11121_assumption | IC INBOX

Henry. The reason I locked you in the Room was because I knew you had marijuana. If I opened the portal when I first locked you in, I could only assume you would constantly smoke. Once it was used up, I let you in.

[ And no, he didn't want to deal with a doped-out Henry Townshend drifting though his Otherworlds. He could only assume he'd either forget half of what happened and what he saw, or end up dead. So, he did the logical thing; he locked Henry in so he'd use up the last of his weed and and opened the portal. ]

You did that on purpose too!? Of course you did! Of fucking course you did! You really are the devil!

_{[There is a sort of tromp-tromping sound as Henry is stomping in circles as he yells into the device. A couple of Pokemon peek through the kitchen door warily.]}

I didn't intend to leave you with only chocolate milk. I wasn't aware Jasper would insist on having it. [ He (was) the devil but he's not a mindreader! ]

And had you been high in the Otherworlds, you would've been killed by the monsters in it or have forgotten everything you learned. [ Henry, you're the Reciever of Wisdom, it's kind of important for the ritual that you REMEMBER THINGS. ]

I KNOW! And you couldn't even grant me that small mercy! Instead you had to take everything away from me--even down to chocolatey milk! What did I ever do to you!

[ Wow, Henry's really unobservant or was just refusing to take in information, given this is the third time he's repeated that Walter 'took chocolatey milk' away from him. Johto must have changed him for the worst in that regard. When Walter spoke, it was like a teacher trying to explain something to their student. ]

Henry, you didn't do anything to me. Why would I choose someone I hated, or who had hurt me, to be the Receiver? As I have told you before, I did not intend to "take" away food from you. It was required because of your smoking habit, otherwise everything that came before would have been in vain.

It wasn't by my choice alone you became the Receiver of Wisdom.

_{[The stomping stops. Either his memory is foggy from six long years or this is news to him.]}

Who else decided I deserved to have my life ruined? Your god?

You lived there for two years, Henry. I know She welcomed you.

[ He pauses. But, it had been so long. ] Did you forget? I suppose you must have. You've...forgotten a lot here.

MY APARTMENT ISN'T YOUR MOM!

[ Breathes in. Exhales. ]

I know you saw the Mother Stone Henry. Jasper explained that to you. [ You are trying his patience. ]

And then he wasted all my chocolate milk and died. By your hand!

I thought he drank your milk. How is that wasting it?

_{[Henry lets out a miserable groan and shakes his head.]}

You don't understand anything.

_{[And for a long moment it seems as though he's done ranting. But then he pipes up again in a tone Walter will be more familiar with.]}

I have a question.

[ This is a very strange conversation. ]

Go ahead.

You created the other worlds...with your ghost magic. Is that correct?

_{[The two opkemon, Boo and Pickles, who had been watching him from the door creep a little closer now that their usually quiet trainer isn't howling.]}

[ Oh. That's actually a thoughtful question, not more innane shouting. ]

...somewhat. The Otherworld is a reflection of our world. What it is truly like at it's core. The worlds I created were echoes of places I had known in life, as they were under the surface of...of it.

[ This is all wrong but Walter doesn't know any differently. ]

_{[Henry hums thoughtfully to himself.]}

I had wondered why there were so many guns scattered around. If I hadn't found that shovel, I don't think I would have survived.

It's always been like that. I couldn't use the guns when I was younger.

[ He says this like it's as common as going to the shops. Which it was for him. ]

Is that why you decided to use one against me when you gained powers? I guess tha--HEY!--Why did you have to use a chainsaw? What the actual FUCK was that all about? Huh? You can't show me your fleshy slideshow if my heart explodes while I'm running away!

[ THIS IS WHERE IT GETS HARD. ]

That....it was me but. It wasn't. [ He sounds a little unsure. Not confused but, he had no idea how to explain this. How do you explain that while housing an angel, he'd sort of been torn in two? Or three technically since there was his dead body, his adult form and his child form. And it became fuzzy what had been Valtiel's doing and what had been his once he died. ]

You're right. It wasn't the right thing to do. I shouldn't have shot at you either. I don't...know why.

...I vaguely remember you speaking to me. The little me.

And you laughed.

_{[Henry decides to add that last jab before falling silent. This was...something almost like...an apology. And he didn't believe it. A serial killer's ghost made flesh again telling him that chasing him with power tools was the wrong thing to do. Or was it just the wrong way to get his heart out of his body? Walter's ritual required quite a few hearts.]

[But if what Walter said was true...that he was himself but not himself...Heather's words started to creep back up on him. He runs his tongue over the space where his tooth used to be and the still-healing gum. He could be lying. Walter could have been a lying liar what lied. But what would that gain him now? Walter was a lot of things but he wasn't fucking stupid.]}

You laughed...and laughed...

I- [ ...Had he laughed? Why would he laugh? The last time he had laughed...he couldn't remember. Had he laughed when he had killed during the ten hearts. When had it been...him laughing and not Him? Not before Johto. Not before Assumption's evolution.

But that was his life, wasn't it? At the end. He'd given himself to Valtiel. They were the same, towards the end. Except they weren't. Otherwise, he wouldn't have separated from him. They wouldn't have needed to find him, his little self, to bring him to the Room. Walter groaned. It was like trying to sieve through sand for an answer, an answer that was a mess of water and ink and blood and tar. Some of his own Pokemon noticed he was getting himself in a mental knot - Eileen and Joseph came to cozy up to him. ]

I didn't want to laugh. [ His voice is very small. He couldn't deny if he had or not. Because he knew, he probably had. ]

_{[Henry has found himself with far more to chew on than he expected. Suppose that came with the whole Receiver business. And he had asked.]}

I see.

_{[A cold response, yes, but at least not a loud one. Whether Henry likes it or not, whether he is traumatized paranoid, or otherwise, he can't keep from being curious and observant forever.]}

[ Walter let it hang for a moment, gently holding one of Joseph's clawed paws. He didn't know entirely what Joseph said to Henry; that area was almost completely closed from his influence. He was supposed to tell Henry how to kill him. What else he might have said about Walter himself? Who knew, except for Henry, Joseph and Eileen.

Henry already knew a lot. He wasn't sure just how much, but. ]

I remember you talking to the little me. I think. ...I think I spoke to you. As the little me.

There was a little boy. I met him near the stones. Eileen found his drawings...I saw you take him. I saw both of you at once.

That was me. [ He said, fairly certain. But at the mention of seeing both of them, he tried to remember- ]

...I had to...be at the Room. But, I didn't trust him. Myself. But I had to go, so he grabbed me. I knew I wouldn't go- unless I made me... [ He's getting a headache. Eileen rubbed over his throbbing temple. ]

I don't remember. Not all of it. I was...I was banging on the door for Her. And I was waiting for you. I think, I was mostly at the door?

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