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deercountry2022-04-17 08:59 pm
devilmind) wrote in deercountry2022-04-17 08:59 pm
Entry tags:
(closed) open up your skull, i'll be there
Who: The Operator
What: The Operator encounters their Tether and doesn't react well. Rose intervenes.
When: Mid-April
Where: Somewhere in Cassandra
Content Warnings: Creepy doppelganger, mentions of insanity
[ There are many things that the Operator likes about living in Trench.
They like the freedom of movement they have—in the few short months they’ve been here, it feels like they’ve walked a greater distance than they have in their entire, centuries-long life back home. They like the people and the easy, unthinking kindness they show—a rarity to one accustomed to being seen as a god, a devil, or a monster in their own world. And, they are coming to find, they like the idleness of the place, the lack of urgency. They may spend an afternoon in meditation or gathering herbs for trade, and there is nothing more to command their attention than the current activity at hand. They had said once that life here was peaceful and though some might disagree, the Operator had sincerely meant it.
There is also one other aspect to life here that has been a great relief to them—that, in the months they have lived here, they have not heard his voice, nor seen his empty eyes. For those first few weeks, they had waited for some sign of him. After two months, they’d felt the first glimmerings of hope that this place was beyond his reach. And now, four months in, they have begun to actually believe it—
Which is why their heart drops so suddenly when they see the figure waiting for them outside the church one evening. He, of course, looks like them. He always looks like them—their clothes, their face, their voice. However horrifying it is to see him here, that much is expected.
They walk towards him, heart pounding, yet they feel curiously numb. No matter how long it’s been, they know it always goes the same way. They approach. He reminds them of their deal. And then he vanishes. Even here, it will be no different. Won’t it? But as they draw closer, they realize something is wrong. They freeze mid-step, staring in cold shock.
His eyes are a bright and luminous gold—the same as their own.
They stare for a long moment, shock slowly giving way to horror. Nausea curls in the pit of their stomach. He has never appeared as a perfect reflection to them before. Always, the eyes are wrong—they are a starry void or silver light. But they know that he has rescinded that mercy before. They know what happened to Albrecht Entrati.
They are frozen for all of a few seconds. Then, their twin takes a step toward them and they run.
The Operator is fast when they want to be. At times, they disappear from view completely, their presence only signaled by the sound of rushing wind. When they reappear, they are meters away in the blink of an eye—and yet, when they look back, their identical shadow is always keeping pace—until they reach the point where they cannot run any longer.
The little street where they’ve found themself is lined with shops, most of them in the process of closing for the evening. At the end of the corner, their doppelganger stands watching them.
A few short months ago, they would have, on some level, accepted their fate—that they would be destroyed or driven mad or possessed. They had made the deal. And now, the due has come. That they might cry out for help, as if they were a child, wouldn’t have occurred to them at all. They aren’t a child. And the thing pursuing them is not an entity that can be dissuaded.
But their time in Trench, with all its freedoms and kindnesses, has changed them. And when they see a familiar figure coming out of one of the shops, they hesitate for only a moment before bolting towards her. ]
Rose! [ They close the distance and practically throw themself into her arms. They don’t think she can protect them, not really. All they know is that whatever happens next, they don’t want to face it alone. Their words tumble out in an incoherent flood, voice breathless and near-tears. ] The Man in the Wall— he's here—wearing my face, my eyes. [ They stare up at the woman, knowing that there is so, so much context missing in this world and yet desperately willing her to understand. They think of Rell, how the Lotus had said it was all in his head when the Man in the Wall came for him. They shake their head, a pre-emptive denial. ] Whatever happens, it’s him, not me. [ Their face crumples as they say the words, suddenly overwhelmed at the thought of not being believed. ] I’m not crazy.
What: The Operator encounters their Tether and doesn't react well. Rose intervenes.
When: Mid-April
Where: Somewhere in Cassandra
Content Warnings: Creepy doppelganger, mentions of insanity
[ There are many things that the Operator likes about living in Trench.
They like the freedom of movement they have—in the few short months they’ve been here, it feels like they’ve walked a greater distance than they have in their entire, centuries-long life back home. They like the people and the easy, unthinking kindness they show—a rarity to one accustomed to being seen as a god, a devil, or a monster in their own world. And, they are coming to find, they like the idleness of the place, the lack of urgency. They may spend an afternoon in meditation or gathering herbs for trade, and there is nothing more to command their attention than the current activity at hand. They had said once that life here was peaceful and though some might disagree, the Operator had sincerely meant it.
There is also one other aspect to life here that has been a great relief to them—that, in the months they have lived here, they have not heard his voice, nor seen his empty eyes. For those first few weeks, they had waited for some sign of him. After two months, they’d felt the first glimmerings of hope that this place was beyond his reach. And now, four months in, they have begun to actually believe it—
Which is why their heart drops so suddenly when they see the figure waiting for them outside the church one evening. He, of course, looks like them. He always looks like them—their clothes, their face, their voice. However horrifying it is to see him here, that much is expected.
They walk towards him, heart pounding, yet they feel curiously numb. No matter how long it’s been, they know it always goes the same way. They approach. He reminds them of their deal. And then he vanishes. Even here, it will be no different. Won’t it? But as they draw closer, they realize something is wrong. They freeze mid-step, staring in cold shock.
His eyes are a bright and luminous gold—the same as their own.
They stare for a long moment, shock slowly giving way to horror. Nausea curls in the pit of their stomach. He has never appeared as a perfect reflection to them before. Always, the eyes are wrong—they are a starry void or silver light. But they know that he has rescinded that mercy before. They know what happened to Albrecht Entrati.
They are frozen for all of a few seconds. Then, their twin takes a step toward them and they run.
The Operator is fast when they want to be. At times, they disappear from view completely, their presence only signaled by the sound of rushing wind. When they reappear, they are meters away in the blink of an eye—and yet, when they look back, their identical shadow is always keeping pace—until they reach the point where they cannot run any longer.
The little street where they’ve found themself is lined with shops, most of them in the process of closing for the evening. At the end of the corner, their doppelganger stands watching them.
A few short months ago, they would have, on some level, accepted their fate—that they would be destroyed or driven mad or possessed. They had made the deal. And now, the due has come. That they might cry out for help, as if they were a child, wouldn’t have occurred to them at all. They aren’t a child. And the thing pursuing them is not an entity that can be dissuaded.
But their time in Trench, with all its freedoms and kindnesses, has changed them. And when they see a familiar figure coming out of one of the shops, they hesitate for only a moment before bolting towards her. ]
Rose! [ They close the distance and practically throw themself into her arms. They don’t think she can protect them, not really. All they know is that whatever happens next, they don’t want to face it alone. Their words tumble out in an incoherent flood, voice breathless and near-tears. ] The Man in the Wall— he's here—wearing my face, my eyes. [ They stare up at the woman, knowing that there is so, so much context missing in this world and yet desperately willing her to understand. They think of Rell, how the Lotus had said it was all in his head when the Man in the Wall came for him. They shake their head, a pre-emptive denial. ] Whatever happens, it’s him, not me. [ Their face crumples as they say the words, suddenly overwhelmed at the thought of not being believed. ] I’m not crazy.