Event Log: Fear Itself, Mk II

[hadrielmods]

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for the Fear Itself Mk II event
Where: All over the city
When: May 19th-26th
Warnings: None

It starts with a sense of dread- something that boils deep in your gut that doesn't quite have a place. For the first few days, you can probably just chalk it up to paranoia and doubt, but it's clear that something is building and ramping up, but you're not quite sure what... or maybe if you've been in this city for long enough, the sensation is just familiar enough that it jogs your memory...

It doesn't matter though because it can't be stopped. It only takes a few days before it comes to a head and you begin to see your worst fears- a person, an event, a monster... the thing you fear most materializes seemingly out of thin air to terrorize you. It's not harmless either, whatever it is can hurt you, even if nobody else can see it or interact with it.

Of course, that doesn't last for long either- soon enough, people around you can see your fear and you can see theirs. Is that better or worse? Maybe both, because your fears will begin to combine after a time into some fucked-up supermonster that will try to hurt or kill you both.

We hope you're ready.

► This log covers May 19th-26th.
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If your fear winds up ending you, please let us know here.

Comments

earlier

[madamdirector]

[ Lucretia's made a habit of having Angus over for tea every week. The tea is a mostly transparent excuse for the both of them to fill up on cookies or tiny tea cakes, and the visit itself, of course, is her way of keeping connected with him in the absence of their Bureau work. Lucretia also harbors some delusions of being a stabilizing influence for him - she loves the twins and Merle, of course, but sometimes she shudders at the idea of Angus living with them, growing up under their influence.

She's always enjoyed their visits, and up until now Angus always has, too, or so she thinks. Today, however, something seems off. Angus is quiet and stiff, overly formal even for him, and seemingly nervous. She sets his teacup down and settles down in the chair next to him, looking at him in concern. ]

Is something wrong, Angus?

[hellosirs]

[ Bless Lucretia for trying in vain to be a responsible adult, honestly.

Angus, for his part, tries not to flinch at the question. With his dad's strange, possibly hallucinatory reappearance comes the guilty realization that he, uh... never mentioned his father to The Director when he was initially hired? He's pretty sure he'd given the impression that his Grandpa had been his only family when asked, and while that was true in a sense - he hadn't spoken to his father in over a year - it didn't give the full picture. He may not have outright lied to Lucretia, but lying by omission is just as bad, isn't it?

He isn't sure how she'd react if she finds out, whether she'd be upset or even disappointed. It's hard to say which would be worse. ]

I-I'm fine, Ma'am! [ Which isn't the same as saying 'nothing is wrong', technically. He busies himself with adding milk and sugar to his tea, carefully avoiding eye contact. ]

Did you go to the Colosseum on Arrival Day, by the way?

[ He isn't sure what he's expecting for an answer here - "Why yes, Angus, and I happened to see someone who looks like you in forty years, you aren't going crazy after all!" is probably out. ]

[madamdirector]

[ Lucretia narrows her eyes, but nods. ]

Yes, I was there. [ Looking for Barry, but she doesn't need to bring that up now. ] I found Merle there.

[ She pauses to take a bite of her cookie, but keeps her eyes on Angus. He's not going to get out of this one so easily. She can't remember him ever being unable to meet her eyes before. ]

You'll forgive me for saying so, Angus, but that sounds an awful lot like deflecting.

[hellosirs]

[ Damn, she's good at this. If Lucretia ever feels like putting the Director thing aside, she'd make a killer detective. Angus keeps his expression carefully blank, and sips at his tea while he tries to come up with a good response. ]

Does it?

[ ... that was definitely not a good response. He may be good at keeping things close to his chest, but Angus is a fundamentally honest person, and he kinda sucks at outright lying. Gods, is this what it feels like, being investigated? This is awful! ]

I wasn't deflecting, really, I was just... I think the Turbo-Liches are up to something again, I've been a little paranoid lately. So it's fine. Would you like another cookie? They're chocolate chip, this time.

[ look, he's a nervous rambler! ]

[madamdirector]

[ She learned it all from you, Angus. Lucretia waits patiently while Angus rambles on, but she doesn't take another cookie. Instead, she just watches impassively, and waits until he's run out of words before she finally speaks. ]

Paranoid?

[ She takes a sip of her tea, watching him expectantly. ]

[hellosirs]

[ Angus knows this technique, this stuff is Basic Interrogation 101: ask a few leading questions, and then sit back, quietly stare at the suspect, and let them fill in the awkward silence for you. It's amazing how much information people will give away when they're nervous. Angus isn't a very intimidating person, and hasn't had much luck with this technique himself - he tends to play up the innocent-little-boy act to get people's guards down instead - but The Director has so much calm gravitas in her stare that he can't stop himself from answering. ]

I've been, um... seeing things? People? But like I said, it's Turbo-Lich stuff, which means that it isn't real. So it's fine.

[ Probably. Maybe. ]

[madamdirector]

[ Ah.

It's not really a surprise to hear that something's up, of course, or that the liches are involved. Still, it's enough to make her set down her tea, her expression going grave as her stomach tightens in worry. The one silver lining to all of this crap has been that Angus had seemed to mostly avoid the worst of it all.

If that's changing now... ]

I've been here long enough now to know that just because it isn't real doesn't mean it can't affect you.

[ She leans forward, brows pinched in concern, and sets her hand over his on the table. ]

Please tell me. What's been going on?

[hellosirs]

[ Oh no. Oh no, she's worried, she's genuinely concerned about him and he's been lying by omission this whole time, this is so much worse! ]

I... I, um...

[ It takes maybe three seconds for Angus to crack under the weight of Lucretia's sincerity. She deserves an honest answer, and Angus takes a deep breath as he finally gives one. ]

... I know I didn't mention him at all when I signed on at the Bureau, I'm really sorry about that, we hadn't spoken in about a year at that point anyway and we don't get along so I kind of figured it was a moot point, but I've been seeing my dad around here and I'm not sure if this is just a turbo-lich thing or if he came in with the new arrivals or I'm maybe just going crazy. So. Um. That's it.

[ If Lucretia can pick the important parts out of that rambling word salad, she'll be doing well! ]

[madamdirector]

[ It's a lot to take in, but she can handle it. Lucretia sits there for a moment, blinking as she mentally categorizes all that, tries to match it up with what she'd thought she knew about Angus and his background.

She hadn't thought to ask too many questions when he'd signed up with the Bureau, once he'd presented his grandfather's blessing. In hindsight, maybe she should have been a little more vigilant before hiring a ten-year-old. ]

Your father is alive?

[ But it's more than just that. Angus has been jumpy and nervous ever since the arrivals this month, in a way she'd never seen him.

No child should be this afraid of their parent. And Angus isn't the type to lie about anything, not without very good reason. She leans closer, looking more concerned than ever. ]

Angus...

Did he hurt you?

[hellosirs]

Huh?

[ It takes him a second to realize what Lucretia must be thinking, what he probably implied, and once the penny drops, his eyes snap wide open and he starts frantically waving his hands around. He doesn't have the words for it, but his dad leans more on the 'emotionally abusive / neglectful' side of Bad Parenting rather than anything physical. ]

N-no! No, nothing like that. We just... we really don't get along. We don't talk much, or, um, ever, and he doesn't approve of the detective work. [ Or much of anything, if he's being honest. ] It's sort of why I lived with Grandpa. I'm pretty sure he thinks Grandpa just sent me back to boarding school, and he never checked, so...

[ It's not hard to do the math here; Angus had been living with his Grandpa well before the Rockport Ltd case, and shortly after his death, Angus had been hired by the BoB - it's been over a year since they've had a conversation. ]

... If he's here, he's not very happy with me.

[madamdirector]

I see.

[ She does see, maybe more than Angus had meant her to, her eyes narrowing slightly as he speaks.

He never checked.

How long had Angus lived with his grandfather, before he left and went to work on the moon? And in all that time, Mr. McDonald had never once checked up on him. Never realized that his son was not only not in school, he was no longer living on the planet.

And it's more than that. More than just neglect, more than simply not approving of the boy's lifelong calling, or Angus - brave Angus, who had taken it upon himself to track down a murderer, who had always stood up to Merle, Magnus, and Taako's endless torment with unfailing good humor - wouldn't look like this. Nervous. Paranoid. Afraid.

He should never look like that.

Without warning, she reaches out, catching Angus' hand on the table and holding it tight. ]

If he is here...

You don't have to go anywhere with him. You don't have to do anything you don't want to.

[hellosirs]

[ He hadn't counted on her being this perceptive, on seeing right through him so easily. Angus swallows heavily, caught off guard by the unexpectedly emotional gesture, and squeezes her hand back. ]

I... th-thank you Ma'am. I appreciate that.

[ He pipes up again a moment later, with all the tentative apprehension of someone poking at a cavity to see how bad the damage is. ]

... You're not upset? That I didn't tell you? This feels like something that I should've mentioned earlier, maybe.

[madamdirector]

[ Ah. Is this part of why he's been so nervous around her? Lucretia looks surprised, and then a little sheepish. She smiles at Angus, reassuringly. ]

You probably should have. And I probably...should have checked.

But no. I'm not upset. I wish you'd told me, but I understand why you didn't. You're a good boy, Angus, and a smart one. Just...

[ She sighs, shaking her head, though not in disapproval or disappointment. Not directed at Angus, anyway. ]

Just know that...you can be honest about these things, in the future. With me, or the twins, or...any of us. Most adults aren't like your dad. We'll listen. We can help.