synthneon | oceanview (different path) || ❝ turn the page i need to see something new. ❞

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* verse: oceanview into the dark

oceanview (different path) || ❝ turn the page i need to see something new. ❞

a different path,
the same road.

When I thought that I fought this war alone
You were there by my side on the frontline
When I thought that I fought without a cause
You gave me a reason to try CODE BY TESSISAMESS

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[ Some part of him is warning him not to poke her too much or push her too far, because she might get angry and run off if he does. But he can't pretend that he isn't still a prickly man with a prickly personality who lashes out much too easily. When he sees her roll her eyes at him, he figures he's getting off easy here. He really doesn't want to drive her away, but turning off that abrasive side of him isn't easy. ]

What is it? [ He notes how her gaze shifts away for a second before she focuses on him again. ]

She didn't give me a name, and I have no idea where she came from, or what she was doing down that hallway. Yeah, she was down a hallway, almost like she was waiting for something, and she was wearing a black dress and a black veil. It seemed weird, like she was going to a funeral or something, but she said Stucky couldn't be there for whatever reason and she had the keys I needed.

I never got her name because she didn't give me one, and I didn't stop to ask. Guess that was stupid of me.

[ « Hallway? »

Her expression falls slightly as he continues on describing the woman who gave him the key. It definitely wasn't someone affiliated with Stucky. There's only one person in town she can think that matches that description. Someone who isn't even a person in town. She feels a cold chill roll down her back at the realization. There's no question in denying it, especially as Polaris confirms her suspicion.

« That's your enemy? HER? That's the... the dark thing that's trying to get out of the Lake? Shit. Shit. »

Jesse leans over to him--not that they're that far away--and grabs onto his sleeve to make sure she has his attention. His full attention. ]

There's only one person that ever matches that description in Bright Falls, Wake. The Scratching Hag... Barbara Yagger. She's a local folktale--who obviously isn't a folktale. She's the one that drowned in the Lake. Thomas Zane's girlfriend.

[ A slight shake of her head. ] Which means it isn't a real person. It's...

[ That reaction wasn't one he expected, not that he really knew what to expect about any of this. The situation at hand is bizarre, but Jesse herself is also a stranger, and he's still figuring out who she is and how she thinks. It's obvious to him that what he's said has rung a bell with her, so maybe she knows something about the mysterious lady who seemed to lurk down a hallway waiting. ]

The Scratching- What? [ He shakes his head in something like disbelief. ] A lady who's a folktale but not a folktale... She seemed real enough to me. And how can someone drown but still be walking around?

[ His confusion only seems to be growing, but he wants to understand, so he adds: ]

If she's not a real person, then what is she?

[ Jesse's hands curl around the stationary steering wheel. Something tells her he knows who the woman is. When he wrote the story--even if he doesn't remember it. Why can't he remember? That whole week is missing, as is any keys to what's really happening in Bright Falls. ]

...what else could she be? [ Her eyebrows draw together. ] If someone drowned in a Lake that's controlled by something otherworldly... what else would be using that someone's body?

[ Her instincts tell her she can't be blunt with it. Alan has to figure it out on his own. She can guide him to the puzzle pieces and give the direction, but he has to put them together. He has to see the whole picture to... stop it? End the story? She's not sure on that part. ]

Edited 2024-01-20 10:53 (UTC)

[ Alan's not trying to be difficult on purpose, but he's honestly not sure what exactly the lady he met is, if not a real person. ]

Did I walk into a haunted town by accident? Is she a ghost? Or something worse than a ghost, if she's being controlled by something.

[ He can't help but think all of this sounds like something from a bad horror movie. ]

I'm guessing I should just know what she is, but- [ He shakes his head. Maybe he's stupid. Maybe he's not as up to speed on spooky lore as he should be. ]

I wouldn't say it's haunted like a ghost story.

[ Jesse let's go of the wheel in order to reach over for her bag. The car remains stationary, but there still seems to be no danger near them. She opens it, pulling out the stack of dimly glowing papers. Her finds mixed with the ones Alan found. Maybe she'll put them in order like a story for him.

It might help.

She flips through the pages, and then hands him one and then another. A hesitation is in the motion, as if she expects him to reject the notion of it all.

She frowns slightly. ] I know you don't remember writing the story. But, I think we should start relying on what you wrote. We might be able to save your wife if we do.

[ Then, a gentle voice comes to Alan's mind. One he should recongize--it's Jesse's after all. Older, more assured, from a dream.

『 I learned how the manuscript pages work from you. I'm pretty sure you can already tell how what's happening matches what's typed on the pages. Well, it's real. You know it is....

...What's real and what people want to perceive is different. Really different...

Ask me--when you wake up. It's 2010, right? I'll know what you mean if you ask. 』]

Maybe not exactly, but there's some weird things going on here. It might as well be a ghost story.

[ Or a story that lures people in until it's too late and then destroys them. But I'll stop that from happening. It won't destroy me, or Alice, or Jesse. Somehow, I'll stop it. I don't know how I'll do that, but I'll figure that out as I go.

He watches as Jesse reaches for her bag and begins to search through it until she pulls out a stack of papers. He takes the pages she hands him and begins to read. Realization begins to dawn on him, showing on his face, as he continues reading. ]

The Dark Presence... yeah, that's familiar. That's what's making people do crazy things and act all violent. And that must be what's pulling the strings here. It's- it's inside Barbara Jagger, if I can believe what's on these pages. [ I have to believe them, don't I? I have to trust what's written on them. It's not like I have anything else to go off of. ]

I-

[ He silences abruptly when he hears that familiar, gentle voice. It's Jesse's, but it's different. The words are familiar too, however, and it confirms for him that he can trust the words on the pages without having to worry too much. ]

All right. I think you're right, and these pages are our best bet. [ Especially since something's screwed around with my memory. ]