[EVENT] Lavender's Blue [open]

[snowblindmods]

Characters: anyone and everyone
Location all around town
Date: Night 180
Summary: Kill the sinners or run for your lives.
Warnings: Horror, potential gore and death. Please note more specific warnings in subject lines!

close we will live, dilly dilly
and when we die
both in one grave, dilly dilly
close we will lie

Comments

[averytinyparticle]

[Quark's head is swirling with thoughts of violence and anger and righteousness when House addresses him. He stiffens, turning slowly. He hadn't heard anyone approach. Honestly, didn't even know where he was going himself, or really where he was to begin with. He sees House for what he is now: a sinner. A bad person. Just like everyone was always saying. It makes his throat tighten.

He doesn't want to hurt House.

The knife clutched in his right hand is already covered in blood. It looks pretty fresh.

He doesn't want to hurt House.

Quark sways on his feet, his expression clearly conflicted even with his strange eyes.]

Why...are you one of them?

[rubikscomplex]

[Okay. Taking this calmly. He's pretty sure he can outrun the kid if he needs to.]

'Them' just means I erased eyes a couple weeks ago, kid. There's nothing different between us except that you drew eyes. Don't let it get into your head.

[It's clearly already in his head.]

[averytinyparticle]

No...no! That's not true! You're the one who's trying to get into my head!

[His free hand trembles as he brings it up to wipe over his face.]

You're supposed to die.

[Quark breaths deeply, like he's trying to overcome a war raging inside of himself.]

But I don't want you to die.

[rubikscomplex]

I've died four times. Clearly, someone wants me alive.

[averytinyparticle]

[Quark struggles for words for a long moment. Struggles with far, far more than that. Maybe...maybe this really is wrong? House is a liar, but he's not the sort of liar that would lie about this kind of thing, right? It doesn't make sense. Augh, why doesn't it make any sense?]

I'm so confused.

[The words are small, meant more for himself than anything. He blinks his Prophet-eyes a few times. Then, with a shaking hand, he manages to put his knife away.]

You have to get away from me, Mr. House. No--you have to--you have to make sure I can't get to you.

[He doesn't know how long this feeling is going to last: this regard for the life of another. It feels like trying to stay inside of a skin he's already shed.]

[rubikscomplex]

[Okay. Putting the knife away is a good sign. It means Quark isn't entirely too far gone.]

I'm not killing you.

[That's non-negotiable. However... House reaches back to one of the side pockets of this backpack, keeping his eyes on the boy. He holds up the handcuffs when he has them briefly shining his light on them for Quark's benefit.]

But we can make sure you don't go anywhere tonight.

[averytinyparticle]

[Not being killed is good--Quark doesn't want to die. But where the handcuffs should be a comfort, fear and anger shoot across his face. Quark grinds his teeth, sucks in a breath, counts to five slowly in his head. This is the best they can do, he reminds himself.]

Okay.

[Some part of him remembers his manners as he steps forward, holding his arms out. This is both to be helpful and to show that he's not going to reach for his knife again. Or maybe to tell himself that he's not going to reach for his knife again.]

Thank you, Mr. House.

[rubikscomplex]

Thank me when this is done, kid. C'mere. [House steps forward and tightens one of the cuffs around Quark's narrow wrist. He doesn't do the other one, just grasps hold of the hand and leads Quark by that over to one of the little employee side rooms in the museum. There's a railing that looks solid enough inside there.]

Pull your pack off and get comfortable. Gimme your weapons.

[House attaches the other end to the railing, clamping it tight.]

[averytinyparticle]

[Pulling off his pack is easy enough to accomplish. He sets it down off to the side, but hesitates when it comes to his weapons. Quark's immediate urge is to say that he has no weapons. But of course House knows he has his knife, because he was just brandishing it. He turns his eyes down toward the ground and frowns.

Maybe this is a bad idea.

Maybe he should take one last chance to swipe at House.

Quark shakes his head, chastising himself, and finally pulls the knife back out of the pocket he stashed it in.]

This is the only one I have.

[rubikscomplex]

[House takes the knife and chucks it away across the room. It clatters against the wall and falls behind some rubble.]

Now no one has it. Not me, not you.

[He pulls out his own tablet.]

I'm gonna film you to see what it looks like.

[averytinyparticle]

[Quark tenses as he watches the knife disappear. He fights the instinct to run after it, which makes his knees shake.]

What do you think you'll see? Static or general distortion?

[It seems like anything weird always turns to static.]

[rubikscomplex]

Distortion. Probably like we get in the morgue.

[But actually, there doesn't appear to be all that much in the way of distortions when House focuses the camera on Quark. He flips on his Eye App and the boy's eyes glow like lamps.]

Well, that's interesting.

[averytinyparticle]

[Interesting?]

What is it?

[And a part of him chides that he shouldn't be curious to anything that House has to say. He's part of what's wrong with this town, after all. He's a sinner, the enemy, he needs to be eliminated. Quark swallows down the thoughts as best he can.]

[rubikscomplex]

No distortions, but your eyes are glowing with the Prophet Eye app on. Makes sense.

[He'll turn the screen around and press the reply for Quark to watch.] Get your tablet out and tell me if I'm distorted on the feed.

[It might be challenging when Quark only has one hand free, but House will wait.]

[averytinyparticle]

[Indeed it does take him a few minutes. Partially due to being limited, and part because his thoughts rebel against following these experiments. A sinner's way of wasting time, that's all it is. It's not really science or research at all. He gnashes his teeth together and forces himself to do what House says. Finally, he shakes his head.]

No distortion.

[rubikscomplex]

[House can tell the kid is fighting hard against whatever's inside his head. It's one of the rare occasions that the doctor's voice softens.]

Send that to me when the town isn't screwing with your head, okay, Quark? I'm heading out. Whatever your brain's telling you right now, just remember everybody lies.

We tell the worst lies to ourselves...

[House puts his tablet again and pulls on his pack, rising up.]

If I'm alive by morning, I'll come get you.

[averytinyparticle]

Thanks, Mr. House.

[He nearly bites his tongue to stop the words from coming out--that there's no way he'll live. Not when there are other believers out there ready to take him down for the cause. He nods shakily.]

I'll see you tomorrow.

[He doesn't want to hope for the worst. That's not him--some part of him still knows it.]

[rubikscomplex]

We'll see. Try not to kill anyone.

[And with that, House is off, away from the small, brainwashed child, hating the Prophet with a new passion. Or whatever it is hijacking all this bullshit Prophet symbolism.]