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[beejfu]

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[corkscrewed]

Beetlejuice. I get it. I get lonely, too.

[beejfu]

[He shuts up, actually looking?? skeptical??]

Yeah. Sure you do, kid.

[it's not said dismissively, but in a defeatist tone that demands elaboration]

[corkscrewed]

I got, um - there's this- Entity, I guess? Power, back at home. It - has Jon told you about all of that?

[ he's not really looking at him; he's not really sure if BJ cares, and he's definitely not going to launch into it if he doesn't. ]

[beejfu]

[He wobbles a hand back and forth]

That weird thing in his head, right?

[corkscrewed]

Yeah. I mean- that's one of them. The Beholding? They're all - they have to do with fear. We can just keep playing with Sandy if you don't care.

[beejfu]

[He chances a glance up at Martin, eyeing his face, debating while he taps his fingers against his kneecap before deciding]

I'm kind of a demon. We like stories about fear.

Uh, fair warning, Hushpuppy, I am ALL sorts of emotionally messed up right now due to various things so if during the course of your tale I need to take a break, don't take it personally.

[corkscrewed]

Yeah, 'course. Thanks for being honest about that. [ martin hesitates, not immediately sure how to sum things up. ] So these, uh, fears - they're these - big entities, manifested - somewhere outside our world? There's the one that's, uh, the fear of being watched, and the web - the fear of being controlled. Does that track so far?

[beejfu]

[He gives such an awkward, squirrely look over his shoulder at being thanked. Jeez, keep it down, would you??]

Sounds like old gods to me, kid.

[corkscrewed]

[ martin shrugs slightly, as if to agree. ]

They can't exist on our plane, so they, uhh- reach out? Affect things. Claim people, sometimes. That worm lady was an avatar of corruption, and filth - um, the same way Jon is one of the Beholding.

[beejfu]

'Beholding' sounds like something nicer than what I saw. Reminded me of Mom.

[corkscrewed]

The Ceaseless Watcher, the Eye, they all have a million names.

[beejfu]

Yep. Yep. Sounds like Mom, all right.

[He's not even joking]

So what's your power or whatever?

[corkscrewed]

Don't have one. Not- anymore?

[ he's frowning slightly, not quite uncomfortable, but- ]

There's one called the Lonely. Forsaken.

[beejfu]

Heh.

I thought you said you did?

[corkscrewed]

I haven't tried. Not since I escaped it. So maybe I do.

[beejfu]

Lemme get this straight. These things come with powers you can use?

[corkscrewed]

-- yeah.

[ uncomfortably. ]

No one could see me. I was alone.

[beejfu]

[A distinctly uncomfortable silence, before he croaks out softly]

What?

[corkscrewed]

That was my power. I could - disappear.

[ martin shrugs. ]

Peter - he was the Avatar of the Lonely? He, um- I don't know what word to use here. Mentored me, I guess. Isolated me. I let him.

[beejfu]

But could you shut it on and off?

[corkscrewed]

It's not- these things change you. It was just so hopeless. All I could think was how - it was probably better that way. I stopped wanting to be found, I guess? [ martin exhales, frustrated with himself. ] It was -- bloody awful. And I'm being a downer. Sorry.

[beejfu]

[He scuffs at the floor with his shoes]

Heh.


Wow. That's kind of funny.

Like, all this time I didn't think there were other invisible people I couldn't see.

[corkscrewed]

There's a place Peter sent people to. It's all - foggy, and gray, and cold, and - I think it was like a long beach, I don't remember much about it. Sometimes he did it to people who got in his way, or sometimes he was bored, or just - feeding his Patron. I dunno. It wasn't fun.

[ he bumps bj's leg with his. ]

I just mean - I get the loneliness thing. And I know things are - rocky, between us, but I'm around, I guess.

[beejfu]

[he is bumped, but he is still very quiet]

Oh. Yeah, that sounds like a feasting ground. That's rough.


All sorts of fuckheads know what it's like to be lonely. You know what it's like to have everyone go on with their lives unable to hear you screaming.

I, uh. Respect that.

[corkscrewed]

--oh. [ that throws him slightly off kilter, but he's not unhappy to hear it. ] Thanks. Jon had to put up with a lot of nonsense from me here for a while. That kind of thing sticks in your head.