It wasn't a movie, dick. Trust me, I wish it was. The guy was an asshole, you try running from a dude that can switch between dog, bat, and a floating douchebag that can make walls of fire, for some goddamn reason.
( there is a moment of doubt that shivers in the brain connection. because historically, when Steve tries to talk about fog stuff, people act like he's fucking crazy.
only, he knows he isn't crazy. Quentin is here now, and he remembers My Little Oni and being murdered for sport by fictional characters, too. and while it would be a little rich for Louis, the vampire man trapped in a foggy hell dimension, to not believe him... whatever. he doesn't need to be believed like he did before. )
Why do you think? Because he was trying to kill me. That was my whole life before I got stuck here. Trying not to die and not let anybody else die, either.
[ no, they couldn't have all been vampires. otherwise Steve would have been way more freaked out with him. but hunting people for sport does sound like something his kind would do. ]
Just one vampire. Dracula. Sorry, Lord Dracula. ( Steve's impersonation of The Dark Lord is somehow both spot on AND deeply mocking. ) You know him? That dude sucks.
( Steve, you can't just assume all vampires know each other!!! )
I mean that's all there was. It was like it is here, all foggy and stuck and no way out, only worse, because here I don't blink and end up in a trial with some crazy ass killer trying to murder me and all my friends. Well, not yet, anyway.
( the hint of disbelief makes the doubt grow a little wider. is it dumb to keep talking about all this? because truly, nobody is ever going to get it. well, nobody but Quentin, anyway. and since Louis was ready to put him in incompetent baby jail before having reason to think he was mentally unsound, it is probably not doing Steve any favors to hand the guy ammunition. )
No. I'm from Indiana. That was a whole shit show, too, but I'd still go back to all the Upside Down crap over being murdered over and over.
( saying that out loud (well, in his brain) makes Steve feel guilty. immediate and sharp. it is definitely true he would rather not go back to being murdered over and over, he cannot help but feel like he shouldn't be out when so many people are still stuck, still suffering, still dying.
this conversation has accidentally gotten a lot more serious than he intended. 😔 )
No, I don't think you're mentally unsound. [ using his own words he picked from his head to make a point. ] I think you've gone through a hell that would scar anyone. You called it a trial, which suggests there was a possibility of winning, but it sounds like the whole game was rigged against you. Just by being forced to participate, you had already lost.
[ both mentally and physically. it's too easy to see the similarities to the sadistic games his kind enjoyed playing with their victims in Paris. making them think they could escape which made them only more desperate. he might sound heartless, discussing this so calmly, but he understands cruelty. ]
I'm sorry to hear it was like that for you and your friends.
( he ... hold on, did he call it a trial? the perils of brain messaging. how do you really know what parts you thought out loud?
Steve doesn't have much time to worry about thinking more than he meant to, though. yes, so Louis is being somewhat detached and clinical about it. all the same, having someone older, someone that he likes, and even somewhat questionably trust, validate his experience instead of dismissing it, someone seeing and understanding and saying out loud how fucked up all of it is — it is really overwhelming, actually. in a good way, a really good way, but it's certainly a bit foreign.
Steve does not exactly know what to say in response, though... maybe the brain connection can do the heavy lifting on that one. he doesn't have to say it, because Louis already felt it. )
Yeah. Me too. ( this is putting it real fucking mildly, actually. ) I hate that I'm here and they're there and I don't know how to get back.
[ it's okay. he felt it loud and clear. healthy moments in relationships have been a rarity in his life too, but his practice in parenting is finally paying off. the response to Steve is understanding and gentle. ]
( steve has somewhat experienced the eclipse smelling like the 80s, but he just found it nostalgic. in his defense, knowing what you smell like is kinda hard!!! )
At first I thought I was just craving a cigarette really badly, but it's more than that.
It's the scent that's coming from inside the earth. The mist outside. It has got traces of your smell and cigarette smoke. [ he's quiet for a moment as he tries to pin it down. ] No, it's the other way around. Your smell has traces of that smell. Cologne that you used to wear but don't anymore.
[ sorry to sound like a creepy stalker, but this has been really bothering him. ]
( for all the vampire powers Steve was guessing, super smell was just not on the agenda. this is more details about his olfactory impression than even he was aware of. what do you mean Louis can smell he used to wear cologne, back when he got to have a somewhat normal life??? )
Look man. I don't know. Because this place is a trippy ass nightmare dimension. How about that.
Your guess is as good as mine. Better, apparently. Could we never talk about exactly how I smell ever again, because that would be great.
( Steve would leave it there, but... fine, okay, he had that whole hissy fit about Louis edging him out when things got serious. he should at least attempt to follow along here, even if the brainiac theorizing has NEVER been his strong suit. )
Not really. It's just mist, man. I don't think the mist means anything.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Did he also pull a rabbit out of a hat? You've seen too many scary movies, Steve.
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It wasn't a movie, dick. Trust me, I wish it was. The guy was an asshole, you try running from a dude that can switch between dog, bat, and a floating douchebag that can make walls of fire, for some goddamn reason.
( ... ... . . .. )
So can you do the fire thing?
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No. Why was he chasing you, Steve?
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only, he knows he isn't crazy. Quentin is here now, and he remembers My Little Oni and being murdered for sport by fictional characters, too. and while it would be a little rich for Louis, the vampire man trapped in a foggy hell dimension, to not believe him... whatever. he doesn't need to be believed like he did before. )
Why do you think? Because he was trying to kill me. That was my whole life before I got stuck here. Trying not to die and not let anybody else die, either.
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You were hunted by vampires?
[ no, they couldn't have all been vampires. otherwise Steve would have been way more freaked out with him. but hunting people for sport does sound like something his kind would do. ]
What do you mean, your whole life?
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( Steve, you can't just assume all vampires know each other!!! )
I mean that's all there was. It was like it is here, all foggy and stuck and no way out, only worse, because here I don't blink and end up in a trial with some crazy ass killer trying to murder me and all my friends. Well, not yet, anyway.
( he is NOT ruling it out!!! )
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[ a mix of disbelief and mild amusement. not at Steve's anguish but. Dracula? seriously? what? Louis frowns to himself. ]
It sounds like a nightmare. [ just like this place. ] If you say you were stuck there too, does that mean that wasn't your home?
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No. I'm from Indiana. That was a whole shit show, too, but I'd still go back to all the Upside Down crap over being murdered over and over.
( saying that out loud (well, in his brain) makes Steve feel guilty. immediate and sharp. it is definitely true he would rather not go back to being murdered over and over, he cannot help but feel like he shouldn't be out when so many people are still stuck, still suffering, still dying.
this conversation has accidentally gotten a lot more serious than he intended. 😔 )
You think I'm a complete nutcase, don't you.
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[ both mentally and physically. it's too easy to see the similarities to the sadistic games his kind enjoyed playing with their victims in Paris. making them think they could escape which made them only more desperate. he might sound heartless, discussing this so calmly, but he understands cruelty. ]
I'm sorry to hear it was like that for you and your friends.
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Steve doesn't have much time to worry about thinking more than he meant to, though. yes, so Louis is being somewhat detached and clinical about it. all the same, having someone older, someone that he likes, and even somewhat questionably trust, validate his experience instead of dismissing it, someone seeing and understanding and saying out loud how fucked up all of it is — it is really overwhelming, actually. in a good way, a really good way, but it's certainly a bit foreign.
Steve does not exactly know what to say in response, though... maybe the brain connection can do the heavy lifting on that one. he doesn't have to say it, because Louis already felt it. )
Yeah. Me too. ( this is putting it real fucking mildly, actually. ) I hate that I'm here and they're there and I don't know how to get back.
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We're doing our best to figure it out, aren't we?
Give it time. We'll have our answers soon enough.
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instead he'll go back to invasive questions about the rules and logic of Anne Rice vampires. 😇 )
Don't think I didn't notice you dodging the wall of fire question.
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What was the fire thing again? Pretty sure I can't do it.
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( hopefully there is room in this friendship for affectionate negging 🥰 )
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[ he's leaving out the mind reading on purpose. mortals don't need to know everything. ]
Can I ask you something?
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( rip his dreams of having demon dog with pyrokinesis on his side tho 😔🙏 )
I owe you a couple at this point, so shoot.
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( steve has somewhat experienced the eclipse smelling like the 80s, but he just found it nostalgic. in his defense, knowing what you smell like is kinda hard!!! )
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It's the scent that's coming from inside the earth. The mist outside. It has got traces of your smell and cigarette smoke. [ he's quiet for a moment as he tries to pin it down. ] No, it's the other way around. Your smell has traces of that smell. Cologne that you used to wear but don't anymore.
[ sorry to sound like a creepy stalker, but this has been really bothering him. ]
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Look man. I don't know. Because this place is a trippy ass nightmare dimension. How about that.
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You think this is totally random? Unrelated to everything? A big fucking coincidence?
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( being sassy about the situation likely isn't helpful. but why is Steve supposed to know why the eclipse smells like him??? )
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[ this is ridiculous and it's actually kind of funny to hear Steve lose his mind, but his tone is kind. ]
I'm asking if you have any idea why it would be so? Does the mist mean anything to you?
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( Steve would leave it there, but... fine, okay, he had that whole hissy fit about Louis edging him out when things got serious. he should at least attempt to follow along here, even if the brainiac theorizing has NEVER been his strong suit. )
Not really. It's just mist, man. I don't think the mist means anything.
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[ because he can definitely do that. he's so eager to get to the bottom of this smell mystery. ]
We ruled out it being a coincidence, so whatever's causing all this must be related to you somehow.
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