welcome to the house of fun [01]

[sees_lies]

Johnny wakes in the well-worn armchair in one corner of his apartment and rises immediately-a mistake. Vertigo overtakes him and he has to sit back down until the world stops spinning. In those few, disorienting seconds, he forgets something, something he's sure was important. Damn. He plucks his keys from the mantle without noticing the fireplace

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[instrument_of]

Dave's starting to feel sobered up by the time he leaves the diner, hands deep in his pockets. He stayed there even longer than Grant, just zoning out, absently paging through the newspaper, trying to get his brain back on track. The air outside is crisp and cool but not enough to hurt his lungs. He inhales.

Well, he thinks. Well. He could go back to his apartment and get drunk again, or he could... he could find other distractions, better distractions that don't leave him with a headache in the morning. How could he have forgotten about the Machine? He remembers his mother bringing him here when he was just a child, cotton candy making his mouth and fingers sticky, illusions and magicians, roller-coasters he could raise his hands on. Happy memories.

He doesn't feel happy, though, as he approaches the entrance and heads inside, weaving through the crowds. He buys a cotton candy and tries to recreate the life of a ten year old, fails, and then starts to feel... good. There's a several minute delay between the rush of well-being and

[sees_lies]

Johnny glances back at the other man, then back at the door. The other man looks like he's spent some time at the bottom of a bottle lately, but at least he seems to be a happy drunk.

Might as well goes in, Johnny figures. "Oh. Scary?" he asks, pulling the lever.

[instrument_of]

"Umm," he says, because for the quickest moment, he can't even remember. It's not a concerned 'um,' though - merely a lazy consideration. He's still smiling.

"It's scary for kids," he says finally. Or at least that's what his brain fills in for him. Wonderful, wonderful confabulations. "I remember enjoying it, but that was a very long time ago." He runs his hand through his hair.

[sees_lies]

The doorway swings open slowly, revealing a short, featureless hallway, exactly the width and height of the doorframe. A single light in the ceiling shines down on the black floor. At the end of the hall is a mirror. Johnny looks back at Dave, then at his own reflection, then up at the light. "Huh."

He steps inside. Music is coming from somewhere deeper in the House, a tune he's absolutely sure he knows but can't place. A few paces farther, the single light directly above him, he turns back to the other man. "You coming?"