eudaimonikos | Balance IC Inbox

[He's used the name Michael in the past, when he had to pass as a human. If he ever really thought about it, he might realize that his connection to the name is sort of vague; he doesn't remember quite when he started using it, or any others he might've used over the years. Even though...that doesn't really make sense, right?

But, you know. He isn't thinking about that. So, though he recognizes it as a name of his, it's not just the surprise that stops him from responding right away. That's an alias, not who he is.]

What? [Is this about that thing from before? That was like, days ago, get over it.]

[To be honest, Wash wasn't actually sure whether that would get a response, so actually getting an answer on the first try is a nice surprise. He'll take it.]

[There's a number of ways he could direct this conversation, but honestly, right now he's going at it like he would a conversation with the Reds and Blues when they're being belligerent: start with shock tactics, get in the damn door, and present logic and connection after you're in. Admittedly, his shock tactics here are based on assumptions, but given what he's seen of the people he now knows to be his fellow Reclaimers...well, they're pretty safe assumptions.]

The hearts on your wrist. How many are red?

[...red?

It's not surprising that the human knows about his crystals. The Boogeyman may be lagging behind everyone information-wise, simply because he hasn't compared notes with anyone, but he has made the connection between the sudden convergence of crystal people and the formation of the network. He hadn't been able to confirm, but it seemed likely.

Red, though? He hasn't seen anyone with red ones.

Distantly, he sort of regrets answering like a normal person. He should have kept quiet, or shot back with worse than a shout. But...he's curious now. He can always hit him with a scary illusion later...]

What?

[Well, dammit. Without that answer - without knowing how much of himself Michael remembers - Wash honestly doesn't know if that's a clarification what or a fuck-you what. The best he can do is dig.]

The hearts on your wrist. They started out grey. How many of them have turned red?

[Ugh. He doesn't want to outright admit that he has no idea what the human's talking about. Are they turning red now? Is that a thing? He could just as easily lie, but he doesn't know what the red would even indicate.]

Why?

[And just like conversations with the Reds and Blues, now he has to lay some ground rules.]

I'll answer your questions when you start answering mine.

[The Michael he knows is curious; if he's still in there, that'll drive him nuts, and with any luck will also drive him to answer.]

[oh my god, he hates this particular human so much???

The grumbling that follows is voiced, so it doesn't carry over the network. But the few moments of grudging silence that follow probably speak for themselves. So, what now? The thought of just ending the conversation doesn't really occur to him as an option - he wants to know what this is about! He just can't figure out what the most advantageous answer would be, with so little to go on.

Well, the question sort of implies that the human's crystals have started turning red. The Boogeyman is nothing like any of them, and he'd rather they not start thinking otherwise.]

They're grey. Now, explain.

[Got 'im.]

[On the one hand, it's an answer, and it tells Wash exactly where both he and Michael stand. On the other hand, it also means that Michael still fully believes he's the Boogeyman, which is going to make this a lot harder and means that Michael is liable to start torturing him again if he says the wrong thing.]

[No pressure.]

Mine are all red, and they started turning red when I started remembering who I really am. Turns out I'm not the heir to a kingdom; I'm a soldier from a long ways away from here.

[He gives that a moment or two to sink in and for Michael to start putting two and two together before:]

You're not the Boogeyman, Michael; you're an architect.

[......so are the red crystals some sort of hallucinogen?

He thinks the humans must believe what he's saying. Why else would he say it? There's many reasons to lie to the Boogeyman, yes, but not really in this specific manner. This is sort of a dumb prank you might try on someone very gullible, he guesses. Not an actual enemy.

Of course, humans believe all sorts of things.

Well, maybe he can dig past some of the nonsense to get actual information. If the crystals can screw with your head, he'd better figure that out from a distance.]

Right. And what made you start remembering?

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