expiationlogs | ( OPEN 💀 case of the glitching city )

[Why, Junpei wonders, are mirrors so—mean? Demanding? He's sure there has to be an actual reason this place is the way it is, and if he wasn't feeling his thoughts turn into static in real time, he might give that more time to explore. Instead he gets as far as "why are mirrors mean" and then the bizarre pull of everything in here drags him out of it, and oh shit, Charles has been talking as well?

He says,] What? [because he only caught maybe half of that amidst all the other noise, and at least tone is easier to parse than the words themselves, so he adds,] You're doing better than me...

[Ha ha, his little joke. Then it's stumbling out of the mirror again, and somehow the sudden absence of all that sound is just as jarring as being in the middle of it. He wobbles, blinking a few times to shake off the lingering odd feeling.]

Okay... it was cool, but I never want to do that again.

[ in half a second, charles follows behind, stepping closer to grab his shoulders, to make sure he doesn't, you know, tip over and collapse on the floor. quite frankly, he had sort of wanted to do that, the first time he did mirror travel, and he'd been a ghost then. ]

Hey, steady, [ he says, with a small, apologetic smile. ]

Promise you don't have to. We can take the long way round from now on. [ though, he pauses, then, a frown crossing his expression, because — ]

Well. I promise you don't have to, unless you're in danger and I have to get you out of somewhere real fast. [ he makes a face, like he wants to say sorry but also like he's not going to budge on this, no matter what — because to him, junpei's safety will always, always be more important than some discomfort. ]

[There's another wobble, one that might have led to him giving up and just flopping uselessly to the floor without Charles' intervention, so - thanks. Junpei hums and takes an extra moment to readjust to being out of the mirror. He wants to put down his cool new shoes, but he also doesn't want to move very much for another minute or two.]

I'll try to stay out of horrible danger, [he says, trying to make it sound like he would never be in horrible danger in the first place, despite, well, already being in it since coming to Aldrip. And also all those times before, that Charles knows about, and the times he doesn't.

But he'll try! That part is real! So alright—]

I mean, I really will... I won't complain about a rescue, though.

[ charles just keeps holding onto him, not entirely sure he won't just fall over if he lets go. and — well, as much as he'd like to believe that it's an extremely unlikely event for junpei to be in danger, previous events have proved that wrong. so really, the best he can do is try, and that's... you know, maybe that's as good as it's going to get. and with this promise, he also has junpei's explicit permission to protect him, place himself between him and danger, which — good. ]

Well, [ charles' expression turns into a sincere smile, then, ] Aces, then. It's a promise I'll hold you to.

[ a pause. ] And sorry, honest. Guess we know now why mirror hopping isn't good for humans, don't we?

[He has Junpei's permission to protect him if he really has to, don't get too wild about it—

Regardless, he's grateful for Charles holding him up, leaning into his hold just a little. Here's Charles looking after him again, and in the same moment deciding he'll do that a seemingly infinite number of times, and it's unbalancing just like the mirror. Positively, sure, but ah— he's grateful, really, he is.]

Don't worry about it. At least now I can brag about going through magic mirrors. [he'll be a real wizard yet!!] Thanks for, y'know, taking me through.

Mate, you're about to keel over, and you're thanking me?

[ his tone is just a tad on the side of incredulous, but — well, he can't say he doesn't feel a bit relieved, too, to know that despite the discomfort he hadn't made a mistake in actually bringing him through the mirror. maybe he should have started by showing him the enchantment for disguises, one of the few that is his responsibility instead of edwin's...

maybe another time. instead, he breathes a laugh, giving a slight nod. ] Anytime. I mean, in spirit. Not in practise. [ as previously established!! ]

[Junpei, unfortunately, immediately snorts and mutters,] In spirit.

[Haha, because-!! No, everyone gets it, no one needs to acknowledge his dumb sense of humor. He takes another moment to stand there and steady himself before he straightens up properly and nods; he definitely won't fall over now, he's good.]

Did I already ask you if you've got, like, uh, fireballs or something?

[Something Cool... and Big...]

[ charles bites down on a chuckle, because that's too stupid of a joke for him to laugh at, except — well, he doesn't quite manage to suppress it entirely. the nod then makes him let go and take a step back, though he hesitates a second, there... probably because despite what junpei may think, he might still be dizzy, right? gotta be that. why else would he not want to let go? ]

By "you", I assume you mean Edwin, [ he says, only a touch self-deprecating; mostly he just sounds amused, as he's really not the wizard here, just the designated sword-and-shield. though his tone morphs into something like pride, then, because, ]

Yeah, course. He can conjure fire no problem. [ and damn if that isn't still the coolest thing. ]

Yeah, sure, [he says, but with a brief look as if to point out that they did just walk through a magic mirror, which is cool wizard shit even if Edwin has a bigger repertoire of spells. Everyone with a little magic is a cool wizard on some level, as far as Junpei is concerned.

Time travel is not magic, for the record. That stuff is terrible. In any case, he very competently walks over to put the present down on his bed, and then flops uselessly after it, just to make sure he doesn't collapse after all.]

What else does he do? Anything like... summoning stuff?

[ the flop makes charles suppress another laugh, ducking his head and grinning at the sight, which is silly and not at all adorable.

but, right, he has magic to talk about. ]

What doesn't he do? [ okay, okay, that's not answering — ] Honestly, he's got this whole personal library of spell books, and he's learned Latin and Ancient Greek and Hebrew and Ancient Aramaic so he can actually cast all the spells he needs. There's definitely summoning spells, but they're a lot, usually need runes, too — I take care of drawing them, usually, demon banishment or fae summoning or stuff like that. Though we try not to deal with the fae if we can avoid it, they're a tricky lot. [ wait, where was he going with this, again? oh right, the stuff edwin can do. ]

Right, magic — uh, nothing much you can't do with it if you really want to. That's how we usually divide cases, I take care of the fighting, he takes care of the spellwork.

[Latin and Greek and holy shit, this Edwin guy is definitely a lot, isn't he. Junpei thinks that in the kindest way he can - all of his friends are a lot - and the way Charles talks about him is a positive endorsement too, but wow. Nerds.]

Of course it does anything... All those movies about elves and stuff were wrong about magic, then.

[Has Junpei ever seen Lord of the Rings? Signs point to absolutely not, but he's lived in the world, he can still make this joke.]

He sounds like Akane. She knows all kinds of languages and everything else, too. [not that she is a witch. but.] Uh, she's... She was in the things, you know, with me and Seven and the others.

[ truly, edwin payne is the most "a lot" there is, really. to the point it is really hard to describe him reliably — and not least because charles is so entirely biased.

he ignores the part about movies in order to focus better on what follows; it's rare enough for junpei to speak of those he knows back in his home, so any mention is something charles latches onto with great interest. seven is the only one he knows by name, now, and not much about him at that; so this? immediately committed to memory. ]

Languages and everything else, hm? Yeah, sure sounds similar to Edwin, then. [ a pause. ] She sounds pretty aces.

[It feels strange to talk about Akane in a way it doesn't to talk about Seven, or the others he's mentioned—Snake and Clover, and one day he'll manage to actually use their names. Junpei isn't a complete idiot; he knows his relationship with Akane is, generously, a mess and a half, so of course it's much harder to talk about her... neutrally, he supposes. Neutral, a friend he has at home, and not someone he's known for ages and yet not at all, sometimes. It isn't as if they've hung out since they were literal children, after all, not the way he went to harp concerts or just loitered around the office with Seven.

He'll make an attempt. Sure.]

And everything else, yeah. She's a handful. [never repeat this especially not to her thanks xoxo] But, uh—no fireballs, or anything.

[He makes a face and then pointedly doesn't, jesus, fireballs, never mind—]

Anyway, she's like... a super-genius. If she were here, she'd have the Council's home addresses already.

[ it's not for nothing charles has been the emotional intelligence half of the agency for the past thirty-five years; he's used to reading people's voices, their expressions, trying his best to figure out the best response in every given situation. and with how much time they've spent together, well, it's not difficult to see that junpei is struggling a bit.

which is why, instead of asking any of the questions he really, really wants to ask, he just shrugs and smiles, injecting some levity into his voice as he says, ]

Really sounds like you weren't kidding, when you said our friends are way cooler than us.

[ he remembers it still, from one of the first times they'd talked to each other; remembers, too, the way he'd already then decided he'd still rather know junpei than any of the cool friends he'd referred to. ]

Oh, uh... [Gee, he did say that, didn't he. It feels like a faux pas to have said it now, not because he thinks it's untrue - as long as one happens to associate "cool" with "literal IQ and random fact knowledge" - but because it's one of those things he defaults to when he's actively doing that "unlike me" thing, and Charles has given him shit for that kind of stuff...

But he sure did say that, and objectively, without any of his complicated emotions in the way, Akane is... pretty cool.]

Something like that, yeah. Not that you're not cool, just... you know.

[Charles also has a supergenius friend, so surely he can follow the logic. Regardless; it's not like Junpei hasn't picked up on it, the way Charles likes to hear about his life and people he knows, but how does one actually talk about Akane in a normal way. Hmm.]

Well, maybe one day you'll get to meet her. She might even stop trying to get out of this timeline long enough to hang out.

No, I know what you mean. [ his smile is understanding — because, really, he'd be the first one to say that both edwin and crystal are cooler than him, better than him... in every way. but the fact that junpei might think this of himself in comparison to his own friends? well, that he can't quite accept, even if he gets it. so it's a distracted response when he says, ]

Out of this timeline? Hm, right. Well, I'd say I hope I do, but — I wouldn't want my friends stuck here, so...

[ he wouldn't want junpei to worry about his friends here, either. and then he adds, almost like he can't really help it, ] Hey, you know you're cool, too, yeah? And more than that... that doesn't really matter, not to me. I'd pick you first. [ no matter what. because as much as he does like to hear about junpei and his life and the people important to him... what's more important is hammering it to his head that he matters. ]

[See, there he goes, immediately— And look, it's not like Junpei doesn't appreciate the sentiment, but his nebulous self-esteem isn't the point here. He waves a hand to this effect, kind of.]

No, that's— that's not what I meant. [He is incidental in this, but not in the self-esteem way! Not entirely. Details. It's wildly difficult to articulate without sounding less than charitable about Akane, so give him a second. First though, like it is basic fact but he's going to repeat it anyway,] You're great and this place would suck way more without you in it, 'cause you keep saying things like that.

[Sappy, sentimental... He means this, there is not a single trace of a bit to make it ambiguous, even if his delivery isn't as soft as the last time he made that same point. He finally sits up from his dignified flop and sighs.]

What I'm trying to say is... all coolness and whatever else aside, Akane is just... complicated. She's been trying to find the best timeline for most of her life, and this wouldn't be it. Not for her. Being stuck here would mess with her more than it does you or me.

[ raising his hands, palms out, as if to say hey, it's okay, take your time, charles just offers junpei a small smile as he waits for him to gather his thoughts. he ignores the returned sentiment, though, because somehow the fact it's bluntly delivered makes it mean more, and that's — well, that's not the point, right now.

when junpei finally sits up and finds the words, charles hums, waits for a moment and then simply walks up to where he is, sitting down next to him. ]

Hey, I get it. That's why I didn't push, yeah? You sounded... different. And you don't owe me any explanations. [ he tilts his head up slightly, as if there's something particularly exciting on the ceiling. ] It's not the same when you've got something to chase, is it? I mean... I'm fine, here, cause I know Edwin and Crystal are back home and safe. And I know I've said Edwin's the best person I know, and he is, but... he'd hate this. The way there's no logic, nothing makes sense. The way there's no routine, no cases, just — [ a pause, accompanied by a shrug, ] — and this'd remind him of Hell, too, so —

[ so. yeah, he sort of gets it. not in the same way, because what junpei seems to be saying is she'd hate it here and want to get out no matter what, whereas charles knows edwin would stay, just for him, even while hating everything... and maybe, maybe, if he feels a spark of anger that this akane person would consider any kind of a timeline more important than junpei, well — he slams a lid on that, right now. ]

[As soon as Charles sits down Junpei is struck by the urge to lean against his shoulder, to selfishly seek out that comforting contact that's been sort of following them all day, but he doesn't. Instead he leans his elbows on his knees and looks down at the half-wrapped gift sitting to his other side.

Frankly, he thinks, Edwin sounds more reasonable than Akane. At least he'd hate this place for normal reasons, and not—well, it's all Junpei can do to not blurt out some half-nonsense rambling about another history, where Akane all but gave up on the whole of it on a dime. She's brilliant and dedicated and she tossed the whole timeline aside as a series of hopeless mistakes with startling speed. A few times, if he thinks about it, even after she gave him such shit for...

Well, he doesn't want to speak badly of her. Wouldn't want to give Charles a bad impression (oops). So he's quiet for an extra beat, before he comes up with a lackluster attempt at levity:]

Maybe they could be super-intense problem-solvers together. [read: be neurotic together, but he's being nice,] You know, in case they're ever both here.

[He sighs and leans his chin in his hand, looking sideways and up at Charles. What was that about not pushing...]

You're allowed to ask me stuff. I mean, I ask you stuff all the time... It's fine.

[ there's maybe a palm's width of space between them, and for some reason it feels like more than that — like charles is no closer, sitting here, than he was just moments ago, on the other side of the room. still, he doesn't move, instead considers the words, and somehow, the fact junpei's equating akane to edwin says a lot more than anything else he's saying.

he huffs a laugh. ] Yeah, maybe. Edwin's not exactly a people-person, though. [ read: edwin is likely to dislike new people he meets on principle alone, does very badly with living people, and abhors working together with anyone who isn't charles.

junpei's next words give him pause, though, and he turns to look back at him, blinking in surprise for a second before it melts into an easy smile. ] Yeah, course. Thanks.

[ his smile, as ever, hides a myriad of other responses: that he remembers it when he'd tried to ask him about the shit that he'd been through, and been given the response of junpei likely needing to have drinks for that conversation; remembers all his little references, the not-quite-deaths, the supposed to from his talk about the experiment in nevada; can't help but have noticed how junpei rarely refers to people by name, even more rarely even talks about things he's done back home. and charles — well. the questions he has could probably fill an entire notebook, but he can't just ask them, can he? it's not his business, not unless junpei wants to tell him. and bloody hell but he'd hate himself if he pushed him to speak of something he doesn't really want to talk about. ]

[Junpei waits for a beat, and... okay, he's not going to ask anything, alright. He scoffs and shakes his head, amused despite himself at just how dedicated Charles seems to be to this... delicate, mannerly treatment? There's no tact when you're locked in a bunker and told you're going to die; what a change.

Having tact is fine, normal even! Who'd have thought! And yet Junpei almost wishes he wouldn't bother for, say, ten minutes—long enough to ask all the weird questions he's sure are there, because he recognizes what a bizarre picture of his own experiences he's already painted. And it would give him an excuse to vomit out all the things stuck in his throat if he had to, because Charles asked, it would turn the chasm of how to approach any of it into an obligation and that would be easier...

Well, it's not Charles' job to manage his bullshit. It's not a fair wish or even an earnest one; he can deal with his own crap like a grownup. He still shifts to nudge Charles with his elbow, like, oh? Nothing? And if he leaves his arm pressed against Charles' at this impractical angle, then so be it.]

I wouldn't worry about the people-person thing, [he says, not because his gaggle of maniacs is personable actually, as a group, but,] My friends tend to ignore that anyway.

[Some of them are real shitheels about it actually, but that's not the point. He should just start talking, he thinks, throw Charles a bone for those myriad questions, and then he thinks he should just start talking without all of the excuses. So, considering what he's learned about Edwin, the funniest option would be:]

Like, one of them—Carlos. Bet you could put Carlos and Edwin in a room together and take bets on who loses it first. You could be waiting in line to get eaten by sharks— not a real thing that happened— [jUST IN CASE,] and Carlos would still start asking about what your favorite hobbies are.

[ it's really not that he doesn't want to ask — it's that there's almost like something blocking the words, the kind of silence that's born of three decades of not talking about things like his own family, or edwin's family, or hell, so deeply ingrained in him that kicking the instinct is like fighting a goddamn war, actually.

but it's a war he needs to fight, even if it's not one where he can simply grab a cricket bat and hit the problem until it goes away... but he's going to do it. and if he makes this decision when he feels (well, as much as he's able to, anyway) junpei's elbow nudge into his side... well.

and then he takes a second to imagine that and promptly breaks into giggles. ]

Nah, mate, Edwin'd be phasing through the wall to get away from that in a minute. Or get pissed that he's not taking the shit seriously. [ really, he may have said edwin can summon fireballs, but his deadliest weapon are his words. no one in the history of ever has managed to be quite as scathing as edwin payne.

meanwhile, charles thinks he'd probably have a great time talking about hobbies. but, hm, maybe he can... ease into this whole asking-things part. ] So — he one of those with you in the volunteer thing, then? Carlos?

[The giggles make him grin, and he sits up straighter to lean back on his hands, giving Charles' shoulder a bump this time. Poor Edwin, having to hypothetically deal with the human golden retriever that is Carlos—]

That's not going to stop him, [he says, fondly exasperated. Carlos would see Edwin - and Charles, for that matter - for two minutes and then relentlessly turn up to be open and friendly and encouraging.]

Yeah, though, the volunteer thing. He's got this kid sister in the hospital, so he really needed the money. [That they were supposed to get, and he's not actually sure if they're still getting paid after the rest of the shit that happened, so— fingers crossed for Carlos.] He's a firefighter.

[These are just Carlos Facts, so let him think.]

He's a good guy. He's... I dunno. Not too many people have given as much of a damn about me. [Another shoulder bump, implied: Charles is on this list too, and,] You'd like him.

[ for someone who talks as much as charles does, it might be a surprise, to some, that he's a good listener — he makes a laugh at the part about edwin getting pissed off not being enough to deter carlos, then hums with sympathy when the kid sister is mentioned, and, finally, just watches junpei carefully when he finally adds in his own opinions.

at the second bump against his shoulder, charles just shifts in place slightly, until their shoulders are brushing as they sit; and then, with a quiet smile, ] I already do.

[ as if the facts that paint the picture of a genuinely good person wouldn't have been enough on their own, well, the fact he cares about junpei really cements the deal. with that same, soft tone, he asks, ] So, the volunteer thing... you kept saying that stuff was supposed to happen. Wanna tell me what actually did happen?

[ though he has to add, just in case, ] I mean, you don't have to. I'll take hearing more about your friends, too.

[If Carlos were here, Junpei thinks, he would have already befriended Charles without needing any testimonials to get him to the finish line. That's just the truth of his whole... presence, as a person. It's a warm thought, that he and Charles would get along, and Junpei lingers on it for a beat.

Then, alright, the big hog. He sighs, more resigned than dreading it, at least for the time being. What actually did happen...]

Well, I can't tell you much more about Carlos, anyway. We met there, at the thing—the test site. And after everything that happened, I woke up here, so...

[Carlos is a Saw Trap Exclusive, which is, hm. It is what it is. Junpei picks a spot across the room to frown at, while he thinks of how to get this stuff out.]

There were nine of us there, in the testing facility. We spent maybe a week doing the expected tasks, they gave us these chores to do, you know... It was an experiment. Then one morning we woke up in a different facility altogether, underground. Some dipshit in a costume comes along and says, hey, you need six special passwords to open the escape door that only opens once, and the passwords only unlock when someone dies.

[Sigh! Murder games.]

Then it gets timeline-weird, but that's what happens when you put a bunch of quantum weirdos in the same place anyway.

( OPEN 💀 case of the glitching city )

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