un: klapbak

[clussy]

(Eddie had debated on whether or not to share this piece of information. But what the natives had said weighed on him heavily, and he felt like if he didn't and something were to happen...

He wasn't so sure he could live with that guilt.)

I asked one of the natives if bad things from our homes could come to this place. They said it was possible.

maybe some of you will think I'm crazy. Or the adults won't believe it. The adults in our town didn't believe anything and they didn't want to pay attention to what was happening. they didn't care about all the missing kids. I don't care if you believe it or not. some stuff exists whether or not people want to believe it does. me and my friends took care of it before and we'll do it again if we have to. we made that promise.

our town had this fucked up evil in it. and im not talking hellfire church-evil stuff either. I'm talking like...fear. real fear. maybe even the thing that made Fear

IT knew what you were afraid of. no, not your 'kind of' fears like thinking spiders are gross. i mean the kind of fears you dont even tell your best bud about. the kind of fears you don't even tell YOURSELF about cause the shame's so bad. IT knew you and IT fed off those fears. i guess it liked how kids tasted best when they died in terror

IT ate them too. im not saying it like sucked out their soul. no. IT would

(Eddie has to stop here. To breathe. To focus. He touches his own arm, closes his eyes, and counts.)

i cant explain how you'll know when you'll see IT
you'll feel
like you have to go towards something real bad, real scary
you'll know you shouldn't but you HAVE to...and maybe you'll be lucky like we were
like i was. and be able to get away when the fear gets bad enough.

IT takes the shape of a clown the most when ITS just existing normally. IT only changes when its hunting. IT can come through pictures or sinks or anything. i dont know what ITs limits even were

sometimes IT called ITself Pennywise the Dancing Clown. IT told me its name was Bob Gray when IT talked to me. And sometimes you could hear that carnival sorta music.Sometimes it'd lure you in with the smell of popcorn. IT sometimes had balloons. A lot of balloons. I don't know. It lived in the sewers and

I want to say we beat IT for good but we didn't. i'm not sure if IT can BE beaten.

I dont know if IT'll ever show up here
but don't trust things to be what they seem. don't.

and maybe realize the monsters you know might come here too. please be careful.

Comments

[lowkeycrazy]

[Of that, Akechi is unfortunately all too aware of. Barbarians, really... fighting amongst themselves in such an uncertain and dangerous environment.]

It certainly doesn't hurt to practice caution, no. But you sound as if you could use a moment to relax. [pot, meet kettle...]

In a manner of speaking. Though my experience is mostly in fighting Shadows— the monsters of a world adjacent to mine.

I can protect you, if the need arises.

[clussy]

(God if that wasn't the most accurate token of advice Eddie has ever received...)

I'll try. I relax in the greenhouse. it's nice being around plants.

Do you have anyone to protect you though?

[lowkeycrazy]

[Well, that actually makes him give a pause. Hah...]

That does sound nice. Perhaps I'll go too, sometime. [He did enjoy going to the park to cycle, when he had the time.]

And don't worry about me. I'm fully capable of protecting myself.

[clussy]

if you ever come by I can give you some food stuff! for helping me and all. and just because

I bet you are. But that doesn't mean there won't be times where you can't protect yourself. Everyone needs to rely on others sometimes, don't they?

[lowkeycrazy]

[aw... that brings a tiny smile to his lips.

...as for that second part...] Some people are forced to walk alone in life. And that fosters a rather strong independence and self-reliance.

That, and I do believe we have a few hero-types here who would jump at the chance to help someone, irregardless of whether they know them.

[clussy]

yeah well you're not 'forced to walk alone' here so you can knock that shit off. people are here who obviously want to help each other out and that includes you too.

it can also foster some serious loneliness complex issues being forced to deal with everything alone too and make people really sad inside. needing people is a strength, not a weakness.

(Eddie you were just saying how you shouldn't need people to help you.....)

I think so too. So Im glad for that at least. not just for my sake but yours too

[lowkeycrazy]

[Goodness, him. Is he being chastised by a child? ... something about how Eddie straight up tells him to "knock that shit off"... creates the oddest feeling of endearment in him. He almost wants to laugh.

He so does enjoy a spitfire who won't simply take reassurances for their face value.]

You're a good boy, Eddie, though your concern is rather misplaced.

But thank you, regardless.

I hope you've settled in here well enough.

[clussy]

(Yes, he 100% is. A side effect of befriending Eddie Kaspbrak was getting used to his particular brand of over-caring. Which sometimes involved a lot of exasperation, eye-rolling, and shrieky snark.

Or well, in this place, chastising via devices.)

Not really. It isn't misplaced. I don't think so anyway.

I have. I have my friends and a house so there's really nothing more I need.

(Except, maybe, his space mom, but he tries not to think about that too hard.)

[lowkeycrazy]

That's because you don't know who I am and what I've done.

[That's a warning... It's not a wise idea for a child to get involved with him, in his opinion. He doesn't regret saving Eddie, but he does regret he's seemed to give this kid the wrong impression.

...though, his friends and house? That's all?]

Do you not miss your parents? Though I'd understand if you wouldn't want them here.

[clussy]

Yeah well you don't know who I am either or what i've done.

(Or who he is. None of that. Eddie had a pretty lowly opinion of himself. That and frankly, he wound up befriending some very questionable adults in his life. They all had been...very kind though to him.

It's a weird question for Eddie to be asked, or at least in hindsight. He guesses most people would expect that from a kid.)

My dads dead and

if i can id rather never see my mom again.

(It's harsh and not fully true. Eddie was still young enough that some nights he ached for his mother, but he knew that it was for the best that he stay away from her. Her manipulation and abuse ran deep enough to ruin a lot of him, and he knew he needed to grow up away from her if he wanted even half a shot at a normal, maybe even happy life.)

but there is this woman i met in the world i was in before this one

shes not my real mom...but shes more my mom than ive ever had back home. i wish she was here. i miss her all the time.

(While the ache for Sonia was there, the ache for Clara was far superior. Clara had always cared about Eddie. Sonia's love had been undeniable but restraining- that and she always seemed annoyed with Eddie. Eddie couldn't remember the last time his own mom had ever made him feel good about anything. Clara, on the other hand, had always seemed to make sure that he was okay. She...sometimes made him feel like he was worth a lot more than he had always thought.)

[lowkeycrazy]

[He supposes that's true, but as Eddie is so much younger, he's more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Surely, whatever sins he has pales in comparison to Akechi's own— both in number and in severity.

... oh. It sounds... frighteningly similar to his own situation, though... heh, well. Nothing exactly measures up to what his experiences was. But it's still close enough that he feels a pang of empathy. For someone so young to have parent troubles to that degree... really strikes close to home.

At least he was able to find someone who was a good foster parent... though, his heart aches a little with jealousy. Haha, really— jealous of a child...]

That's fair. [... anyway, really, if he's so worried about being a bad influence, shouldn't he cut the conversation off? And yet here he is... still talking.]

I'm sorry about your parents. One of my parents, my mother, also died when I was young.

She sounds like a kind woman. If you feel so strongly about her, I see no reason why you can't refer to her as your mother.