abraxaslogs | [open] i'm so tired of being tired

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[open] i'm so tired of being tired

Who: Eddie Munson & YOU, perhaps?
When: September
Where: Solvunn, Horizon
What: Catchall
Warnings: I'll get back to you

𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵
𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺

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[ Eddie absolutely does not want to do this. The goats used to mean little to him. They were mostly docile creatures who existed in the background of his life, and it feels silly, but he feels a little spike of anxiety every time he sees one now—which is like, every day.

At least he doesn’t turn into a bat every time now. He’s handling that whole thing a lot better now, but it still comes along with a few hiccups—moments where his anxiety spikes and suddenly he’s a flapping, squeaking bat again, but it’s not as bad as it was a few weeks ago. He hasn’t quite worked out how to trigger it on his own, though, and he hopes he can control it well enough on this little venture.

He doesn’t know what a Lyhos Kesc is. Only that it looks like a goat and only comes out at night—two incredibly terrifying things for Eddie right now. It was also suggested to bring a friend to leave these offerings, so he and Teddy are taking his on together.

At least he still has his humor. ]

So, uh…how do we know the goat is going to like any of this shit?

[ He peers into the basket of offerings—food, small toys, a mask or two. Nothing he thinks of when he thinks Bipedal Goat. ]

Maybe it's more of a caviar and wine type of goat.

Edited 2024-09-15 03:00 (UTC)

[Even if Eddie wasn’t fairly forthcoming with Teddy, they’d be pretty clear on the chilling effect the goat attack during the Heralds’ influence on Solvunn has had on his opinion of the creatures. Teddy wasn’t there for it — a thing they still feel bad about, although they’ve at least gotten to the point of admitting that’s irrational — but they can’t blame him. The mauled dog they’d found had been enough to make Teddy feel ill every time they think about it, though she seems to be healing. They can’t imagine having actually been injured themself.]

[But, luckily, she wasn’t, and she’s more than happy to use that to Eddie’s advantage. It’s good to help. Teddy’s shoved the events and visions of the last month as hard as possible away from her day to day dealings, but they still occasionally and vividly unveil themselves. Being a little cavalier to help a friend, and appeasing a giant goat-moss-creature with toys and masks, sounds way more appealing.]

[At the moment though, Teddy contemplates the idea of a caviar and wine sort of goat. He regards Eddie, lifting a dubious eyebrow when looking deadpan fails, and just huffs a little laugh.]

I mean. It might like caviar, but only because goats like eating all kinds of things.

I did remember that the mini goats my neighbors in Kentucky had for a while had music toys they loved bumping into, like you’d give birds almost. So…

[Teddy digs into her bag and pulls out a makeshift windchime, made with a scrap piece of wood with holes drilled through, and some varying lengths of cord with metal and sanded down glass bits tied along each one, so they clink and pick up light. She holds it up optimistically to show Eddie before putting it in with the others.]

I mean: how many gifts are giant goat dudes even getting? I figure the effort has to count.

[Teddy tucks their arm into Eddie’s, a little jaunty.]

Maybe we’ll find something else cool along the way, you never know.

Edited 2024-10-01 10:57 (UTC)

As many as it takes to get it to drop the mask and get lost.

[ This would ordinarily just be a drop-and-go type of deal for Eddie—take what he’s been given to offer, drop it, and hope for the best., but it’s clear that what happened during the Heralds’ visit has really shaken him, and he’s taking this a little more seriously than he would normally feel it deserves. He carries a basket of the usual masks, food and toys given to him by the locals, but Eddie has also tossed in a handful of other his own items—a little handmade sheep crafted out of wool, a small jug of whiskey syphoned from the kitchen of the family he and Steve stay with, and what seems to be a blunt rolled with flower petals rather than rolling paper.

Listen, who really knows what this goat is into? Eddie is apparently taking no chances. Either way, he looks a little relieved when Teddy drops their wind chime amongst the other items, because it’s not a bad thought and he apparently wasn’t willing enough to let any of his own music-related items go. ]

Yeah, keep an eye out for any tin cans, I guess. That’ll do the trick.

[ He snorts and let Teddy tuck their arm into his own, looking significantly less thrilled by comparison. ]

I'm gonna warn you now, if this thing even looks at me wrong, I'm out.

[Teddy looks at the little offerings beside their windchime, impressed]
These are sweet as hell. The flower wrapper! I hope we have a discerning goat man, honestly, because if it doesn’t know how to actually enjoy this stuff it’ll be a damn shame.

[Teddy exaggeratedly clasps a hand to her chest] Oh, I see how it is.

[His eyes are soft, though: you let people be afraid sometimes, that’s just being a friend. Teddy knows themself well enough to know it’s likely to get repaid in spades whether they mean for it to or not. Anyway, it’s kind of nice, when you grow up surrounded by male cousins and friends, 5’0 and presumed to be a girl in a pretty traditional town, to ever get a chance at being the brave one.]

You’re all good, man, do what you need to. If you can try not to go Bartok on me, so I can actually figure out which way you went…? That’s all I ask. But I’m hoping we don’t even see the guy.

[She has explained the bat from Anastasia, though it turns out it’s kind of hard to explain why the villain is a falling-apart undead Rasputin and his inexplicably sweet bat friend.

They wander further into the woods; Teddy feels a little melancholy, but can’t pin it.]

You ever think maybe the goat man just wants some company? You know, like — it makes people feel uncomfortable and afraid, right — but maybe it doesn’t have any control over that. Maybe it’s the only one.

Edited 2024-10-18 08:49 (UTC)

Yeah, that’s all Nadine in the Free Cities. That’s one of hers.

[ I guess if you’re going to offer weed in a place like this, making it upscale and extra environmentally friendly isn’t the worst thing you can do. He likes it well enough, the people he distributes it to like it well enough. Maybe the goat man will like it too.

Eddie has always been very accepting and perceptive of who he is as a person—as well as the flaws that come along with him. Being scared is the one thing he hates most about himself. It’s gotten a little better, a little easier, but he still feels the overwhelming urge to run away when he gets frightened, and it’s all the worse when it when it feels like no one else is ever quite as scared as he is. It does help to have someone here with him, though. ]

Oh my god, for the last time, I’m not a Russian bat, alright? Jesus. I still don’t understand why Grigori Rasputin’s henchman is a bat to begin with.

[ They’ve clearly had a great many conversations about this movie that Eddie has never seen. If anything, it’s a ridiculous enough subject that it helps ease Eddie’s jitters a little bit. ]

I don’t think about the goat man much at all, honestly? So, uh, no.

[ He gets it, though. ]

But if it makes you feel any better, I think there are others. Awhile back, some creatures came through portals in the factions and some just…stuck around. This one’s just the star of the show this month.

Oh, yeah, I talked to -- [Teddy snaps her fingers, trying to jolt her memory. She's not exactly a forgettable personality, why is she blanking on her name.] What's her name. Princess Peach. [She laughs at herself.] You know, pink hair? Oh, Julie. I knew you were getting the good shit from the Free Cities but I didn't know it came in pretty varieties.

[It's actually a good idea; besides being pretty, it's biodegradable! And probably makes it smell better. Depending on what kind of plant it is, it could add some interesting effects...now Teddy's pondering that a little. Kids she grew up with liked to sound cool talking about foraging and making up random bullshit about indigenous spirituality, and half the time Teddy was one of the couple advising they not just eat random mushrooms or turn wild nightshade into tea without, at least, a botanical guide (they know, they know, what a fucking buzzkill), but...if you actually knew what you were doing with the right thing...]

[They grin.] You don't want to be right hand bat to Russia's greatest love machine? [Aw, shit, that's going to be stuck in their head now. Ra, Ra, Rasputin...]

And I don't know, it's a Disney movie, I reckon there's a requirement for talking animals. [Teddy puts on a satirical ghosty voice.] Bats are spooky. Rasputin's spooky. I guess it would've been a little too complicated to point out that the people interested in there not being a surviving Romanov would be, uh, Bolsheviks, presumably, or, you know, Lenin.

[Teddy hasn't heard about this part, and turns a little.] Portals? From where? What kind of creatures are we talking about?
[Their tone is one part nobody tells me anything but quite a few more slightly morbid fascination.]

Edited 2024-10-21 01:58 (UTC)

Okay, so that is one thing that could have stayed in 78.

[ He visibly grimaces, because he did not need reminded of Boney M. at a time like this, thank you very much. ]

Yeah, I guess you weren’t here for that. Portals from all our worlds, I guess. They’re closed now, but a lot of the monsters and creepy crawlies are still around, hence—

[ He gestures vaguely to the basket full of offerings. When Teddy asks what kind of creatures, he tilts his head thoughtfully. ]

Uh…a lot of them? A variety pack, basically. I had a run-in with a dragon. There were some wyverns. Nanaue ate this…we call it a demogorgon? Apparently it comes from my world—kind of. I never saw it. Steve did. And some of the weird mutant bats that killed me as well, obviously.

[ His death is no secret anymore; eight hundred years in the crater made certain of that, but it’s still not exactly something he’s keen to slip into conversation casually, so he carries on as quickly as possible: ]

And, uh…goat men, apparently. So let’s just leave this shit and go before his friends decide to show up as well.

[Teddy's never asked for details about Eddie's death. They've known each other for, well, eight hundred and a half years, give or take however long it took them to meet in the other universe. So they know he died, and they probably even knew he was killed by mutant bats, if not more than that; they also learned and forgot more in those eight hundred years than they've ever known, and try as they might to hold onto every detail of those times, it slips away a little more every day. Between their own journals and Jack's book, they've scribbled down memories and impressions and word associations, and they read over them sometimes, but it's like a very vivid dream: hard to hold onto.

But you can't ask a person tell me more about your death. Or, maybe you can, and maybe they should, even, but Teddy hasn't figured out how exactly to go about that. Any time he gets halfway to talking about it, Eddie closes up like one of those suits of armor in his domain. That's not Teddy's right to pry off him, not at this point.

So despite the slight alarm that crosses her features, she just deadpans,]

Obviously.

[Talking about portals and creatures from their own and other worlds has made Teddy's stomach twist a little, uncharacteristically knotted, like their lungs can't expand, and they nod.]

Yeah, let's.

[She looks around and point towards a little clearing, where it looks like there've been enough tracks through that most brush has given up on growing over the path.]

Here? We could hang the windchime over it, maybe it'd, you know. Attract it.

[Teddy makes a small face, because they want it to find the basket, and be pleased and all that, but they're not sure if that'll even work, and they're not exactly sure if they want it to. Something occurs to her as she looks at the trees for any low-hanging branches that might work, and she glances back at Eddie.]

Wait. A demogorgon, like -- in --
[Her lips curl up at one edge, knowing he'll know where she's going with the question. And yes, she recognizes the name even though she hadn't played D&D before Eddie's latest one-shot. Not, actually, because of friends in high school. There hadn't been any demogorgons in their games that Teddy can remember hearing about. No: if Teddy does a thing, she does it right, and despite Eddie's instruction to throw out the manual, she'd sat down with the rulebook (and the Monster Manual, and --) afterwards and all but studied. (Maybe a little bit because she wanted to really build up a new character for next time. Bard had been both obvious and weirdly, a little anticlimactic: like, for one thing, multiple bards should definitely get a multiplier for playing together, or a modifier on their hit points at least.)]

They were portals from our worlds...? How...

[The way her stomach twists is a little different. There are ways to get here and back besides the Summoning?]

Could you -- did anyone try to send anything back through?

Edited 2024-10-27 21:06 (UTC)

[ Eddie intends to button his lip and say nothing more about his death or the bats. People can know—people are going to know, but it’s still not something he likes discussing. He’s tried to joke about it, but it never feels right when it only serves to upset the other person, and it feels odd to talk about with such nonchalance. But he catches the brief look of alarm that crosses Teddy’s face, and he feels like he should tack on a little information to soothe things over: ]

You still see them sometimes, but...they’re mostly just kind of chill here? Like they can’t swarm and attack if they’re not connected to the hive mind or something. Nothing to worry about.

[ And sure, maybe the source of that hive mind is here, but Henry is either incapable of connecting to the bats or just doesn’t feel like doing it. Again, something Eddie would really prefer not to dwell on.

He places the basket on the ground of the clearing and stares up at the tree, which seems to be lacking in any particularly low branches. ]

Lure it in? Alright, well…

[ He glances between the tree and Teddy, like he’s mentally taking measurement of their short stature. ]

I guess that’s my job, then.

[ He grins unapologetically and takes it upon himself to reach right up and loop the wind chime from a branch, continuing to speak as he does. ]

Yeah. The name was all Dustin and his friends, I didn’t know shit about it at the time, but, uh…yeah. Just like in D&D. Looks nothing like an actual demogorgon, but—it already stuck enough to get Steve Harrington talking like a nerd on the regular, so I’ll forgive it.

[ He snorts, carefully untangling the strings of Teddy’s wind chime so that the breeze can cause the intended effect. He tilts his head thoughtfully as he does. He’d been too busy dealing with bats and dragons to really think about that, and he’s still of the mindset that there is no going back for him. ]

Maybe? If they did, I never heard about it. I don’t even know if it was possible, but I’m sure someone gave it a shot.

[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.

Edited 2024-10-30 07:37 (UTC)

Yeah, well, not to go soft on Indiana but, uh…I’m pretty sure it’s just our freaky little town and the rest of the state has no clue. Though, I think the government is aware? But don’t quote me on that one.

[ He still feels like he knows so little about the whole situation. Sure, he’s been told things and he’s worked things out on his own, but it still feels like a movie he’s walked into halfway through. He can grasp the main idea and ask friends to fill him in, but he still constantly feels left in the dark compared to people who were actually there. ]

Doesn’t make it any less boring, believe me. I challenge you to tell me one fact about Indiana that didn’t come from me.

[ He’s pretty sure not even he can do that without a whole lot of thinking. ]

Oh, he still has no idea. I’ll fill him in one of these days.

[ Which is absolutely not giving Steve enough credit. He surely knows by now where all these names came from. He’d been well acquainted with that gaggle of nerdy children long before Eddie came along, and now he’s actually played the game himself now. It’s just a little bit of fond teasing for a man who isn’t even in the vicinity to defend himself.

All the same, it clearly gives Eddie a great deal of joy to talk about the people who made up his family in that timeline, and Teddy is right—it’s not just about those eight centuries at all. If he had survived long enough to see it through, he can only hope he would have had the good sense to continue to associate with Steve back home, and Dustin is a no-brainer. He’s so proud of that little brainiac; he was probably one minor accomplishment away from keeping a photo of him in his wallet like a proud father.

When Teddy starts talking about home and about what might be happening there without them, he frowns. It’s a topic he tends to avoid and often removes himself from conversations about it. He doesn’t often let himself think about the finer details, like if time is passing at all, or if his uncle knows he’s dead, or if his father saw his face in the papers as a wanted man and cared at all. Because, sure, he’s resigned himself to staying here, but thoughts of home often lead to thoughts about being left alone here, which leads to him spiraling, which leads to a very unhappy Eddie. ]

Alright, listen. That’s easy enough to handle. We just don’t go through any strange portals, alright?

[ He doesn’t mean to brush Teddy off. He can tell his friend is anxious with the mere thought of the portals, but for the sake of both of their nerves, this conversation feels better left for another time, when goat men aren’t in the vicinity. ]

Yeah, that’s…good idea.

[ He doesn’t drop Teddy’s hand, but he pulls them out of the way of the basket, behind a nearby shrub. Just as soon as they’re out of sight, however, the sound of cloven hooves begins to approach through the clearing. Eddie’s heart leaps into his throat. ]

Shit.

[ He closes his eyes, squeezes Teddy’s hand, and tries very hard not to freak out to the point of turning into a bat again. In a low voice, he hisses: ]

Is it here?

So...there's a government-cover-up of hive-minded cryptids in just your town. Well. That's not concerning!

[They punctuate the end of the sentence with a faux-cheery grin. It would also have sounded completely nuts, if Teddy hadn't had to face a lot of things that have -- well, pretty much obliterated their sense of rationality, or at least reconfigured the settings completely. Eddie's someone they trust to be honest with them, and to be honest, government cover ups of freaky bats and whatever a demogorgon does look like is remarkably plausible sounding compared with all of...even what they're doing, right now.]

Teddy laughs and grimaces, thinking.]
You all really like tricked out cars that go in circles for hours?

[She smirks as he teases Steve. Eddie's fondness for his People is pretty blatantly obvious, and Teddy likes to hear him talk about them if he's inclined to. Steve is sort of a whole thing on top of that, she's pretty sure, but not -- always, or not necessarily, if that makes sense. And the same way that she tends not to get jealous in relationships, she just enjoys listening to friends talk about their people, or tease in that affectionate, intimate way that both she and Eddie have in common. It's warm and nice.

Eddie frowns at Teddy when they look back up from that unsettled, backwards-looping little monologue, and yeah, okay, maybe his answer is a little blase. But just thinking about some kind of route that might but might not lead home, and how one would even study it, and the risks on any side of it, makes the blood rush in Teddy's ears. Eddie's firm answer, as though that's all there is to it, is oddly grounding even as it shoves the conversation into a box marked Later. Their lips lift into a crooked smirk.]

No strange portals. I can do that.

[Teddy raises their pinky in a sort of gestural cross between a pinky swear and the Scouting oath.

If a pinky swear was going to happen, though, it's aborted by Teddy grabbing for Eddie's hand. He's thankful for Eddie being bigger and taller, honestly, because Eddie just yanks him with, without thinking, both of them crouched behind some big leafy shrubbery. Teddy curls closer in, trying to make sure he's hidden.

The icy feeling of something terrible about to happen in Teddy's gut gets worse as the sound of hooves on earth clarify. (Is she gripping Eddie's sleeve? Shit. Shit, she told him he could take off on her if he wanted. Get your shit together, Roberts.) She squeezes his hand back, steady in time with a long breath in, and leans just a little to try and see, eyes wide as, in the dark, a figure -- sort of -- resolves.]

Yeah. It's.
...looking?

[She got tidbits from anyone she could about this thing -- Aine was helpful; maybe there's something about making tapestries that makes you into a storyteller too, or having a kid, or maybe Aine's just good at stories -- so she knows the fear is partly from the goatman -- the Lyhos Kesc -- itself. She knows it's better if they're together. What else. What else.

Spells of warmth and comfort. She doesn't know any of --wait. The one that makes people feel like they're a team, want to commit to a purpose. That could be...comforting. It might even make the Lyhos want to work with them, she doesn't know, but...

Teddy turns their head, stacking their other hand on top of Eddie's where it's holding theirs. They can feel themself trembling just a little.]

I have a really, really crazy idea.
[His voice is soft, carefully all but unvoiced; less hissed than a real whisper.]

I can do a thing, but I have to...sing, I think.
[They grimace.]
It's...a little like Suggestion? It might work on all of us.
[They nod toward the clearing, where all they can see are that long creepy fingers have just reached over the height of the bush to touch the strings of the wind chime.]
Only if you say yes.

I mean, not in the town, really? More like…under the town? It’s some kind of alternate dimension.

[ Said casually, as if it’s the most normal thing ever, because by this point it kind of is, but he still wishes Dustin was here to lend a bit of levity to his attempt at an explanation.

Teddy’s Indiana Fact get an unimpressed look out of him. He knows what’s being referenced, but he can’t imagine anything more boring than watching tricked out cars go in circles for hours. It does sound like something that some bored Hawkins High students would try to pull off, though. ]

Okay, so maybe they do that shit out in Indy, but some of us? Have good taste.

[ He tell himself that they will return to the topic of the portals later, because it really is something that Teddy deserve to be filled in on. When the goat man situation is over and done, when Eddie’s anxiety level is back to its baseline levels, he’ll be sure to circle back around to it.

But now isn’t the time, because the very thing they didn’t want to run into is here. Teddy confirms that the creature is looking and Eddie groans, eyes still shut tight. He knows he’ll lose it completely if he catches sight of those long, creepy fingers, and he really doesn’t want to leave Teddy to their own devices out here. They’d told him he could take off if he needs to, but he’ll never forgive himself if he does that shit again. He accepted this quest with Teddy, and he’ll see it through to the end alongside them.

Then they ask him something—and he’s not sure he even fully comprehends what it is, but all he can do is nod his shaggy head and grips their hand a little more tightly. ]

Whatever. Sure. Yes. Fine. Just get rid of it. Please.

[Teddy tilts their head at alternate dimension, because at this point they aren’t sure if that makes it make more or less sense than just…creatures that the government knows but is actively either not doing anything about or encouraging. Sure. Why not inter-dimensional hive minds the government knows about.

She can’t help a grin, despite their collective on-edge…ness. She deadpans:]

You think I’d be out here helping you placate a giant goat man if I thought you were super into NASCAR? Come on, man.

[They can’t banter about Indiana or move on to the so much more fascinating attractions of rural West Virginia, though, because shortly they’re hiding from said kinda-cryptid.

Eddie has a death grip on Teddy’s hand, but it’s …nice? Eddie could turn into a bat and fuck off, but he hasn’t, he’s just holding onto her. Maybe she’s even helping? And Teddy hates admitting that she’s scared, but right now she’s fucking terrified, so the bruise-worthy clench they have on each other is just fine.

They’re not even sure what they’re scared of: this thing doesn’t have a lot of lore of attacking people, but it feels horrifying. Like late night panic attacks, like losing everybody.

Teddy takes a long breath in and a long breath out, steadying herself and hoping maybe her own counted breaths will feel a little contagious to Eddie’s body on some evolutionary level. Okay. She can do this. She’s figured out — from the few times it’s worked here, and the powers it was most like in that other universe — that if she doesn’t have a specific intent, there will still be a sort of underlying push to work together, to help each other. But she thinks hard about the intent, fastening the ideas to the song: of not wanting any harm to the Lyhos, of a trade for the mask, of giving it a present; and of calm and peacefulness spreading over all three of them.

They wrap their other arm around the one Eddie's holding their hand with: half comforting hug, half ...security, like the way you might clutch a teddy bear to you: when they release his jacket to move their hand, their knuckles ache from how hard they were holding on.

And then they sing, soft and still watching; unsteady at first but easing into it:]

"When you’re weary, feeling small,
when tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all.
I’m on your side, oh, when times get rough,
and friends just can’t be found.
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down...”

Edited (phone tagging makes my tags look INSANE) 2024-11-06 10:36 (UTC)

[ Eddie is sure he has a few more quips in him about how little he cares about NASCAR, and he’s sure he could ask about what better things one could possibly do out in rural West Virginia, but he doesn’t get the opportunity.

There are much more terrifying things lurking in Abraxas, sure. A goat that walks on two legs shouldn’t be getting this reaction out of either of them, but Eddie is a self-admitted coward. While his situation has improved significantly, a recent run-in with a goat that left his arm looking like ground beef certainly hasn’t helped matters. Claire healed him up nicely, and he’s felt no lingering effects, but the memory is still there.

It’s not even the strangest thing he’s been so frightened of. He has a thing about ducks, after all. ]

Oh, Jesus Christ, not Simon and Garfunkel, we are not—

[ He begins to protest as Teddy begins to sing, terrified by the Lyhos’s presence and the fact that its attention has been called to them, but as Teddy hits the chorus, something clicks. Enough calm comes over him that he manages to let a little of his tension go. His grip on Teddy’s hand loosens just a little (although he doesn’t fully let go), his breathing evens out, and to his complete credit, he does not turn into a bat.

The Lyhos peers at them through the bushes, curious and drawn in by Teddy’s voice, but it doesn’t move any further. It watches, as if waiting for the song to continue. ]

Shit, it’s staring. Maybe—maybe if we ask it for the…

[ He gestures to the mask, obviously calmer, but still wound up. ]

[Teddy shoots him a very slightly exasperated look -- look, Simon and Garfunkel are one of her mom's favorites, and you try thinking of something off-hand that can be sung without accompaniment while trying to placate a giant goat -- but it doesn't have any real oomph to it.]

[Especially not as they feel Eddie start to relax next to them. And -- maybe it's the song, maybe it's the way Eddie's breathing slows a little, or the fact that he hasn't turned into a bat, maybe it's just feeling like they've done something to help -- the dread starts to drain from Teddy, too, replaced by a frightened but we'll-get-through-this sort of determination; a gratitude that they teamed up to do this.]

I'll take your part...

[As the Lyhos pokes its (head? it's kind of a lot of moss) into the shrubs, Teddy nods hastily at Eddie. In case it's just the singing and nothing magic at all, he hisses:]

Back me up? Hum, even.

[Teddy squeezes Eddie's hand - as much for her own benefit as his, to be completely honest - and gets to her feet, taking a deep breath. Focusing on them all as more alike than unlike, three separate creatures that have been brought here unwitting and against odds. Reminding herself of her own ability to persuade, to stand on a stage -- god it's been a long time -- or in front of people and hold their attention. She can feel her hands trembling, but there's something oddly familiar about that reaction, and Teddy starts.]

I don't know if you can understand me. We were looking for you. We don't want to bother you.

[They think through the concepts as they talk, trying to project the feelings and images. Teddy raises their hands to their face to illustrate:]

There's a mask. Our people need it back. It helps us to keep everyone safe.

...But you can have anything we've brought if you can give us the mask. Or work out something. I could come back and sing again.

[Okay, that's a big promise, but Teddy feels at the moment like it's a fair deal, if it wants something he can give so easily. If it even understands.

Divested of quite so much of that gut-deep fear, Teddy thinks distantly that the giant goat-creature's height and mop of vegetation make it seem a little like a big puppet: maybe a little Pan's Labyrinth -- or at least Dark Crystal -- along with The Muppets, but still kind of Henson-y.

Teddy doesn't dare look at Eddie: she doesn't want to draw more attention to him when he has more than enough reason to be terrified of a giant goat and is braving it already. She can feel his presence next to her: winds it in like a countermelody in the concepts she's projecting, something that makes them both into something more solid.]

[ Look, Eddie could come up with a million things on the fly…but yeah, they I>do all require the use of a guitar, so maybe he’d be struggling as well. ]

Jesus Christ—just…don’t tell anyone.

[ He lets out a little yelp as the Lyhos pokes its head into the bushes and shuffles as far backward from it as he can without dropping Teddy’s hand. Okay, okay, he mumbles under his breath, trying to calm himself once more. Eventually, however, he takes a deep breath, opens his mouth, and takes over for Teddy. ]

When darkness comes, and pain is all around—

[ He’s no Paul Simon, and he’s definitely no Art Garfunkel. His voice has a little too much metal and rasp to make the song sound as soaring and transcendent as it really is, but when this is over, no one will be able to say he didn’t try his best. He’s in tune, he’s singing the right notes, and there’s nothing about his performance that might make the goat creature react poorly.

There’s also something to be said about the fact that despite his criticism, he still knows all the words…judge him on that later. ]

Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down—

[ He makes panicked noise as Teddy pulls heir hand from his, clearly alarmed, but he struggles to continue to play his part in all of this, helping as best he can. ]

Wait—wait—like a—shit—bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down—

[ The Lyhos seems pacified enough, whether by Teddy’s magic or the lovely background music it’s been provided with. It ignores Eddie entirely and instead stares quietly and intently at Teddy. Its eyes narrow and it inclines it head, as though it understands every word they’re saying and is considering their words carefully.

The creature stays this way for a long stretch of time, but just before Eddie is forced to make his best attempt at Garfunkel’s upper octave, the Lyhos reaches up. It removes the mask and places it carefully onto the branches of the shrubbery. It steps backward and watches quietly, as if waiting for Teddy to collect its offering. ]

[ooc: you deserve literally all the apologies. i tried to reply to this like three times and something happened EVERY SINGLE TIME and i got frustrated with it, but i love them and i can't leave it here.]

[Teddy scrunches their eyebrows at him in what they hope communicates who the fuck would I tell? in the very brief moment they have to look away. (There are, actually, a few mutual friends who would probably know the song, and the really obvious answer is Steve, but Teddy don't do their friends like that, okay.)

She's going to force him to listen to the Disturbed cover of Sound of Silence when all this is over. You know, presuming the Lyhos doesn't go super feral.

[Eddie's voice is good, actually, and to be fair to him, he goes for it: rougher than Simon and Garfunkle but come the fuck on; besides, Teddy has always favored musicians without perfect vocals. And, more to the point, it's Eddie's, and that's more comforting than something professional, between Teddy's slow statements. When he pulls his hand away to gesture, and Eddie squeaks and protests a little, it's even harder not to glance his way, not to turn or assure him in kind.

You can do this, Teddy thinks, and isn't sure if it's more to themself or Eddie.

[The Lyhos inclines its head. There's what feels like an interminable quiet, though it really only stretches out a line or so. Teddy can feel her own heart pounding in her ears, afraid to look away and afraid to look too aggressive: she settles on lowering her eyes a little while it thinks. Then looks up, almost startled, as the goat creature removes the mask: she blinks at it on the branches for a dumb second.]

...Thank you.

[Teddy inclines his own head, almost a bow, a hand to his chest in thanks. He reaches carefully, both hands palm up, to carefully lift the mask from the bushes and, likewise, steps backward from the edge, away from the basket and gifts.

This time, Eddie does get a look, a mixture of holy shit dude it worked and deep gratitude. And a little, tentative smile, one that's turned back toward the goat as well.

Because they can, they softly pick up where Eddie's gotten to, this time taking the harmony after the first couple notes.]

...sail on by. Your time has come to shine. All your dreams are on their way...

Edited (actually use the html faye) 2024-12-24 02:21 (UTC)

{ooc| no worries! id say we're near to wrapping this up anyway}

[ Eddies shrugs as Teddy’s eyebrows scrunch together, unable to answer the unspoken question of who would I tell? He doesn’t know, he just doesn’t want anyone to know he’s out here singing Simon and Garfunkel (though he definitely doesn’t want Steve to know, as if Steve would even care).

He actually would probably really enjoy the Disturbed cover of Sound of Silence, though.

But for now, he continues to sing, watches Teddy with wide, anxious eyes. He wants to back away when the creature approaches, but instead, he takes a firm hold of Teddy’s sleeve, ready to pull them back if the creature attacks. But it doesn’t. It places the mask into he branches and backs away to watch them finish their tune. ]

If you need a friend, I'm sailing right behind—

[ He takes a deep, shuddering breath, his voice joins Teddy’s once more, and it’s…not unpleasant. Eddie has taught himself everything he knows about music, and while he may not have the words or technical understanding, he seems to understand how to form a harmony. It’s just like on the guitar—each of them is a string, it’s jut a matter of singing the notes that create a chord. ]

Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind—

[ It sounds nice, and the Lyhos seems to think so as well. It listens quietly, blinking slowly at the two of them as they reach the final, soaring lines of the song: ]

Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind.

[ And then, with an almost satisfied look—it could even be a smile, if goats could do such things—the creature turns. It pauses to scoop up the basket of offerings (who wouldn’t take free shit?) and takes off slowly into the woods once more, leaving the two Summoned and the mask behind.

Eddie sinks into himself, slumping like all his fear leaves him in one bark of anxious laughter. ]

Uh—holy shit.

[Eddie's hand on their sleeve is something Teddy only notices in the moments after, too half frozen, slightly out-of-body as they hold their breath to watch the Lyhos and what it does. When they feel it, though, it's warming. A reminder that not only is Eddie here, vocally, to back them up if it's not, actually, at all Teddy's magic, and magical goat-men just really like singing -- but also, he's willing to bodily stop them from being an idiot, no matter how scared he is. That means something.

The Lyhos Kesc removes the mask, and Teddy takes it, and for a moment as they pick up the song, it just blinks long-lashed eyes from where the moss and fur have created dreadlocks around its face, regarding them peacefully, almost contentedly before scooping up the offerings and retreating.

Teddy sets the mask very carefully down as Eddie slumps over with a laugh, staring. He echoes him, still blinking:]

Holy ...shit.

[Then the shock and remaining adrenaline just all sort of morphs into (very slightly hysterical) gleeful laughter. She takes a half step back and impulsively tackle-hugs Eddie, very nearly knocking him sideways.] Holy shit, we did it!

[He gets an absolutely unembarrassed kiss on the side of his head for staying with her.] You were perfect, thank you.

You know, the two of us don't sound half bad together.

Edited 2025-01-28 12:41 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[open] i'm so tired of being tired

quest; teddy

mild cw for vaaaaague reference to a goat injuring a dog (she’s ok!) and past violent thoughts

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adjsfl I am so sorry

no worries!

Re: no worries!

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tf was i even doing! but yes, this is pretty much a wrap :)