fifteenth soul | video

[soulcontracts]

[Johannes Cabal, a necromancer of some little infamy, has returned to Adstringendum. He is holding the PCD at an odd angle, thumb half over the camera, the old police station clearly in view behind him. His face is flushed, eyes glazed, and he seems to be dressed in pajamas.]

-- not again.

[His voice is cracking and dull from disuse, and,

Comments

[jackedthename]

[Have a few moments of quiet study, then:]

You alright?

[soulcontracts]

[Johannes has taken a seat by the time he turns the device on again. Some sort of communication tool?

He's out of breath, sitting unsteadily.]

Who - are you?

[Seething, through his teeth.]

[jackedthename]

[A little guarded, now:]

Jack. You know me. Or you did.

[soulcontracts]

[He's having a little trouble breathing. He'll be fine; he just doesn't feel great at the moment.]

Funny.

[snarkypotions]

So you're back.

[soulcontracts]

Another hallucination. It's becoming cliched.

[Johannes is barely managing to hold himself into a sitting position.]

[snarkypotions]

Certainly a very odd one if you're hallucinating me and someone else. What happened to you?

[soulcontracts]

The Dreamlands. If I'm not there now, where am I?

[Video]

[quitethespoiler]

[Well, death and everything aside, River looks exhausted. But -- the tiniest pique of interest -- ]

-- did you just curse the name of Nyarlothotep?

[As in -- of Cthulu legend?

-- also, you look like something of a smarmy jerk, so River will ask about your well-being shortly.]

[Video]

[soulcontracts]

This is his doing again. I'm not going to fall for the same trick twice.

[He's out of breath by the time he answers you, River. He is clearly not at peak mental capacity.]

[Video]

[quitethespoiler]

Oh, you've met him.

[She sounds interested, and not at all disbelieving.]

How fascinating -- do you need any help? You look as if he beat you upside the head with Chaos itself.

[Video]

[soulcontracts]

Met him, traveled with him - slept in the same verdammt house as him.

[He sounds wearied, only half truly coherent.]

And you're another avatar, I suppose. Clever.

[neverquitedies]

[A pause. And then.]

Johannes.

[soulcontracts]

[Johannes is home, sitting at his coffee table and having a difficult time of catching his breath still when he does answer.]

I must have been popular.

[neverquitedies]

You don't remember.

[Typical.]

[soulcontracts]

I kept a journal.

[It's in his penmanship, but he's always so dubious of things in his hand that he doesn't remember writing.]

[Video]

[feel_nevermore]

Johannes. [A small smirk.] Nice pajamas.

[Admittedly, you're not the Cabal brother she'd have wish to get back first but she's glad to see him back. It gives her hope, somehow. Only his last word startles her a bit.]

...Nyarlothotep?

[Video]

[soulcontracts]

Surprised they're not eaten half-through with moths. I haven't worn them in years.

[He brings a hand to his mouth to mask a cough.]

And yes, Nyarlothotep, the crawling chaos, the trickster, Loki, Anansi - he and I haven't been getting along.

[Video]

[feel_nevermore]

Oh. So today's special, then?

[She notices the cough and eyes Johannes, non-plussed.] You're sick?

I see. And how did you two become acquainted?

[Video]

[soulcontracts]

Looking a bit to feed your ego, then?

[He wipes at his forehead with his sleeve, catching his breath.]

Unless you're not actually an avatar of his -- and in that case, my apologies.