#And yes James is one of the steady cooks in the Septic house fight me

[southerndragontamer]

Egotober Day 14: Time

Time was a curious thing, James decided as he looked at his pocket-watch and watched the seconds tick by. It was always moving forwards, but could go backwards, could be paused, sped up or slowed down. It could probably go sideways if someone really tried. But it had been here since the universe started, days, weeks, months, years passed without measurement because no one had condensed it down.

People were desperate for more of it too. Things done in the name of ‘getting more time’ or ‘don’t waste time’ truly puzzled the timekeeper. Because time wasn’t ever wasted, you didn’t waste time by sitting with a book, playing a game or laying in the sun. Nothing that someone did would waste time. It was either a blip of time to then, or they’d settle take things slower, appreciate it. And neither way was wrong.

Time could loop, each day was technically a loop it was just things happened differently each sunrise that kept people from referring to it like that. The concept of a loop made his fingers clench tighter around his watch. Navy eyes clenched shut and shuddered as he fought the memory off. Furious snarling twisted by static, claws sunk into his shoulder to stop him from moving. The metal of a knife at his throat. The pain of it sinking in and how his own scream cut off-

James snapped the lid of his watch closed to pull himself out of it and took a deep breath, he listened to it’s steady tick tock as he tried to keep himself calm. He was safe, he wasn’t hurt. Slowly he relaxed and looked around, blushed a bit as he realized he’d paused time in panic. He sighed and leant back on the couch and stared at the ceiling.

He rubbed the raven etched into the back of the lid absently. He had been young in his powers when he’d been grabbed by the glitch, he hadn’t had as much control as he did now. And even as loathe as he was to admit it and how sick he felt about using the knowledge, he’d learned some things. But the timekeeper swore to himself as he had more than once, that when the glitch next showed himself James wouldn’t run. He wouldn’t hide behind Marvin or Jackie.

He checked the clock and then his watch, it always kept the correct time no matter what timeline he was in, and he blinked. He snapped his fingers to get time moving again and got up to go to the kitchen. It was almost time for lunch and he knew the others would be hungry.