[PSL] time travel, time travel

[curriculum_fictae]

[ 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? ]

Comments

[kayakking]

[Tim perks up a bit at that, the tipsy little grin wide.]

... Can I?

[eyediot]

Don't see why not.

[It's one thing if Tim mentions to him that they're going to be using Martin's old rpg character name to differentiate the two. It's... likely something not so great of Jon's the one to do it.]

[kayakking]

[Tim's phone is out again so fast it's practically its own magic trick. He makes no effort to hide what he's typing from Jon. Though he sends it too fast for Jon to point out the swype for SUPER became SORRY.]

SORRY IMPORTANT NEWS

[eyediot]

What-- You're doing this right now?

[Oh god if Tim tells Martin that he's here with Tim, it's going to look like they're just. Gos...siping oh god that is why he came isn't it?

Christ, this is a NIGHTMARE. HIS WORST FUCKING NIGHTMARE.]

[kayakking]

Yeah? I mean, of course.

[eyediot]

[Jon looks Tim dead in the drunken eyes.]

I. Am not. Here.

[kayakking]

What?

....


Oh.

Oh.

[FINGERGUN.]

You got it.

[secreteary]

????????????????

[eyediot]

You-- You better.

[Jon's slipping back into that easy drunkenness. In the meantime, he gets up, sort of moving to the door of the kitchen and looking. The place is nicer than what he has himself, but... Tim seems to live alone? And there isn't.... really a lot of this that looks lived in. Except down the hall. He can just barely make out the glint of a glass... something, and then a bedroom beyond. Huh.]

What's in the case anyway?

[kayakking]

Oh, you know. Old hobby stuff.

[There's a second bedroom, empty with dropsheets over everything. The first, however, is absolutely Tim. A queen sized bed sits in the far side of the room with what look like rumpled, silky smooth sheets. A desk sits just inside the doorway, with books, newspaper and magazine clippings, a few file folders that could only be from the Archive and certainly shouldn't be outside of it, sitting neatly piled by a desktop computer and monitor. The walk in closet is open and shows the wide variety of crisp but colorful dress shirts Tim is prone too... and some garish offerings that hasn't dared make an appearance yet.

But the case? The case is obviously a beloved point. Garage kits and collectors models sit, each carefully lit by LEDs to show off the best angle of a work of love. Deathscythe Hell sits above Escaflowne, and both of those above a model of the Space Battleship Yamamoto... and somewhere below that---

God he's a weeb.]



[Still in the kitchen, Tim is drunkenly setting to words a masterwork of sensitivity and subtlety.]

Algric Diggly.

[It's a few terrifying moments until there's EVEN A FOLLOW UP EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THAT TERRIFYING SPECTER OF THE PAST RISES.]

The name for Future Guy from here on out.

1/???

[secreteary]

NO

[secreteary]

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NON ON O NON ON ON ON ON ON O NO NO NO NO NO NO

[secreteary]

WHY

[secreteary]

WHY THAT

[secreteary]

WHT THAT OF ALL THINGS

done??????

[secreteary]

WHO DECIDED

[kayakking]

[Oh no, it's THE BEST THING. The reply comes immediately.]

The man himself. No go? I think it's cute.





Diggly.

[secreteary]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

HE'S AN IDIOT WHY DID HE GO WITH THAT IS HE INSANE OH GOD DOES JON KNWO

[kayakking]

God you are so lucky he can't Google for shit. I said nothing.

[NOT A LIE, he didn't SAY it... but a comforting redirect, at least.]

But I assume? Given they're housemates.

[Now that WAS a lie, but .. well.]

[secreteary]

i weant to die whether he n ows where it comes from or not christ

[eyediot]

'Old hobby stuff". [He repeats, sort of thoughtful. He wants to give Tim some privacy in his own home, but he does want to look at the case.

And oh god. He recognizes a few of these things.]

You're a weeb. [He says it with a bit of a stifled snicker.]

[kayakking]

I-

Look! It's a challenge and they're collector sets.

[The defense is emphasized by the gentle wave of his can.]

They're investment properties that will be worth a lot.

[eyediot]

You invest in craft IPAs and anime robot kits.

[If the people Tim flirted with knew.]

It's all right, I'll keep your secret.

[kayakking]

[IT WOULD BE SO OVER.]

You are a ruthless, cold man. God. You better.

1/2

[eyediot]

Of course, you're my friend.