Psychic Bridge II to everyone jauntside

[neverfeltthatway]

It's Armin.

[The text is somehow bigger and bolder than usual when the network is like this, attracting your attention even if you'd usually try to filter it out or ignore it.]

Yes, I'm dead. Well and truly dead, not just a ghost, but I can still access the network. I'm not really sure how. I'm broadcasting to both sides right now, so this connection will only last about half an hour. But everyone, please listen - this is important. Before she tortured and killed me, I recognized the being inside Bernkastel.

It's Nyarlathotep.

Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos. One of the outer gods. I think the ghost Bernkastel was in is essentially his overlay now - merging with her didn't give him access to the network, at least. Don't approach the lakebed - not yet. You don't stand a chance on your own, any more than I did.

But I have a plan.

I can teach the living to make talismans that will repel the god. If we have groups to distract and repel him, there's a brief ritual that can separate him from his host, and do to the witch what they've been doing to other ghosts, stripping and consuming will and power.

Doing that should leave him adrift - as long as he's being repelled, he'll have no choice but to return to where he came from. If he's not being repelled, he'll be free to do as he pleases. This is all if there's someone ghostside willing to lend me your form in order to perform the ritual.

It will be hard, and incredibly dangerous. We'll need to coordinate and work together, and I can't promise we'll all survive. But it can be - it must be done.


[ooc note: in game, this post takes place after Malik will have reported Armin's death to everyone lifeside, even though Bix hasn't thrown it up yet.]

Comments

[thornsofmalkav]

[I want to actually be able to trust you to do what you're saying, she doesn't say. What's the use of it? They might have reconciled, sort of, but she's never going to be able to fully trust him again.]

Just-- be more careful of other people's bodies than you would your own.

[neverfeltthatway]

You think I don't know that? You think I'd willingly risk someone else without doing everything I can to protect them? [Something he quite obviously doesn't do for himself. If the network had tone, he'd be hurt and outraged. But it doesn't, and he doesn't have time for that anyway.]

[thornsofmalkav]

When you treat yourself as disposable, it makes it harder to trust you not to treat other people the same way.

[And she already had trust issues with him anyway.]

[neverfeltthatway]

...When I put myself in danger, it's because I'm trying to protect people.

[He tries to say more, but fails, deeply upset and hurting. Does she really think no better of him than that?

...He tries to stop it, but after a few moments all he can think about is the image of her beating him to death with a baseball bat, again and again. In his current state, and with everything she's saying, it doesn't seem as far-fetched as it usually would.]

[thornsofmalkav]

I just. Armin. You do realize I have reasons to worry about your judgement sometimes, right? I'm sure your intentions are good [or you think they are] but people can mess up with good intentions.

[neverfeltthatway]

...I've made mistakes. I'm sure I'll make more, if I live again. But I've never willingly put someone else in danger when I didn't have to. [Himself, yes, but that's a different matter.] And then, never without their consent.

[He's sorry for what he did to her. He's said that, and it's true. He understands why she doesn't trust him - though not all his memories are yet clear, from trauma and madness. But though he acted without her consent there, what he did to her didn't put her in danger. If it had, he wouldn't have done it, even then.]

[thornsofmalkav]

[It might not have put her in danger but it had hurt her.

Be that as it may, it's hard for her not to mentally scream that he wouldn't know consent if it bit him on the nose. That's unfair of her. She should be happy he survived Bernkastel. She is happy that he survived Bernkastel.

She just doesn't like the idea that he'd be taking over someone else's body. It feels... well, gross to her now. Moreso than it had when he'd actually done it to her, but back then she hadn't known what else he'd done to her. And him keeping her from killing Eren had been necessary.

This was necessary. He was asking permission. Why did she feel so sick inside?]

Just. Be careful with them. Whoever lets you piggyback.

[neverfeltthatway]

[He knows that, and doesn't deny it. He can't take it back, however much he'd like to. He can't do anything about it.

He can do something about this. He can try to protect her, protect everyone now.]

I will. At no point in the ritual am I planning to endanger the body I'm in in any way - no more than making it a target by being the one performing the ritual. There's no need to approach the Chaos. Our safety - Beatrice's safety - will depend on the others, and whoever is assigned to protect her. From what it sounds like, probably Riddick.

[thornsofmalkav]

[Bea. Oh god. Oh god. She wants to scream at him not to touch her. She knows that won't do anything good.]

Okay.

[Can we not talk about this for a little while? She needs to go and curl herself up in a ball and cry now.]

[neverfeltthatway]

[If she's been paying attention to the rest of the network, Beatrice openly volunteered for it - was the only one to do so - and Armin waited to make sure she was aware of all the risks before accepting. He's not aware enough to say any of this to her, and it probably wouldn't help right now - but perhaps later.

Unless she says more, he doesn't respond, and moves on to other conversations. This connection won't last long, and he hasn't pulled himself together for much more than what he needs for facing this threat, at the moment.]

[thornsofmalkav]

[Right now she's having a panic attack, Armin. It really wouldn't help right now.]