[Honestly, if it were Teddy they’d joke too; they joked about their seizures sometimes, back home, to people who knew (and weren’t their mom). Sometimes you have to; what else can you do? Here, luckily, they’ve rarely been noticeable, especially to those who weren’t around for the whole God Thing.
But the idea that the bats could — you know, show up, and hurt…well, mostly Eddie is who Teddy’s concerned about, though she reckons it could be anyone. So the extra information is welcome, even if it leaves more questions than answers, a little.]
The …hive mind. Got it. You know, the more I find out about your Indiana, the more I think it’s not at all the same Indiana as mine.
[Teddy tries taking a small leap toward the lowest branch where it connects to the tree. His hands catch, but not enough to kick up against the trunk.]
Or maybe it is. Maybe the boring reputation is a big cover for it being incredibly fucking weird. That or y’all defeated all the crazy hive mind monsters back in the 80s and by 2023, you’d have to live there to know the legend.
[They huff, but with a small, grateful smile as they hand over the chime.]
I was totally about to climb up there, but if you insist.
[She leans against the tree, watching Eddie’s deft handiwork and listening, smile a little wistful when he mentions Dustin. She hadn’t gotten to know Dustin well before he disappeared, but they’d known each other in passing, in that other reality. She places him in her mind in the same way she does Steve: as a sort of part of Eddie’s family. Even if only in one timeline — and Teddy doubts that, kind of, because they’re all from the same place and, if she understands right, went through a lot together, but even if it was only that timeline, that was a real Eddie who cared about people for real reasons.
Therefore, she wishes she’d known him better.
It turns into a wider grin, though, when he jokes about Steve.]
Did he know he was talking like a nerd or did you have to enlighten him?
[They hum in acknowledgement, pondering that. What does it mean, that portals can open outside of the Summoning? Could they be opened in reverse? And if they did, are they specific enough to find where they —
Teddy feels an abrupt tug of guilt, watching Eddie; thinking about all the people they’ve already lost from here, all the friends they miss so keenly. And all the people they’d be leaving if they could step back through.
If they could open a portal, would they? Even if Eddie could skip his death, if they went back they’d be separated by decades. If they met in 2023, he’d be — their dad’s age, just about. The idea feels briefly terrifying, like a cave in their stomach. But —]
Yeah, or at least tried to find out more…
I don’t know. I just wonder sometimes, what people back home think happened to me, if they remember me at all…if they’re okay…
[Teddy shrugs uneasily, rocks up on her toes to touch the lower bits of the chime, swinging them against each other in a weird cacophony of high pitched sounds; it leans her closer to Eddie.]
But, I mean, it’s space time. A rip like that it could spit something out 200 years later in the wrong place, or something. Or not at all. You’d have to study it for years, maybe…
[Teddy’s chest feels suddenly tight with an anxiety that isn’t quite to do with decisions of place and time; just a sort of deep unsettledness.
On instinct, he reaches for Eddie’s hand, not sure himself if it’s to get his attention or for reassurance.]
Let’s…move away from the basket. You know? In case we’re uh, scaring it off.
no subject
But the idea that the bats could — you know, show up, and hurt…well, mostly Eddie is who Teddy’s concerned about, though she reckons it could be anyone. So the extra information is welcome, even if it leaves more questions than answers, a little.]
The …hive mind. Got it.
You know, the more I find out about your Indiana, the more I think it’s not at all the same Indiana as mine.
[Teddy tries taking a small leap toward the lowest branch where it connects to the tree. His hands catch, but not enough to kick up against the trunk.]
Or maybe it is. Maybe the boring reputation is a big cover for it being incredibly fucking weird. That or y’all defeated all the crazy hive mind monsters back in the 80s and by 2023, you’d have to live there to know the legend.
[They huff, but with a small, grateful smile as they hand over the
chime.]
I was totally about to climb up there, but if you insist.
[She leans against the tree, watching Eddie’s deft handiwork and
listening, smile a little wistful when he mentions Dustin. She hadn’t
gotten to know Dustin well before he disappeared, but they’d known each other in passing, in that other reality. She places him in her mind in the same way she does Steve: as a sort of part of Eddie’s family. Even if only in one timeline — and Teddy doubts that, kind of, because they’re all from the same place and, if she understands right, went through a lot together, but even if it was only that timeline, that was a real Eddie who cared about people for real reasons.
Therefore, she wishes she’d known him better.
It turns into a wider grin, though, when he jokes about Steve.]
Did he know he was talking like a nerd or did you have to enlighten him?
[They hum in acknowledgement, pondering that. What does it mean,
that portals can open outside of the Summoning? Could they be opened in reverse? And if they did, are they specific enough to find where they —
Teddy feels an abrupt tug of guilt, watching Eddie; thinking about all the people they’ve already lost from here, all the friends they miss so keenly. And all the people they’d be leaving if they could step back through.
If they could open a portal, would they? Even if Eddie could skip his
death, if they went back they’d be separated by decades. If they met in 2023, he’d be — their dad’s age, just about. The idea feels briefly
terrifying, like a cave in their stomach. But —]
Yeah, or at least tried to find out more…
I don’t know. I just wonder sometimes, what people back home think happened to me, if they remember me at all…if they’re okay…
[Teddy shrugs uneasily, rocks up on her toes to touch the lower bits of the chime, swinging them against each other in a weird cacophony of high pitched sounds; it leans her closer to Eddie.]
But, I mean, it’s space time. A rip like that it could spit something out 200 years later in the wrong place, or something. Or not at all. You’d have to study it for years, maybe…
[Teddy’s chest feels suddenly tight with an anxiety that isn’t quite to do with decisions of place and time; just a sort of deep unsettledness.
On instinct, he reaches for Eddie’s hand, not sure himself if it’s to get his attention or for reassurance.]
Let’s…move away from the basket. You know? In case we’re uh, scaring it off.