gooseberryhigh | (no subject)

WHO: Micah St. Clair & ~~OPEN~~ Reece Downing
WHAT: Micah sees something suspicious.
WHEN: Friday, January 5. Evening.
WHERE: Near the Ornery Oak, between Quail Trail and Bear Trail.

The Ornery Oak is one of Micah's favourite places on campus, especially in the evening when it's late enough for the Oak to be asleep. Not that watching the Oak pelt people with acorns isn't its own kind of delightful, but he likes watching the ribbons swaying in the nighttime breeze, or to look up at how those massive branches spread across the sky like they're trying to engulf the stars.

He's sitting under the Oak with his camcorder in hand (set to nightvision mode), panning it around him at random, when he spots a figure standing in the shadows of the trees. He's wearing a white mask. Micah's winged mask, from the Masquerade, and—his suit—

"Hey!" Micah scrambles to his feet. "Hey! Hey! Stop!" When Micah grabs his bag and runs for him, the boy runs too, alarmingly quick. (It is a boy, isn't it, he's not that tall—) "Come back!"

Without a second thought, Micah dashes straight into the forest, without a trail to mark his way back.

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Unfortunately for Reece, of all of Micah's bad qualities, a total lack of fear is the one that's running loudest now. "My camera," he says, and stoops to grab it off the ground. He hasn't tried to pull his arm out of Reece's grip, but nor is he making any moves to get back to the Lodge. Wherever it is.

"Hello?" Micah calls out. There's something in front of them, something familiar. In a good way. They're all old friends, aren't they? "Two, is that you?"

Affirmation rolls off the shadowy figure in waves, and it begins to walk toward them, taking shape before their eyes. Still, it's a struggle to comprehend what they're seeing. Details shift and change, and the only features the boys can say they saw for certain are his delicate hands, and his eyes like deep, cool water.

Two, he says, voice rustling like aspen leaves, in a way that almost sounds like laughter. No. Yes? I told you two because we were two. My brother and I are two.

Edited 2018-01-03 18:35 (UTC)

Reece instinctively tries to pull Micah back from the creature as it speaks - speaks? whatever it's doing - but really just ends up tugging on his arm, since he doesn't move either of them. He feels a little like his feet are stuck or numb, nightmare-style, and he's not sure he'd be able to run if he had to.

He's still not big on the idea of talking to these things, but they're supposed to be friendly. He almost asks it what direction the school is in before remembering this one is the one that occasionally lures children out to their deaths in the woods. So he asks the next thing that comes to his mind instead.

"Where is your brother?" he says. Maybe it's because the creature was already talking about it, maybe he's been worrying over whatever happened with MACUSA before break. Probably he's not really thinking at all.

Considering that Micah nearly died after he was literally kidnapped by Anon last year, "joy" is probably the wrong reaction to have in this situation. Regardless, his face obviously lights up. He even forgets to turn on his camcorder.

"So what's actually your name?" he says curiously, as though Reece hadn't spoken at all. "Like, we can't just call you Anon, right? Because you're not anonymous, you're... you."

Anon tilts his head and considers Micah's question first. No names. A quick flash of an idea pops into Reece and Micah's head, an alien disconnect from the idea of names. There are so many humans, that's why they must need them. You and me was all he'd ever used until he found humans. The intrusive thought is gone as quickly as it came, and Anon begins using his "voice" again.

My brother is looking for the strangers. He points one long, slim finger deeper into the woods. He sighs, like wind on the fields around Coppertale in spring, and the air around the boys buzzes with unhappiness. And staying away from the new adults and your parents. They broke a promise.

Reece is honestly relieved to hear that Brother isn't dead or detained, because the we killed a real moose story had a bad smell to it. But he's also still not at his ease. It would be hard to be, with Anon's moods palpable in the air around them.

What Anon says creates more new questions than it answers, though, and Reece flounders for a moment as he tries to prioritize his questions. The Mooses' helpfulness has always been fleeting, and Reece isn't sure when it'll run out.

"What strangers?" he asks, still holding on to Micah.

You and me. Micah is human, with parents and neighbors and classmates, but he understands something of that special insularity anyway. When there's your brother, and everyone else.

For once, he has nothing to add. He just looks from Anon to Reece, with the same question in his eyes. Who else is here?

The entity is quiet for a moment. The question has left him uncertain. Explanations have never come easily from either brother. Humans like you brought them. He gestures, like trying to describe something far away, but it's not quite right. A long time ago?

There's a sense of annoyance around them now. Irritation at whatever these strangers are, like having ants in your kitchen. My brother will get rid of them.

Not a super helpful answer, but Reece wasn't really expecting one. The annoyance in the air puts him a little on edge - he really doesn't want Anonymous's mood to sour while he and Micah are still lost out here.

"Well, uhm," he says, not really sure what the proper level of formality is when you're addressing a forest guardian. "Thank you, and him. And I'm sorry about the moose," he adds for good measure, beginning to pull Micah back towards where he thinks the school is.

"The moose that was totally not our fault," Micah quickly adds. Kidnapping or no kidnapping, he wants to stay firmly on the good side of Anon and his brother. Something he said was interesting, though. Vague as all heck, but still interesting.

Micah lets himself be pulled along, but he's still watching Anon. "'Humans like us'?" So, what, this weird face-stealing clone is man-made? "Wizards, right? Or regular non-magical people? Are you sure it's not aliens?"

The ones like you who change what's real. Anon waves his hand, fingers posed like he's holding wand. There are stars visible in his palms, like his brother's eyes. The strangers cannot hurt you. They are weak. Ants. Mistakes. Annoyances. A minor infection.

And then somebody laughs, like they just heard a bad joke. It's the laugh of someone who saw another person fall down a short flight of stairs. Except it sounds exactly like Zachary Zheng, who's never laughed like that in his life. Anon freezes, and then turns to face the laughter. The silhouette of the entity standing in front of the boys grows, and becomes more incomprehensible. They know in their hearts it must have taken effort for him to appear so small, and so human. He growls like a dog (or a wolf?) as he stares out into the darkness behind him. It rumbles in their chests, both terrifying and comforting. Dangerous not towards them, but for them.

Go home. They're repulsed by the forest. Go sleep. They're tired. You're safe. They're reassured..? Regardless, they know it's time to leave.

Edited 2018-01-05 03:24 (UTC)