presgarddihellis | Seven Horrors Inbox

[. . . raises a brow]

Cursed knowledge?

[annoying. . . but! he moves on]

And that's not surprising. [wryly] Can't have you being more powerful than the ghosts haunting us, right?

Which is why they grabbed a marionette--

[HUFFS IN ANNOYANCE. YEAH, OKAY, CURSE. YOU CAN GET ME THERE SINCE I DODGED YOUR LAST ONE. BITCH.]

It's impossible for this to be my real body. Or extremely unlikely. But. A marionette... that would make sense.

Does that make a little more sense now that you understand how a Marionettist is like?

[asked curiously because he sure did not explain himself the last time he let this detail slip.]

Wait, what?

[HE]

[SURE DID NOT!! sorry give Puck a moment to catch up. . . from what he remembers about Smith's marionettes, they're created from the bodies of those who have died, so???]

[IS SMITH RENTING OUT A CORPSE?? A. . . WORM CORPSE??]

[... hm.

maybe... probably should have kept that one under wraps longer.

holds up his hands, smiling. SEE? HE IS STILL FRIENDLY MISKATONIC SMITH EVEN IF HE'S AN ELDRITCH ABOMINATION!]

Try not to think about it too much?

[NO NO. WE ARE NOT DROPPING THAT LORE THAT QUICKLY]

[he doesn't look upset, though. just confused!!]

When you say they grabbed a marionette, does that mean you're. . .

[gestures]

Currently using someone else's body?

[well. the man doesn't want to be coddled, he said]

... most of my marionettes were large beasts and monsters found lurking in the darkness of the Lands Forsaken By God. I can... adjust them to look human.

Only a few were human to start with. And those ones were... more or less monsters in their own right.

I don't know which it is, but... it is the body I am stuck with while here.

[reasons why he commented on it being fortunate he was allowed even ONE face]

Because of certain reasons, I do utilize marionettes to travel. Whatever brought us here must have grabbed one. Generally, my marionettes are only able to accomodate only up to certain Sequences... though Sequence 5 is a bit lower than usual.

[natural powercap, very convenient]

But it's easy to forget, sometimes... that this isn't my real body.

[that is correct!! he doesn't!!1]

Huh. . .

[a beat, brows pinching together in open concern now]

Does it feel. . . weird? Whenever you remember that it isn't?

[he's quiet for a moment. not because he's considering lying so much weighing how much truth will only make the situation harder on himself.

in a way, this too is a reminder of his humanity being so easily eroded away.]

Not... weird. I'm fairly used to interchanging between marionettes.

But I do... become afraid, sometimes. If the me in my real body should cut the lines, so to speak. I don't think I will. A marionette cut free... loses control. But it is still frightening to consider.

[. . . there's a large part of him still trying to comprehend this, but. . . something about it doesn't seem quite. right?]

What if the "you" I'm speaking with now. . . and the "you" controlling the strings are one and the same? Like--

[how does he put it?]

With how powerful the spirits here are, maybe they did get the "real" you?

[his expression doesn't change but there is a quality of abject fear that he can't fully control even with his Clown capabilities in his eyes.]

No.

That would be so much, much worse. I can't accept that's the case.

[. . . . . .]

[quietly. evenly]

How so?

[cursed knowledge. cursed knowledge. he needs to just say that. but he's also now terrified if he opens his mouth, the curse will have him saying something.

life as an eldritch abomination who clings onto humanity by the nails is a life of always being afraid, truly.]

... have you... looked for the book on the Loen Kingdom? Seen the map of the Northern and Southern Continents?

[it's a seque but. relevant.]

[at this point, he doesn't even have to say it. a small exhale. . . and Puck just nods, silently understanding]

. . . yeah. I found it. I haven't read it cover to cover, but I've seen the map.

[so he knows what Smith means when he mentions the Norther and Southern continents]

Edited (repetition) 2025-08-21 15:21 (UTC)

Did they... look famailiar to you?

[hah]

[so it hadn't just been coincidence. it wasn't just his brain trying to recognize a pattern where there wasn't one]

. . . yeah.

But I thought that was just me.

[he's toeing so many lines here but also his throat is tight because he also had the same reaction until a certain fucker taking him to a certain city in the Lands Forsaken By God.

he shakes his head.]

There's no crude oil... because crude oil wasn't what it was thought to be. And when that entity woke... everything was destroyed.

And the ones who left such a thing buried so long... if my real body is here, then there are only two half-Pillars holding the barrier keeping those things from finishing it.

[that's his home. always was. even if the time is wrong.]

I'm the only full Pillar maintaining it.

[there's another layer to his fear but we don't have to dig into THAT. that's a perpetual existential threat]

Edited 2025-08-21 15:35 (UTC)

[the questions come naturally. what entity? how long ago, compared to my own Earth's history? . . . exactly how catastrophic was this event? and yet, he doesn't voice a single one, because now is not the time. now is not the place. the thinly veiled strain lacing Smith's words is enough to stop him in his tracks; especially when he realizes what it is Smith is clinging to, here]

[. . . better to be afraid of losing control. . . than of losing your entire home. right?]

[. . .]

. . . all right.

[his only response, after a moment of contemplative silence]

Then I won't take that thought any further.

Edited 2025-08-21 18:47 (UTC)

[he already lost home once and it thoroughly wrecked him until Miss Justice helped him pick up the pieces. doing that again with no Psychiatrist around... no... it's not a good thought.

he'd so much rather be a marionette who could be cut off at any second, lose control at any moment than go through that again alone after putting so much into rebuilding already.

Klein's not sure how much Puck actually understands, but there is a palpable kind of relief that there aren't more questions, that he doesn't have to risk his curse giving more up... he's still tense, there's still that strain from having to even come close to mentioning things that are, truly, cursed, but...]

Thank you.

[he lapses into silence after that, gaze flickering down, washing across the bagel he had procured for himself for breakfast]

[. . .]

[nudges it a little in Smith's direction]

You haven't eaten yet, have you?

[looks at bagel...]

Not yet, no.

[needs more protein.

getting a plate to get some eggs. you know. those scrambled ones that look suspiciously congealed. protein is protein.

but also he will take half the bagel and then push it back at Puck.]

[settling comfortably with his coffee as Smith gets up to fetch himself some eggs. and when half the bagel is pushed back to him, he raises a brow]

Dude. . . I could just get another.

[and yet, he still takes it. takes a bite out of its crips, toasted edges as he leans back in his chair and lapses into silence]

[giving Smith some time to come down from that emotional mountain, of course]

[dude, don't comment on my very obviously emotional behavior? rude?

but he is taking the time to pick over breakfast foods to get his emotions to settle, yes.

...

ok, new point to gripe about: where is the rice...

sighs and gets sausage. more protein. and some orange juice. going back over to sit.]

[he is just saying!!]

[are we gonna sit here and eat breakfast in comfortable silence. that's fine with Puck, if it's what Smith wants to do]

[what does someone say after revealing something like that????

he's been saying so much lately and that's one of the things he's tried his hardest to keep under wraps even if it plagues him every. day.

...

kicks Puck in the shin.]

Edited 2025-08-26 23:49 (UTC)

[STARTLED YELP???]

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LOTM SPOILERS LOL

the way I haven't understood a single spoiler in this series. nods.

thats how it be mysteries

jazz hands

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