element_wizard | (no subject)

(no subject)

The other side of the portal lead to the end of everything. Or an everything. It was a surprisingly nice end of everything. A bar with plenty of tables, booths and comfortable chairs sitting by a fire with fish swimming within the flames. Rats wearing little suits scurried around carrying trays with food and drink on them to various patrons at various locations.

There's a scattering of people around with friends or by themselves. Doing everything from nothing, to eating to reading to making a mess on the table because they've pulled apart a machine. The rats are not happy about that.

And of course there's the Window where the end of the universe can be seen in all its glory. As it is the natural time of death for the universe, it won't do anything to Zack beyond looking beautiful. Repeating every few minutes or so as time is rewound. People pay to watch the universe end, not be there when it ends after all.

Alec stands on the other side of the portal, which also corresponds to a doorway, even though he was behind Zack a second ago.

"Welcome to Milliways. The restaurant at the end of the universe."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Nah. I'm good, thank you," he said at the offer of the burger.

He holds up a hand, fried paradox in it, and asked, "Do you mind if I check to see what's going on?"

Next time, he'll order fries too.

Zack will regard the paradox in Alec's hand with a confused expression for a moment, then, "With my head?" He hesitates at that, unsure and still a tad troubled by magic - making the assumption that it's what Alec is going to use.

"Won't hurt, will it?"

"Nah. I just want your permission, you know?" Alec said. "For all I know you want it to stay mysterious. I'm not touching you. Just the space around you."

Briefly weighing up which is worse, mysterious pain, or an explained pain that still can't be cured, Zack goes for the latter, because it stands more chance of being helped.

And if it can't, at least that way he won't end up wondering about it for the next however-long. "S'pose it's better to know. Okay."

Knowledge is a dangerous thing. Which is why Alec is asking. It's also a bit invasive, to pick at someone's essence like he will. It won't hurt, but...

Eyes loosing focus, he peers at the space around Zack. The strings that make up his reality. All the connections that make him up. From him to Abe and everyone else he's interacted with. One of them would link to his headaches and then he could follow the string back to who did it. It won't do him any good to undo the problem if it could be redone, after all.

For a few moments, Zack just sits very still, but he is holding a cheeseburger. How can one have a cheeseburger and not take a bite? He does it slowly though, so hopefully it won't interfere with what Alec is doing. Too much.

The magic was used when Abe was making Zack, or at least modifying him. It may be from his very creation, but it's not part of what makes him Zack. In fact it's the opposite. It impedes what should make him Zack. It's a sort of lumpy, add-on, which suits its purpose very well but is hardly refined or elegant.

Nah. It won't interfere with anything. What he's looking at goes beyond any movement that Zack can do.

He blinks back and returns to focus into the 'real world' whatever that is. "Well. That is interesting...," he said slowly. "I know what's happened. Do you want to know what's going on?"

Again, because knowledge comes with a price. Does Zack really want to deal with the consequences? It'll be a three times ask on Alec's end, because you've got to acknowledge that yes, you really know what you want there.

This is good, because food. Zack can't help a small happy groan, and he half-closes his eyes to just focus on the flavours.

"Interesting?" That's good, right? or at least not bad. or Alec would have said if it was terrible. Zack continues for the next couple of mouthfuls, considering this carefully. He's now afraid it's a magic thing, and he's still very nervous about that.

"Gotta know," he says eventually. "If I don't I'll just imagine a shitload of what it might be. None of it good."

Interesting is interesting. That doesn't mean it's good or bad. It all depends on the person.

"The... there's a block on you. Keeping you from what ... you really are," he said slowly. "You're not what you think you are. You've been ... modified... it's a janky job, given time it'd come apart, but right now it's there."

It does depend on the person. It just so happens Zack is flapping over it a bit. He's used to pain. He carries it with him, having absorbed it when he works his apocalypse mojo. To think it's something else that he doesn't know about though, is a little disturbing.

"But I am what I really am," comes out of his mouth before he thinks. Zack assesses what he's just said and decides to go with it. "What else would I be?"

Putting down the burger, Zack rubs his jaw with his fingers, as if that will tell him that he's actually what he is, or whatever. Then realising how dumb that is, he asks instead, "How much time? for it to come apart?"

"What you really are? What else you might be? I don't know. There's only one way to find out. Get rid of the block," Alec said with a shrug and a munch of a paradox. "You might be multiple things."

He then laughs. "Don't ask me about temporal things. I've barely got a hang on existing in a linear time."

That blows Zack's mind. Seven billion years being what he is... the idea of something different is gobsmacking. Of course he wants a change though, isn't that what making friends with Alec and seeing new places was all about? He'll just rub his head because it hurts again. Quite a lot.

Which supports what Alec is saying.

The idea of existing outside of linear time is a weird concept too. Zack thinks it must be amazing to be Alec, despite all the shitty aspects.

"Could we... you..." Gaia's arse, Alec has given him so much already. He hates to ask, but, "would you help me get rid of it?" It's scary. No, it's fucking terrifying, the thought of magic and change, but to lose the pain would make such a difference to Zack's existence.

Alec's life is change, who he is and what he is changes from whim to whim. Thought to thought. There are constants. But even those constants change. The scar on his eye? It's a scar on his essence. Which is why it goes with him from reality to reality.

Currently.

It might change later.

As for it being amazing? Well... it is.

Amazing doesn't mean good after all.

"Sure. But it will have consequences. Abe had it done to you."

Very true, amazing can be all kinds of awful. Zack might possibly go for something with more variety than what he is though. His own existence might qualify as 'amazing' but it's basically the same old rinse-and-repeat cycle.

However terrifying change might be, it feels long overdue.

"Huh. Said I wouldn't put it past him, didn't I?" Zack isn't shocked, or even all that surprised. Which is sad. It makes him sad. If he had a younger brother, by Gaia, he'd never pull a fraction of the shit Abe does. "You mean consequences in Abe getting mad? Good. Let him. Arsehole.”

It might incur a punishment, but not having a near-permanent headache trumps that risk.

"So you did." Alec has the feeling that he will be talking with Abe soon. Because mentally, he's realized that he's vaguely adopted Zack. Ah well. Consequences will be dealt with later. Consequences will always be dealt with later.

"If you're fine with it, as long as you realize what you're getting into... I can get rid of it."

Well, he doesn't really know what he's getting into, but at least Zack realises he's getting into something. Which is more warning than he ever got when Abe created him... a dim memory now, but Zack is certain of that fact.

And now too, he has the choice, where he didn't before.

"Free will, right? Comes with its own set of problems."

He'll start munching on his burger again, pondering the future.

It's like the book he gave to the cultists. It's got warnings all over it. Do this wrong and your world will be doomed. You have to do it, as Zack said, free will. You must choose. Alec will not choose. He will give you the options. But he will not decide.

Zack will have to open up on the book and start the summons himself.

"Free will, such as it is, does come up with its own problems," he agrees. And a tilt of the head as he notices something across the room. "Mm... I'm going to be right back."

And he slides out of his chair to leave Zack alone.

Right now Zack feels very small and very daunted, despite all the power he can wield, given the right (or wrong) circumstances. But he's no coward. He may not consider himself brave, as such, but something has to change.

And change can be painful. That much he's learned from all the foolish mortal organisations who put wealth before the welfare of their planet.

"Uh. Oh...kay." It's actually a little alarming when Alec leaves but Zack will continue to be brave. It's the first time he's been left alone outside of Antillioch since they met. Alone in a restaurant full of strangers. He'll just glower at a few of them, and finish his meal.

Edited 2021-08-02 15:47 (UTC)

Zack is a big boy and Millways is safe. He will be fine. Alec wouldn't bring him somewhere bad.

Right?

Where someone could hurt him.

He's a nice guy. Doesn't want Zack hurt. He wouldn't leave him around somewhere just to abandon him.

Sure Zack's known him for what? All of three? Four hours? But that's plenty of time to get the figure on someone. Even if he is some capricious entity. Telling him that everything he knew about his life before is ... well, not wrong... perhaps... but the people he trusted weren't doing him right? Sure. Alec would know that. He's got no ulterior motives going on. Why would he? He's not going to try and use Zack to destabilize his home and destroy it... what reason would he?

Besides it would cause chaos. And he is a chaos bringer. He is chaos.

It'll be fine.

Everything will be fine.

"Hello." The voice is warm, welcoming. Familiar. Somehow. A hint of home long forgotten. The arms of a forgotten parent holding tight during a nightmare, saying it will be okay. It belongs to a... cleanly dressed man... with a faintly amused smile on his face. Amused at what, it's hard to say. But he radiates friendliness.

"You're new here, aren't you?" he asks, curiosity in his black, rimmed with red, eyes.

Compared to hell, this is a paradise, so if Alec does fail to return, it won't be the worst thing that has ever happened to Zack. And this new friend might well be a capricious creature of chaos, but it's the person Zack trusts. He can only take it that the personality inside the creature actually likes him enough not to do him harm. He can't do much else. He could have done, at first, could have just done the work, returned to Antillioch, and not have accepted an invitation to eat.

But he did. And that's free will in action. Of a sort.

When somebody speaks, Zack's gut reaction would be to turn and snarl. He's already told himself he won't though, but he does turn wary eyes to the newcomer. Zack isn't ready to make friends yet. He'd rather eat, drink, observe. Sitting in a corner somewhere and assessing people would be his main strategy, before actually speaking.

Being socially awkward too, it seems a good policy.

The warmth though... it calls to him. The odd disjointed memories of sitting on his pa's shoulders, or being cradled after waking in tears over some bogeyman or other - all resonate. It's still in Zack's nature not to be trusting though, even if his own beloved parents walked into the bar... Not that he'd recognise them.

"New. Yeah," he grunts, his hand tightening around the glass of water. "M'here with the Everstorm of Chaos," he adds, just in case. It's probably not cool to hide behind Alec, but fuck it. He'll apologise later.

It's all new and weird, and Zack is feral. He's been dealt enough blows to remain paranoid.

But how can he trust the person? Again, only three to four hours of knowing the man. He could be playing Zack around just for his own amusement. How much does the Everstorm of Chaos bleed into Alec and Alec into the Everstorm of Chaos?

Abe has to be afraid of him for a reason. He is afraid of him for a reason. Who knows what goes on in such a creature's mind. What he considers amusement...

It's a good thing that Zack doesn't trust him completely. He shouldn't.

Keep himself safe from any emotional hurt later.

Sitting down, the man continues his with his faint smile. Sure he shouldn't sit down, he hasn't been invited. But he seems like a nice enough person. Doesn't he?

"Ah. Yes. Him. He is quite the interesting creature," the man said. "He appears to have adopted you. Rare enough for him to do so."

It does pop into his head.. why did he initially trust Alec? At what point did he start trusting him?

Well, he didn't. Not really. At first. But if the Everstormn wanted to yank his chain, Zack always understood he was powerless to prevent it.

Abe's fucking terrified of him, and Abe is a lot of things, but not stupid.

Okay, so at first he wouldn't have been surprised or hurt at getting caught by a bigger more powerful predator. It's how the multiverse works.

But he'd be hurt if Alec turned against him now.

But Alec won't. So there.

And no, mister bloody overfamiliar... whatever-you-are, you weren't invited. Zack takes a few sips of his water, watching the man over the rim of his glass. He has no psychic ability, but he can tell who's mortal and who's not. This one is not and may be one of those bigger predators, despite seeming okay.

"He's just a mate, is all." The stranger seems to know Alec. Zack is not going to be the first one to betray a friendship. Alec's gonna have to do it to him first. Whatever this is he's feeling right now. "Who're you then?"

He wouldn't call himself a predator... he just... helps people see things... that's all. Nothing wrong with that. Okay. Sure sometimes people get hurt, but people get hurt all the time.

At least he's not eating Alec's food.

Yet.

But, the man isn't really mortal, no. "To you perhaps," he said. "You can call me Karan."

If he does touch Alec's food, Zack may well stab him with a fork. He'll forget the bar doesn't allow violence.

"Zack," he says, reluctantly. "To me perhaps what? Just a mate? or he's something else to other people?"

He's not going out of his way to be rude. Social conventions escape him, and he's naturally gruff and wary until he finds something to like in somebody else. With Alec - he realises now - it was when he slipped and fell on his arse back on that world they destroyed. It was funny, vulnerable even, something kinda cute and so very different from the demons of Antillioch, Zack had warmed to it. That and Alec was pleasant from the start.

This guy is pleasant, sure. But Zack is feeling slightly paranoid about Alec for some inexplicable reason, and it's making him want to sit in a corner and growl at everyone. Including the Perfectly Okay person who's just joined him.

Tsk. No need to be rude about it.

"Everyone is something else to other people. No two people see something the same way. It's all about experiences. Your past and with the thing you interact with changes how you see things," Karan said with a shrug. "But this case, I do mean that you might see him as a friend but as I said he appears to have mentally adopted you - accidentally, I'm sure - as he would a child. Not that he sees you as child like that."

And he points to a random child in the room.

"More like someone he's decided to protect and help learn how the world works."