#yeah BSL is a WHOLE other beast
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
At a Language Day event - nobody there who spoke anything I did besides English. Starting to feel lonely. There was however a group of signers. Aha! Finally! Some deaf or hoh, a few who picked it up for some reason or other. I join them. I introduce myself. And then they start in with BSL. And I realise Oh. Oh I never learnt British Sign. In four years. Oh. I apologise because I do not understand BSL at all and leave. I wish to curl up under a table and pray that death comes quickly.
#it was on me tbh#guess thatâs something I can do though#I still canât believe there were no Danish or Spanish speakers in the house. one Hungarian but my Hungarian is Bad.#itâs a Little Rusty at best and Incomprehensible at worst#so when I saw people signing I got excited! yay!#yeah BSL is a WHOLE other beast#as soon as they started finger signing I just. it was embarrassing lol#how do you forget something like that???#there were even a couple Cornish and Latin speakers but I havenât used Latin in 13 years and Iâm only just getting my teeth into Cornish#this was the other day but wow. I wanted to curl up under one of the tables#I tried signing to my brother. he forgot how to
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Unsettled Stalker â An Understanding of Wadiya Babar
Monster-Hunter, Vake-Killer, and a threat to all beasts that roam Londonâs sidestreets and darkened corners. Who is the Unsettled Stalker, and what drove them to Bag a Legend? And why did they stop short of their goal?
But first, some quick, important info
Wadiya is my youngest PC at 23, celebrating their birthday on April 26th and uses they/she pronouns. They do not consider the gender of ANYONE under normal circumstances, least of all themself. Their sexuality and romantic attractions are⊠complicated, but the closest description is Aroace*, where the * is never actually elaborated on. Aroace, but with a ~homoerotic dynamic~ that cannot be explained in a non-queer, non-alloromantic way. Romance? Yesnât. They donât know either, and itâs not tactical to sit down and answer the question.
Wadiya was first conceived of as a nun named Willow Valley when I first made their account in January 2020, and was originally intended to also serve as my Seeking alt, but I dropped that mistake of characterization within 3 months. Unfortunately, while I abandoned the Christian aspect of the character around the same time,
Wadiyaâs characterization would stay in a state of chaos for the next two years, only solidifying by April of this year. The 26th in particular was chosen as their new birthday as itâs the first record I have of referring to them AS Wadiya.
It's also the day they bit Mr Fires repeatedly.
Wadiya is selectively mute, and will answer any dire questions with the smallest amount of words possible. They also understand and can communicate (a bit clumsily) in BSL, but will use signs in a similarly blunt way as to words, and writing is much the same. If they donât feel like talking to someone, Wadiya will often just ignore their questions, or leave the room if they continue to be bothered.
Wadiya, more than any of my other PCs, is an extremely solitary character, lacking a spouse, and often avoiding all human interaction possible. Itâs not like Wadiya hates people; a better way to phrase it is that theyâre quite apathetic to humanity as a whole, lacking any intrinsic respect for them, and finding better company in that of the monsters they hunt. One notable exception is April from BaL, as she is one of only two people Wadiya has any respect for, and is, somewhat ironically, a person Wadiya will speak full sentences to in any language. The other exception is The Manager of the Royal Beth, as the tales of his accomplishments, if rumors are to be believed about his identity, are worthy of respect no matter how embellished.
(My PCs can best be described as each being 1/5th of my life, and Wadiyaâs apathy is inspired by my own struggles with empathy, especially towards strangers, so I WOULD say apologies if this seems insensitive, but it My Life, so⊠yeah, not super sorry actually!)
In regards to their apathy, Wadiya was not made to act this way out of trauma, and itâs not done out of malice. Well, their most oft-said word being âPathetic.â is definitely done in bad faith, but their ambivalence towards humanity has been a part of their life since birth to some degree, growing to be such a major aspect of their personality once they entered the Neath. Wadiya had just always taken to animals far better than to humans; the prey earned her respect for fighting against a world so determined to beat and consume them, prevailing despite the odds.
It was always the predators, though, that Wadiya felt most drawn to, drawn to the stark death that dripped from their claws and teeth. The pull to leave the humanity they didnât understand behind, and become something more like the beasts they admire so has sung to Wadiya ever since they first stepped foot in the darkness of the Neath, and that first taste of change, when her eyes became stained with Peligin, was all it took to send Wadiya down the path of Monstrous Anatomy irreversibly. Their hunts are so deeply stained by the color that the blood from any kill is enough to mark their skin for weeks, while their eyes, mouth, and talons are permanently marked in the hue.
Oh, and they DO have talons. And fangs that crowd their mouth and dance in excitement at the taste of blood. And probably a thousand other little changes, both inside and out, making The Unsettled Stalker land farther from humanity with each successful kill.
Wadiya seems to lack any and all fear, but their epithet of The Unsettled Stalker is NOT a misnomer. Put in the simplest way possible, via a meme from my brotherâŠ
⊠yes, Wadiyaâs uptick in apathy after coming to the Neath, and seeming lack of fear, is simply because theyâre always terrified, and have grown so used to the feeling that it presents as sheer numbness instead. After all, if you are scared of the dark like them, and happen to live in a very gloomy cave, finding real, KILLABLE monsters in the shadows is probably a COMFORT to you after 3 years.
Itâs no wonder then, that Wadiya gravitated towards the grandest hunt of them all after only a few weeks in London proper.
Oh, the Vake. This is where that asterisk (*) comes in.
Ever since April 26th, Iâve stood by one statement, and this can be considered the thematic crux of Wadiya as a character. It, and I know this for a fact, does not align correctly with the characterization of Veils in the rest of FL proper, and probably is contradicted by the text of BaL itself, but this dynamic is crux of Wadiyaâs story regardless; Wadiya and the Vake are two sides of the same coin, and one CANNOT live without the other.
Not literally, of course, and not at first; it was just a challenge for themselves, echos be damned, and just another hunter, nothing special about it.
And then the Black Wings Absinthe, and the dreams of feral carnage, of one body. Of hunting and being hunted as one. The taps and scratches on their window, with claws that were their own. And then, the Impersonation. A willing, knowing choice to become like it again, going so far as to implant itâs teeth in their jaws, a permanent connection of their very bodies, not to mention the disorientation the game describes once coming out of the disguise, of how the streets bend for you, like they would a Master of the Bazaar. How much of the Vake lives in Wadiya, and how much of Wadiya lives in the Vake, for the very streets and shops and reflections of London itself to recognize them ais one and the same?
And when the Vake becomes Undone, any discrepancies vanish, of course, because now itâs far simpler than before. The Intriguer looks down on her, just like she does humanity. The Betrayer grins as it dies, just as they grinned as they killed it.
And, oh, the Curator.
âTracked across Parabola and around the Order of Days, and leashed into obedience. When you ride it, its talons are your talons, and you shriek with its murderous joy.â
Two sides, one coin A chipped and dulled and warped coin, but well-loved all the same. Talons and shrieks and bloody fangs, all as one. Treated with adoration, and never farther than the next rooftop, or a blur of darkness in the night sky, or tap-tap-tapping on the window outside their room at night. Never separate, and never divided.
And if the Curator ever isnât enough, well, there is still that extra Chimerical head lying on the nightstand. And it does not keep as still as one would hope. Iâm sure they can get some enrichment from that.
And if not?
Well, itâs ONLY the bounds of the game that are keeping this former Seeker from becoming one with the other 2/3rd of the Vake.
Monstrous Anatomy is IncreasingâŠ
IMPORTANT 2024 UPDATE:
Wadiya is still mostly the same as above but the root cause is no longer an empathy and apathy-based disconnect. It is now SQUARELY an issue of disassociation as the root of the disconnect from most other humans. Having someone in her brain in the form of Absinthe and the Vake was the most healing thing in the world for Wadiya, and has allowed to be a lot... happier, and at peace.
I will put no label on Wadiya, mostly due to having no label for myself, but Wadiya does disassociate, and does struggle to see where she ends and the Vake begins, as well as struggling with agency and memory when it comes to non-hunts.
The Wadiya that goes out from her home to hunt and who shares meals with Urchins is not quite the same as the being who performs the basic functions of staying alive and healthy or negotiates with members of the Railway and is separate from the Wadiya that flies and is one with what remains of the Vake.
Wadiya-Who-Hunts and Wadiya-Who-Flies and the Vake are all a gradient, while the one that can mask and pass for neurotypical in public is to the Left of the Gradient. If you Get that Vibe, then good. The brain is wiggly, trauma makes things weird, sometimes you need to adopt a thing into your brain to make yourself function and you don't know what the words for that or the implications OF it mean.
#please forgive any typos as this is the ThIRD time i typed all this out#i'm so tired#but dammit I explained Wadiya!!!#oc: wadiya babar#fl#2024: I'LL WRITE A NEW ONE EVENTUALLY BUT JUST PUTTING THE LITTLE WARNING WILL DO FOR RN#can you TELL i'm projecting#wadiya: the vake is now in my brain :)#me: hey girl wait you're making me realize that having (REDACTED) as a separate copilot entity sometimes is really not normal#me: wait what about the Others. Uh Oh wait What-
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
Hospitals & Hellos
A JSE Fanfic
Consider this a follow-up to the action of the previous part. A lot happened, including a cliffhanger that really left you dangling >:)c Sorry about that, but also not sorry. Anyway since itâs so closely related, Iâm having trouble summarizing it. Basically, Chase and Marvin get some good news, thereâs a brief intermission when something else happens, and then we cut back to those in more danger. That may sound confusing but I donât want to get too spoilery. Read for yourself =)
You can find the other stories under the pw timeline tag!
Chase woke up to the sound of his ringtone, the sensation of someone shaking his shoulder, and the pain in your back and neck that develops when you fall asleep somewhere youâre not supposed to. He groaned, and opened his eyes. Where...? Ah, right. Jackâs hospital room. He fell asleep? For how long? Visiting hours must be almost over by now.
Marvin shook him again, leaning over from his chair next to him. âYou keep getting a call,â he said. âYou should probably pick it up now.â
âRight.â Chase stretched, wincing a bit at the ache in his body, then dug his phone out of his pocket just as the ringtone ended and the call dropped. But looking at his lock screen, he had three missed calls from one Detective Nix. âOh shit!â He was immediately awake. âI gotta call backââ
Before he could do that, his phone rang yet again as it received another call from the detective. This time, Chase picked it up instantly. âHello?â
âMr. Brody?â asked the somewhat-familiar voice of Detective Nix.
âThatâs me. Sorry about all the missed calls, I-I fell asleep.â
âAh, I see.â Nix sounded amused. âI suppose I have to plan for calling you several times.â
Chase laughed nervously, glancing over at the others. Heâd fallen asleep to Marvin teaching Jack the beginnings of BSL, but now both of them were staring at him, listening in to the conversation. Jack was sitting straight up, without leaning against the bed. Marvin kept bouncing his leg. The two of them were clearly anxious. âSo...wh-whatâs the situation?â
âWell, thereâs good news, bad news, and good news,â Nix said. âWhich would you like to hear?â
Chase inhaled sharply. âBad news first.â
âWe couldnât find your friend Henrik. Or the other one whoâd been taken a month ago, Jameson.â
âOh.â Chaseâs heart sank. âWhatâs the good news, then?â
âFirst things first: your friendsâ tips were extremely helpful. We managed to find the house they were talking about,â Nix said. âWe didnât recover many things from the location, but we found something else. Or rather, someone else. Jackie Donovan.â
If his heart sank before, it now rocketed upward into his throat, rendering him speechless. Finally, he managed to get out a strangled, âWhat?â
âHe was in one of the houseâs bedrooms, badly injured and tied to a chair, but alive,â Nix continued. âHeâs at the hospital now.â
âWhich hospital?â Chase asked.
âSouthpoint General, in theââ
âHoly shit, weâre literally there right now!â Chase stood up so fast he knocked his chair over. âWhere is he?! Can we see him?!â
âHeâs recovering in what is, I believe, the emergency ward,â Nix said calmly. âDonât worry, heâs stable, but as I said, badly injured. Unconscious, actually. Visiting hours are basically over, but if youâre already here, and you insist, you could probably hurry if the staff lets youââ
âThatâs what weâll do, then. Weâll be there as soon as possible!â Chase hung up without saying goodbye, and turned to face the other two.
âWhat was that all about?â Marvin asked, confused but hopeful.
âThey found Jackie!â Chase shouted, unable to contain his overflowing joy and relief. âThey got him back, heâs here, at this hospital right now!â
âWhat?!â Marvin shot to his feet. âWe gotta see him!â
âThatâs what I said! If we run, we might be able to squeeze in just before visiting hours end.â Chase started to head towards the door, then stopped, and looked back at Jack. âOh, uh, sorry, you probably wantââ
âGo!â Jack waved at the two of them, pointing at the roomâs doorway. âGogogogogo!â
Chase laughed. âAlright, weâre going! Iâll see you in a couple days, probably!â
âGo!â
âOkay, bye!â Chase hurried out the door.
âBye, Jack!â Marvin added, following Chase.
Jack waved at the two of them as they left.
From there, the two of them hurried to the nursesâ station so they could ask where Jackie was. Once the nurse confirmed he was in the emergency ward and gave them the room number, they practically sprinted to the right wing, desperate to make it before visiting hours were over. They ended up making it just in time, and both skidded to a halt outside the right door, breathing hard.
The door to the hospital room was ajar. An older man leaned over and peered through the doorway. âAh, hello Mr. Brody.â
âHello, Detective,â Chase said. He paused for a moment to breathe, then added, âWeâre here.â
âI can see that,â Nix replied, smiling a bit. âWell, you and your friend come in. Itâs Mr. Maher, isnât it?â
Marvin nodded. âYeah. Werenât you at the trial? You talked about the case?â
âSo I did.â Nix nodded.
âHuh. So youâre handling the whole thing?â
âIndeed. Itâs turning out to be a complex beast of clues and crime. Anyway.â Nix stepped back, and Chase and Marvin entered the room.
Most of the emergency ward was large rooms with multiple beds, but there must have been certain circumstances in place to let Jackie have his own room to himself. It was small, but a bit more homey than Jackâs room in the ICU, with cushioned chairs and a couple small tables, even a TV in a cubby in a wall. The hospital bed didnât have as much medical equipment surrounding it. But Jackie wasnât awake to appreciate any of this.
Chase stopped short, just staring. It was eleven months since heâd last seen Jackie. He hadnât always been that pale, had he? His collarbone and cheeks hadnât always jutted out like that, had they? His hair was a shoulder-length mess, having grown out, and his eyes had deep purple bags under them. He was wearing a hospital gown, but there were scars visible on his arms that certainly hadnât been there before, as well as some bandages wrapped tightly around his right arm above the elbow. Despite all this, he looked rather peaceful in sleep, breathing steadily.
Marvin made a choked sound, unable to say anything else.
âHeâs...fine, right?â Chase asked, glancing at Detective Nix.
âThe doctors say so,â Nix assured him. âHe was injured when we found him, but they say itâs not life-threatening.â
âH-how? How was he injured?â Chase asked hesitantly.
âWell...you can see his arm. His legs are bad, looked like someone used a knife to slash them up. And there was a stab wound in his stomach. But he hadnât lost too much blood. They say his main problem is malnutrition. Heâll be okay.â
Chase let out a long breath. âOkay. Okay. Thatâs good. Good to hear.â
Marvin stayed silent. He walked up to the bed and, after a moment, gently took Jackieâs hand.Â
âIâll let you two have a moment.â Nix slid out of the room, closing the door behind him.
The moment passed in silence.
ââââââ
The car ride back was silent as well. A lot had happened that day, and the two of them sat, quietly processing everything. They lost Schneep, but found Jackie, each within a few hours of each other. Who knew what would happen tomorrow?
Chase pulled onto the street where Marvinâs house sat, and noticed something odd. âIs there someone outside your house?â
âHmm?â Marvin, previously spacing out, snapped back to reality. âWhy would someone be at my house?â
âI dunno, I assumed you would. Not expecting anyone?â Chase shrugged. âMaybe theyâre in front of the neighbors.â
âNo.â Marvin narrowed his eyes, staring down the road. âThereâs someone at my door. A car in front, too. Who is that? I canât see them.â He shook his head. âToo dark. The city needs to work on installing stronger street lamps in the area.â
Chase chuckled a bit. As he approached Marvinâs house, he pulled to the side of the road, right behind the strange car that was already there, and tried to get a good look at whoever was at the doorway. A woman. Dark-haired, wearing a brown leather jacket and jeans. She was facing the door, her back to the road, but when the car pulled up she heard the sound and turned to look. Odd...Chase recognized her. But he couldnât place where heâd seen her before. âYou know her?â
âUh...I donât think so?â Marvin shook his head, looking confused. âBut I think I do? She kinda looks familiar.â
âI was thinking the same thing, actually.â Chase parked the car and opened the door. âCâmon, I want to talk to her.â
âYeah, letâs ask her what sheâs doing at my house at like ten oâclock,â Marvin said, opening his as well and heading out.
The two of them walked up the short path to the door. The woman, noticing them, waved. âHello! Iâm very sorry, ahâone of you is Marvin, right? Actually, you both lookâmaybe you could both help me? Iâm looking for Henrik.â
That voice made Marvin stop in his tracks. âMina?!â
Chase visibly started as the pieces clicked into place and he remembered who this woman was. Mina von Schneeplesteinâor rather, Mina Pfeiffer, as last he heard she was going by her maiden name again. What was Schneepâs ex-wife doing here?!
âAh, you recognize me, so I have the right address.â Mina nodded, satisfied. âYou are Marvin? I saw you on television, I recognize your hair. Though itâs longer than I remember. But to be fair, my memories of faces are vague.â
âYou saw me on TV?â Marvin repeated, looking even more confused now that he realized who the woman was.
âUm, hi.â Chase waved awkwardly. âIâm Chase, Iâm a friend of Schneepâs. What are you...Itâs been a while since Iâve seen you, were you out of town or something?â
âOh, Chase! I remember you. Yes, I went back home and stayed with family for some time,â Mina said.
âWhy are you at my house?â Marvin blurted out.
âWell, ahâsorry about that. It was the only address I could think of.â Mina sounded fairly embarrassed. âI thought you would be home. I am looking for Henrik.â
âWhy? We havenât seen you for more than a year!â Marvin pointed out.
âYes, I know. It is...a complicated situation.â Mina glanced back at the door behind her. âShould we go inside and sit down?â
âNo, Iâm fine,â Marvin said. âWe can talk about this while standing.â
â...oh. Okay.â Looking even more embarrassed, Mina stepped away from the door, walking a bit closer to the two men. âI suppose this wouldnât take too long.â
âSo youâre looking for Schneep?â Chase asked.
Mina nodded. âYes. I received some phone messages and mail from this hospital they said he was staying at. But I threw them out. Shortsighted, it would seem.â
âI think I know what youâre referring to,â Chase said. He recalled a conversation he had with Dr. Laurens, where she said they were trying to contact Mina but getting no response. âDid you think they were spam or something?â
âAh...no, not exactly.â Mina grimaced. âIt is really a long story, and it is cold and dark out, so I would prefer if we could step insideââ
âNo, tell it quick,â Marvin interrupted.
Mina bristled a bit. âWell!â
âMarv, câmon,â Chase pleaded.
âLook, no one disappears for a year without a reason,â Marvin insisted. âAnd something about this seems fishy, so I want to hear the story before I let her into my house with my pets.â
Mina sighed. âI do not see why you are so concerned. Henrik and I are married.â
âYouâre divorced.â
âNo, theyâre separated,â Chase added. âItâs a different thing.â But personally, he still considered them exes, even if the separation had been friendly enough. The pair of them had rushed into marriage, likely due to some family pressure, and later agreed that they needed some time apart to sort their own lives out. That was about three or four years ago, and shortly afterwards Schneep had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. As far as he knew, they hadnât gotten back together since the separation.
âItâs just weird that youâre showing up looking for him now,â Marvin said, crossing his arms. âWhere were you when he first went into Silver Hills?â
âI was out of the country,â Mina repeated.
âOn purpose?â
âWhat?â
âWere you avoiding him?â
Mina looked like she wanted to protest, but then straightened, adjusted her jacket, and said, âIf you must know, then yes.â
âHa!â Marvin barked.
âYou must be missing so much of what happened,â Mina said, leveling him with a stare. She was about equal height with the two men, so it wasnât hard to do. âHenrik and I...were starting to try again. But then his behavior became erratic, and the next thing I knew, he put his friend in a coma and started killing strangers.â
âHe wasnât the one killing them,â Chase corrected gentlyâmostly to prevent Marvin from saying the same thing, much louder.
âWell I know that now, but at the time, it seemed fairly obvious,â Mina pointed out. âSo I left for some time. I returned a couple months ago, but only now heard the news about the truth of the situation. I saw clips from the filmed hearing between you, Marvin, and that doctor. I saw them on television, and realized something was off. So I looked it up, and now I know, and now that I do, I have to talk to Henrik about something.â
âYou know...it seems a bit sketchy that you immediately thought he must be the killer,â Marvin said. âBecause he was, what, âerraticâ?â
âYes,â Mina said firmly.
âYou should have realized he would never do anything like that!â
âI wasnât about to stick around and have blind faith! That is how serial killers draw in women, it has happened in the past!â
âSchneep would neverââ
âI did not know that! He was being very strange, and with his conditionââ
âGet off my property.â
Mina blinked. âExcuse me?â
âYou heard me.â Marvin leaned close to her. âGet off my property.â
âNo, you do not understand, I really must know how to talk to Henrik,â Mina said, tone shifting from defensive anger to a strange desperation. âThere is an important matterââ
âFind that mail you threw out and get the address from there. Google it, I donât care. Though really, if you keep talking like that, I wouldnât let you anywhere near Henrik.â Marvin growled. âIf you stay here one second longer, Iâm calling the police. Leave.â
Mina looked like she wanted to protest more, but thought better of it. She walked around Marvin and Chase, staring at the two of them as she did, and then hurried down the path to the street. She got inside the strange car Chase had parked behind, started it, and drove off.
âYou couldâve handled that better,â Chase said.
âYou didnât say anything,â Marvin replied, facing him.
âNo, I know. Youâre right, something about that seemed...weird.â Chase couldnât quite put his finger on it, but something about the way Mina was acting was...strange. Not in a bad way. But it felt like there was something more she wasnât saying.
âI donât like people talking about peopleâs âconditions,ââ Marvin muttered.
âYeah, that was a bit...Just, the way she said it, like it was a given, yâknow?â Chase shook his head. âBut you really went off there.â
Immediately, all the fire drained out of Marvinâs body. âSorry,â he said quietly. âIâm just...tired.â
âI donât blame you. I feel it too.â Chase nodded. âYou, uh...want to go see Jackie sometime soon?â
Marvin nodded. Day after tomorrow? he asked, signing.
âThat could work. Weâd have to be quick, though, Stacy will be dropping off the kids in the evening for the weekend.â
Oh, you sure? I can go tomorrow, or even after the weekend.
âNo, itâs fine, I...I really want to see him.â Chase swallowed a lump in his throat. âIâll pick you up. How about around two?â
Marvin nodded again. That would work.
âGreat. See you then.â Chase retreated to his car, turning back before getting inside to wave at Marvin one last time. Marvin waved back, then turned around and went through the front door to his house. Once he was gone, Chase got in his car and drove away.
This day just kept getting longer. He really needed to get home and go to bed.
ââââââ
Two days later, Chase picked Marvin up and the two of them drove back to the hospital around two oâclock, when visiting hours started. They remembered the way to Jackieâs room, and found it quickly. Nobody else was there. Chase half-expected Detective Nix to still be here, doing some sort of police stuff, but no, the room was empty. Jackie was lying in bed, eyes open, hands folded on his stomach, staring at the ceiling. He wasnât moving at all, except for the up-and-down of his chest as he breathed. Chase hovered in the doorway, Marvin nearby, feeling uneasy. This sight was a bit...worrying. Was Jackie okay?
Marvin leaned over and whispered, âIs he awake?â
âI donât know,â Chase replied in the same hushed tone. âHis eyes are open.â
âMaybe itâs like with Jack? How he was before?â
âGod, I hope not. I donât want anyone else to go through that.â
At that moment, Jackieâs head turned, and he looked at the two of them. He must have heard them, despite the whispering. Chase gasped a bit before coughing to clear his throat. âHey, Jackie,â he said awkwardly. âItâs uh...itâs us.â
Jackie didnât respond, just kept looking at them. His eyes darted up and down as he took in their appearances. Self-consciously, Chase tried to brush some nonexistent dirt off his jacket. He should have worn a newer one instead of the old one with the first merch design for his channel.
Marvin waved. âHi. Weâre here now.â
âYeah, hi.â Chase waved again. âUh...how are you feeling?â
Still no response. Though Jackie looked a bit confused now.
âUh...can you hear us, bro?â Chase stepped forward until he was standing next to the bed, then put a hand on the non-bandaged part of Jackieâs arm.
âHoly shit!â Jackie jerked his arm away and bolted upright. âYouâre really here!â
âWhâyeah?!â Chase said.
Marvin laughed.
Chase glanced back at him. âDude, what the fuck?âÂ
âSorry, sorry, I-I dunno what that was about, nervous reflex,â Marvin waved away Chaseâs look. âIt was just a bit funny, cause he jumped up like that.â
âIâI wasnât expecting that,â Jackie said, sounding a bit dazed.
âYou...werenât expecting us to actually be here?â Chase clarified.
âYeah, I-I-I thought thatâitâs all a bitânever thought Iâdââ Jackie paused, gathering his words. âI thought that maybe...I was just daydreaming a bit. To make myself feel better. This whole place, actually.â He gestured around the hospital room. âI guess it was all so surreal, and I...I was kind of out of it, a-anyway, so I thought this was just more of that.â
âOh. Well, no, weâre here.â Chase squeezed Jackieâs arm. âYouâre really in the hospital. Southpoint General, actually, the same place Jack is.â
âReally?â Jackie laughed a bit. âCool, I could go visit him.â
âWell heâs in a different, um, ward, or whatever,â Chase said. âBut yeah, technically you could.â
Jackie smiled, but then the grin slowly faded from his face. His eyes glazed over a bit.
âSo...â Marvin jumped in, walking over to stand next to Chase. âWhat do you remember?â
âHuh?â Jackie blinked, and looked over at him. âRemember about what? Youâll have to be a bit more specific.â
âI mean about the whole rescue operation,â Marvin explained. âHow did the police find you?â
âOh. Uhhhh yeah like I said I was really out of it, so...â Jackie shrugged. âNot that much. I remember them appearing, I think. There were, like, footsteps, and then a bunch of strangers appeared in the doorway.â
âDid they have to kick it down?â Marvin asked, sounding a little too excited at the idea.
âNo, it was already open. I dunno why. Maybe he forgot to close it all the way, he was in a hurry.â Jackie mumbled that last part under his breath, but Chase and Marvin heard it easily enough. âAnyway, they picked me up, and Iâm sort of assuming there was a ride to the hospital of some kind, but I completely zoned that out. I kinda vaguely remember a bunch of doctors and some bright lights? But, uh...yeah. Otherwise, I just woke up here, in the bed, and thought I was daydreaming it all.â
âYou must have some vivid daydreams, bro,â Chase muttered.
âYeah.â Jackie nodded.
Marvin gave Jackie an odd look. âI donât know if having daydreams that strong is normal.â
âNo, probably not, but it doesnât matter, really,â Jackie dismissed.
Marvin looked like he was ready to push the issue, but Chase put a hand on his shoulder and subtly shook his head. This wasnât the time. âWell, weâre...weâre just really glad youâre okay, Jackie,â he said softly. âWe were so fucking worried. Youâyouâre alright, right?â
Jackie patted himself over, wincing a bit as he pressed on his chest. âMostly, yeah.â
âYeah. Weâre so happy youâre back,â Marvin added. âWhat...what happened?â Chase gave him a sharp look, but it was too late, the question was out.
âWhat happened?â Jackie looked at Marvin incredulously. âI got fucking kidnapped, thatâs what happened. And thenâa-and thenâI wasâweââ He stopped, taking a few deep breaths. âSorry, I...I canât talk about it.â
Marvin winced. âSorry. Th-that wasâthat was rude. It just sort of came out. You donât have to talk about it. Like Chase said, we were just...really worried, and weâwe want to know youâre okay.â
âItâs fine, just be careful,â Jackie said quietly. âIâm okay. Except for the obvious.â In the moment of silence that followed, his eyes drifted down, attention drawn by the bandages on his upper arm. Frowning in strange concentration, he reached up and started pulling at them.
âWhoa, dude, whatâre you doing?â Chase almost reached out to grab his wrist, but stopped, thinking that wouldnât be well-received. âYou need those!â
âI just wanna confirm something,â Jackie muttered, managing to loosen the tight bandages enough to start unwinding them. âThey can be put back on.â
âIâyouâre not wrong, butâwhat if thereâsâI donât know, a lot of blood, or something?â Chase speculated.
âI donât think so. Not if Iâm remembering right.â Jackie slowly removed the bandages, unwinding and pulling them off. Until, eventually, the wounds underneath were visible.
All three of them stiffened in unison. Jackieâs arm was cut up, but not in a random or accidental way. Instead, the word WARNING was carved into his skin, in bleeding capital letters, going from his shoulder, all down his arm, reaching his elbow.Â
âWhat the fuck...?â Chase said, unable to say anything else. He couldnât believe what he was saying. Stuff like that didnât happen in real life, only in crime dramas. Who would actually do that?
Jackieâs face shifted as he covered up his distress with a blank expression. âSo I was right,â he said tonelessly, attempting to rewrap the bandages one-handedly. Chase pulled himself out of his stunned stupor to bend over and help him with them.
âIâm gonna kill him.â
âHuh?â Chase stopped, looking back over at Marvin.
âAnti. Iâm gonna fucking kill him,â Marvin repeated through gritted teeth. His posture was stiff, unmoving, his fists clenched. âHe takes our friendsâJJ, Schneep, Jackieâand does this? Iâm going to kill him. Iâm going to take a fucking knife or a gun or rope or whatever I can find and Iâm going to kill him and watch the fucking life drain from his eyesââ
âJesus, Marv, calm down!â Chase cried. âYou gotta think this through.â
Jackie nodded. âYeah. Youâre not a killer.â
âI could be,â Marvin said bluntly.
âNo!â Chase straightened, grabbing Marvin by the shoulders and forcing him to look at him. âMarvin, I get it, youâre upset by recent events and clearly filled with rage. For good reason, Iâll say. But you canât just walk up to a professional assassin and attack him, youâll just get killed! Besides, JJ and Schneep wouldnât want you to do that, even for their sake. Just...take a step back. Go walk around and get it out of your system, if you have to. Donât do anything stupid.â
For a moment, Chaseâs words only seemed to anger Marvin more. But then, he broke away, letting out one long, single breath. He pressed his hands to his eyes, breathed some more, then let out a shout and hit himself in the chest a couple times. Chase jumped in surprise, instinctively reaching forward to stop him, but Marvin was already done. âAlright, fine, you have a point. Thatâd be a dumb move. Impossible and not worth it. But fuck, we gotta do something.â
Chase nodded. âYeah. I know how you feel, bro.â Even though common sense would say to leave this to the professionals, he couldnât just sit by while his friends were in danger.
âUm...â Jackie waved a bit, drawing the other twoâs attention back to him. âWhat do you mean âprofessional assassinâ?â
âOh. Do you not...know?â Chase asked. âI mean, I thought you would, but...I guess maybe there wasnât an opportunity. Thatâs, uh...kind of what Anti does. I think what heâs done with Schneep and whatever he has planned now is just...a side thing, maybe. We actually found his websiteâoh shit!â His eyes widened in remembrance, and he whirled back to face Marvin. âMarv, youâre not gonna believe this, and you probably donât need any more reason to hate this guy, but he might be the one who stabbed you.â
Marvin gasped. âShit, really?!â
âThe one who what?!â Jackie repeated.
âOh, right you were...gone by the time that happened.â Marvin grimaced, then quickly filled in Jackie with what happened at the boutique he used to work for. Finding out it was a front, having someone stab him on his way home one night, getting home and patching up just barely in time, then figuring the owners of the front tried to kill him and heading back to Ireland for a few months to let things calm down. âHowâd you figure out it was Anti, Chase?â
âI checked his website. He has reviews from past, uhhhâŠâclients,â and one left one talking about a failed hit on a guy who sounded like you,â Chase explained.
âWell, shit.â Marvin folded his arms, face grim. âThatâs not good. Well, Iâm not gonna leave again until this whole thing is cleared up. Fuckers try to kill me again.â
âYâknow I really donât think you should tempt fate like that,â Jackie pointed out.
âFate doesnât exist, only karma. Theyâll get whatâs coming to them thricefold, Iâm not leaving.â
âI guess...you donât have to,â Chase said skeptically. âBut be careful. Weâre not losing anyone else.â
Marvin nodded, expression finally softening. He grabbed Chaseâs hand and squeezed it. âI will be.â
âGood.â Chase sighed. âWell, Jackie. This has been a lot of excitement. We should probably let you get some rest.â
âNo no no!â Jackie protested. âI-itâs fine, I donât want you guys to go yet. I...itâs been...so long. You know?â
Chase nodded sadly. âAlmost a year.â
âYeah. Exactly.â Jackie grabbed the edge of the hospital blanket, twisting it. âSo...you have a lot to catch me up on, then. I-itâs gonna take a while. You should sit down.â
Marvin and Chase glanced at each other. Then Marvin shrugged. âThere are better chairs in this room than in Jackâs,â he said.
Chase laughed. âI mean, I wasnât gonna say itââ
âYou were thinking it, though?â
âExactly.â
âGlad to hear my chairs are superior,â Jackie said, smiling a bit. âPull one up.â
âAlright, Jackieboy Man, we have some time,â Chase grinned. âThereâs a lot youâve missed.â
The three of them sat, talking for hours about things that mattered a lot, and things that didnât matter at all.
ââââââ
ââcanât believe theyâhow did they know aboutâprobably figured out about the others tooââ
Jameson wasnât paying much attention to Antiâs muttering, but every so often, he caught random snatches as Anti paced back and forth. Every time he passed by the doorway, more angry phrases passed through into the bedroom beyond. Something really had him upset, didnât it? From what little he heard, someone had found something, and that was a big problem. Well...he had wondered if the police found Antiâs previous hideout, and if that was the reason he had to drag them out of there. Whatever the case, good. If Anti had a problem, he deserved it.
ââthree fucking people in this tinyâgotta find out whatâs stillâsomewhere new? Maybe?ââ
Lying on the bed, Jameson saw Antiâs shadow pass to the left...then the right...then the left...then the right.... It kept cutting across the light that was shining into the dim bedroom from the room outside. The living room, to be exact. The living room of the apartment he was now trapped in, to be precise. Though, Anti did seem to be distracted. The bedroom door was wide open, if he wanted he could run out andâNo, it probably wouldnât work. Anti told him the front door was locked, and he probably still had the key on him. Jameson couldnât take it from him; Anti was much stronger. Besides, even if the key had been sitting out on the table, Jameson wasnât the only person who needed to get out.
Speaking of which...
He rolled over to his side, now facing the bedroom wall. There was a window on this side, but the shutters were closed, and actually had a padlock making sure they couldnât be moved. Anti probably had that key, too. There was a wardrobe in one corner and a dresser in the other, the former having its doors ajar to show it was empty inside. Or...empty of clothes, at least. A figure was pressed against one wall, huddled up, indistinct in the shadows. When Jameson had woken up a few hours ago, there had been faint mumbling and sobbing coming from that direction. Now, there was nothing.
After a moment of listless staring, Jameson sat up, glanced out the doorway to make sure Anti was still occupied in his pacing, then stood and walked over to the wardrobe. He pushed the door farther open and stared down at the figure. A man. Knees pulled up and arms covering face, the classic defensive position. A moment more passed before Jameson sat down on the wardrobe floor next to the shadowy huddle.
âAh!â The man gasped a bit, then looked up. Wide blue eyes reflected the little light in the dim room. He stared at Jameson, then asked, âJackie?â
Jameson shook his head.
âNo, no. Of course not. Iâm sorry, I am just confused.â The manâs eyes squinted a bit. âDo I...know you?â
Jameson shook his head again.
âOh. Good. I was worried for a moment there.â The man uncurled a bit, taking his arms away from his face. He reached down to his ankles, slightly adjusting the cuffs around them, binding them together. Then he glanced around. âI do not recognize this place, either. Do you?â When Jameson shook his head for a third time, the man tilted his head. âCan you...not speak?â
Faintly surprised, Jameson nodded. Most people would ask why he was quiet or demand that he talk. Only a few caught on to the reality without him somehow cuing them with signs or writing.
âAh, Iâm sorry, then. Can you hear me?â
A nod.
âI see.â The man glanced out at the room again. âMy nameâmy name is Henrik.â So Jamesonâs guess was right. This was the Dr. Schneeplestein heâd heard so much about, and had one brief meeting with, a meeting that had ended badly. âWhat is yourâwhat do I call you?â
Thinking for a moment, Jameson reached out and gently took one of Schneepâs hands. He stiffened a bit, but allowed him to do so. Jameson then drew out the letter J twice on the surface of his palm.
âJJ? Oh, that is very nice.â Schneep smiled faintly. âI understand some sign language, you know. But I am afraid I am very rusty. I do not think I could hold a conversation.â His smile fell. âDo you...know why we are here?â
Jameson nodded sadly. He gestured out towards the room, in the direction of the doorway Anti was pacing and muttering in front of.
Schneep shuddered. âYes, IâI haveâhe hasâI have been in this situation. Before.â
Jameson pointed at himself, then made the sign for also by pointing his fingers and touching his hands together.
âI know that one. You...you know him, too?â Schneepâs voice held a combination of horror, sympathy, and strangely, hope. Hope that he wasnât alone. âI suppose I donât have to explain, then.â
Letting out a huff of dark laughter, Jameson shook his head.
âHmm. That is good.â Schneep scanned Jameson, taking in as many details he could in the faint light. âI...something about this time is...different. Than when he last took me.â He suppressed another shiver as he looked up towards the shadow passing back and forth on the ceiling. âI...am sorry you are here.â
Jameson scooted closer to him. He put one hand on Schneepâs shoulder and signed Sorry with his other. Neither of them should be here. Anti should never have interfered in their lives again.
Schneep let out a shaky breath, and leaned closer to Jameson until he was resting his weight against him. Jameson pressed his head against his. And together, they listened to the sound of their nightmare pacing and muttering, wondering what was next for them.
#jacksepticeye#jacksepticeye fanfiction#jacksepticegos#jacksepticeye au#septic egos#septic egos au#chase brody#marvin the magnificent#jackieboy man#jameson jackson#dr schneeplestein#brigid writes fanfiction#pwtimeline
17 notes
·
View notes