[Magnus does him one better for directions; after a minute or two, a screenshot of his exact location on googlemaps is sent. Archie will have to get to the park, follow a trail for a bit, and then strike off somewhat. with maps turned on, and for any pokemon trainer, it should be no problem]
[archie one-ups magnus there, he just shows the directions to crobat and hops on, Flying over quickly.
he hops off the giant bat a couple yards away, knowing magnus is okay with it and doesn't return it. crobat hops forward to say hello to magnus chirping happily.]
Yo, [he says casually, though his general look is probably clear why he's even asked. he's not even wearing a bandana!!!] lookin' for treaure?
[Magnus' attention is pulled to crobat quickly though, and his face lights up a little. Magnus likes all of Archie's pokemon -- uh, well, apart from one, who Archie hasn't taken out since they first met -- but Crobat is his favourite, just as he suspects Alex favours sharpdeo. he smiles, digging in his pocket for treats. he's got an absurd amount of sunflower seeds, for some reason, which he holds out to the huge bat]
Hi, Crobat. Hey, Archie. If I was, I wouldn't tell you, right?
[a half-quirked smile; there's a curious scattering of temporary camping equipment, like he and Alex have made a daytrip out here, though his green-haired beau is absent. sleeping bags are rolled up on backpacks, a sketchpad and some other supplies sit on an overturned log]
[visible without the giant X he usually puts on has well, amazing. it's. a forehead. he's probably surprisingly grey, too, but that's more, uh. recent.
crobat licks up them seeds without hesitation, happily enjoying crunching them.]
Yeah, there was... some bullshit recently. S'why I asked where you were.
[Magnus' expression turns somber, as he less somberly wipes crobat drool off on his jeans. he digs in his hoodie pocket for more seeds, though. a little bat slobber never hurt anybody]
What kinda bullshit?
[they've been off the city map; there hasn't been any posting about it on the imPort network, so he doesn't know about the house. they don't get daily news in the tent. another handful of seeds is extended to Crobat]
There was... this house. Like, just a normal one, but I think some imPort with strong powers was squatting in it. He used his powers to make it some kinda horror show.
[sensing archie's discomfort (because crobat is good and pure), crobat stops eating abruptly and hops back over to him, putting its wings around him protectively. archie rubs its head, padding a little more into the campsite to sit on the log.]
I dunno how it got people in -- I went in 'cause I thought I saw Manabu's Poochyena stuck in there... anyway, there were a buncha people and I doubt I even saw everyone. It was like one of those fairground haunted houses, new thing in each room.
[honestly? he feels kinda stupid talking about it in hindsight. maybe it wasn't real.]
Anyway, saw a buncha fucked up shit, died a few times, watched my best friend die... all that fun stuff.
[Magnus frowns, because it doesn't sound stupid to him. giants pulled fucked up glamour shit all the time, gods sent horrifying visions; and if anyone can relate to dying repeatedly and/or watching your friends die repeatedly, it's Magnus Chase]
[wiping his hand off on his jeans again, he walks over to the two backpacks leaning against one another, pulls off a sleeping roll (forest green, his). he spreads it out on the ground while he talks]
I'm sorry that happened to you. [kneels on the spread green fabric, looks up at Archie earnestly] It sounds really fucked up, even if it was illusion magic. Did anybody figure out which imPort was doing it...?
Odin. We were in a room with zombies... I don't know if he wants people to know, but a bunch of really bad stuff happened in his own world related to zombies. I've never seen the poor guy so freaked out.
[archie neglects to mention he got his ass killed there.]
I woke up with Kang but lost track of him - we got split up somehow - and [he swallows, even thinking about it made him nauseous.] Maxie. He's-- he was the one that tried to stop me back home, but he's from an alternate world where he was the one that almost ended the world and I was the one that tried to stop him.
[the zombie thing's come up before -- and Magnus makes an internal note to check in on Odin, later. he does know what went down with the zombies, and it's... it's not good. it puts some of Odin's erratic behaviour recently in perspective, really]
[he also tries not to let surprise show on his face about Maxie casually being revealed as another world-end agitator. Magnus is surprised by how many of them he knows, Considering]
[Magnus cocks his head, circling back to the real point of Archie's visit;]
[maybe he would've mentioned it another time, but it's kind of been drilled into his brain, the rooms with kyogre and groudon, what he and maxie did.
...maybe part of him wanted magnus to know it was just a timeline separating him from being the guy who almost ended the world to the guy who tried to stop the damage from being done. it's selfish, and if he's ever consciously aware of this, he'll hate himself for it.
he doesn't reply. just miserably shakes his head.]
[he's not using his alf seidr yet, but his voice is without judgement, calming, nevertheless. the setting's calming, too; the mild breeze in the wilderness, the smell of autumn leaves made damp from a rainy morning]
[Magnus shifts his knees up in front of him, rests his arms comfortably across them]
Is it bad then, too?
[he thinks it probably is, or Archie wouldn't be here -- but this is kind of a part of it, getting someone to feel okay, opening up with him]
[man he's kind of trying to push away the stupid thought his brain is making him think: magnus is seventeen and archie is twice his age, he's stupid and pathetic for needing this guy's help, even though he knows it's not true on a number of levels.
he really wishes he could do anything to help himself without his stupid brain lambasting him for it.]
Yeah. It's bad for Maxie as well an'-- I know we're stupid shitheads that tried to end the world, but... I really only properly know him as the guy that tried to stop me.
[that's... another can of worms he won't get into here, but he hopes what he's trying to communicate is clear.]
[Magnus is quiet for a few moments, turning that over in his head. like most things, he keeps his own counsel on it]
You know I can't like, fix you, right? That's not how it works. I can't make you feel like what happened didn't happen. [a pause, and he amends] And I wouldn't, even if I could. Not for either of you.
[this isn't something he'd say to anyone else, about their traumas. Magnus likes Archie, he does; but he'll never excuse or ignore what he did, not ever, and his eyes are hard and bright, like the river-rocks just a ways away from this little campsite]
I can take away the worst effects of it and help with getting you in the right place to deal with it yourself. Temporarily. That's what it is.
[there's a part of him that's -- a little belligerent. not as belligerent as the events that led to his death made him, not as belligerent as some of the more extreme things following, but belligerent all the same. I never got a five-minute break, he wants to say, petulant, angry, resentful. not during his life, not during his death -- it was all one big doom-clock ticking down, for him. not even sleeping was an escape, with Loki constantly interfering with his dreams, sending him gruesome visions. there's no leaving the haunted house, for him, and there's no dream-death, for him, only real death, for him and all his friends, over and over, in fields of blood up to his ankles. all because of the end of the world; all because of some shithead's decisions]
[there's another part of him, though, that thinks of Sigyn, and the snake, and the bowl, and the wretchedness of it all. the way inflicting pain only -- inflicted pain. even before he knew he could heal, he hated pain, hated causing it in other people. he could spew poison on Archie all he wanted, but it wouldn't help or change anything. the world still nearly ended in his universe; the world's still ending in Magnus' own]
[Magnus feels tired, and responsible, and over it. he's had enough of pain -- his own, and others']
[archie can't tell what's going on inside magnus's head, but he's savvy enough to know there could be any number of reasons for that second pause. naturally, he takes it as hesitation and it literally just takes that moment for archie to realise that he was wrong to ask for help, especially from magnus. he's not right to think this, but in this moment archie has never thought of himself as more of a burden.]
[Magnus shifts back up onto his knees, on his sleeping bag, a bit closer to Archie]
Basically, we're gonna have a low-key conversation with lot of intense eye contact, and it would help if I could like, put a hand on your arm or something. [a pause] If you're uncomfortable with that, I don't have to, but it'll be harder for me and maybe take longer.
[he tucks some blond hair back behind his ear; it seems like this is information he's given out before, because he sounds assured in a way he usually doesn't, all anxious hesitance. Magnus is a good healer, and he's learning more about this kind of healing every week he's here, which is -- depressing, but helpful, as he develops his demigod powers]
As for what we're gonna talk about, um, content's not that important, but it helps if it's sort of like, on brand with what we're trying to fix. You don't have to unload on me like your therapist. Maybe talk a little bit about the house, what you're struggling with. I'll talk you through it, but it's the seidr, not the words.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: text
yeah. that's always on the table.
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that means a lot
and sorry to drop in on you like this
when could you do it do you think?
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now's fine. but can you come to me?
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yeah, give me 30 mins
sorry again
[because of course he feels fucking awful about trying to make how he feels slightly... less, or even involving magnus at all.]
landmarks?
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[Magnus does him one better for directions; after a minute or two, a screenshot of his exact location on googlemaps is sent. Archie will have to get to the park, follow a trail for a bit, and then strike off somewhat. with maps turned on, and for any pokemon trainer, it should be no problem]
wait this is action now
he hops off the giant bat a couple yards away, knowing magnus is okay with it and doesn't return it. crobat hops forward to say hello to magnus chirping happily.]
Yo, [he says casually, though his general look is probably clear why he's even asked. he's not even wearing a bandana!!!] lookin' for treaure?
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[Magnus' attention is pulled to crobat quickly though, and his face lights up a little. Magnus likes all of Archie's pokemon -- uh, well, apart from one, who Archie hasn't taken out since they first met -- but Crobat is his favourite, just as he suspects Alex favours sharpdeo. he smiles, digging in his pocket for treats. he's got an absurd amount of sunflower seeds, for some reason, which he holds out to the huge bat]
Hi, Crobat. Hey, Archie. If I was, I wouldn't tell you, right?
[a half-quirked smile; there's a curious scattering of temporary camping equipment, like he and Alex have made a daytrip out here, though his green-haired beau is absent. sleeping bags are rolled up on backpacks, a sketchpad and some other supplies sit on an overturned log]
You don't look so hot, man.
Re: text
crobat licks up them seeds without hesitation, happily enjoying crunching them.]
Yeah, there was... some bullshit recently. S'why I asked where you were.
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What kinda bullshit?
[they've been off the city map; there hasn't been any posting about it on the imPort network, so he doesn't know about the house. they don't get daily news in the tent. another handful of seeds is extended to Crobat]
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[sensing archie's discomfort (because crobat is good and pure), crobat stops eating abruptly and hops back over to him, putting its wings around him protectively. archie rubs its head, padding a little more into the campsite to sit on the log.]
I dunno how it got people in -- I went in 'cause I thought I saw Manabu's Poochyena stuck in there... anyway, there were a buncha people and I doubt I even saw everyone. It was like one of those fairground haunted houses, new thing in each room.
[honestly? he feels kinda stupid talking about it in hindsight. maybe it wasn't real.]
Anyway, saw a buncha fucked up shit, died a few times, watched my best friend die... all that fun stuff.
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[wiping his hand off on his jeans again, he walks over to the two backpacks leaning against one another, pulls off a sleeping roll (forest green, his). he spreads it out on the ground while he talks]
I'm sorry that happened to you. [kneels on the spread green fabric, looks up at Archie earnestly] It sounds really fucked up, even if it was illusion magic. Did anybody figure out which imPort was doing it...?
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[he frowns.]
Fucker was narrating each room and taunting us when we got hurt.
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[Magnus hates bullies. what a piece of garbage; and his expression twists like he's smelled something sour]
...Who was in there with you?
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[archie neglects to mention he got his ass killed there.]
I woke up with Kang but lost track of him - we got split up somehow - and [he swallows, even thinking about it made him nauseous.] Maxie. He's-- he was the one that tried to stop me back home, but he's from an alternate world where he was the one that almost ended the world and I was the one that tried to stop him.
[a fucking mess, basically.]
Anyway, he was there too.
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[he also tries not to let surprise show on his face about Maxie casually being revealed as another world-end agitator. Magnus is surprised by how many of them he knows, Considering]
[Magnus cocks his head, circling back to the real point of Archie's visit;]
Um. Are you not sleeping, since?
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...maybe part of him wanted magnus to know it was just a timeline separating him from being the guy who almost ended the world to the guy who tried to stop the damage from being done. it's selfish, and if he's ever consciously aware of this, he'll hate himself for it.
he doesn't reply. just miserably shakes his head.]
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[he's not using his alf seidr yet, but his voice is without judgement, calming, nevertheless. the setting's calming, too; the mild breeze in the wilderness, the smell of autumn leaves made damp from a rainy morning]
[Magnus shifts his knees up in front of him, rests his arms comfortably across them]
Is it bad then, too?
[he thinks it probably is, or Archie wouldn't be here -- but this is kind of a part of it, getting someone to feel okay, opening up with him]
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he really wishes he could do anything to help himself without his stupid brain lambasting him for it.]
Yeah. It's bad for Maxie as well an'-- I know we're stupid shitheads that tried to end the world, but... I really only properly know him as the guy that tried to stop me.
[that's... another can of worms he won't get into here, but he hopes what he's trying to communicate is clear.]
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You know I can't like, fix you, right? That's not how it works. I can't make you feel like what happened didn't happen. [a pause, and he amends] And I wouldn't, even if I could. Not for either of you.
[this isn't something he'd say to anyone else, about their traumas. Magnus likes Archie, he does; but he'll never excuse or ignore what he did, not ever, and his eyes are hard and bright, like the river-rocks just a ways away from this little campsite]
I can take away the worst effects of it and help with getting you in the right place to deal with it yourself. Temporarily. That's what it is.
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That's not what I want, anyway.
[maybe for the wrong reasons, but archie never wants to forget or get over what he did.]
I just-- [he puts rests his chin on his hands.] Yeah. That's what I was hoping for. I just want a break for five minutes. I'm so tired.
[physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually... just all over.]
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[there's another part of him, though, that thinks of Sigyn, and the snake, and the bowl, and the wretchedness of it all. the way inflicting pain only -- inflicted pain. even before he knew he could heal, he hated pain, hated causing it in other people. he could spew poison on Archie all he wanted, but it wouldn't help or change anything. the world still nearly ended in his universe; the world's still ending in Magnus' own]
[Magnus feels tired, and responsible, and over it. he's had enough of pain -- his own, and others']
...Do you want me to explain what I'm gonna do?
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Um... only if you want to.
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[that's what healing is; focusing everything on someone else's pain, and trying to make it go away]
What would make you feel more at ease?
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oh. that's not what he meant.]
Uh-- talk it through.
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[Magnus shifts back up onto his knees, on his sleeping bag, a bit closer to Archie]
Basically, we're gonna have a low-key conversation with lot of intense eye contact, and it would help if I could like, put a hand on your arm or something. [a pause] If you're uncomfortable with that, I don't have to, but it'll be harder for me and maybe take longer.
[he tucks some blond hair back behind his ear; it seems like this is information he's given out before, because he sounds assured in a way he usually doesn't, all anxious hesitance. Magnus is a good healer, and he's learning more about this kind of healing every week he's here, which is -- depressing, but helpful, as he develops his demigod powers]
As for what we're gonna talk about, um, content's not that important, but it helps if it's sort of like, on brand with what we're trying to fix. You don't have to unload on me like your therapist. Maybe talk a little bit about the house, what you're struggling with. I'll talk you through it, but it's the seidr, not the words.
-- How's that sound?
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