(voice)

[hexrot]

—This is Jayce Talis. [ that's not going to mean anything, to anyone. this man's voice is rasping, dragging, in between sounded exhausted, heavy and ill. ] I'm a scientist. I researched . . . The Arcane, with my . . . With my partner, Viktor— most of my life.

[ frequent pauses are a must. he almost feels out of breath if he doesn't, and that puffs through the radio, ragged and sluggish. ]

All of us— seem to have a symbol. A rune, on our bodies. If you've been to the Shrine, then I'm sure . . . You have something else, now. Maybe a message. Please, if you could show it to me. I'll be . . . [ another hushed pause, ] Outside the Common Room. There's a truck, with . . . Butterflies, [ the irony in his voice is dry. ] That's— Where I'll be.

If it helps get us anywhere, I . . . Need, to crack it, I . . . [ i promised, he mutters, before swiftly adding, through a strain that's tight in his throat: ] That's all.

(action/flavor)

[ jayce is rebounding hard on his magic sepsis as his first symptom to becoming undead! so he is not visibly well for anyone who wants to come see him, but he is trying deathly hard with the symbols and trying to fight the clock with obsession. the iridescent pick up near one of the camp lights is a mess of papers in the front seats as much as the flatbed behind it, spread out and held in place with pebbles or stones, littered with those very symbols as well as formulas he's trying to link and complete like a map.

it's what keeps him from giving into sleep. ]

Comments

[hexrot]

[ you sweet summer child— he was way ahead of the kid. experience. he and viktor were already from different timelines, possibly from different dimensions of space time. he was stuck in a dimension that wasn't his prior to the garage. he would've been awfully proud, to come up with an idea as a young boy and share it with his professors as they cracked their intellect. he gets him. but boy, does it look . . . precocious.

jayce gives a gesture for the teen to slow down. he wants to contribute? he's going to learn, first. a little bit of what jayce has dedicated his entire adult life to research. ]

If you're talking about all the cakes we need to make, [ it's not a challenge to throw him off, or stump him— jayce has nothing to gain if he does that. he invites the boy to really think about it. eagerness in the wrong places is going to stray them off course. and if jayce dies in a week or two, at least from this he'll know he's not leaving an absolute train wreck behind— if they even pick this up. he can't begin to imagine the frustration he'd feel if this amounted to nothing— but then again, the dead don't feel anything but cold. ] tell me how you ask the Arcane for ingredients.

[undyingcrow]

The Arcane...

[Hmm, it wouldn't be the first time someone's mentioned it. His brows quirk, and he taps his chin lightly with a talon.]

An acquaintance of Viktor-san, then? He mentioned something similar during our initial meeting.

[Though what it all entails remains shrouded in fog. Perhaps this will prove to be a fruitful learning opportunity.]

[hexrot]

[ there is something in jayce's ruggid features that immediately fall soft at the mention of viktor. he doesn't look akechi in the eye, during; he's guarded, and also still waiting for a response, if he had one. ]

We're partners.

[undyingcrow]

How fortunate that you have each other, then.

[There's a tinge of envy in his voice. At least if Joker were here, he'd have someone he could trust with his purest, messiest self.

Alas.]

To answer your question, this 'Arcane' is not something of my world. The closest we have to magic resides in a parallel world born of humanity's collective cognition and the pockets of distortion that individual humans manifest.

[hexrot]

[ he slowly nods just as a sign of acknowledgement, brushing the tone he thinks he heard under a rug. it's— unimportant right now, but it's worth noting. maybe. the more you know about someone.

anyway: jayce massages his sweaty temples as he looks at his notes dead on. ]

This doesn't apply to a single variation of magic. It's for . . . Everything.

[ he presses a finger to some of the sketched symbols he has, tapping them. ]

Understand the language first. String it down until it's food you can swallow. Then you can worry about the . . . Countless, variables, and getting them right.

[ the many, many cakes. god, he's hungry. that may be why he's using food metaphors. grunting, jayce rests his hand on his stomach. it's uncomfortable. ]

You're on the right track. Just leave it for later.

[undyingcrow]

[His eyes follow the symbols. They're foreign, but he's also inexperienced. Anyone can learn a language with time and dedication.]

I suppose it's no different from learning a foreign language.

[Still, it's hard not to notice the way Jayce touches his stomach. That's concerning.]

...Do you need a break? If you're hungry, there's no shame in it.

[hexrot]

[ jayce nods continuously as an extended answer to the first comment, but then . . . jayce huffs. it's hardly shame. he's more fed up with the consistency of it. ]

I just had one. [ what, an hour ago? it's annoying. more than annoying. ]

[undyingcrow]

Hunger makes it more difficult to focus.

[What Jayce doesn't know is that Akechi's quite prone to neglecting his nutrition or grabbing as little as an apple to make it through his day.

Either way, his voice remains calm. He can't make Jayce eat, especially as a stranger.]

[hexrot]

[ dead ass staring, man. jayce takes a moment. breathes in, out— and starts rubbing at the kinked bridge of his nose. ]

Low blow, Ace.

[undyingcrow]

[Akechi blinks, eyes slightly wider than before.]

Apologies. I meant no offense.

[Then again, he'd likely be just as offended in Jayce's position.]

[hexrot]

[ jayce stares for a moment, his tired glance stirn, but . . . that's just his tired face. a weak twitch of the corner of his lip gives him away when he asks: ]

I look that imposing, huh.

[undyingcrow]

Oh, I'm not intimidated.

[A weak laugh even escapes him.]

Live as I have, and you don't scare easily.

[At least, not overtly. Compartmentalizing is key, after all.]

[hexrot]

Just enough to think I was offended.

[ its not like he looked friendly anymore— but now he's just prodding the boy; energy he'd have when he was around youth. the sort of big brother vibes that would certainly noogie you into oblivion. alas, jayce is also tired and not entirely energetic right now. it passes over as fast as his momentary smirk.

besides, young people not being afraid of most things they should be was never something to be proud of. it meant they were probably robbed of a safe childhood to begin with. jayce goes somber again. ]

I'm sorry you've had to.

[undyingcrow]

[Tension subtly grips him. His gut instinct is to argue he doesn't need pity, especially from adults.

But that's hardly conducive to polite conversation, and this is a learning opportunity.

Thus, he releases that tension in a sigh.]

The worst of it was my own damn fault. The rest... well, society can be a cruel, cutthroat place, especially if you fall outside of the 'acceptable' norm.

[hexrot]

Sounds familiar.

[ it's like that everywhere you go, looks like. only a change of interdimensional address. ]

Try not to blame yourself, though. [ he's just a kid, man. thats too much weight for young shoulders to hold up. he's going to take the other's hint though, and start waddling toward the convoy for its kitchen. ] Looks more like society failed you.

[undyingcrow]

[Akechi follows along. Truthfully, he's rather hungry himself, anyway.]

Society did fail me, but I could have swallowed my pride and asked for help. Not that it matters anymore, of course.

[What's done is done. He'll just have to live with his regrets.]

[hexrot]

[ mistakes always happen. one won't ever be the first or last. of course, jayce isn't going to the boy off. ]

It matters for next time.

[undyingcrow]

I suppose that's true.

[Heh... Funny how things turn out.]

I expected death, but lived instead. Now the only way is forward.

[He sounds tired, even breathing a small sigh. Here, at least, he has bigger mysteries to focus his attention on.]