Fourth Wall: Two Rogues do not walk into a bar
(OOC note: This developed out of what was supposed to be a bit of nothing-important fluff'n'fun informal play last night -- clearly the guys had other ideas. I've snipped it from the IM script and cleaned it up a bit, hopefully it will be readable and make sense as is. Your characters cannot see this; only Piper and Digger know about it. The conversation Digger is referring to is here but is linked further in the entry as well, at the appropriate place.)
*knock at Digger's door*
Digger: Yesssss? /checks out the hole to make sure it isn't a gremlin pretending to be 'Avon' again/
"It's me, Digger"
Digger: Me who? There's a lot of mes in the world. /squints trying to see through hole and realizes someone has markered over it/ Bloody hell... STRIPE!
"Don't talk to your mother in that tone of voice *he's grinning*"
Digger: Sorry, /opens door/ Stripe's been a right pain in the arse. Have you... no no... suppose you've never seen a Gremlin pretend to be an Avon lady. /he shuddered/ I think it was the lipstick that was the most disturbing.
Piper: Noooo can't say as I have *grins, holds up a bag* I brought stuff
Digger: /leads way back inside, which is more in a mess than it had been, but mostly because there's broken drywall, and wiring laying around, Digger has been fixing what's been getting broke, and while the creatures are still invisibile... a cord is slithering quietly down the hall/ OI bring that back! GORDI! BAD BOY! /he yelled as he stalked down the hallway and grabbed it, bringing it back. It was a drill/ What did you bring? /he smiled/
Piper: *sees the sliding cord and stops dead in his tracks. the cord is moving by itself. It is sliding by itself like a snake.*
Digger: If they can't break it, they take it! /he held up the drill and shrugged/ That was Gordi. He's got a bit of 'gold' above his eyes. Like eyebrows. Two rows of teeth, of course. But nice eyes, surprisingly. He's not as bad as the others. I think he's still young.
Piper: *shakes his head, baffled* Wow.... *one of his pet rats pokes its head out from underneath his hoodie. Its eyes glow faintly green*
Digger: /ducking his head down, he looks a little closer at the rat/ Hey there, fella? I don't think they'll mess with you. /he looked up at Piper/ Can you hear what he's thinking? Or see through his eyes? /curious look, there was a tug at the bag, like a curious child trying to see inside it, but no child THERE!/
Piper: *the rat chitters shrilly at the non-existant child* No and no... He scouts for me, though. He's my friend.
Digger: /looking down at the gremlin-child he frowns/ I want to know when I became their childminder? /he raises his brows/ I think he can see or sense the creature. /he scratched the side of his nose/ Half tempted to try something... might piss Spike off, but he should have thought of that when he brought the kid here!
Piper: he can hear it, yes. Or at least, he knows it's there. *ponders a moment and pulls his flute out. He assembles it and plays a few notes, toning for a frequency*
Digger: /nods/ Koan was here, the other day, and he did something... just wondering if I can do it myself. /He had a feeling that Piper could probably create a tone that would scare the creatures off from the house, if he could just reach the right frequency/ /Digger concentrated and then slowly moved forward, then quickly grabbed beside Piper's leg and yanked up. In his hands was a small creature with reptilian skin, eyebrow ridges, and big ears. It was hissing and clicking at him, and Digger hissed and clicked back in retaliation but then just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, Digger sighed/ Well, that answers that. I figured I might as well since he was trying to pick your pockets, so to speak.
Piper: I don't know if this'll work or not, but it's worth a try.. *he plays a tuneless series of tones*
Digger: /squatting down, he watched toward the kitchen, waiting/ Do whatever you just did five seconds ago? Again.
Piper: *does so*
Digger: Buggers don't like that. Mummy Kate-bird just picked up baby Gordi and is fleeing. Spike's trying to hold on... nope, there he goes. How far will this extend? And how long do you think they'll stay gone? Oh HEY now... You want to make 'yo' mamma jokes then... /he cliked and hissed loudly out the door and then slammed it/ You don't dress... that funny... anymore. /he said in a somewhat 'reassuring voice'/
Piper: *looks thoughtful* Hmmm... *pulls out a piece of paper and jots down the tones, frequencies and durations*
Digger: /chuckles and shakes his head/ Scientist and Musician at work. Want something to drink? Food? I managed to cobble the microwave back together earlier!
Piper: *grins and hefts the bag* Ah, that's what I brought! I stopped by O'Malley's and picked up one of their St. Paddy's Day dinners.
Digger: /grinning he almost felt like trying to peek in himself like a child/ Really? /he knew he didn't have to ask if there was alcohol in it/ Oh, by the by, we're safe. Koan turns off his Digger-O-Vision when you show up now. /He nodded to himself and was also looking back at the rat/ You are somehow connected to him, not just as his friend but somehow you are energetically connected.
Piper: *nods* I kinda guessed that when his eyes started glowing too. *pulls the meal out and then, with great pride, a six-pack of authentic Irish Guiness* Ta-dahhh!
Digger: /titling his head he looked from the guinness to Piper and back/ I don't suppose that is non-alcoholic?
Piper: *beams* You guess correctly. Can't get this outside of Ireland unfortunately.. but Ireland does have a rather large alcoholism problem.
Digger: /breathes a sigh of relief/ was worried there for a second, mate. Thought I'd have to check you over! /chuckling he goes ahead and starts tidying up a place to eat and drink/ What is the rat's name? And shall we atch something while we eat?
Piper: this one is Rathaniel *scritches the rat's head*
Digger: Well, Rathaniel, it is very nice to meet you. Did Piper bring you a special treat for today as well? Or shall we see what you might like from the kitchen? /he'd not been kidding about the fact that he liked rodents, he had wanted a capy as a kid, but them, being the largest rodents on the planet? His mother really would have had a heart attack./
Piper: they like carrots but really, they'll be mugging us for scraps. Three of them tagged along, is that okay?
Digger: /laughing he nodded/ It's fine! As long as you introduce them! Do you think one of them would deign to let me hold them? I promise I wouldn't hurt them. What exactly is in our dinners? /he automatically flicked the remote on, he tended to like background noise, even if he wasn't directly watching it, a habit he'd picked up since being back/
Piper: *whistles and chirps at them and one pokes her nose out of his kangaroo pocket and whiffles at
Digger* That one's Hermie, she's willing.
Digger: /smiling he holds out his hands for her to come into his hands/ Yer a pretty little Sheila, aren't ya? /he completely ignored the young 'girl' that walked through the living room, turned, and went into the kitchen, the fridge opened, closed, and she wandered back through and disappeared the way she'd come, despite ignoring her and paying attention only to the rat Digger said/ Yeah, you have to be careful which strays you feed, sometimes, they don't leave. /in the other room a dozy voice called out 'I heard that'/
Piper: *the rats react to the perfectly ordinary-looking girl - negatively. Piper arches an eyebrow, stroking them and calming them*
Digger: /stroking the one in his hands says/ I do the same thing, baby. I do the saaaame thing. /then got a bit of a sad look/ Eventually, they'll do the same thing to me. /it was said softly, forgetting a moment that Piper could hear him/
Piper: what? Ignore you?
Digger: No, frightened. Or worried, they won't want me to touch them. Cats already look at me with suspicion. I'm not sure why they are the first to notice. Dogs still give me a dumb look. But, eventually... these little guys, they're going to cringe from me. /frowning he gently stroked his fingers down the rat's fur/
Piper: ......why would they do that?
Digger: /looking up at Piper, he gives him a weak smile/ For the same reason that they don't like Nicki in there. That they don't like Koan. And if they met Derrick, they'd also probably scamper away. What did your rats tell you about Koan? I'm curious to hear... their side?
Piper: he doesn't smell right to them. He doesn't smell at all. And he doesn't sound right, to any of us. There's a whole register missing from his voice.
Digger: /small smile/ Age tells, eventually. That girl in there? Is over eighty years old. /he tilted his head to the side/ Ask Hermie to sniff, really deeply, and then compare it to... you? It won't be much. Probably rather subtle... Don't be surprised if she rushes back to you, either.
Piper: *does so, then listens. He shakes his head* She says you smell alright to her. tthough she doesn't like the cologne you were wearing four days ago.
Digger: /laughing he shook his head/ I wasn't wearing colonge four days ago... Though, I might start. It'll take time for me to lose whatever it is that will set them off. As I said, the cats already look at me with suspicion.
Piper: *softly* Why? What are you now, Digger?
Digger: I don't know what I can tell you that they'd allow? I know he's not watching me, right now? /he looked toward the ceiling as he spoke/ I know we're allowed to tell people that I'm metahuman, which... is a decent description. I'm allowed to tell people I'm a Medium, if they wonder about it. Pat knows only about as much as you do now, but that's because of her powers. She can figure out when someone is not 'human'. /he looked down/ I want to be honest with you, so figured I should tell you as much as I can. Nicki is like me? Only she's eighty years old. Looks fifteen. Derrick looks to be in his twenties, and he's around a hundred. And Koan came by, to tell me, that while he couldn't hear what we spoke of... that he knew enough that he wanted 'no part' in what is going on.
Piper: *misinterpreting which part of the conversation Digger means* He's homophobic?
Digger: /gently laughs and shakes his head/ No, your powers. They scare him because he doesn't want to 'know' about them. If he does, someone might question HIM, and then it might disrupt his personal life. He's happy in his station. 'Independent contractor' you could put it. He frees Hell-bound slaves and makes us his employees. But he couldn't hear us last night, Piper. But he could see your eyes. And he said he will continue to turn a blind eye to us. I wonder if he has a sexuality? /then he shuddered/ Never mind, I remember some of the beings down there... I don't want to 'see' that again any time soon or imagine it... /he muttered the word tentacles/
Piper: *digests that for a few moments -- tentacle-demons have a basis in 'reality', well that's proof there is no god.*
Digger: /getting over his shudder fit he shook it off and then shook his head/ There are some things, you just really realllly wish you could 'unsee' /he offered a tiny smile/ But anyway, Koan is going to stay out of this, he told me that. He also told me to guard the secrets well, and warned me about the others that would and might be interested. I'm... trying to be as up front with you, as I possibly can.
Piper: *nods, thinking about it* so what i've got.... scares them....? is that..... good?
Digger: It's either very very good, or very very bad? Or one of those things that can go either way depending on the person that weilds it. Considering the type of power I suspect you're carrying? I think it can be a force for good, if channeled right. I need to do some more research... somehow... well, WE need to do some more research. I just don't know the course to take yet. I may or may not have an ally, I haven't determined which side he's on.
Piper: *thinks some more, deciding which questions to ask first* ... what is it you suspect I'm carrying?
Digger: /blowing out a slow breath he was obviously trying to figure out how to frame his words/ We already know you have the power to control. But I suspect its a bit more than that. I don't know how to phrase it. It has to do with your... connection to music? It's... wrapped up in... that. Music is a kind of... damn it. We use the term energy to try to make it all scientific./ he said in frustration at last/ But in truth it is a magic. Energy and Magic. Two terms for the same damn thing sometimes. /he looked down and then back up/ You are a creator... of some kind. Your magic is in your music, your words, and your deeds. I wish I had the words for this. /he rubbed at his forehead, thinking it would have helped if he'd been schooled in a regular school perhaps? he had no words/
Piper: *thinks about it some more* and these... associates of yours.. coworkers.... they don't want anything to do with it...
Digger: /he stifled a laugh/ You have the potential to create. We... /the smile faded a little/ lead it away. /he put his finger to his lips and raised his brows, but still looked a little sad and hoped that Nicki wasn't listening, but she was asleep, snoring in the other room, he was safe/
Piper: *thinks about that then lifts troubled eyes to his friend* Digger? ...are you.... a demon now? ...is that what you're trying not to tell me?
Digger: /he looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes, then it was a small nod of his head/ We are the only ones that will do this job. Not... /he lowered his voice to a bare whisper but trusted Piper could still hear him/ the reason the Gremlins are after me, is because I helped a little boy cross over to Heaven to be with his mother, instead of letting them have him. His... /the voice dropped lower/ reaper... didn't take care of him. I found them chasing him. If they'd caught him? They would have tortured him till he became a malignant entity. The kind that haunts? But I helped him crossover. Then later, I met Pat's Tommy, and... saw to it that he also got to Heaven. I'm... kind of not doing my job right? I'm only supposed to ferry souls bound to hell! But I swear, I don't kill. No!
Piper: *nods, digesting this. his eyes are full of sympathy for his friend. the restrictions on him though... and.... he indicates the little she-rat who still allows Digger to stroke her* She says you don't smell the same as the girl or the other one. She insists she can smell a difference.
Digger: /gently stroking her he smiles at her/ I hope I can smell right for a long time. But, I am a 'baby' compared to them. But it does bring me to my... next point. When I ferried the boy to Heaven, someone else appeared. He didn't really stay long. Just, said I did a good job and to keep it up. But warned that the Gremlins would be after me. I... I can't really remember much about it anymore. The details are fading. But, I think he's... from the other side of the equation. My gut tells me that they are very 'non-interference'. I don't know. Don't know what to think about it. But he saw me, Piper. No one but ghosts and Gremlins sees me when I astral project!
Piper: You can do that?
Digger: /nodding slowly/ Yeah, it's a good way of doing it subtly. Get in, get out. No one sees me at the scene. I try to reap them before they actually die, so that they don't uh... feel it? /he winced/ But yeah, though I have learned be careful where I leave my body. /he snorted/ Woke up in an ambulance once. Screwed up said I had been hit by a car, because I knew my reap had been hit by a car, but didn't realize they'd called for my ambulance BEFORE the car hit him. boy that was a mess... had to make it look good. time passes differently there. Gotta really watch the time.
Piper: I.. might be able to help with that... I could make a widget that plays a variant of my unnoticeability theme, maybe?
Piper: So that's what really happened? Tricks knew you were lying about the car. no, iwon't tell him, if you don't want me to.
Digger: /took a deep breath and nodded/ That's what really happened. I don't think it would be the safest thing to tell him. I'm already worried about telling you. But... I... I trust you. /his eyes flicked downward/ And, and I don't want to lie to you. It feels... wrong. Very, wrong. I... I'm not used to feeling like that. I'm... just not used to this. /he sighed and shook his head looking away, it was the oddest feeling and unusual for him/ I still have a bit of paranoia. It's not the first time I've 'ever' trusted someone, but I keep telling myself this is not the same. YOU aren't him. You are you. And we are here. And... you won't betray my trust. /his heart thumped hard and fast in his chest, telling of his nervousness as well as the giant leap in faith he'd just extended to Piper/
Piper: *gently* no, I won't.
Digger: /he closed his eyes and applied a small kiss to Hermie's back, gentle/ Thank you. /he opened his eyes/ And, if you can make that widget? I would appreicate it. /small smile/ I don't like to wander too far from my body so far. So it is best if I can get in as close as I can!
After Piper returns home...
"Hi guys, I'm back... Yeah, sorry guys, Hermie and Hettie decided to stay with Digger.. They wanted to be his friends..aaaaand help him with a little infestation problem he's having. Don't worry, he'll take good care of them."
'Infestation'... hmph. Well, I got the tones, I can build a few widgets for him, help him out a little.
.....What they say about 'ignorance is bliss' though... What if I know too much, now? Even Digger wasn't sure how much he could tell me.
It's strange... I never used to like Digger Harkness at all and now I feel so close to him... I wonder if that's a demonic effect, to lure me in, or if it's just he's really trying that hard? I hope it's the latter. But.... I felt so relaxed with him the other night, I almost told him my name. I mean, he'd figured out that I'm gay - I still can't get over that I never spotted he was bisexual, he was damned good at hiding it... And.. I'd told James... But now.... now, I can't.
I know a little about these things, not much but enough to know that there's power in names. Many of us - me, James, Digger - we don't use our real names and now I'm thinking that's a good thing. Because in the areas that Digger's talking about, if you have someone's real name, you have power over them. Digger doesn't know my real name and he doesn't know James's real name either. I feel bad that he's trusting me with all of this information, and I can't 'fair trade', so to speak. But Digger's trying to protect us, so..... I think he would understand.
"Hm? Message on the machine, huh?"
....oh GOD...!!!!! Oh James.... You are such a goofball... Don't ever change, baby, don't ever change.
*knock at Digger's door*
Digger: Yesssss? /checks out the hole to make sure it isn't a gremlin pretending to be 'Avon' again/
"It's me, Digger"
Digger: Me who? There's a lot of mes in the world. /squints trying to see through hole and realizes someone has markered over it/ Bloody hell... STRIPE!
"Don't talk to your mother in that tone of voice *he's grinning*"
Digger: Sorry, /opens door/ Stripe's been a right pain in the arse. Have you... no no... suppose you've never seen a Gremlin pretend to be an Avon lady. /he shuddered/ I think it was the lipstick that was the most disturbing.
Piper: Noooo can't say as I have *grins, holds up a bag* I brought stuff
Digger: /leads way back inside, which is more in a mess than it had been, but mostly because there's broken drywall, and wiring laying around, Digger has been fixing what's been getting broke, and while the creatures are still invisibile... a cord is slithering quietly down the hall/ OI bring that back! GORDI! BAD BOY! /he yelled as he stalked down the hallway and grabbed it, bringing it back. It was a drill/ What did you bring? /he smiled/
Piper: *sees the sliding cord and stops dead in his tracks. the cord is moving by itself. It is sliding by itself like a snake.*
Digger: If they can't break it, they take it! /he held up the drill and shrugged/ That was Gordi. He's got a bit of 'gold' above his eyes. Like eyebrows. Two rows of teeth, of course. But nice eyes, surprisingly. He's not as bad as the others. I think he's still young.
Piper: *shakes his head, baffled* Wow.... *one of his pet rats pokes its head out from underneath his hoodie. Its eyes glow faintly green*
Digger: /ducking his head down, he looks a little closer at the rat/ Hey there, fella? I don't think they'll mess with you. /he looked up at Piper/ Can you hear what he's thinking? Or see through his eyes? /curious look, there was a tug at the bag, like a curious child trying to see inside it, but no child THERE!/
Piper: *the rat chitters shrilly at the non-existant child* No and no... He scouts for me, though. He's my friend.
Digger: /looking down at the gremlin-child he frowns/ I want to know when I became their childminder? /he raises his brows/ I think he can see or sense the creature. /he scratched the side of his nose/ Half tempted to try something... might piss Spike off, but he should have thought of that when he brought the kid here!
Piper: he can hear it, yes. Or at least, he knows it's there. *ponders a moment and pulls his flute out. He assembles it and plays a few notes, toning for a frequency*
Digger: /nods/ Koan was here, the other day, and he did something... just wondering if I can do it myself. /He had a feeling that Piper could probably create a tone that would scare the creatures off from the house, if he could just reach the right frequency/ /Digger concentrated and then slowly moved forward, then quickly grabbed beside Piper's leg and yanked up. In his hands was a small creature with reptilian skin, eyebrow ridges, and big ears. It was hissing and clicking at him, and Digger hissed and clicked back in retaliation but then just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, Digger sighed/ Well, that answers that. I figured I might as well since he was trying to pick your pockets, so to speak.
Piper: I don't know if this'll work or not, but it's worth a try.. *he plays a tuneless series of tones*
Digger: /squatting down, he watched toward the kitchen, waiting/ Do whatever you just did five seconds ago? Again.
Piper: *does so*
Digger: Buggers don't like that. Mummy Kate-bird just picked up baby Gordi and is fleeing. Spike's trying to hold on... nope, there he goes. How far will this extend? And how long do you think they'll stay gone? Oh HEY now... You want to make 'yo' mamma jokes then... /he cliked and hissed loudly out the door and then slammed it/ You don't dress... that funny... anymore. /he said in a somewhat 'reassuring voice'/
Piper: *looks thoughtful* Hmmm... *pulls out a piece of paper and jots down the tones, frequencies and durations*
Digger: /chuckles and shakes his head/ Scientist and Musician at work. Want something to drink? Food? I managed to cobble the microwave back together earlier!
Piper: *grins and hefts the bag* Ah, that's what I brought! I stopped by O'Malley's and picked up one of their St. Paddy's Day dinners.
Digger: /grinning he almost felt like trying to peek in himself like a child/ Really? /he knew he didn't have to ask if there was alcohol in it/ Oh, by the by, we're safe. Koan turns off his Digger-O-Vision when you show up now. /He nodded to himself and was also looking back at the rat/ You are somehow connected to him, not just as his friend but somehow you are energetically connected.
Piper: *nods* I kinda guessed that when his eyes started glowing too. *pulls the meal out and then, with great pride, a six-pack of authentic Irish Guiness* Ta-dahhh!
Digger: /titling his head he looked from the guinness to Piper and back/ I don't suppose that is non-alcoholic?
Piper: *beams* You guess correctly. Can't get this outside of Ireland unfortunately.. but Ireland does have a rather large alcoholism problem.
Digger: /breathes a sigh of relief/ was worried there for a second, mate. Thought I'd have to check you over! /chuckling he goes ahead and starts tidying up a place to eat and drink/ What is the rat's name? And shall we atch something while we eat?
Piper: this one is Rathaniel *scritches the rat's head*
Digger: Well, Rathaniel, it is very nice to meet you. Did Piper bring you a special treat for today as well? Or shall we see what you might like from the kitchen? /he'd not been kidding about the fact that he liked rodents, he had wanted a capy as a kid, but them, being the largest rodents on the planet? His mother really would have had a heart attack./
Piper: they like carrots but really, they'll be mugging us for scraps. Three of them tagged along, is that okay?
Digger: /laughing he nodded/ It's fine! As long as you introduce them! Do you think one of them would deign to let me hold them? I promise I wouldn't hurt them. What exactly is in our dinners? /he automatically flicked the remote on, he tended to like background noise, even if he wasn't directly watching it, a habit he'd picked up since being back/
Piper: *whistles and chirps at them and one pokes her nose out of his kangaroo pocket and whiffles at
Digger* That one's Hermie, she's willing.
Digger: /smiling he holds out his hands for her to come into his hands/ Yer a pretty little Sheila, aren't ya? /he completely ignored the young 'girl' that walked through the living room, turned, and went into the kitchen, the fridge opened, closed, and she wandered back through and disappeared the way she'd come, despite ignoring her and paying attention only to the rat Digger said/ Yeah, you have to be careful which strays you feed, sometimes, they don't leave. /in the other room a dozy voice called out 'I heard that'/
Piper: *the rats react to the perfectly ordinary-looking girl - negatively. Piper arches an eyebrow, stroking them and calming them*
Digger: /stroking the one in his hands says/ I do the same thing, baby. I do the saaaame thing. /then got a bit of a sad look/ Eventually, they'll do the same thing to me. /it was said softly, forgetting a moment that Piper could hear him/
Piper: what? Ignore you?
Digger: No, frightened. Or worried, they won't want me to touch them. Cats already look at me with suspicion. I'm not sure why they are the first to notice. Dogs still give me a dumb look. But, eventually... these little guys, they're going to cringe from me. /frowning he gently stroked his fingers down the rat's fur/
Piper: ......why would they do that?
Digger: /looking up at Piper, he gives him a weak smile/ For the same reason that they don't like Nicki in there. That they don't like Koan. And if they met Derrick, they'd also probably scamper away. What did your rats tell you about Koan? I'm curious to hear... their side?
Piper: he doesn't smell right to them. He doesn't smell at all. And he doesn't sound right, to any of us. There's a whole register missing from his voice.
Digger: /small smile/ Age tells, eventually. That girl in there? Is over eighty years old. /he tilted his head to the side/ Ask Hermie to sniff, really deeply, and then compare it to... you? It won't be much. Probably rather subtle... Don't be surprised if she rushes back to you, either.
Piper: *does so, then listens. He shakes his head* She says you smell alright to her. tthough she doesn't like the cologne you were wearing four days ago.
Digger: /laughing he shook his head/ I wasn't wearing colonge four days ago... Though, I might start. It'll take time for me to lose whatever it is that will set them off. As I said, the cats already look at me with suspicion.
Piper: *softly* Why? What are you now, Digger?
Digger: I don't know what I can tell you that they'd allow? I know he's not watching me, right now? /he looked toward the ceiling as he spoke/ I know we're allowed to tell people that I'm metahuman, which... is a decent description. I'm allowed to tell people I'm a Medium, if they wonder about it. Pat knows only about as much as you do now, but that's because of her powers. She can figure out when someone is not 'human'. /he looked down/ I want to be honest with you, so figured I should tell you as much as I can. Nicki is like me? Only she's eighty years old. Looks fifteen. Derrick looks to be in his twenties, and he's around a hundred. And Koan came by, to tell me, that while he couldn't hear what we spoke of... that he knew enough that he wanted 'no part' in what is going on.
Piper: *misinterpreting which part of the conversation Digger means* He's homophobic?
Digger: /gently laughs and shakes his head/ No, your powers. They scare him because he doesn't want to 'know' about them. If he does, someone might question HIM, and then it might disrupt his personal life. He's happy in his station. 'Independent contractor' you could put it. He frees Hell-bound slaves and makes us his employees. But he couldn't hear us last night, Piper. But he could see your eyes. And he said he will continue to turn a blind eye to us. I wonder if he has a sexuality? /then he shuddered/ Never mind, I remember some of the beings down there... I don't want to 'see' that again any time soon or imagine it... /he muttered the word tentacles/
Piper: *digests that for a few moments -- tentacle-demons have a basis in 'reality', well that's proof there is no god.*
Digger: /getting over his shudder fit he shook it off and then shook his head/ There are some things, you just really realllly wish you could 'unsee' /he offered a tiny smile/ But anyway, Koan is going to stay out of this, he told me that. He also told me to guard the secrets well, and warned me about the others that would and might be interested. I'm... trying to be as up front with you, as I possibly can.
Piper: *nods, thinking about it* so what i've got.... scares them....? is that..... good?
Digger: It's either very very good, or very very bad? Or one of those things that can go either way depending on the person that weilds it. Considering the type of power I suspect you're carrying? I think it can be a force for good, if channeled right. I need to do some more research... somehow... well, WE need to do some more research. I just don't know the course to take yet. I may or may not have an ally, I haven't determined which side he's on.
Piper: *thinks some more, deciding which questions to ask first* ... what is it you suspect I'm carrying?
Digger: /blowing out a slow breath he was obviously trying to figure out how to frame his words/ We already know you have the power to control. But I suspect its a bit more than that. I don't know how to phrase it. It has to do with your... connection to music? It's... wrapped up in... that. Music is a kind of... damn it. We use the term energy to try to make it all scientific./ he said in frustration at last/ But in truth it is a magic. Energy and Magic. Two terms for the same damn thing sometimes. /he looked down and then back up/ You are a creator... of some kind. Your magic is in your music, your words, and your deeds. I wish I had the words for this. /he rubbed at his forehead, thinking it would have helped if he'd been schooled in a regular school perhaps? he had no words/
Piper: *thinks about it some more* and these... associates of yours.. coworkers.... they don't want anything to do with it...
Digger: /he stifled a laugh/ You have the potential to create. We... /the smile faded a little/ lead it away. /he put his finger to his lips and raised his brows, but still looked a little sad and hoped that Nicki wasn't listening, but she was asleep, snoring in the other room, he was safe/
Piper: *thinks about that then lifts troubled eyes to his friend* Digger? ...are you.... a demon now? ...is that what you're trying not to tell me?
Digger: /he looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes, then it was a small nod of his head/ We are the only ones that will do this job. Not... /he lowered his voice to a bare whisper but trusted Piper could still hear him/ the reason the Gremlins are after me, is because I helped a little boy cross over to Heaven to be with his mother, instead of letting them have him. His... /the voice dropped lower/ reaper... didn't take care of him. I found them chasing him. If they'd caught him? They would have tortured him till he became a malignant entity. The kind that haunts? But I helped him crossover. Then later, I met Pat's Tommy, and... saw to it that he also got to Heaven. I'm... kind of not doing my job right? I'm only supposed to ferry souls bound to hell! But I swear, I don't kill. No!
Piper: *nods, digesting this. his eyes are full of sympathy for his friend. the restrictions on him though... and.... he indicates the little she-rat who still allows Digger to stroke her* She says you don't smell the same as the girl or the other one. She insists she can smell a difference.
Digger: /gently stroking her he smiles at her/ I hope I can smell right for a long time. But, I am a 'baby' compared to them. But it does bring me to my... next point. When I ferried the boy to Heaven, someone else appeared. He didn't really stay long. Just, said I did a good job and to keep it up. But warned that the Gremlins would be after me. I... I can't really remember much about it anymore. The details are fading. But, I think he's... from the other side of the equation. My gut tells me that they are very 'non-interference'. I don't know. Don't know what to think about it. But he saw me, Piper. No one but ghosts and Gremlins sees me when I astral project!
Piper: You can do that?
Digger: /nodding slowly/ Yeah, it's a good way of doing it subtly. Get in, get out. No one sees me at the scene. I try to reap them before they actually die, so that they don't uh... feel it? /he winced/ But yeah, though I have learned be careful where I leave my body. /he snorted/ Woke up in an ambulance once. Screwed up said I had been hit by a car, because I knew my reap had been hit by a car, but didn't realize they'd called for my ambulance BEFORE the car hit him. boy that was a mess... had to make it look good. time passes differently there. Gotta really watch the time.
Piper: I.. might be able to help with that... I could make a widget that plays a variant of my unnoticeability theme, maybe?
Piper: So that's what really happened? Tricks knew you were lying about the car. no, iwon't tell him, if you don't want me to.
Digger: /took a deep breath and nodded/ That's what really happened. I don't think it would be the safest thing to tell him. I'm already worried about telling you. But... I... I trust you. /his eyes flicked downward/ And, and I don't want to lie to you. It feels... wrong. Very, wrong. I... I'm not used to feeling like that. I'm... just not used to this. /he sighed and shook his head looking away, it was the oddest feeling and unusual for him/ I still have a bit of paranoia. It's not the first time I've 'ever' trusted someone, but I keep telling myself this is not the same. YOU aren't him. You are you. And we are here. And... you won't betray my trust. /his heart thumped hard and fast in his chest, telling of his nervousness as well as the giant leap in faith he'd just extended to Piper/
Piper: *gently* no, I won't.
Digger: /he closed his eyes and applied a small kiss to Hermie's back, gentle/ Thank you. /he opened his eyes/ And, if you can make that widget? I would appreicate it. /small smile/ I don't like to wander too far from my body so far. So it is best if I can get in as close as I can!
After Piper returns home...
"Hi guys, I'm back... Yeah, sorry guys, Hermie and Hettie decided to stay with Digger.. They wanted to be his friends..aaaaand help him with a little infestation problem he's having. Don't worry, he'll take good care of them."
'Infestation'... hmph. Well, I got the tones, I can build a few widgets for him, help him out a little.
.....What they say about 'ignorance is bliss' though... What if I know too much, now? Even Digger wasn't sure how much he could tell me.
It's strange... I never used to like Digger Harkness at all and now I feel so close to him... I wonder if that's a demonic effect, to lure me in, or if it's just he's really trying that hard? I hope it's the latter. But.... I felt so relaxed with him the other night, I almost told him my name. I mean, he'd figured out that I'm gay - I still can't get over that I never spotted he was bisexual, he was damned good at hiding it... And.. I'd told James... But now.... now, I can't.
I know a little about these things, not much but enough to know that there's power in names. Many of us - me, James, Digger - we don't use our real names and now I'm thinking that's a good thing. Because in the areas that Digger's talking about, if you have someone's real name, you have power over them. Digger doesn't know my real name and he doesn't know James's real name either. I feel bad that he's trusting me with all of this information, and I can't 'fair trade', so to speak. But Digger's trying to protect us, so..... I think he would understand.
"Hm? Message on the machine, huh?"
....oh GOD...!!!!! Oh James.... You are such a goofball... Don't ever change, baby, don't ever change.