escordvi | Bad Times (foward dated to somewhere between the 13th and 15th)

Entry tags:

hawks,
sidestep

Bad Times (foward dated to somewhere between the 13th and 15th)

Who: Sidestep and Hawks
Status: Closed
Where: Nogard
What: Chris has disappeared due to a depressive episode + the bounty on their villain self. Hawks goes looking for them.
Warnings: Extreme trauma, discussion of slavery and an incident involving forced suicide, probably a lot of other, potentially even worse topics that will need to be warned for when they come up in thread.

(It might be noticed that, shortly after returning from the recent expedition and its perils, Chris disappeared. Not necessarily alarming, given their cryptid tendencies, except this time they don't come back. At all. They won't even show up in the usual Nogard haunts they frequent when they're avoiding everyone.

Their network account still exists, but they won't respond to any texts, though they will eventually show as read.

There aren't even any Puppetmaster sightings, though that's to be expected given the bounty on them (and maybe two people in the whole world of Escordvi know they're Puppetmaster anyway).

They don't seem to be ...anywhere.)

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[ At first, it's harmless. Chris might have needed space, it happens. Maybe they were off on some grand adventure, only they haven't returned. The first thought to cross his mind when being left on read was that Chris was done with him.

That seems reasonable. Hawks isn't a man who makes friends so having one get fed up with him is everything he expects out of a relationship. Only it's not just him. Chris hasn't been to the observatory either. They might be sick of him - but he can't imagine they'd tire of the animals. Not when they so clearly want to look after them.

So he started poking around. Subtle, gentle inquiries. No sign of them.

In that case, Hawks gets to work, if only to make sure that they're not lost somewhere or in need of help. They can be as annoyed with him or tired of him as they like, as long as they're fine.

Whatever door they're hiding behind, thanks to sensing the signs of life, is being lockpicked with a feather. Yeah, he's annoyingly full of tricks like that. His feather will dart in and explore, giving Chris forewarning that Hawks is incoming. He can sense that someone is there, at least. If it's another dead end, he'll apologize to whoever he's about to startle. ]

(The door they're hiding behind is one of several apartments used to house Corsair riftfarers who haven't bought property of their own, a single room dwelling without any modern or magical amenities.

Once he gets in range, it's probably not hard to feel the strange sensory interruptions he might have previously experienced in Chris' presence... but more prevalent is an aura of gloom and bad feelings and a tinge of something else that's hard to describe other than it's likely to raise the hairs on the back of the neck of even the most hardened of badasses.

There aren't a lot of people around, and it's no wonder why. There's definitely someone in this apartment though, curled into a sad lump on the bed sitting against the back wall.

When Hawks opens the door he'll find a sturdy but sad little room with an empty fireplace, a chair, a table, and a tiny bed with a sheet hanging to block the view of it from the rest of the room. Someone of the right height and weight is lying there, though he'll have to pull the curtain back to actually confirm who it is.

Are they even aware he's there? They're in a dazed sort of half sleep, half dissociation kind of state.

The trash is neatly piled in the wastebasket but nothing has been taken out or dumped for at least three days, and it's starting to stink. Considering the lack of modern amenities, other things are probably starting to stink too. There are some bloodied rags on the table. Bandages? Doesn't look like they were for anything large.

A part of them distantly registers that someone is there. Who? Not a threat, they think.

Their eyes begin to blink open slowly.)

[ He can tell that things have been sitting for days, does he ever remember what that's like but in this case, Hawks thinks Chris is someone who he is at least friendly with, so while he's glancing around, and he's barged in rudely, he knocks on the doorframe. ]

Hey, Chris, you in here?

[ Even if it's not Chris, although somehow he thinks it is. It's just a strange feeling in his gut - this person probably could still use a hand. ]

(Hey, at least all the stinking garbage is neatly piled in the bins and not scattered everywhere, and the place and furniture are in generally good condition.

Chris is the only thing falling apart here.)

...Hawks?

(Their voice is throaty in the way of someone who hasn't spoken much or bothered to get up and grab some water in a little while.

It's also ...very surprised.)

Yeah, it's me.

[ Hawks walks further into the room and moves to peer at them so he can be seen. ]

How are you doing?

(The figure curled up behind the curtain is a miserable one, unwashed and not having bothered to change their outfit for several days. Even more worrying is the spots where their multiple layers of sleeves have pulled back just enough to reveal bloody bandaged wrists.

Less immediately concerning is that with their hair splayed over the pillow instead of covering their neck, there's a small scar that looks like a very intentional and not self inflicted burn, but that's gotta be years old... and it's gone from view, because the moment they notice Hawks has seen that, they move their hair to cover their neck again.

They've got some small metal thing--a machine component? a container?--held against their chest.)

This is a bad time, Hawks.

(As if this isn't blatantly obvious. They are clearly having a bad time.

...They sound very tired.)

[ His eyes are cataloguing what he sees, but despite that, he's the invader here. He's not willing to broach uncomfortable topics, not yet, but he's equally unwilling to just leave them here as they are. ]

Yeah, sorry about that. I was looking for you. No one's really heard from you, so I wanted to make sure you were doing okay.

[ Clearly not. ]

(A long suffering sigh.

This is what they get for associating with a hero who's a human wiretap. Of course he'd meddle, and of course he'd find them.

They'll have to be more careful from here on out.

At least he isn't freaking out or peppering them with invasive questions.)

Fuck. (Several more swears and complaint noises as they tuck away whatever weird object they were holding and start trying to sit up.

Their eyes are very red.)

Not really. (A pause.) I'll be fine. (They're doing bad but they won't die or anything. ~~Unfortunately.~~)

Edited 2025-02-11 12:31 (UTC)

[ Yeah, it's really annoying when Hawks puts his spy skills to work. He slouches a little bit, he can tell that not everything is okay and he's pretty sure that Chris doesn't want him there right now.

That doesn't mean he should leave though. ]

Well...maybe I can help you clean up a bit or something?

[ He's openly concerned on an emotional level, while still trying to be respectful of their space. ]

(...Why do they suddenly feel like they've kicked a puppy?

...Shit.)

Alright.

(Well, they're sitting up at least. They sigh again, and run their hand through their hair.)

Sorry. This is just the anniversary of a really bad time.

[ Hawks nods a little bit. ]

Sorry to hear that. [ He doesn't hold that many dates in his mind like that, for him the years all kind of blend together. ]

(They glance away.)

Yeah, well... shit happens, I guess.

(They stand, finally, and look around. Fortunately, the clutter isn't terrible, though they're aldo gonna need to do a lot of laundry and scrub everything.

For now, they start gathering the bloody bandages on the table.)

I guess it was more the start of a very long bad time, to be honest.

(They freeze slightly when the words come out of their mouth. They were intending to let him help a bit, ease his concerns about their current state and them possibly not liking him or being mad. Why are they telling him this?)

[ Hawks nods a little bit, he gets that. Shit happens sometimes. He'll leave the bandages to them, but looks around for other things he can pick up and tidy up, just to keep his hands busy. ]

You can tell me about it, if you want.

[ The invitation is there, if Chris wants to take it, but he won't push. ]

(They'd almost relaxed again, but they stiffen up when he says that.)

Can you dump the trash? (The wastebasket. It'll give them a few moments to process and they can clean up some other stuff.

...Fuck. They do want to tell him.)

Sure, no problem.

[ Hawks doesn't have to hesitate, he grabs the bin and slips out, because things don't seem like they're going to go downhill the moment he steps out.

He isn't sure Chris will take him up on the offer, but that's alright. ]

(They'll gather the rest of the bandages up. Then they'll just sit a moment. Take some deep breaths. Try to keep their heart from choking them.

It's not very long. It's probably all the time they'll have before Hawks returns.)

It's pretty obvious you've seen some shit in your hero career. (They'll say when he gets back.) You'll still wish I hadn't told you about this. (It's the only warning he'll get.

They look very small.)

Edited 2025-02-11 15:29 (UTC)

[ Hawks nods his acknowledgement. ] Yeah, some things.

[ He grabs a seat on the ground, leaning back on his hands, tilting his head slightly as he listens. ]

I'll be okay, you don't have to worry about me.

Can't make me stop.

(They do what they want.

They sigh, rubbing their forehead.)

Fuck, where do I even begin...

[ Hawks lets out a soft chuckle. ] Got me there.

[ He waits, patiently, always leaving them the out. He isn't sure what to expect, but he's bracing himself, he believes them when they say it's bad. ]

(Hawks is a better friend than they deserve, they think.

If he has any sense, he'll probably stop coming around after this.)

This will probably surprise you (They know they look... extremely unimpressive) but I used to do hero work.

(Fuck. It was the easiest thing to admit--only about as agonizing as pulling a tooth--but he'll never shut up now, will he?)

Yeah? Huh. It does surprise me, a little bit.

[ He wonders if maybe it wasn't what they were expecting. Hawks would understand that. Not everything is as it appears. ]

Yeah. I think most people assume I don't have powers.

(And they don't elaborate on that, because ~~they're an asshole~~ they don't want him to run away.)

I worked as a ...consultant, for the Rangers, the local government sponsored team. The leader at the time liked me. Made sure the press never got too far trying to investigate my identity.

(They'd been able to keep who they were secret. It meant they couldn't receive royalty payments for any merch or movies, or officially join the Rangers... but it'd been okay. Better than okay.

...It would have been better if they'd never met any of them.)

There was... they call it the Heartbreak incident.

(On the outside they're calm, but Hawks can probably tell that their heart is racing.)

I had no idea you did, but I'm not that surprised. Where I'm from it's rarer not to have some kind of quirk, no matter what it is.

[ He's nodding though, thinking about it. He knows a thing or two about not giving away one's identity in some way. He has a whole manufactured thing going himself.

He can tell Chris is stressed but he has nothing to offer him but an ear. He's already picked up that Chris doesn't seem to like touch and he's not willing to push something like that anyway. ]

Kind of the opposite in my world, considering what most have to do to get one.

(Drugs more likely to kill you horribly than grant you any kind of power and expensive cybernetic prosthetics or implants, remember?

They have enjoyed positive forms of touch in the past, but it's not something they'll ask for, and it's not something they like sprung on them.)

No one actually knows what Heartbreak was, though I have my suspicions. People just started ...dying. Compulsively. Crashing their cars, shooting themselves. That sort of thing. The effect built up as it moved in a line across the countryside and eventually settled in an apartment building in Los Diablos. My city.

That's horrible. No one even knew what caused it? That would just be...difficult. Was there no way to stop it?

[ He got a bit carried away by the story aspect. ]

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CW: Self-harm

CW: Self-harm

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