the_archive: (None of this makes sense.)
the_archive ([personal profile] the_archive) wrote in [community profile] abraxaslogs2021-08-01 09:30 pm

Recording #004 | The Voice

WHO: Jonathan Sims et al
WHAT: DOOM
WHERE: The return from the Horizon, and the dungeons.
WHEN: From July 24th to August 12th
WARNING: Body horror, eyes, execution talk, mention of self-harm.
NOTES: Always up to add something more specific for any asker. I'm in the group disco at all hours, or on plurk as TheHats.

 

1.

Jon wakes up outside the rim of the crater with a sense of gentle, falling disappointment, staring up at the sky. He simply lays there for a while in the long grass, hands folded on his stomach, unmoving. It's one of the guards accompanying the mages that first notices he's awake, and they're swift to pull him to his feet. The guard who grabs his wrist to recuff him makes a startled sound when one of the three broad scars across Jon's throat opens and blinks lazily at him, and when another eye winks from the back of his neck, the guard escorting him back to the group pushes harder than necessary, sending him to his knees.

It's there he goes still, frozen, his eyes – all of his eyes, in their dozens now, every scar opening to show a different shade of iris with pinprick pupils – go wide as the voice sounds inside his head, for him alone, a dead language hissing like static between his ears.
 

H̷̨̀͂É̴̩̩͋L̷̘͂͝L̴̳̹͐Ö̴̠͉́ ̴̱̽͝H̴̡̱̎͝E̸̥̻̍̄L̵͈̽͜L̷̙͛͒Ọ̶́̔
̶̬̾Ý̸͓̖͝O̷̦͐U̴͈̿̒ ̷̳̔̀C̴̳̰̚A̸̰̔N̸͎͕̈́ ̸̗̦̂U̶̼̖͌Ṋ̶̛́ͅD̸͌̕͜E̴͖̩̅̽Ȓ̴͔͚̔S̸̘̔T̷͎͔͊͐A̶̰͑̎Ň̴̬͝D̷̙̂̐ ̸̨̦͂̊M̴͖̾Ě̷͔ ̶̹̙͆Y̷̺̱͛E̸̟̓͗S̶͎̀̒ ̸̧̥̆F̵̝̯͗I̷̛̯̔N̶̡̪͠Â̶͙̩Ĺ̸̖̭͝L̵͎̩̇Ý̸̲͈ ̷̙́ͅB̴̻̙́̈́È̶̖͖Ę̴̩͒̄N̴̺̋̑ ̵̛̮͠W̴̻̃A̴̗̞̍̕Í̷̻͝T̷͚͒́Ì̷̙̃͜Ṅ̴͖͖̂G̶̺̩̃


He doesn't answer when he's ordered to his feet,
 

Ç̵̥͗͑Ą̷͖͂N̴̨͈͝'̵̥̇̂T̶͔͍̕ ̶̬́͌T̵̹̔͘Ą̸̲͊͝L̷̺̓̚K̵͖̚ ̴̼̿́M̷̟̉̓Ǘ̵̠͐C̴̖̔H̵̜́ ̸̤͛Ṋ̸̄͝O̸͉̣͒̔W̵̱͐ ̸̱̻̅̚V̸̥͝͠Ẽ̷͚R̸̎͊͜Y̴̠̋̕ ̶̗̎E̵̡͒X̴̟̀H̷̘̀̓Ả̷̪U̸̞̦͊S̸̘̜̍T̶̡͙̀Ȋ̵̘N̵͓̬͂Ğ̵̢
̷͓͈͆I̷̅͜ ̵̯͌̒W̴͓͜͠I̶͔̝̍L̸̨̯̀́L̴̢̟͆͑ ̸̱̿Ș̷͆Ẹ̷͖͝Ṉ̸̼͊̎D̵̦̃ ̷̯̗̇͝M̷̤͐Ẏ̷͎ ̷̬̑Ȩ̵͍̏̏N̸̤͋V̷͚̺̾̇O̴͔̮̍̃Y̷̦͝


or rise when they yank his arm.
 

Ť̵̞̈́R̵̛͉̀Y̴̳͠ ̷̡̹̃N̶̘͆̉O̸̡͕̅T̵̨͗́͜ ̶͉̏́Ṭ̵̋Ȍ̸̺͓̚ ̷̢̬̽L̵̼̱̚O̸͙̾̔O̴͚̠͗͠Ḱ̸̢̕ ̷͉͈̔H̸̙̜͑̾E̶̻͒̈́ ̷̱̭̇̔I̵̻̩͗̾S̷̤̊͂ ̴͓̥̊Ǹ̶͍͇̍Ȍ̶ͅT̵͙̈́̄ ̷͕̎̓M̷͚̗̀E̴̝͛A̸͈̅N̶͓̏T̵͓̒̈́ ̸̰͙͌͌T̶͍̗̑̏O̶̡͙̽̑ ̸̠͆B̷͔͔͠E̸̼̔ ̴͙̍̓ͅS̶͉̽̏Ė̶̠̘̑E̴̪̓́͜N̷̻͍͐͝ ̸̤̉͊Ẉ̵̓̒I̴͍͋T̸̡̾H̴̖͉̎ ̶̗̠̀E̴̞̋Ẏ̴͖E̸͇̔S̴̩̕͜ ̸̀͜Ḁ̶̺̂͑Ṡ̶̯̘ ̸̱̈́͆O̸̝̓̃P̸͍͉͝Ę̶̪̚N̴͓͐ ̴̭͑Ḁ̵̱̆͂S̶̜̭͌̋ ̵̟̽̎Y̷͚̽O̷͔̙̔͒Ü̸̘̎R̸̺̚S̶͔̬̈́̚
̶̪̬̏I̸̢̝̓̀T̴̓ͅ ̸̳̃͛Ẇ̵̫̱Ȋ̶̘͔̇L̷͍͗L̸̦͊́͜ ̷̫̆͠H̶̤͍̾͝Ų̵͂̀R̶̰̳̈́̋Ţ̸͇̓ ̶̢͚̾L̵̳̍͛ͅĪ̸͎̜͝Ķ̴̗̈́̽Ē̴̡ ̷̜̀̚Ś̶̨̮T̸̢̎͜A̶̹̗̾̊R̷̝̄I̵̳̼͐̚Ǹ̴͖̥G̷̼͆̓ ̷̤́͠I̴͎̍N̷̫̻̎T̸̡͆Ỏ̵͔̱ ̷̣̽T̵̮̠̓H̷̦͒̇Ẹ̵̤́̒ ̷̪̔̄Ş̷̑U̴̹̫͆̔N̴̗̱͗̋ ̷͔͚͋̌


He's frozen in horror, listening to something other than their gruff orders,
 

W̴̨͗̈͠Ȃ̴̝̦I̸͍͕͂̿͝T̷̹̫̮͑ ̸̱͇͛̒͒F̴̧͕̬̋̏Ö̵̹͚͒R̵͔̔̃ ̶͉̲̂̂͑H̸̯̪̊Ī̴̳͚̈́̒M̴̢̼͔͊̚
̵̏͜S̶̖͂͝È̸̳̰̥T̷̿͜ ̸̫̮́̅M̵̺̒E̷̦̍͝ ̴͓͙̽̈́F̴̦͊̐̄ͅR̸̯̕Ẽ̵̘̆E̸͎̻̓ͅ ̵̼̊̀͌


and when they finally get him up, he staggers where he's pushed, stands where he's left, numb, pale, and breathing fast.


2.

He's still just as unsettled when they're returned to the cells. He manages to retreat to his bed, although there's no sleep for him. The new eyes don't all shut, not when he wants them too, and he twitches at every voice. Twitches and relaxes again when he realizes they're safe, he's only hearing them with his ears.

It takes him until the next day to begin to breathe easily again, and even then, the equanimity he displayed before the Horizon is gone. Instead of sitting by the bars to see who's coming down the corridor, now he paces, jaw so tense his head aches. It's not the Eye. He knows that much. What it is, what it might be, he doesn't know. And he fears.

extremethirst: (O_O;)

[personal profile] extremethirst 2021-08-21 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"What the fuck do you mean? 'No?'"

Nero brings his voice down to a stage whisper as he grabs onto the bars. His disbelief is obvious on his face as he continues to spit out his questions. Honestly, he just wanted to needle Jon a little and hearing a 'no' really puts a damper on his fun.

If he actually says he doesn't want to be rescued, the elf will respect that decision. But he doesn't think that Martin is going to be willing to leave Jon to rot. Which is kind of weird. Who cares that much about their boss? Or is it just the camaraderie felt about seeing someone from the same world?

"The fuck do you mean by that? Are you fucking stupid? Did you really think you could get out of here without some of the bitches dying?"
extremethirst: (u_u;)

[personal profile] extremethirst 2021-08-22 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
"So, you're fine with what's going to happen?" He tilts his head in the opposite direction. By the Gods, he kind of wishes he didn't state the obvious that some of the prisoners were probably going to die.

Nero breathes out a small sigh. The elf wonders if Martin would feel so empathetic to the other prisoners, but it doesn't seem likely to him. Not because he thinks that Martin is some asshole, but like, he doesn't see much reason to care about someone just because their situation's shit.

"Seriously, are you fucking these people? Is that why you're so upset about the idea of them dying? I promise you... outside, you'll find plenty of nice sweeties that'll be more than happy to settle for you."
rehandle: (pic#12484742)

[personal profile] rehandle 2021-08-22 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
It's an unsettling way of putting it - gone fishing. The fact that Ambrose is capable of fishing through the multiverse at all is bad enough, but accurately? Not always successfully, not always pulling up who he wants, but at least having a confidence that he's casting his line in the right direction. Stephen's jaw sets slightly, then he nods.

"Well, if he doesn't know then it's worth a try. I'll see if I can get an audience."

And if he does know then he'll have to find out one way or another - either way, straight to the top of the ladder seems the most straightforward approach.

"Anything else you need while I'm here?"
extremethirst: (:)))

[personal profile] extremethirst 2021-08-23 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, we're having it."

His hands grip the bars and leans his face into the cell. Jon is seriously fucking up his plans by being a little hesitant about innocent blood being spilled. He runs his tongue along the bottom of his teeth.

"Look, do you have any idea of what Martin's willing to sacrifice for you?" Nero smiles warmly at him. "Working with me, for example."

Only one other person has ever wanted work with him, after all.
falcony: (M8H46v1)

[personal profile] falcony 2021-08-23 02:46 pm (UTC)(link)
It does make him look more tired, and Sam is suddenly feeling more...what? Empathetically exhausted? Protective? He's still working his way through what was leftover after the Horizon, these people to who he feels more connected than ever before.

"It might be a stupid question, but any idea how those happened? Like- did you go wandering somewhere you shouldn't have? Saw something in there?"

Some of the tension slips out of his shoulders, but just a fraction. He's worried, and while yes, it was something of a stupid question, of course Jon isn't doing okay down here, but Sam has to check.

"Anything I can help with?" Because he still has to ask. "And I'm taking 'get me out of here' off the table, by the way. We're working on that up top, but it's a little more complicated than I think any of us expected it to be."
falcony: (1YrUt7j)

[personal profile] falcony 2021-08-24 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
"Your prison without bars?" Sam never ventured there, not directly, but Jon did tell him about them when they talked about safety. About how they could make something around them safea. There's a level of incredulity to Sam's voice, if only because he's not exactly sure why Jon would feel satisfied there.

But that's also hardly the weirdest thing Sam has dealt with over the last few days, so he lets that go in favor of trying very very hard no to stare at the sudden appearance of another eye, another pupil, blinking at him.

He feels a bit bad when Jon mentions the few other offers, if only because that is technically what he'd come down here to do, wasn't it? And here he was, too, without any firm plans. Whether or not it bothers Jon, because of course Sam picks up on that, the guilt still settles. Sam shakes his head. "Not directly, no. He's been at the well with all the newcomers, but he hasn't said anything to the rest of us since we got back. There was a kind of...talk with a bunch of the guests, but nothing from Ambros directly." Sam pauses for a moment, thinking back on how that conversation went. The tensions between the guests.

He shakes himself out of it and looks at Jon with a furrowed brow. "Why? Are you thinking he knows about this?"
falcony: (ia_200000012)

[personal profile] falcony 2021-08-24 04:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Sam's brows lift very curiously at that explanation. Because Jon drops 'boss' and 'destroy the world' like it's the most casual thing someone could say, and Sam wants to know the story. But he's also not surprised by it, or will push for it, if only because. Well. They all sort of come from insane places, don't they? And Jon seems quite pleased with himself for not being the one who did the destroying. Sam is pretty sure those are all good thing.

It's when Jon moves on, though, that Sam shifts back into something more serious, shifting a bit where his arms are crossed over his chest. "You mean as a guest or down here in the dungeon? Or something else?" A beat, and then Sam continues. "What's their name?"
moremilkplz: (pic#15019146)

[personal profile] moremilkplz 2021-08-25 12:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Homelander gives a startled laugh, "Questions. And now he wants to see you hang."

His hands clench around the iron bars, "Something doesn't add up, buddy, and I don't really think it's the powerful mage who-" his eyebrows going up in mockery, "managed to get us all here who's the one full of shit."
moremilkplz: @squarebox (ah ah ah)

[personal profile] moremilkplz 2021-08-26 06:44 am (UTC)(link)
"What is information if not another way to control someone," he parrots, the line stilted and clearly something someone has told Homelander once. The accent slips, the clipped tones fading as he nods. "Why would you do it, Jon? All you had to do was wait, and they will tell us what we need to know to keep everyone safe."
iobject: (Uneasiness)

2

[personal profile] iobject 2021-08-27 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
Phoenix isn't doing too hot after the Horizon himself. The whole experience has made it starkly clear to him that not only is he far from home, but there is no sign that he will ever go back, and his daughter has been left behind by another father.

But there's someone who needs his help.

Phoenix smells of cigarettes when he comes down to the dungeon--a habit he broke, but has been driven to pick up again from the stress--but he's brought food. Decadent, buttery pastries that range from full of jam or cheese to meat. A man on death row ought to eat well.

He's good at feigning a smile when he finds Jon. "Hey there. I'm glad to see--" He stops abruptly, his smile flickering. "What... are those eyes?"
iobject: (Why do I have the worst clients)

[personal profile] iobject 2021-08-27 06:19 am (UTC)(link)
...Horrifying.

Phoenix schools his face again. He isn't an undefeated poker champion for nothing. "Well, I guess it's not any weirder than anything else we've dealt with so far."

Phoenix offers the basket of food he's brought down. "Are you hungry?"
moremilkplz: (pic#15019170)

[personal profile] moremilkplz 2021-08-27 06:39 am (UTC)(link)
Homelander waves his hand again in a dismissive gesture of the perpetually bored. "That's what management does. They hide and they lie to us and eventually, the plan comes out. And if it doesn't, well-"

The end of the sentence lingers, as Homelander drags his eyes up to met Jon's - his real eyes and not the ones carved in to his skin. "If it doesn't, I have plans of my own."

"Is that what you think? Everyone claims to be innocent in prison, that's just how they are. That doesn't mean they didn't do it."
moremilkplz: (pic#15019147)

[personal profile] moremilkplz 2021-08-27 06:50 am (UTC)(link)
"Are you kidding" Homelander laughs, head thrown back, and it rattles down the corridor. "Have you even asked one of them? Because I have, and let me tell you, those are not good people, Jon."

"One of them has a thing for little girls."

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