eyemind | It's not a rope, it's a lifeline

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It's not a rope, it's a lifeline

Who?: Richard Strand and Simon Reese
What?: Post hot springs and beach, Richard is back at the ship and noting a particular absence.
When?: During the event
Warnings: Potential warnings RE: mentions of dark stuff, demonic activity, etc, etc.

Simon's not here.

Amid the merriment to protect others from the mental horror Richard promised to practice.. He promised to learn. I think if I learn how to use my gift we can help Simon..

And that's just it. Simon is absent.. Richard can't be afraid of the man, and he can't let him...continue on his way to darkness. Whatever he became or was becoming Richard had to help. For Alex's sake.

For the young man's sake too.

Obviously for him. This wasn't some sort of experiment.

So he slips on a robe he'd borrowed from the hot springs in black, and padded up to Simon's floor. The darkness, the oppressive looming horror was gone and simply replaced with-

I've never been afraid of Shadows.

When he arrives in front of Simon's door he knocks.

"Simon?"

And then a pause.

Simon.

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Are you sure, Richard? Are you really sure this isn't just an excuse to play scientist with a subject you won't feel too guilty about turning into a demon, just to see what happens?

Simon had gone dreadfully quiet post the whole ship consumed by nightmares thing. Alex had come to visit, yes, as of course she would and she did bring some sugar to help perk him back up enough to... somewhat function.

Since then he'd begun stealing food like a thief in the night when people weren't around to catch him, but beyond that Simon might as well not be there at all. A shadow of a shadow, one that barely left a trace at all. Withdrawn, quiet, exhausted.

...Too exhausted to deal with Richard Strand.

There wasn't a response, not directly, just a faint sensation of irritability and the unspoken demand of 'What do you want?' In return.

fascinating. That thought he locks in his mind and keeps to himself. It's painful to think about. He does want to try. This is as good a chance as any.

To check in on you.. That part he thinks aloud as he pads barefoot from room to room. It's as if his mind is open and he wants to see it and touch it and...

"...Where are you? We could go find food."

Simon has chosen not to unlock his door just yet. He doesn't trust Richard's motives, and unlike Alex he doesn't get unfettered access. The empty rooms were clearly not his, but since he now had *two* neighbors who lived in the haunted hallway it would be slightly harder to find Simon.

Slightly, and while he ever remains an expert at staying out of view from even the local angel when close enough there's still a faint presence.

You bring food here. Then he might talk. Simon doesn't seem willing to go out.

"What would you like?"

Richard can play this game. He can be calm and focused and everything that this boy - it's hard to think of him as anything but a boy. His tone is quiet, "What would you like me to make you? I can make you anything you'd like."

Intentional or not Richard does his best to impress calm upon him.

He didn't know, he was just hungry and didn't really have enough energy to be picky. So again there was a faint wordless sensation. Indecision, indifference, impatience. Honestly fast food would be just fine by him, Simon wasn't picky he was just determined to get Richard to bring something of a peace offering.

However, he's perfectly calm, just tired. Extremely, overwhelmingly exhausted. So much so that he wasn't even doing a fantastic job of hiding that. This whole nightmare ordeal had left him more drained than he wanted to admit to.

Get food, give him some time to put himself back together before he has to face anyone.

Richard can taste exhaustion and fear and he has to wonder about the what. The who. The how. It's interesting to taste it. To experience it. To-

He stops himself in horror before he nods. The deepest most secret thoughts to himself...he shakes his head and tries to clear them away.

"I'll be right back."

He returns with mac n cheese with bacon.

"Let me come in Simon." And his voice is genuine and kind "I'm ...no danger. Not right now."

By the time Richard returns Simon's had time to make himself mostly presentable. Not that he's particularly vain, but he also doesn't like anyone seeing him in such bad shape. Especially not Richard.

There's no answer at the door, just the quiet click of the latch opening. The silent invitation to let himself in. Simon's settled into a chair near with one foot up so that he can lean on his knee.

"Hello, Doctor Strand." At least after his talk with Alex he was feeling verbal again, even if still very much a shut in.

Richard tamps down any desire to poke around and also poke because he doesn't need any budding psychic abilities (and that ...was a sentence he hoped to never repeat) or for that matter anything to see that this is a place grim and dark and there are a lot of emotions here.

He offers him the macaroni and cheese before realizing he's still clad in the robe he borrowed from the hot springs.

"Simon. I thought I'd check in and ask how you're feeling."

Oh, but even exhausted and recovering from being stretched so very, very thin, Simon was not one to let such things go. He eyed Richard with that unblinking, difficult to read yet ever judging stare of his. Even while taking the offered meal Simon wasn't one to be gentle.

"You didn't come here just for that." He knows better, Richard Strand doesn't do altruism. There's always a motive.

Richard studies him, then peers around, "May I sit?"

Once he's settled however he'll nod, "You're right. alex asked me to look in on you and she and I ...I think you and I need to have a discussion. Full disclosure. Nothing held back because...whatever you're becoming is tied to me. And I want to help stop it."

Simon just gestures for him to go ahead. Somehow he didn't think Richard would go away even if he told him to. Besides, the man did bring him food so he supposed he could entertain him for a little while in return. Even if the subject was something he didn't exactly want to talk about...

He sighed. Somehow he knew it was going to be this.

"You finally admit you're a part of this." That was a step in the right direction. "Alex thinks I need an anchor."

"She suggested I take the opportunity to learn about my...abilities." He presses his lips together and his hands flex at his sides. Crossing your arms over your chest is a sign of defense, of weakness. He's not doing that.

"...Someone who can keep you human?"

"Now's not a great time for a lesson," He warned. Simon's tired and still recovering from being stretched way too thin. It's not a flat refusal, he did agree to help, just right now he needs some rest. And actual food, something Alex has been getting on him about.

Can't just live off of nightmares and scraps alone.

"Someone or something." He confirms.

"Eat the macaroni."

A pause, "...Please. That might..." He has to resist that urge to poke again. Lips pressed together he rubbed at his head, "Alex has asked us to work together and I for one...for once...am willing to try. For her sake, and yours."

He exhales, "What can I do to help you find this anchor."

Simon pops a bite into his mouth pointedly staring at Richard who keeps talking thus making eating harder. Fine, he's eating, you're not his dad. No poking, behave yourself Richard.

"I don't know."

Yeah, Simon's out of his depth here. Having spent so much time being the arbiter of balance back home he never stopped to consider he might have to, or rather might want to, do something about the side effects of such a task. As far as Simon was concerned his fate was already decided for him as soon as his parents opened that door. It was all a matter of how he chose to eventually go through it.

It was either going to be on his terms or theirs, he chose his.

Richard considers the younger man in front of him for a moment before he folds his hands and nods slowly.

"Do you have a comfort object?" Even as he asks this he knows it's a stupid question because the young man has nothing. It's obvious. Still he doesn't take it back.

"Something that matters to you."

Simon just gives him a 'you already know this' look, then gestures to his rather extraordinarily sparse room that they're both currently in. Yes, they all came here with nothing, but Simon hadn't even picked anything up except for some clothes.

"What do you think?" It's a dumb question, but good on Richard for sticking to his guns. But no, the answer is a very firm no. Simon hasn't had one since he was a very young child, and even then it wasn't much of one.

Just a demon in his closet and parents teaching him about how the world was going to end.

Darkness breeds resilience. To function, to be a human being, you are shaped by trauma and out of it's crucible you...seek comfort.

He doesn't smile, "What gives you comfort here and now? Anything. Alex, your room, something that you can think about that makes you happy here and now."

Should you really feed an infant to the darkness to see how resilient they might become? No, the point there had been to fill him with that darkness and Simon can't exactly say they failed in that mission. Just take a good long look at him now.

Simon just stares at him flatly, expression once again that oddly intense yet unreadable stare. "What makes you think I know what that is?"

Alex is probably the closest but Simon doesn't seek her out, she seeks him. Simon disappears, he doesn't seek comfort. Doesn't seek happiness. Purpose. That's all that drives him. Even here he's still playing his self appointed roles. Watching, protecting Alex, providing clues when he finds them in cryptic and mysterious ways. There isn't any place in there for comfort or happiness.

No wonder he's barely holding on by a thread.

"We can help you."

Richard folds his hands, "I want to help you. I don't think you believe me but I can help you."

He wants to. He wants to see. He wants to watch but also like...

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It's not a rope, it's a lifeline

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