a railing below, but he can't hear it over what?what?what? the blinding darkness and the rush of blood and and and and what?what?what? and and and
Meanwhile:
Ali's head is in her hands. I knew that was a bad idea. I should have ignored it. I should have ignored it.
Meanwhile:
Dirk can't feel the muscles in his gut, he can't feel his head, he can't hear anything but his own heartbeat, where is Tom what?what?what? Dirk needs help, he wants Tom what?what?what? Dirk needs someone, he needs Navo but Navo is what?what?what? Dirk needs Rory but Rory is what?what?what? Dirk needs someone he's never fucked, he's not okay, he needs Ali, he needs Blitz but
Blitz
Rose
Rose.
Rose did something.
That's what happened to his brain.
Rose was fucking with his past.
And no one knew, no one even noticed, because this was the alpha timeline, it was forced into position as the alpha timeline, Rose fucked it up, he fucked it all up, and now his past – ruined – double vision – and no one had noticed.
Trembling, Dirk removes his fingers from his mouth, covered in bile and spit what?what?what? (wrong, dirk, why would you be making yourself throw up? wrong, dirk, do it again) Trembling, Dirk sits up, the pieces of his phone below and his own throw-up all over him.
Fuck, it's cold out here.
Dirk puts down his shirt (Tom's shirt) with a hard resolve, not calm, but no longer so sick (even if his head is still spinning because why? because what?what?what? (wrong, dirk, try again) no longer sick at all, in fact, his head is fine) and this is the discrepancy, because Rose was the one fucking everything up in the first place, that's why what?what?what? (nothing is wrong, dirk, try again) that's why what?what?what? (fine! have it your way) that's why there's two different timelines people are remembering.
These players are from two different timelines.
(Somewhere in the back of his head, the what?what?what? resolves itself comfortably.)
So. Two timelines, one where Rory and Devon were absolute monsters (players: Dirk, Tom) and one where it had been Tom, sweet Tom (players: Ali).
So, then, the obvious question…
Who are the other two?
Dirk pauses, about to awaken Tommaso (let him sleep, dirk, this can wait, this isn't important enough to wake him up, let him sleep) and lets him sleep. This can wait, this isn't important enough to wake him up.
The vomit washed from his stomach, his clothing, Dirk sits down at Tommaso's table and waits (don't screw this up, don't screw this up, dirk).
SS - VP: its dirk. i figured something out. you should get to lonab soon. dont bring rory.
VP - SS: Sure thing
sexySlytherin [SS] is now Inactive! [7:02AM]
Meanwhile:
Ali stands up. "Sorry, but – Dirk – y'know the drill," she says, waving her hands vaguely, and, without waiting for a response from Rory, flies out her window.
Meanwhile:
Even in the yellow-orange candlelight (fire created by a few split particles, courtesy of the Prince of Blood), Dirk is far, far too pale. His fingers are trembling, even if his eyes are sure. His skin radiates heat, even if his hands clutch a woolen blanket, pulling it tighter around him.
"Dirk?"
"We should w – we – wait – wait for Tommaso." Dirk nods, and though Ali is the only other one in the room, it's not clear to whom. "He should hear this too…"
"Are you okay?" she says, gently taking hold of his wrist.
Dirk smiles, his eyes gleaming with a sickly happiness. "Neither of us are wrong, Ali."
"I – I don't understand."
"T – T – Tom is blameless, Tom is – I love him, but I'm justified, and the R – the – the – Bard – of – of Heart that you know was your friend, maybe, but – I'm seeing through –" Dirk takes an uneasy, shuddering breath.
"Dirk, I think you're out of it. Do you need to – Do you need to sit down or something?"
"I can see what you c – can't, I can see the – I'm Blood, I know connections – and he's my alternate – two – there's – Rose, the guide, before he – I killed him – he was fucking with it, he was fucking with the timelines, they got retconned, he made it the alpha timeline, so he could do what he wanted and he – he was – he fucked with us! I saw through it, I – there's two – both – double vision. I saw both paths because – because Rose is who I could've been. He's my alternate. I'm the Prince of Blood, connections are my thing, I saw through it even when you couldn't!"
"That makes sense. I guess?" The confusion is evident on her face, but she tries to brush it away. "You've been through a hell of a lot, haven't you? Did you remember what I was telling you about? With Rory and everything?"
"It –" what?what?what? – "he – R –" what?what?what? – "Rory – your Rory – he's not my Rory. We had two different m – memor – mem – timelines."
"What do you mean? That can just happen?"
"R – Rose must have pulled in you from another timeline into – into this, the – the alpha timeline. Because – Because in my timeline, R – R – Rory was –" Dirk's mouth twists. "Rory was a monster, so was Devon, but – in your p – p – timeline, they were fine, and T - Tom – Tom – Tom - Tom – he was – he was the evil one. Even though in my timeline, he's the best g – chance we have of beating this game! So we know which timeline Tommaso – Tommaso, b – Tom is from, but we need to know which Rory and Devon we have."
"I think I got it this time. Is there anything I could tell you to help you figure it out?"
"It's – I think it's fucking withwithwithwith –" Dirk shakes his head. "It hurts, I can't think – it's my head, I don't have the right m – mem – mem – me – p – timeline, because it just – I think – Rose – I was Rose, but if you tell Tom – he – he can be objective. But knowing both of them at the same time, it doesn't work for me, because I can see them both and they can't be reconciled."
"You're just confusing me again. Just tell me what I have to do and I'll do it." When it comes to things that I don't understand, I'll stick with whoever does the talking…
Dirk grasps her wrist, his fingers hot against her, almost burning. "You're freezing."
"You're burning! Are you sick?"
Dirk shivers and pulls back. "I'm fine, I'm just c - c – cold. I don't know what it is." He glances at her again, then moves into the kitchen. "I'm making – fuck – I'm – do you want tea?"
"Do you have green?" she wonders, following tentatively.
"Shit! Don't – is there a broom somewhere?" Sharp faux-porcelain is scattered across the floor. "Don't move."
She freezes in place. "What happened?"
"I – I dropped it. Shit."
"What did you drop? I can't tell."
Dirk peers at the shards, then picks one up, rolling it between his fingertips, which shake violently. The fraction of a mug slips and a line of new blood drips, drips, drips down and splatters against the floor, but the shard of porcelain, still in his grip, if just barely, dissolves into nothing. "Right…" Dirk waves his hand, blood still adding to the mess on the floor, and the rest of the porcelain seems to disappear. Dirk grins. "Good to kn – know I can still do that. H – yeah."
"Do you need a bandaid?" Ali seems to be surprisingly unfazed by the sight of blood.
Dirk glares at his finger. The cut widens. "Cau – Cauterize – you're not a Maid. Yes, if you don't mind."
Ali rushes upstairs, blindly navigating Tom's house for a bathroom. The first aid kit is sprawled on the ground. Locating a large band aid, she practically runs back to –
"Dirk?" comes a sleepy, drawn-out voice from nearby –
Shit, thinks Ali desperately –
"Tom!" Dirk calls from the kitchen. "I –" he pauses – "I cut myself, I'm sorry, love, I'll clean it up – Ali's here, I think something happened. She's meant to be getting me a band aid – I'll explain!"
Ali backtracks back up the few stairs she's descended, back into the bathroom, and locks herself in.
Meanwhile:
Tom wanders into the kitchen, his hair a mess, smiling sweetly, and wraps his arms around Dirk from behind. "No need to explain anything, love! How did you cut yourself? Are you okay?"
Dirk grins to himself. "It's nothing, sorry, I broke the cup, I – sorry, I was trying to make tea for – because, you know, Ali's still here and I didn't want to wake you up." Even throughout all the stuttering, his smile (rather relieved) doesn't fade. Dirk removes a washcloth from a nearby cupboard and, apparently deciding that it's good enough, douses it with hydrogen peroxide, and… "And I think that's the stain done with, too, I'm really sorry about that, love."
Tom inspects his hand. "You said Ali is here? Where did she go? We should get her something to drink!"
"Listen," Dirk says, pulling Tom in toward himself and reveling in his body, "I think – I think – there's something - " His hands are trembling again, his skin still feverish. "Ali was talking about you, and about you fucking with my – my – my – my head. And I fed her some bullshit about Rose, but I don't think it was him, not really, I thought about it more and I think it's Rory, he did something like this before, I remember it, making me believe things that weren't true, that's how he got me to be his fucking – his 'knight' the first time. I can see, it's like – but he's screwing with my memories, again, I can't think – think – think straight. Although…" He gives a quickly cut-off giggle, high-pitched even for him. "Although I think you – you're helping me out with that. You… I love you so much, Tom."
Tom's expression goes dark, though Dirk, his back pressed against the shorter boy's chest, can't see it. In contrast to his precious Dirk, he has no problem processing and voicing his response. "Oh, no, that's horrible! Poor Ali…" Son of a bitch, Ali. "We need to get rid of Rory! And we have to be careful around Ali now… Who knows what Rory can do through her if he got control of her mind? You should stay wary of her for now, I'll do the talking to protect you. Mages of Void should be able to handle this better, right? Just sit down, I'll be right back, alright?"
"That's… of course. Yes, of course, you're right, that's what I told Ali, you're the one we can trust."
Meanwhile:
Ali sits curled up in the bathtub, the curtains closed. Tom's gonna be more than pissed. He specifically told you not to warn Dirk. What do you do? You warn Dirk.
"Ali?" comes a voice. "Where are you? I understand, I see why you had to tell him, I forgive you, just come out! He told me what happened, I understand now…"
Involuntarily, Ali squeaks at the sudden voice.
Meanwhile:
The bathroom door is locked.
Tommaso knocks. "Ali? Ali, are you okay?"
Meanwhile:
Well, shit. Dirk's going to need another phone.
Meanwhile:
She wants to apologize, she wants to jump up and unlock the door and babble nonsense or fly home and forget this happened. Instead, she sits there, silent, a deer in headlights.
"Ali, I want to help. I know you may remember strangely, but Rory got ahold of you, that's what the problem is. Please open up, I can correct your memories."
"You're lying!" Ali screams, and the incessant, rhythmic knocking that Tommaso has been doing - almost background noise - stops. "You told me yourself that you did shit to Dirk! You warned me not to bring up anyone else in the session, and I'm sorry I did that anyway, but you're not going to convince me that Rory's controlling me, you sick son of a bitch!"
Only silence comes in reply. Please, please tell me he's gone… "Ali" Fuck "Ali, do you really not know what happened? Is that how you remember it? Like I'm… some kind of monster who's controlling Dirk?" Tommaso sounds like he's on the verge of tears, and Ali wants so badly to just get out, just get out, everything's too cramped. "I guess I can't b – blame you," he says – is he crying? - "Dirk was the same way. I remember him telling me how it was, to be Rory's knight, his fucking slave, don't you think that ass ever got annoyed with you? Dirk thought you had used your Hope powers to doom the session in exchange for your own safety because of Rory. Please, Ali, let me help!"
"You're not going to fuck around in my head! I don't even care if you really are helping me remember, I don't want anyone in my head and that's final!"
"Ali!" he screams back, in one long sob, and then quiets for a second as he regains his vocal faculties. "Ali. Rory's already in your head! I mean, fine, but I'm not going to feel comfortable fighting by your side when you're under the enemy's influence, Ali! I just… please, I just want to have my friends back. Rory has destroyed everything I ever loved, Ali, I barely got Dirk back…" Tom's crying fades away, slowly, painfully. "Get out of my house, Ali, and come back when you change your mind about who really deserves your help."
"Rory's not the enemy!" Swiftly, Ali stands up, unlocks the door, and stares Tom in the eyes. "You are!"
Tom peers into her eyes, his own watery, and he shakes his head, speaking in a low tone. "At least I'm doing something. Dirk," he says, raising his voice and turning away, "Dirk, love, I think it's time we find Rory. Maybe once we kill him, Ali will be released from his spell."
Not bothering with stairs, Ali takes a leap over the railing and flies, wobbly, downstairs – "You'll be dead if you try!" - and makes her exit.
I'd like to see them try to stand up against a Mage and a Prince, working together…
Tommaso Mambelli is going to win the game with Dirk and he's going to live a new life with his true love, no matter what it takes.
Even if he has to murder every other player in his way.
Let it be known that I never wanted this.
In the recesses of his brain, the Dark Gods laugh, and laugh, and laugh.
VP - SS: Tom, don't do this.
VP - SS: Please.
Tom steps away from the Alchemiter. "No, honey, keep going, I just need to deal with something."
SS - VP: I'll give you one more chance before I declare you gone to the void.
SS - VP: Where is Rory?
SS - VP: Please, we just want to help. We don't want to lose you too.
VP - SS: I'm not going to tell you where he is.
VP - SS: This is unecessary bloodshed.
VP - SS: For the love of God, please don't kill him!
SS - VP: He's trying to turn you against us and make us lose the game.
SS - VP: You don't know what he's planning. As the Mage of Void - the knower of secrets - I do.
He has to make sure that he plays this carefully. If he can get Ali on his side, he's won.
VP - SS: You're the one who can fuck with minds!
SS - VP: You know very well that all I can do is erase memories. Rory is the destroyer.
VP - SS: Rory's done nothing harmful this entire game and here you are trying to slaughter him!
SS - VP: Rory fucked with both Dirk's and Navo's minds at least.
VP - SS: He's got nothing planned, and even if he did, they wouldn't make us lose the game!
SS - VP: I know secrets, Ali, that's my job. He's holding massive secrets, so I'll ask one last time. WHERE IS HE?
VP - SS: What secrets is he holding?
VP - SS: If you tell me, then I might trust you.
Meanwhile:
On the Land of Pirates and Rocks, Cruella de Belle plays the jazz records that once belonged to her old charge, trying to calm the waves.
It doesn't work.
Navo is gone, and her guide can't do a thing about it.
SS - VP: WHY DO YOU THINK I'M LOOKING FOR HIM?
SS - VP: He obviously has SOMETHING planned, since he's messing with you right now!
SS - VP: Just please, Ali, you know me.
SS - VP: I was JUST protecting you from Rory calling you a genocidal maniac a second back!
VP - SS: The only god damned place Rory is is in the fucking closet.
VP - SS: He's not fucking "messing" with me.
SS - VP: ? okay I didn't know he had problems with that but okay then
SS - VP: thought it was king of obvious
SS - VP: but HE IS!
VP - SS: Ikr he's so in the closet lol
SS - VP: FINE, if you're not going to tell me where the guy who's probably going to KILL YOU is, then I guess I'll just have to FIND HIM MYSELF!
VP - SS: Okay go ahead.
VP - SS: He could be anywhere in the universe rn lmfao good luck p a l
SS - VP: Mages of Void know secrets, don't fucking doubt me.
VP - SS: What's that supposed to mean?
sexySlytherin [SS] is now Offline! [8:21AM]
Meanwhile:
Tom grimaces. And now this to deal with? And he doesn't even have his Orb of Obfuscation anymore, fuck knows where that is, but it was so useful and he never wrote down the recipe.
"Hey," comes a quiet voice from behind. "You alright, love? You look a little worried."
Tom smiles and kisses away the worry. "Of course, my dear."
They get back to work.
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