Deerington IC Inbox

[lonelynotforsaken]

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Comments

text; un: fern; May 8th

[laminae]

so i know we barely know each other but the last time we talked was really intense
and i wanted to tell you i haven't ditched you or anything
just been busy with stuff

un: mkblackwoodesq; text

[lonelynotforsaken]

[Martin's actually surprised to hear from Fern after the complete radio silence since what happened with the orb. He'd thought they might have a chance to talk when things were less fraught, but Fern hadn't contacted him... or been home... multiple times when Martin had tried to visit him at his treehouse. He'd just sort of assumed the boy had decided to avoid him forever. Which... was fair, he supposed. Not great, but fair.]

Oh! It's no problem. I've been busy, too. Is everything okay?

[laminae]

yeah it's fine now

[R... elatively speaking.]

i was dead
not anymore

were you busy with those cursed books? did you find them all?

[lonelynotforsaken]

[Fern was what?!]

Oh, my god! What happened, Fern?

[The books can wait.]

[laminae]

nothing important
it was mostly an accident and stupid mistakes

so what about the books? c'mon dude don't just leave me hanging

[lonelynotforsaken]

I don't know. No? I don't know how many there are. And they keep getting stolen by someone.

It's getting really dangerous. I'm worried whoever's taking them wants to hurt people. Or thinks they could learn something that just isn't there.

Leitner killed innocent people trying to figure out what those books could do. They're nothing good and nothing that should exist here.

Seriously, though... Fern. Death's really bad here, isn't it? I've been reading over the notes people had taken. You start forgetting things.

[laminae]

[Oh, he's noticed that. Fern feels a pang of remorse when he reads Martin's message. He likes the guy, he doesn't want to actively hurt him or anything. Those books are just... useful. More useful sticking around than being destroyed.

Martin is half right. There's no guarantee the books will hold any answers in regards to his and Paimon's existence, but if there is....]

maybe that Leitner guy was just a jerk and gave the books a bad reputation

uh yeah
you get sick, too
it's all temporary though
i'll be fine eventually

[lonelynotforsaken]

[What?]

No... no, that's definitely not it. Think it's probably the malevolent eldritch fear entities tied to them. Probably that.

What number are you on? This isn't the first time in Deerington, is it?

[laminae]

man are you gonna go on about those things some more?
just because something is dangerous doesn't mean it can't be useful

uh
2nd
why

[lonelynotforsaken]

So you've forgotten things from home? That's going to be hard.

And just because something's useful doesn't mean it should be used.

[laminae]

yeah
a lot's been going on, so i'm not sure what i forgot

i guess

[He doesn't agree. of course.]

you and Jon haven't gotten hurt by them, have you?

[lonelynotforsaken]

Yes, we have.
A man named Lindsey left one out so he could experiment on people.
I accidentally picked it up and got thrown out of my own body for a day.
It hurt.
I don't even know how to describe it Fern.
It was like I was just wrong.
Everything about me was wrong and it hurt.

[laminae]

[Yikes, he knows what that feels like. And it's not as if dying to that other book was at all pleasant.]

sorry, dude
that really sucks

[It doesn't change his opinion on the books, but he can be empathetic.]

you got back to your body in the end, though

[lonelynotforsaken]

Yeah. It took a day, but I was finally able to get back in. I can't imagine what would've happened if Jon hadn't found me, though. Lindsey was carrying my body away and I couldn't stop him.

[laminae]

dude that's sketch
what was he going to do with your body?

[lonelynotforsaken]

I don't know. He said he was trying to do some sort of experiment. Probably to see how the book worked. I was a little preoccupied with... everything to get the specifics.

[laminae]

[Oh, yikes.

... Part of him wonders what kind of experiment you can do with a body that doesn't have a soul in it, part of him thinks he and Paimon should be very careful about any book experiments involving other Sleepers.]

so Jon stopped him? how'd you get back into your body?

[lonelynotforsaken]

I don't know. I couldn't for a long time, and then I just got... sucked back in, I guess? I honestly thought I was about to be ripped apart. My skin was just pulling and pulling in all directions, and then... I was back?

I really didn't feel great, but I was... physical again, at least?

[laminae]

oh

i think i know what that feels like

[Very well thanks to that time he got turned into a sword.]

[lonelynotforsaken]

Oh, god! Have you seen the book?

[laminae]

nah
just something that happened back home

[lonelynotforsaken]

[Is there any horror Fern hasn't gone through at home? It reminds him of Jon, and that's really not a good thing.]

I'm sorry you can understand.
I really wish you couldn't.
That's horrible.
It's horrible.
Do you want to talk about what happened?

[laminae]

[Fern has had A Life, for sure.]

uh it's not a big deal
when i became Finn Sword i kind of exploded first
then all the stuff that made me me got rearranged into a sword

[lonelynotforsaken]

Fern, that's a massive deal.
Like, I don't even know where to begin.
How are you still functional as a person?
Everything you say... it's hard to imagine how you've managed.
You're so strong... god.

[laminae]

you got me
i just function

[And mostly tries not to think about it these days so as to not cause an existential crisis.]

i dunno about strong all this junk just happened
probably could have happened to anyone