curriculum_fictae | [PSL] time travel, time travel

[ Martin had always known that Lukas would kill him in the end. If not along the way, then surely at the end, once he'd gotten what he wanted out of Martin, whatever that turned out to be. When the Lonely rose up to swallow him, he'd accepted his impending death with ... what?

What did he have left, really? Numbness, mostly. A hallucination of Jon in the Lonely, looking for him, but - but that was impossible, ridiculous. His mind playing cruel tricks. He settled himself down in the frigid surf, knees drawn up close to his chest, unshed tears frozen to his cheeks and lashes.

And then. A door. A door that shouldn't exist, that couldn't exist. That he shouldn't take at all. The Lonely was terrible, yes, but it was quiet, and it was peaceful. Martin was aligned enough with it by now to very nearly enjoy it, in a strange and terrible way. The Spiral would be infinitely worse than this quiet beach.

But ... it was hope, too. In a strange way. Hope enough that Martin found himself turning the door handle and stepping through, leaving the false comfort of the Lonely behind him.

The transition was unpleasant. Long. But Martin couldn't remember it after; he only remembered stumbling out through the door of a supply closet somewhere deep in the Archives, blinking up at the dim bulbs that pretended to be sufficient. What time was it? Had he escaped? Where were Lukas and Elias now?

And where was Jon? ]

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From:

kayakking

What? Seriously?

From:

eyediot

Yes. She asked about you as, and I quote, "the hot one. Has the same scars but sort of makes it work".

From:

kayakking

Hhuuuuh. I mean. I AM a catch. Can't say I blame her.

[At the mention his fingers rub at one of the pocks at his jawline thoughtlessly.

She IS one of his types: Short, serious and composed ENTIRELY of being a bad decision.]

I've sworn off police though.

From:

eyediot

Probably smart after your last "run in" with them. All three of them.

From:

kayakking

Okay.

That-

That wwwaaaas on me, but I hold that one was a matter of failed delivery, not that it was a bad idea in its pure and untried state.

From:

eyediot

You're right, it wasn't a bad idea.

[Beat.]

It was a terrible idea.

From:

kayakking

[Tim drops his head into his hands. The indignation is muffled.]

You don't get to say that.

From:

eyediot

I think I just did.

From:

kayakking

Denied. Completely denied.

How did we get onto that utterly restricted topic again?

From:

eyediot

A high school romance novel that is our off-work hours life right now, apparently.

From:

kayakking

[There is a long stare that only someone who worked that entry level of submission reading before getting promoted out. Someone who worked in the peak of the Young Adult boom.]

...

God. It really is. Complete with ghost romance and apocalypse warnings.

It needs at least two more passes through an editor.

From:

eyediot

Or a whole rewrite.

And it's not a ghost romance!

From:

kayakking

Right. Sorry. Semi-tragic time traveling stranger with permanence issues in a will they wont they love triangle with a spooky librarian and his coworker.

...

Shit. It would actually sell.

From:

eyediot

That really is the trouble of the situation, isn't it.

From:

kayakking

[He finishes the last of his glass, and sets it down with a click, exhaling loudly.]

That's it. That officially makes it too much.

From:

eyediot

What do we do about it, then?

From:

kayakking

[He snorts at that.]

I am absolutely the wrong character type to affect the plot significantly.

From:

eyediot

I don't know. You're the strong loyal friend type with a mysterious backstory that characters come to when they need solid advice.

I think that's enough to affect the plot.

From:

kayakking

[.... That's a broad and warm compliment.

Shit he IS drunk.]

From:

kayakking

[Well, far be it from him to mess THAT up. He'll take that ego boost.]

Right. Then with my infinite wisdom, I'm just going to go with this: Stop flipping out about what next and use this precious time to be an absolute, hot, fucking mess out of their view. Figure out how you feel safely out here. The rest'll work out.

From:

eyediot

[Jon listens, watches Tim carefully. Drunk or not, his gaze is piercing. The Archivist doesn't really know how to turn that off, even when Knowing isn't a thing for him.]

....Is that not what I'm here already doing?

From:

kayakking

[Even without that occult edge, there is something deeply intense about it. He ends up looking aside, after a moment.]

It's REAL hard to tell.

From:

eyediot

...Sorry.

I still-- [He groans, finishing his drink and setting the empty glass down.] Still can't believe I didn't know.

From:

kayakking

[There's another of those heavy pats on Jon's shoulder.]

I'm going to go out on a limb that you were too overwhelmed.

But some days? Me neither.

From:

eyediot

I didn't even think about it! I just...

[He sort of sinks with the weight of Tim's hand on his shoulder. This dumb, noodle baby strength Archivist.]

After Georgie, I just focused on my job and not much else. You know?