synthneon | oceanview || ❝ hold hands with my demons and creatures of night. ❞

oceanview || ❝ hold hands with my demons and creatures of night. ❞

OCEANVIEW I

blinded by reflections.

Is there anybody out there?
Someone who can hear me and drink from the light
To see things from the same side
Is there anybody out there? CODE BY TESSISAMESS

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[ « I hope you're right about this. »

Jesse Faden glances out the window of the escort car before opening the door and stepping out. Maybe people would expect a director of a federal agency to look more formal, but that's never really been her style. At least, not when she can get away with it. A field response? She could get away with just her tactical gear.

« Blending in and making yourself not look out of the ordinary. Funny, I know. »

She nods to a similar dressed down agent who exits the other side of the car. Then, she opens the door and makes her way slowly down the wooden hallway.

« A cabin? Okay. It wouldn't be my first guess for an interrogation. »

Bright Falls, Washington. It had been on the Bureau's notice since the '70s. The first time the AWE went active. Documents she found said that it went active again in 2010--the same time the famous author went missing. The news had been all over the place that the Alan Wake had disappeared during a holiday with his wife. No one could locate him in local law enforcement, the FBI, and not even the Bureau. Not at first anyways.

One typewritten page slipped under a doorway of the Oceanview Motel answered that question. Somehow, Wake got himself into another dimension. The Hotline calls Jesse received a few years later only solidified that--and, well, seeing him beyond the door that was cracked open in the Motel.

« Not that he ever really seemed to notice I saw him. Did he really mean to contact me over the Hotline? Or, did we just pick it up because he was writing about Hartman? » ]

Did you write these pages, Mr. Wake?

[ « And there goes the poster on her wall. »

Jesse holds a hand up to the agent beside her to wait and walks the few more paces to stop near the FBI agent in the hallway. Taller, blonde, coffee in hand. Her head tilts. Right, the FBI was investigating their missing ex-agent... and somehow came across Alan Wake? Sure. She's heard of weirder things. ]

Agent Casey, right?

[ The man turns to look at her, glances her once over, and seems to immediately know who she is. Jesse gives him a smile--although it probably doesn't look as nice as she means it to come off. ]

Look, I don't mean to interfere with your investigation into... why you're really here. But, this? [ A nod into the room Casey stands beside. ] That falls under my area.

And I'm guessing you're going to take our star witness? Of course. Your agency is always overreaching.

Look, Casey. I'd rather work with you than against you. [ « As I'm pretty sure I'd win anyways. » ] We look over the part that falls under our jurisdiction, and you continue your investigation for your missing man. I... need I remind you that you and your partner crossed into territory that was off limits by the FBC? Yeah, we know.

[ Casey swears under his breath and shakes his head. He peeks beyond the door and calls to his partner and motions her over. Saga Anderson steps out and Jesse tries once more to give a welcoming smile. She's... not the best people person, but, she has definitely been trying since she became the Director. ]

All I want to do is talk to him. Alone, preferably. I'm sure you understand, Agent Anderson. [ Jesse half turns and nods to the agent that accompanied her. ] Steve didn't handle the flight out here too well. Maybe you can get him some coffee?

[ Saga glances between the two before nodding in understanding. She all but drags Casey with her, sending one more glance to the bearded man in the flannel on her way.

Jesse takes a deep breath before stepping into the room with the sole occupant. Black and white flannel, longer hair, beard. Head in his hands and she's not entirely sure he's actually noticed she's walked in. Jesse quietly takes a seat across from him, folding her hands, and leaning against the tabletop. Should she announce herself? Should she wait for him to notice? Would he even recognize her as "Faden"... did he even know what she looked like?

« One thing is for sure... he really needs a shower. And maybe to sleep for a week. Maybe two. Let's try talking to him. I'm not even sure he'll notice you're here. » ]

Mr. Wake?

[ Outwardly, Alan appears still... calm, unmoving. But inside, he is anything but calm. His mind is racing with a cacophony of thoughts crashing into each other with no sense of order or reason whatsoever. Interspersed with his thoughts are words, lines that he could have written. Did he write them? Did he write this?

...Wake needed a hero, but there were no heroes left. It was just him and the darkness that seemed to stretch on for miles. In the darkness lurked things that could not be seen, and things that Wake did not wish to see.

What was happening? Time seemed to be moving in odd ways, odder than Alan could remember, and somehow, he knew that something was happening. How did he get here? Where exactly is here? He could hear voices, but they sounded muffled. Who did they belong to? Did he write about them? What is happening?

Between all the muffled words, certain words sound clearer than others: Coffee. Investigation. Star witness. Agency. FBC.

What is happening? Alan registers the sound of footsteps leaving the room, or maybe coming into the room. He can't tell. He can't see. Maybe he doesn't want to see. His head remains in his hands, mind still racing at what feels like a million miles per second.

Did I write about this? I don't remember.

Someone else is in the room with him, sitting across from him, but he doesn't want to look. Doesn't want to know. Knowing causes trouble. It makes things happen, things that shouldn't happen.

Mr. Wake?

His hands lower away from his face by just a fraction, but he still doesn't look at whoever it is that is sitting there with him. Instead, his mouth opens slightly and a slow flow of words spills out. ]

Revise. Rewrite. Write again. Tear it apart. Wake needed to escape. He couldn't escape.

[ He pauses and frowns, and then he continues: ]

There's no escape. There's never an escape. There's- [ He cuts himself off midsentence and his fingers curl, gripping at his too-long hair as he goes silent again. ]

[ Jesse isn't sure what she was expecting, but it's certainly not the reaction she gets. She stares at him, hands folded on the table, suddenly reminded by their first "encounter" three years ago.

« Did he...is he repeating what he said over the Hotline to me? I mean, it's not exactly word for word, but it's eerily similar. Casey and Anderson made it seem like he was, well, not ...whatever this is. »

She feels Polaris shift slightly. Hm. ]

Mr. Wake. [ Jesse leans forward slightly, raising her voice, trying to snap him out of--whatever it is. A trance? In his own head? ] Do you know where you are now?

[ She presumes not, but, they need a baseline. ]

Mr. Wake!

[ Polaris shifts again and Jesse frowns.

« Are you SURE? We don't--he may not even realize you're trying to help. It's not like the Hiss. You may not be able to do anything!

...

Alright. If you're sure. »

Jesse does her best to hide Polaris. She can't hide the fact that she amplifies the resonance of the being, but, she doesn't really enjoy the idea of Bring Your Resonance Best Friend To Show and Tell Day. Polaris insists in her own way though. It can't work like cleansing and grounding a control point in the Oldest House.

Can it?

Jesse turns her hands so they are palm down on the table. A few moments pass as she judges where Wake is, mentally anyways, before she takes a deep breath. In the blink of an eye, she slams her hands on the table. The motion itself is jarring, but she funnels that frequency Polaris inhabits into the table itself. It seems to vibrate the table for that brief moment, sending the resonance through anything the table touches--including Wake.

Polaris doesn't invade like the Hiss, "she" doesn't even take host or residence. All "she" does is momentarily block anything that isn't the table, the vibration, and Jesse's voice: ]

ALAN!

[ Then, Polaris dissipates. "She" leaves as fast as she came for Wake's perspective. But, if he's attentive to details, he might just realize all Polaris has done is moved to a background presence in the room. A presence that seems to imitate from Jesse Faden herself. ]

[ It seems that the person that is Alan Wake is temporarily obstructed by something. The effects of the Dark Place is the most likely answer, of course. Wake is still in there; it's just a matter of peeling away the layers of hours spent in the dark, trying to write and rewrite ways to break free. Maybe the effects of those hours will never truly be gone, but Alan is still in there trying to claw his way back to the surface.

... It just might not be apparent to anyone watching. ]

...was stretched. Stretched as anyone when seen from out of time. Like a worm through time.

[ Mr. Wake. Mr. Wake! The words echo in his head before fading into a dull buzz. Apparently he has not yet realized where he is. ]

Have I been here before? Gone down this path before? Cut through the re-

[ He doesn't finish that sentence. He doesn't even fully grasp just what Polaris and Jesse are doing, only that something seems to surge through the table first, and then through him, since he is sitting near it.

ALAN! Jesse's voice bursts through his churning thoughts, and a strangled-sounding gasp bursts from him next. Could it be that easy? Could Polaris' resonance have driven away the swirling cobwebs of the Dark Place just like that?

Alan still isn't sure. This could still be a trick, just as it could be something that he wrote in yet another desperate attempt to escape the Dark Place. Maybe he's not even in this room at all. He doesn't have words on a page that he can believe. There isn't a typewriter in this room.

Maybe that means something and maybe it doesn't. Orange peels mean something to some people.

He doesn't speak, not yet, but his hands drop away from his face, and he sits up straight for the first time since Anderson left and Jesse entered. ]

[ « What did you--did you do that? I thought--but that dimension isnt like yours. It doesn't work like the Hiss. So, how...? »

Jesse isn't sure how Polaris has managed to do it. At least for now though, Alan Wake is actually looking at her and not muttering the same thoughts again and again from his calls to her on the Hotline.

Now what does she do?

She feels Polaris nudge her senses. Well, "nudge." It's more like... guiding. Sending off a signal to pay attention to something. Jesse glances down at the stack of papers Anderson left behind.

Manuscripts.

« Just like the one in the Panopticon--the one that they found in the Oceanview Motel. You're sure about this? »

Polaris seems very sure.

Jesse selects one from the stack. The paper is dried, having been in the rain it seems, and some words seem faded away. Her gaze moves to Wake before she gently puts the paper in front of him and takes her seat again. Polaris seems to have some kind of an idea on what to do to help for now, so, she'll play along. ]

I'm guessing you wrote that. [ She nods to the typewriter page. ] It seems like Agent Anderson found it. She wanted to know if you wrote it, Alan.

[ « Or, should I be more formal? "Mr. Wake" makes me sound like some faceless government agent. » ]

[ It doesn't make sense to Alan either. In fact, it only adds to his state of confusion. Where exactly is he? How did he get here? It hasn't even registered in his mind that this is Jesse Faden that he's talking to. What even did Polaris do? Does the fact that whatever she did worked on him mean that there's more of the Dark Presence in him than he thought?

He had thought about that before. Maybe the Dark Presence wormed its way inside him too at some point. Maybe he wasn't infected by the Hiss, and maybe he wasn't one of the Taken, but he must be something, if the resonance worked on him. That's a thought he hasn't explored in full yet, and maybe he doesn't want to.

But before his thoughts can spiral off into yet another endless train of meanderings and mutterings, he realizes that a page has been set on the table in front of him. This time, Jesse's words register in full and not in bits and pieces, and he realizes that she is asking if he wrote the words on the page. She isn't the first person to ask that, but unlike the previous time, he hasn't gone off into a fit of repetitive muttering.

He scans the page quickly, but not so quickly that the words don't sink in. They do, and more than he would like. ]

He stepped outside, off the pier, and into the dark water, a sinking pinprick of light, descending toward a bottom that never came.

[ He reads the words aloud, feeling as though he recognizes them. But did he write them? The urge to grab hold of his hair again and hide his face surfaces. Why can't he remember? ]

I'm... I'm trying to remember. [ And speaking of trying to remember, he turns his attentions from the page back to Jesse. ] Have we met? We have, haven't we? [ At least, she called him Alan, which must mean something. ]

Edited 2023-09-20 05:31 (UTC)

[ Jesse has the sense it is more like Polaris pushing back the resonance of the Dark Place; releasing a fog on the mind as opposed to trying to free a mind of possession. Then again, Jesse is hardly a scientist, and she has settled that some things she may never know the answer to. She doubts Polaris would even give her answers if she asked--or, if Wake asked.

She watches his gaze move across the paper before looking down at it once more. He narrates it, just as he had over the Hotline. There's no mistaking that it's really the Alan Wake.

« You get a feel for people once they've talked in your head. And he's definitely the same feeling as before. Maybe just a bit more paranoid instead of dramatic. Not that I can talk, I know paranoia. »]

If you can't right now that's fine. [ She leans back in the chair. ] People usually are disorienated after they've... come back like you have.

[ « Using the terminology of the Bureau here isn't probably the best idea. »

His next questions make her smile--a little. Just enough to make it seem like she is. Jesse has never been one for exaggerated expressions. ]

I was going to ask if you recognized me. [ She shifts in the chair slightly. ] Knew what I looked like.

So... do you know who I am?

[ That's as good an explanation as any, and yet Alan still thinks that it's far too simple. The Dark Place can't be put off as quickly as that, which means he still has to be wary. He could be bringing trouble to wherever this is and not even realize it. That is, if this is real. ]

I- Well, there's a lot going on. [ Belatedly, he realizes that statement might not make much sense, so he points to his head. ] Up here. [ Is this real? Or is this all something that he wrote in yet another attempt at escaping? ]

But you said "come back". [ That makes him question things even more, on top of making him feel even more suspicious. ] Do you know where I've been?

[ When she puts forward her own question, he leans forward a little as if that will allow him to see her better. ]

It's going to sound insane, but- yes. [ And it's just one of many things that makes no sense at all. ]

[ Jesse nods. ] I get it.

[ There's a lot that goes on in her own head. The constant back and forth with Polaris would make others go insane. But, her friend has been there most of her life at this rate. She wouldn't have found Dylan without Polaris. It hasn't been perfect, but it's led to something better. ]

I'm not exactly sure the name of the place you were in. [ She pauses, trying to figure out how she could begin to even explain. ] There's... a place you have a chance of going. It's like a motel, with doors? And each door has a symbol.

[ Her finger raises and she draws the spiral in the air--the spiral on the door she saw him behind. ]

That was the door you were behind. [ She sits up straight and leans forward. ] Not to mention we found a page you wrote in that motel. One that said you were trapped somewhere. I'm not sure if it really rings any bells, but... it wasn't hard to put things together.

[ Jesse smiles at that. A little one, but, more of one than she had before. ]

Well, it'll help check your memory I guess, so... what's my name?

[ Maybe I should be relieved that she gets it. Or at least, that she says she gets it. If she's who I think she is, she would get it... But how much does she not know? How much did they figure out on this side of things? Alan wonders to himself before he responds to Jesse aloud. And he hasn't yet determined whether or not this is real. Until he does, he doesn't want to divulge too much too quickly.

He huffs out a laugh, and it feels strange as if it's the first time in years that he's laughed at anything. ]

If all I was behind was a door, I would've walked through that door a long time ago. Maybe. I don't even know what year it is. [ Oh, that was an admission he didn't intend to make. But it's made and he can't call it back now. ]

Well, if you're who I think you are, it's not surprising that you put things together. Director.

[ That's not answering the question about her name, but he's working up to that. ]

It's Faden, isn't it? [ If he didn't have something to back him up, he wouldn't have even ventured a guess or go as far as to say that he's confident in his answer. But he is, and so he just plows on ahead. ]

It's not... [ She sighs.

« This is going to be harder than I thought. » ]

So, the doors aren't exactly like a normal door. But, this really isn't the place to talk about that. [ Not with the normal agents listening. They'd be stupid not to be listening somewhere. ] I don't think you even knew I was able to look through that door and see you. At least, you never acknowledged it.

[ « But there were definitely things that we need to ask him about. Who was it he was talking to--was it really Thomas Zane? And, the details about the AWE. Not to mention what he can really do. There's... a lot. »

The smile widens just a bit, but it seems she's suppressing it to some degree. ]

Jesse. [ A nod. ] I'm not really into formalities. Though, Director if you have to. >[ She pauses, wondering if she should refer to him by his first name still now that she has his attention. ] Which means I'm sure you'll be piecing together certain things once you readjust to being back in our dimension.

[ As to the other question. Her gaze drops and she frowns. Hopefully it won't send him back into a spiral. ]

It's...2023. [ Jesse looks down slightly. ] It's been thirteen years since you disappeared here in Bright Falls, Washington.

[ So she understands, but not entirely, which is where I guess I need to start explaining things. And between the two of us, maybe we can fill in some gaps. ]

You're telling me. [ Because again, if it was as simple as walking through a door, he would not have had to go through all the trouble of writing and rewriting and writing again to find a way out. ] But to answer your question, I never figured out that you saw me. [ It wasn't something that ever occurred to him as a possibility. Granted, he had other things on his mind, but that prospect never even entered his thoughts. ]

Jesse, then. I- Well, I guess I don't do formalities either. [ Not that he has any particular titles, not like she does. ] About that. How do I-

[ He stops there, because whatever answer he was expecting, he wasn't necessarily prepared for it. ]

Thirteen years. [ He isn't about to spiral, at least not in the way he had before, but his mind is back to racing with thoughts about all the implications of that. If this truly is real, and not something he wrote, then he's out, finally free of the Dark Place. But then, where is Alice? What has she been doing this whole time?

Of course, the bigger question remains: can he believe that this is true? How exactly he's supposed to determine that, even he doesn't know. All he's been focused on is finding a way out. He didn't think about what would happen if he actually got out.

And the bigger question beyond that is what to do about the Dark Presence, which is still very much a thing? ]

Maybe we shouldn't talk about things here. [ The agents are most likely listening, and the questions Alan has are ones he doesn't particularly want being overheard. ] What are the chances of them just letting me walk out of here? [ Something tells him those chances aren't very high. That's just his luck. ]

[ She nods again. ]

I'm not surprised to hear that.

[ Given how he was so desperate to get out--how the conversation went with "Zane." She felt it was more a peek behind the curtain than anything else. ]

Really? Best selling author Alan Wake doesn't do formalities. [ An eyebrow raises but something in her tone suggests she is joking. ] Funny, I thought you'd at least prefer your last name.

Yeah. Thirteen years.

[ She can agree there are things to discuss and none of them here. But, because she's not interfering with the FBI, she can't very well just take him to New York to the Oldest House. Maybe they could go for a walk of something when the morning settles in. ]

I'm not really sure what they're investigating other than the disappearance of an old FBI agent. You probably have some idea of what I'm the Director for, and that is more concerned about Bright Falls.

For now.

I'd get some sleep if you can. Then, we can ask the hard hitting questions once the sun is up.

[ At that, he just snorts and rolls his eyes. ] Is best selling author Alan Wake even that anymore? [ After thirteen years, he figures the world has just moved on and forgotten all about him, other than to occasionally mention his disappearance as an unsolved mystery. ] You can call me whatever you want.

[ Thirteen years trying to get out of a nightmare dimension does things to your priorities. Or something like that. ]

And they think I'm connected to that. They mentioned something like that before- [ Before he dissolved into a slew of crazy sounding babble. ] Now that you mention it... I'm concerned about Bright Falls too.

[ Something's happening. No, something's happening again, and... you have been warned.

For just a second, Alan's hands move to clasp both sides of his head. Stop. Stop the muttering. The noise. Go away.

A second later, he focuses back in on what Jesse's saying. Something about getting sleep, and asking questions later. ]

Sleep? I can't sleep. As in, I don't. [ Sleep is where the nightmares roam around and it also happens to be where he feels most vulnerable. Not that he'll be admitting that at all. ]

[ She shrugs. ] I think the only one who can decide that is you.

[ « You're never the same after something like this. It stays with you. Even if isn't a part of an alien dimension or a entity. You can never see the world the same again. The poster goes back to the wall, but you always know something is behind it. You never go back to just a room with a poster. » ]

Well, they found you near a sight of investigation. Not to mention you've been missing for a long time. I can't blame them for being suspicious.

[ She stands then with a smirk. ]

I'm sure you're curious about it. Given that's the last place you were in was Brighr Falls.

[ She nods as Anderson looks in the room. ]

We'll talk more in the morning. I've taken enough of Agent Anderson's time right now.

I'm sorry if my early questions were difficult, Mr. Wake. Let me start over. My name is Agent Saga Anderson, and this is my partner Agent Casey...

[ Jesse steps aside then out of the room and closes the door behind her. Casey shoots her another glower from over the rim of his cup, while Steve smiles tiredly at her. She motions for Casey to take her place before she begins to move from the room. She nudges Steve to join her as she walks. ]

Is that really him, Ma'am? The Alan Wake? From the AWE case in '10?

It looks like it. I'll ask him more questions in the morning. Foe now, let's head back to the motel. Oh, and Steve?

Yes, Ma'am?

Remember to sleep with the light on.

Already ahead of you, Director. Even bought myself a nightlight.

[ Morning comes without much of a fuss, but, Jesse can't say she slept well. Knowing what she does of the Bright Falls AWE makes her on edge when night comes. There's no evidence just yet that the threshold is active. But, if Wake is back from that other dimension? It has to be active, somewhere. Which means she needs to get in contact with their agent here in Bright Falls.

Although Chavez isn't available until the afternoon.

It's fine, it gives her more of a chance to talk to Wake and get a better understanding of everything. There's documents about what happened thirteen years ago... and then there's talking to the man himself.

She's glancing over the documents e-mailed to her by Emily. Of course, Emily can't e-mail directly from the Oldest House, so they're scanned e-mails, but its enough for Jesse to know what she's looking at and refreshing her mind on. People, names, places. The exact events of the AWE seem to all be accounts from people around Alan, and they're scarce at best.

Jesse glances up from leaning against the car with a nod to Anderson and Casey as they leave the cabin. She decides to speak with Anderson, communicating that she needs more time with Wake for her own agency's documentation, but if they need to speak with him more then she can wait. Casey seems to like that idea, but Anderson agrees they can wait. There's something else it seems the agent wants to figure out...

She watches as the pair walk off and glances up at the cabin beside her.

« Well, want to let him know we're here? I thought you would. »

Wherever Wake might be, he may feel a familiar nudge. Similar to what he experienced the night before. As well as a feeling that maybe he should head outside in the morning light. If he's paying particular attention, he may even see a shimmer that hints the direction he should go. ]

Edited 2023-09-21 01:21 (UTC)

[ That's part of the issue Alan is already facing and having to confront, although he has no idea what he's going to do now. He only just came back, so he doesn't have to figure things out right this second, but he will need to sort out his affairs sooner or later. Where does Alan Wake fit into things? ]

I wish I could say that wasn't intentionally, but I don't even know that. [ What he does know seems scattered at best, and incredibly vague at worst. Or maybe it's just all incredibly vague. ]

I guess I have interrogations to look forward to. [ He sighs and leans back in the chair he's sitting in. Truthfully, in a way, Jesse and any interrogations she might carry out feel preferable to whatever the FBI agents are going to come at him with. Jesse knows things. The FBI agents know things too, but it's a different kind of knowing. And the subject matter is very different. One offers familiarity, in a way. The other.... well, it does't offer anything that Alan particularly wants. ]

See you in the morning, I guess. [ If he makes it that far.

Once Jesse's gone and the agents return, Alan steels himself for whatever Agent Anderson wants to try and pry from him. He answers as honestly as he can, even if his recollections are patchy and scattered, but he can tell she isn't really satisfied with his responses. Is it lying or simply obscuring the truth? Dodging the questions with carefully formed responses... Is it for the best?

It's a wild world out there, and he imagines that Agent Anderson has not really seen just how wild it can be.

Eventually, though, it grows darker, and while he does his best to not show signs of it, Alan feels tired. The agents certainly are. But they have the luxury of going to sleep and not having to worry about what creeps about in the darkness. Despite the things parents tell their kids, there are things that go bump in the night. There are things that reach out to grab and steal and pull away.

It's those things that Alan does not wish to see. But even he can't put off sleep forever. He thinks he might have managed it in the Dark Place, but things did not work the way they should in that hellish dimension. Here in what seems to be the real world, sleep is harder to dodge, and although it takes several hours, it finally manages to drag Alan down into some kind of restless slumber.

Eventually, however, he wakes from said slumber just as light begins to creep in through the cracks in the curtains, pulling him out of the sleep he reluctantly got. He doesn't remain where he is (he may or may not have fallen asleep in the chair) for long, as a familiar sort of nudge registers then. Already he associates it with Jesse, because he felt the same nudge when she was in the room the previous night. Perhaps he shouldn't trust it, but something tells him he should just follow the nudges and the weird kind of shimmer that apparently only he can see.

Wehn he steps out of the cabin and into the open air and the light, he blinks a few times until his eyes adjust. At least it looks safe enough, but appearances can be deceiving. But nothing's snatched at him yet or tried to kill him, so he considers that a win. ]

Morning, Mr. Wake.

[ Jesse looks up from the folder in her hands once Steve speaks. There's a half smile she's known for and the shimmer dissipates around her. A glance is sent to the agent beside her. ]

Steve, Mr. Alan Wake. Wake, this is Steve, my right hand ranger. He helped me on the... little adventure you sent me on.

I'm not sure I'd forget that ugly bastard. I've seen what... [ Steve feels Jesse's hard stare at him. Then, he clears his throat. ] Not that it matters.

What Steve means to say is he's more uniquely trained with hands on experience for the kind of weird Bright Falls has. [ She pushes herself from the car and reaches I'm for a store bought thermos. She holds it out to Alan. ] Coffee to help keep you going. I figure maybe we can do a walk and then get breakfast.

Morning... [ Or something like that. Time feels strange to Alan now, almost as though he feels like he's out of time. Outside of time? Maybe that's the right way of putting it. But to everyone else, it's morning and a specific hour, so he just goes along with it. ]

Steve, right hand ranger. [ He nods, as if filing this information away in his mind. ] Uh- [ He vaguely remembers bits and pieces of things, such as trying to reach out to Faden, writing about Faden, writing things that made things happen to Faden. Should he apologize? Perhaps. ] Sorry.

[ Baby steps, right? Admitting that maybe he caused a lot of trouble in his efforts to escape is the first step. Or something. ]

Thanks. [ He wasn't expecting anything from her, but the coffee was a nice gesture, even if he wonders what she wants from him and what her motives are. ]

So, where are we headed?

[ Steve has a pair of aviators on to shield himself from the morning rays. Though, Jesse can feel he sends a sideways glance at her given Wake's response. He's obviously having a harder time shaking off coming through the threshold, but, it hits everyone different.

And he had been in the other dimension for thirteen years. ]

Dealing with weird shit is our job, Mr. Wake. There's weirder out there than that.

[ Jesse nods, but she figures she can talk over the details with Wake on her own. On their walk. Is that weird? She feels maybe other Directors didn't take a hands on approach like her, but, she is the outlier for a reason. ]

It's fine. [ « Though it would be nice not to have someone else orchestrate my life. I'm not much of a fan of someone controlling destiny or whatever. » ] I imagine we would of had to deal with it sooner rather than later.

There's a small pond over there. I figured a walk could help... you could answer my questions and I answer a few of yours. While our friends in the FBI are grabbing breakfast.

That Casey is a piece of work, Director.

Yeah, well, that would track right. [ Jesse shrugs and gives a glance over to Alan to see if he's caught on just o who she thinks Casey is. Or, might be. Whatever. ] Keep an eye out, Steve. Let me know when our friends come back.

Yes, Ma'am!

[ Jesse nods and then motions for Alan to join her. She has a decent passed stride, but tries to keep it leisure so he can take his time. The envelope is under her arm still as she looks at the path ahead. ]

I'm guessing there's things you want to know from me. So... you first.

[ He knows how this must look: Poor Alan Wake. He's been trapped in another dimension for thirteen years. Look at him, he looks crazy. Who knows what he saw in there? Either way, his days writing bestsellers are over.

For him, it all boils down to not knowing where to start. What happened to Alice? How does he prevent anyone else from getting dragged into the Dark Place? How does he stop the Dark Presence from meddling with things on this side of the door? And then there's the more mundane worries too. Where is he going to live? What will he do for work?

Hell, maybe he can find a job in a diner. Poor Rose. ]

I know, I've seen it. And, well, most of that weirder shit is best staying there and not here. [ But the walls are thin; thinner than people realize or want to realize. Could he make it so that the walls aren't so thin? No, that's a ridiculous thought. He can't make something into reality that doesn't exist. And more importantly, does he want to tempt fate that much? ]

What are the buzzwords people use? Autonomy? Respect? You could throw the book at me for not doing that. [ He offers a dry sort of laugh then. ] Throw the book. That's funny. [ Maybe it's not. It probably isn't. He's just trying to be normal when he feels anything but.

Pin the book on the writer. No, stop that. ] Did you say Casey?

[ That has to be a coincidence. Only, there are no coincidences. But he follows along after Jesse, trying to get the bizarre stream of consciousness thoughts in his head to shut up for a minute. ]

I have questions. A lot of them, actually. You probably don't have time to listen to all of them. [ Or any of them. ]

[ Well, if she was privy to his thoughts? She'd tell him to get over himself. Jesse doesn't pity him, but she does want to help. If she can find a way to live life in the scope she can even with her paranatural powers and experiences? Alan can too.

Steve nods in agreement to Alan's statement, but ultimately leans back against the car with his arms folded. He's a younger man, a bit shorter, with trimmed black hair and looks like he should of been in the military instead of a federal agency. By looking at him, one wouldn't guess he fought a nine foot plus tall hunched over monster that was once a therapist. ]

I'm pretty sure I know a book club that would be upset if I threw a book.

[ Especially a legendary book like the Alex Casey series.

Speaking of Casey. A Casey. Jesse waits until they are more than a few feet away from Steve before she begins talking. ]

Agent Alex Casey, FBI. [ She opens the envelope she hadn't expected to yet. With a few flips she finds the photocopy of the document she was looking for. ] He made contact with the Bureau in 2017 asking for information and files on Bright Falls... and more specifically the author that went missing, Alan Wake. [ She glances over at him. ] It looks like they gave him heavily redacted information about what we collected on the event. Which, by the way, we refer to what you experienced and caused an Altered World Event--AWE.

[ She glances over the other photocopy printed versions of documents in her hands. Maybe it'll be best to go through them as he brings them up. ]

We'll fit as many as we can in now and the rest another time. [ « If we ever get another chance. » ] How about a question for a question? We take turns, establish a base line. There's some answers I'd like too, but, you might not be able to answer them.

[ So, maybe she should start. ] That little "adventure" you sent me on. You sent me messages--not generic ones, but ones that felt like they were for me specifically. What... exactly do you know about me?

[ « Rather, what does he know about us? He mentioned you too, remember? My guiding star. What exactly does he know--or can he remember? » ]

[ Well, in all fairness, no one knows he needs to get over himself better than him. And that's part of why he wishes he had more time to compartmentalize and process before being thrust into interacting with people and their questions again, even if said people get it and understand the sheer weirdness of all this. ]

The key word is throwing it at me. I couldn't even say it's not deserved. And that's not asking for platitudes. [ He's keenly aware that he took missteps a lot before his disappearance in his personal and public life, and even managed to do that a few times in the Dark Place. Overreaching, some might call it.

But he stops talking so he can better listen and try to understand what Jesse is telling him as she begins to explain Agent Casey and several other things. ] That name is interesting. It's almost too coincidental. [ Alan isn't sure that he believes in coincidences anymore. ] But knowing someone with the FBI, he probably isn't content with just redacted files and getting half the information. [ Which, he assumes, is what he's doing here: ferreting around to see what else he can find that isn't being kept back by the FBC. That, and he, Alan Wake, is a convenient bystander. Well, a bystander who is more involved than he wishes he was. ]

Sounds fair enough, a question for a question. [ Part of him recoils at the idea, because depending on what her questions are, he knows he may not want to answer. But he's a writer and has a decent command over words and what to say and how to say it, if he can say so himself. ]

They... They were for you specifically. [ A writer needed a hero. ]

I... I don't know much, actually. I know your name, and... [ He knows small details, vague ones, and nothing that tells him anything about her as a person. ] I know you're not ordinary.

You probably shouldn't ask someone to throw things at you. You might regret it.

[ Especially given she can throw things. With her mind. ]

I'm thinking it's something more than fate or something like that.

[ « More like "I think you bent reality to bring your detective to life." But, that'd probably weird him out even more... and not to mention probably out the fact I read his novels. »

Which, she only read them after the whole mess with Hartman. If they were getting an AWE signal from the future, and the Alan Wake contacted her over the Hotline? She figured it was a good idea to do some research. Which is another reason she came to Bright Falls. She wanted understand the AWE in the 70s and 2010 in and out.

Her eyes widen slightly at his answer. Then, she bites the inside of her mouth and looks to the side. For her? Sure, tue Hotline had given her several messages. Darling reached out once, Trench's last thoughts echoed through it, and then whenever the Boars felt like being particularly annoying they'd contact her. This feels different though. Even if it was just narrating a manuscript he wrote.

You're special.

Her first reaction is a gut reaction. No she's not. Even if she can do what other Directors couldn't. Polaris is the reason she can--their bond. Everything is because of that AWE when she was a kid... that doesn't make her special. It makes her the right sort of crazy and weird.

Jesse closes the folder and hopes her embarrassment doesn't show. That'd be the last thing she'd need. ]

I'm from Ordinary. Maine. [ A nod, trying to be clever and play off his words. A writer would appreciate that, right? ] I went through something like you did... but as a kid. It didn't make me special. Just... crazy.

[ She gestures with her hand as she feels Polaris shift.

« Wait--do you think this is amusing? Why?! » ]

Your turn.

[ He just gives her the flattest stare he can manage, which isn't that difficult at the moment. ] I don't think I can regret anything more than I already do. Just admit it already: you think I don't make sense. And you're probably thinking I'm insane.

[ He thinks he's insane, and there's so many layers that he hasn't even begun to think about, let alone unpack about his regrets and everything else. ]

Fate? Ha. [ He laughs, and it's a dry, raspy sound. He knows it can't be fate or coincidence or anything random. He did it. Wake was desperate. He would try just about anything if it gave even the slightest chance or opening for him to find is way out. Perhaps Wake didn't mean to do it, but the deed was done. The narration buzzes in his head again and he tries to swat it away with the hand that's still holding the thermos he hasn't opened.

Too late, he realizes that Jesse is still there, and that she most likely saw him swat at empty air. He coughs and frowns, because the rasp in his voice isn't simply because he's forgotten the taste of water. But rather than focus on yet another thing he needs to face, he focuses on Jesse again and on her reaction to him saying what he knows about her. ]

From Ordinary, but not ordinary. You're anything but. [ Don't ask him how he knows that, or how he can speak about that so confidently. Faden was made for this. ] You're not crazy. How do I know that?

[ He points to himself. He's crazy. He jumps at shadows and hears his own voice narrating his actions in his head. How is that anything but crazy?

But then she points out that it's his turn to ask a question, and there's only one thing- one person he can ask about right now. ]

Alice. Do you know where she is? [ Is she alright? ]

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oceanview || ❝ hold hands with my demons and creatures of night. ❞

OCEANVIEW I

🔻— it's happened again.

🔦 meetings.

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