[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.
No, it's fine. Um... if I get too emotional and do something you're uncomfortable with just tell me? I know you're not too keen on touch and stuff but sometimes I get carried away.
[he's at peace with his Hugger status.]
I know what parts of it bothered me more than others. I'll, uh, spare you the gory details.
Um. I've never done this with a hugger before. I had one guy hold my hand too much I guess, so it's possible.
[reminds Archie, with a wry quirk of his lips]
But I'm a billion times stronger than you, I can just move your arms if I don't like what's happening? Don't worry about it, okay?
[it's just sort of how it is; Magnus is descended from the god of fertility and wealth, and he's a romantic disaster and poor. Magnus is a healer through touch, but he doesn't actually like to touch people. that's his cool cool ironic gig in life]
Ready?
[his voice is quiet, not rushing. he's taking some slower breaths, sort of centering his energies. it feels so much easier out here than in the city]
[it's not. Magnus simply reaches out, locking those empty grey eyes onto Archie. and he'll find it, suddenly, harder to look away from them, as Magnus begins to call on Frey and weave his seidr]
So... what do you wanna let go of, Archie?
[and Magnus' voice, usually monotone or sly, is different, too; it gains a warm depth, a sense of being inviting and non-judgmental. a slow wave of peace will start rolling over Archie, gently, gently urging him to calm his racing thoughts, respond to the questions asked by this person who means no harm. his guard can be let down here, is what Magnus' seidr thrums up along his skin, like sunshine (and difficult to see in the bright midday light, the ends of his hair start to glow golden, appropriately enough)]
It's just me and you. It'll stay between me and you, dude.
[he can't look away; it's almost alarming, but where he might be panicked about what he would perceive as a psychic forcing him to do something, he only feels like it's what he should do, and it's... fine. it's what he wants to do.
for the first time in a while, his mind stops trying to fling five different lines of thought to the forefront at the same time, letting him have some form of clarity over what he wants to talk about. he didn't need to slow his breathing, sure, but it helps him concentrate over the shallow quick ones he takes when he's touched by the perpetual tense anxiety of his trauma.]
Kyogre, [he starts, but frowns for a moment as he thinks about how to phrase his thoughts.] but not the one back home. Not the one I woke up thinking I could use it to save the world. The fake one here. The construct of fear that was created with no other purpose than to murder my friend. I want to move beyond my own fear of the leviathan so I can help Maxie come to terms with what happened to him.
[and like when he healed Jesse, when Magnus reaches out to try and "feel" the shape of Archie's mental and emotional pain -- it's like touching something so cold it's hot, like the primordial frost of Niflheim (ice pelted across his face hard enough to cut long slices open in his cheeks, opening a wrong door in the Hotel). he keeps his face impassive (not that Archie would likely notice), and weaves a heavier strand of seidr between them. then another, and another, and another, until it's like a rope, tied firmly around Archie's waist; if he feels like he's sinking into dark and deep oceans, it's pulling him out. it's time to come to the surface and breathe the air; and he pulls the "rope" upwards, towards the light, away from the depths in which a leviathan could swim]
[and like he'd said earlier: it's not the content, really, the words Magnus actually says -- but the feeling that gets pressed into Archie with each slow sentence, of safety and belonging and freedom. he can't drown with Magnus here, and there's no house of horror]
Maxie's safe. You're safe. That shit was illusions, and you're both back in the real world.
[(and in the back of his mind, not focused on increasing the sense of peace in Archie's chest and mind, Magnus wonders: save the world?)]
You're not in danger of something that's just an echo of something else you're always moving forward from. You're both gonna be okay.
[it doesn't have to be true, his seidr, to work, even if he prefers to weave it true when he can. it doesn't have to be true, or some gift of Vanir insight, or anything; it just needs to communicate the sense of it's safe to rest, finally, finally -- which it does, wrapping Archie up in a feeling of protection]
[another time he'd argue, say it was real enough. kyogre was real enough to devour maxie, groudon was real enough to impale him. they were tangible, the pain was all too real but he knows magnus is right. they weren't real, just some weird fucked up manifestation of their regrets. they didn't exist before they entered the room and didn't exist as one of them left.
archie can almost see the sunbeams shining through the water, and he's taken back to playing in the currents near pacifidlog with shelly when they were kids. back to tanabata.]
Jirachi...
[said slowly as he blinks dumbly, mind wandering slightly but not resisting magnus's magic.]
[what Archie will feel is his mind getting right with itself -- so it's not Magnus' magic imposing meaning on what happened, but Archie's own thoughts made easier, simpler. he'll be able to reach peaceable conclusions, about what happened in the house; the illusions were just that. his friends are safe. no one has died, and everything is going to be okay]
[and the beams of light through the surf only get stronger, warmer; the sense that place and that time, Jirachi, bring him will be increasingly he can feel, swathing around him like a familiar blanket. speaking of -- Magnus reaches out, and when his hand falls on Archie's forearm, it's like the seidr slots perfectly into place. the currents wash around Archie like they did when he played as a kid, kind and welcoming, and dependable, like the sea can be. he gives a gentle tug to his wrist]
Hey, why don't you take a rest, Archie? I'll be right here.
[what exists is not terrifying phantoms of regret, but this: a beautiful day, out in nature, with the summer sun (in October, yes) curling around Archie. Magnus shifts to make room for Archie on the sleeping bag, relocating himself to sit crosslegged in the grass. the aura of peace around them pervades, and Magnus will keep weaving it to do so, as long as Archie needs]
[archie blinks a few times as he - for lack of a better phrase - comes to. he looks a little confused, almost like he was so lost in the simplicity of everything going through his mind.
he nods, heavy-lidded, without the mental burden he puts on himself his body is finally reacting the way someone with bone-deep exhaustion would.
he, uh, just flops forward onto the grass, gives magnus a thumbs up, then passes out. rip.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[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...?
no subject
[he frowns.]
Fucker was narrating each room and taunting us when we got hurt.
no subject
[Magnus hates bullies. what a piece of garbage; and his expression twists like he's smelled something sour]
...Who was in there with you?
no subject
[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.
no subject
[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?
no subject
...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.]
no subject
[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]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
[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?
no subject
Um... only if you want to.
no subject
[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?
no subject
oh. that's not what he meant.]
Uh-- talk it through.
no subject
[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?
no subject
No, it's fine. Um... if I get too emotional and do something you're uncomfortable with just tell me? I know you're not too keen on touch and stuff but sometimes I get carried away.
[he's at peace with his Hugger status.]
I know what parts of it bothered me more than others. I'll, uh, spare you the gory details.
no subject
[reminds Archie, with a wry quirk of his lips]
But I'm a billion times stronger than you, I can just move your arms if I don't like what's happening? Don't worry about it, okay?
[it's just sort of how it is; Magnus is descended from the god of fertility and wealth, and he's a romantic disaster and poor. Magnus is a healer through touch, but he doesn't actually like to touch people. that's his cool cool ironic gig in life]
Ready?
[his voice is quiet, not rushing. he's taking some slower breaths, sort of centering his energies. it feels so much easier out here than in the city]
no subject
Heh. Yeah, okay.
[trying to copy magnus, archie calms his own breathing, wondering if that's Required.]
no subject
So... what do you wanna let go of, Archie?
[and Magnus' voice, usually monotone or sly, is different, too; it gains a warm depth, a sense of being inviting and non-judgmental. a slow wave of peace will start rolling over Archie, gently, gently urging him to calm his racing thoughts, respond to the questions asked by this person who means no harm. his guard can be let down here, is what Magnus' seidr thrums up along his skin, like sunshine (and difficult to see in the bright midday light, the ends of his hair start to glow golden, appropriately enough)]
It's just me and you. It'll stay between me and you, dude.
no subject
for the first time in a while, his mind stops trying to fling five different lines of thought to the forefront at the same time, letting him have some form of clarity over what he wants to talk about. he didn't need to slow his breathing, sure, but it helps him concentrate over the shallow quick ones he takes when he's touched by the perpetual tense anxiety of his trauma.]
Kyogre, [he starts, but frowns for a moment as he thinks about how to phrase his thoughts.] but not the one back home. Not the one I woke up thinking I could use it to save the world. The fake one here. The construct of fear that was created with no other purpose than to murder my friend. I want to move beyond my own fear of the leviathan so I can help Maxie come to terms with what happened to him.
no subject
[and like he'd said earlier: it's not the content, really, the words Magnus actually says -- but the feeling that gets pressed into Archie with each slow sentence, of safety and belonging and freedom. he can't drown with Magnus here, and there's no house of horror]
Maxie's safe. You're safe. That shit was illusions, and you're both back in the real world.
[(and in the back of his mind, not focused on increasing the sense of peace in Archie's chest and mind, Magnus wonders: save the world?)]
You're not in danger of something that's just an echo of something else you're always moving forward from. You're both gonna be okay.
[it doesn't have to be true, his seidr, to work, even if he prefers to weave it true when he can. it doesn't have to be true, or some gift of Vanir insight, or anything; it just needs to communicate the sense of it's safe to rest, finally, finally -- which it does, wrapping Archie up in a feeling of protection]
no subject
archie can almost see the sunbeams shining through the water, and he's taken back to playing in the currents near pacifidlog with shelly when they were kids. back to tanabata.]
Jirachi...
[said slowly as he blinks dumbly, mind wandering slightly but not resisting magnus's magic.]
no subject
[and the beams of light through the surf only get stronger, warmer; the sense that place and that time, Jirachi, bring him will be increasingly he can feel, swathing around him like a familiar blanket. speaking of -- Magnus reaches out, and when his hand falls on Archie's forearm, it's like the seidr slots perfectly into place. the currents wash around Archie like they did when he played as a kid, kind and welcoming, and dependable, like the sea can be. he gives a gentle tug to his wrist]
Hey, why don't you take a rest, Archie? I'll be right here.
[what exists is not terrifying phantoms of regret, but this: a beautiful day, out in nature, with the summer sun (in October, yes) curling around Archie. Magnus shifts to make room for Archie on the sleeping bag, relocating himself to sit crosslegged in the grass. the aura of peace around them pervades, and Magnus will keep weaving it to do so, as long as Archie needs]
Just for a while.
no subject
he nods, heavy-lidded, without the mental burden he puts on himself his body is finally reacting the way someone with bone-deep exhaustion would.
he, uh, just flops forward onto the grass, gives magnus a thumbs up, then passes out. rip.]