revivalproject | What do you see?

Entry tags:

What do you see?

WHO: Jon & You
WHERE: Temba
WHAT: Energy Storm of FEAR
WHEN: End of October/Beginning of September
WARNINGS: A few vague body horror descriptions

A - Throughout the City

Of course they were greeted by a storm. A storm not only messing with their powers, but also making them see things that have no right to be there. But if the Archivist is accustomed to one thing, then it's his fears manifesting and attempting to kill him.

Fortunately, these are merely illusions. Projections of actual terrors Jon has already encountered in his life. And while he still fears them, he knows way too well that these projections aren't real. It's this understanding that lets him move past their mocking faces and threatening stances with a stubborn scowl as he searches the city for those actually trapped by their own fears.

"I am very proud of you." The ever present specter of a tall man in an expensive suit croons with satisfaction in his tone and the way he has his hands flawlessly clasped behind his back as he follows along. A tall mannequin dressed as a ringmaster follows close to him along with a woman wearing the remains of a red dress, her body honeycombed with holes of varying sizes out of which a seemingly endless stream of worms pours down to the ground, resulting in a squirmy trail left in her wake. But those are but the first three of the Archivist's little entourage of terrors that every once in a while passes a seemingly stray yellow door. There is also that short woman that seems to be melting. The massive monstrosity of a man who barely holds the shape of a person. The two identical deliverymen. The old man and the young woman who easily look like murderous maniacs. That strangely stretched-out being whose long limbs may or may not actually be able to appear like a person. And at the very end that perfectly normal looking woman with the focused look on her face and the knife at her hip.

"Hello?" Jon calls out as he reaches the next building and looks inside, his following lingering nearby and muttering a variety of taunts Jon stubbornly refuses to hear. "Is anyone in there? Do you need help? I- I believe I can help!"

B - He Row Soup Lies Building

"... Right." Jon mutters with an exhale as he tosses another stuffed thing aside and pulls out the blanket underneath to hand it to the nearest person. "At least we're remotely safe in here." Safe, of course, being relative, considering their overall situation. "And I can say that the library is putting up well enough with this storm." And yet that building can hardly be considered a shelter.

Jon turns around from where he has been going through some of the boxes, leaning on the table with one hand and its restlessly tapping index finger as he addresses no one in particular. "Does anyone even recall how long these storms last?" There is a plethora of further questions Jon has already lined up to ask, but knowing that there likely aren't going to be any answers is nothing but frustrating.

It's the way the tone of his own tapping finger changes slightly that has Jon look down at his own hand and frown at what he is seeing. Rather than tapping on wood, he is now tapping the cover of a book. And it's reading the book's title that makes him freeze, seize the book that has no business feeling this solid in his grip and angrily hurl it out into the storm before the idea of actually opening it can even cross his mind. "No!"

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"I...don't know. Ugh, this storm sucks," Raphael grumps, hunching under the blanket with a scowl. He glances at Jon though, considering the offer of soup. "...guess soup won't hurt. Not doin' anything else anyway..." And being warmer certainly won't hurt.

He starts to shift from where he's been sitting, only to pause as he stares out the doorway, lightning silhouetting a tall, unnatural figure with blade-like protrusions standing somewhere further out. It's gone in the next flash, but the turtle flinches at the thunder that follows.

The verbal acceptance of the soup offering is a good start, and Jon manages a little smile in response. Maybe if they can keep the spirits up here in their little shelter things will be fine.

He is holding out the container towards Raphael when the turtle suddenly stops and stares at the entrance of the building just as another flash of lightning illuminates everything. And while Jon turns around in wonder, there is nothing in the door for him to see. But... He can guess.

"I mean... They shouldn't be able to come in here." Jon tries to assure, turning away from the door again. "They're illusions. We shouldn't forget that. Illusions can't hurt us." He hopes. He really, really hopes. His attention falls onto the box he has been going through. "...you know, I really wouldn't mind a few fire extinguishers right now anyway."

Raphael grits his teeth. "If he does, I'll stab him in his stupid faceplate." He clenches his fists tightly around the blankets, forcing himself to look back towards Jon. "...a-are you sure though? Back out there...there were times I coulda swore..."

He shudders, remembering the masses of roaches, the sensation of them crawling everywhere. Finally he reaches out to take the soup, carefully sipping at it. Thankfully it doesn't taste like peanut butter, and it gives him something to distract himself with. "Fire extinguishers..?" Green eyes flick towards Jon, inquisitively.

"I'm about as sure as I can be, Raphael." Jon answers honestly, not quite sure whom the turtle wants to stab in their faceplate. But he isn't going to question that decision, either. Raphael will have his reasons. "But you are right. Some of these illusions are disturbingly realistic."

He is turning back to the box he has been unpacking and sets a few more cans on the nearby table, sorting them into the already unpacked supplies. The question about the fire extinguishers has him pause, then cast a furtive look Raphael's way. "They... Can come in handy. Always keep a few dozen down in my Archive in case we get attacked again."

At least he's not imagining it. As disconcerting as it may be to have someone confirming that these illusions are much more than physical, it's also kind of a relief, in some weird way. Misery loves company, they say, although maybe not quite necessarily in that sense.

Raphael smirks a little at the thought of the Archivist armed with a fire extinguisher. "Well, Master Splinter did tell us that anything can be a weapon."

"Well, it's true enough that most things can be weaponize. I personally just like to be able to defend myself if necessary." Jon agrees and picks up his cup of tea, which he has been leaving nearby. With the still hot beverage in hand, the Archivist fully turns towards the turtle. "This Master Splinter... Would you mind telling me a little more about him?"

Misery may love company, but as far as Jon is concerned, misery isn't too fond of being distracted from. And talking about something unrelated to this storm seems like a good enough way to distract themselves.

Nursing his soup, which seems more like liquid salt than anything else, but it's a flavor other than PB&J at least, Raphael at least doesn't feel as tense as he'd been earlier. He watches Jon take up his cup.

"His real name's Yoshi Hamato. He was born in Japan, into one of the last surviving ninja clans, the Hamato. He had an adopted brother, Saki Oroku, and I guess it wasn't widespread but he was actually from a rival clan, the Foot. Don't know how he found out, but eventually it was one of the things that came between them. They also fell for the same girl, so things really got messed up when she chose Yoshi over Saki, not that it stopped him from going after her."

He shakes his head. It was hard to believe that his father and the man who would later become the Shredder had even been so close at all. "There was a big fight, and a fire. Saki believed Yoshi died in it, although not before he'd also killed the woman they'd both loved, because she jumped between them when he struck out at Yoshi. Saki also ended up taking their daughter, since he thought she was orphaned. But Yoshi survived, and he thought he'd lost everything.

"He moved to New York, tried to get a fresh start. That's where he bought us- er, we were still just your average pet shop turtles then- me and my brothers." Raphael smiles briefly. He doesn't remember a whole lot of when they were young, but Splinter would tell them plenty of stories from after their mutation. "And then aliens happened and we all changed. Okay, it was more of a being at the wrong place at the wrong time, but it got us all exposed to mutagen. The last thing Yoshi came into direct contact with was a rat."

Jon has begun sipping his tea while listening to Raphael. He doesn't interrupt, merely listens attentively. This is a lot more in-depth than what he has expected, but he appreciates the detail. Especially for the added understanding it earns him for the turtle and his situation.

And it all started with regular human beings living more or less regular human lives. Lives that were interrupted by a tragedy and led to a man seeking to start a new live in a different country. And suddenly there were aliens.

Jon stops sipping his tea somewhere around the aliens and settles with just looking at Raphael for the remaining bit.

"...Christ." He mutters, but holds on to his tea. "I take it this mutagen... It's not a substance normally found on Earth." At least he has never heard of it until now.

Raphael snorts. "Nope. It's from the Kraang's Dimension X. They'd been trying for centuries to mutate the Earth into something like their home but the mutagen's effects weren't working the way they were wanting it to."

He sets the bowl down, empty now as he tries to rid the saltiness stuck on his tongue. "Wasn't bad, but wasn't the greatest... We got water or anything?"

Aliens attacking Earth with the intention of changing the entire planet into something else. That's still a weird concept to Jon, but he feels like he should be glad about that lack of familiarity.

"I brought tea if you like some." He offers in regards of the easier matter, raising his own mug as if to prove his words before reaching for one of the nearby empty mugs and pulling it closer to indicate that, yes, he has also brought a few extra mugs. Of course there is also water around if Raphael prefers that, but... Tea is better. At least in Jon's opinion.

"And you are fighting these Kraang for the sake of your world, from what I have gathered. That's quite the impressive task."

"Tea? Guess I could do tea." While he isn't the biggest tea person, it makes Raphael think of his father, who would usually prepare a cup for himself and whichever son he was having a heart-to-heart with.

"But yeah, pretty much. I mean...it's home. Not like we have much other choice. It's tough that we still gotta do it while being mostly unknown to the human population, but not a whole lot of them are crazy about mutants, and unfortunately most of the mutants they've probably seen are the ones that we've had to stop from wrecking everything."

Nodding at the acceptance of some tea, Jon offers the now filled mug over to Raphael along with a little half-smile. "Oh, I hear you on that. Maybe not the- You know. The mutant-bit. But my predecessor, the previous Archivist. She saved the world plenty of times and most people aren't even aware of the dangers she vanquished."

The Institute may be known to people at least around London, maybe even some further parts of Britain, but no one really takes it seriously. Jon himself hasn't taken it too seriously when he first applied for a job in Research. But maybe that's exactly why Gertrude has been so successful at interrupting potentially world-ending rituals over the decades.

"May I ask if you know other mutants that fight on your side?"

Raphael murmurs a thanks as he takes the mug, soaking in the warmth with his hands for a moment. "Well, after the Kraang have nearly taken over twice, people in New York at least are definitely aware that there are crazy aliens out there."

He sips the tea, still not understanding the point of it when it mostly seems like just some flat, hot water to him, but it warms him up and helps wash away the saltiness from the soup he'd drank earlier, so he won't complain. "Huh? Oh yeah. There's a team of them- led by my pal Spike. Er... Slash, now. Spike was his name when he was my pet turtle. He's the leader, and then there's Leatherhead, who's a giant alligator, Doctor Rockwell who used to be this scientist until his partner started using him as the experiment instead so now he's a psychic monkey, and Pigeon Pete, who's utterly useless, really. Oh, and Mondo Gecko, who's...just about as useless but I guess he tries." Which...is all he can say, really. Of course, he's used to them so he doesn't find anything strange about describing them as he does. It..might be a bit for Jon to swallow though.

It certainly is a bit to swallow. But at least Jon has encountered weird beings in his own world already to be a little less perturbed. The idea of a mutant turtle keeping a pet turtle, however, is a little odd. As is that some of those beings' names are remarkably telling as of what animals these people were crossed with. Strange, but... Fine.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you and your brothers aren't alone in facing an alien threat." Even Jon has had to come to admit that having comrades and friends one can trust are important. "Do you work with them a lot?"

"Not a whole lot, but I think we're more open to it. My older brother Leonardo, he wasn't that big on it. He didn't trust Slash's ability to lead...or Slash in general, but I guess that was to be expected since Slash did try to kill him and the rest of my brothers before..."

Raphael grimaces a little at that. That had been his fault. He hadn't realized how much of his negativity had influenced his little friend even before he'd accidentally mutated.

"Slash proved himself though. He's changed a lot. Learned from Leo. I'm not the only one he'd watched all those years, after all."

"Sounds like you and your brothers hardly ever find some time to relax." Jon muses, frowning a little bit. Not that he is in any position to judge, but he knows he is missing having some quieter times to himself back in London.

"Do you miss them? I mean... Here."

"We get some downtime, but yeah, when you got aliens or ninja with a vendetta out for your head, not a whole lot. I was looking forward to a break cuz we just got back from a space trip- and then...well, this." Raphael gestures in general around them. He sighs, then knocks back the rest of his tea now that it's not scalding hot.

"Miss...what? Time to relax or my brothers? Yes to both. It's...been super weird not having them around. I know I have...moments when my temper gets the better of me and I say I'd be better off on my own but... I love my brothers. They can drive me crazy sometimes, but we're family."

Jon nods once. "I- I may not have any siblings, but I heard they can be quite infuriating at times. Missing your family is only natural." And yet for Jon it remains a topic he can't fully relate with. He can't even claim he is actively missing anyone or anything from his home world.

Taking a sip, the Archivist shrugs, eyes settling on the contents of his mug as he frowns. "As far as we know, our stay here is only temporary. Sooner or later we will return home, whether we like the idea or not. You... You will Be getting mad at your brothers again soon enough."

"Oh man, you have no idea," Raphael laughs a little, easily recounting times he's found his brothers infuriating. Still, it only proves how deep their bond is, that for all that they drive each other up the wall, they'll still do whatever they can for each other.

He sets down his empty mug, sighing a little before he manages a faint smirk. "Yeah...guess you're right."

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What do you see?

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I thought I already tagged this back, but apparently Pigeon Pete befuddled my brain.

Yeah Pigeon Pete does that

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