text, un: anonymouse

[aeturnus]

so hey i'm Asking For A Friend ;) but how many other immortals are here in the quarantine? any?

also! important question!! what did everyone get told when they got here? what questions did you ask? i wanna know what we're working with! Let's Work Together!

p.s., if you want to answer the first question without a name there are burner phones available at [ small list of locations ] to make unattached accounts. i'm just looking for at least numbers! names would be radical too of course!

Comments

[aeturnus]

It didn't always happen like that?

[signifies]

I'm not entirely sure. You might to dig for that.

[aeturnus]

That's fine with me.

You did say you read the library, though. Any insight there?

[signifies]

There's a lot of research on the Portal. It's some kind of magic... which I'm not used to.

[aeturnus]

Guess that's fair. Anything on that type of magic is probably kept around Gramarye instead.

[ He assumes. Maybe the internet will help, too, but with more specific stuff like this... It's going to be some pounding the pavement to get there and pushing past recent fears—another spike in his heartbeat—but he'll deal. He always does. ]

[signifies]

Probably.

Are you planning to have a look at the Portal yourself?

[aeturnus]

Yeah. I'll have to do a lot of prep work beforehand, though, maybe go with someone else, too.

[signifies]

I can come with you, if you like. They know me.

[aeturnus]

[ He grins. ]

That'd be great, Clark. Foot in the door is always good.

[signifies]

[ Clark smiles just as their drinks arrive. ]

Then just give me a call when you're ready.

[aeturnus]

[ He nods, takes his drink to sip at it. Dips his head minutely. ]

Not bad. You have any questions for me while we're here?

[signifies]

How does your immortal friend feel about being here?

[ "Friend."

He can play this game, okay. ]

[aeturnus]

[ Cain just outright laughs, chair dipping back further before he settles. After all this trouble of meeting in person and giving himself away, there's no point in talking about it. ]

I feel very, very out of place.

[signifies]

[ Clark smiles, glad to have precipitated laughter. Cain is an amiable guy but Clark knows from experience friendly doesn't mean open or relaxed. ]

Even with all the different kinds of people here?

[aeturnus]

[ They're definitely different things, but Cain doesn't mean any harm by keeping his own guard relatively up right now. ]

Yes? There's a lot of different things here, but nothing quite different in the same way I am. It's a pretty self-centered viewpoint but one I'll have to work my way out of.

[signifies]

[ Empathy and recognition flashes in Clark's eyes. He knows first-hand what that's like.

Even with family here, Kara and Jon's experiences are from their own realities. That's okay, but Clark has been feeling alone for a long time. ]

It's hard to be alone. How old are you, if I can ask?

[aeturnus]

[ He sees it. It says more than perhaps anything else Clark has said so far. Cain tucks that away for now because he doesn't know enough, doesn't care to pry enough. The seed of interest has been sown, however. ]

Two thousand, seven hundred and—either ninety-one or ninety-two if you count the fact that we skipped the calendar date of my birthday when I got here. I've just been rounding up to three thousand for brevity's sake.

[signifies]

You're born on February 29th?

[aeturnus]

No, March 23rd. Close as I can estimate, anyway. What I meant was it was December at home and it's May here.

[signifies]

Oh, I see.

Yeah, the alternate universes are strange enough without time being a factor. [ He takes a chance. ] My son is from over ten years in the future.

[aeturnus]

[ His brows go up at that. Surprise. Jealousy? ]

You have a son here? How old is he?

[signifies]

He's ten, and from another universe.

[ If a future kid wasn't confusing enough... ]

[aeturnus]

[ He lets that process, then the chair finally drops down to sit properly so that he can slump in it. This is so weird. ]

Well... congrats, it's a boy. [ There's only a faint smile for the joke. ] Seriously, though, even if it's from a stranger, I'm glad to hear you call him your son.

[signifies]

Well... weird as it is, he's still family.

There's a lot to get used to about being here.

[aeturnus]

Yeah, I understand having a weird family.

[ And lots of it. ]

Despite all the time you've had, sounds like you're still getting there.