And So Theseus Fell (hiatus)

Until Kingdom Come

hey before the pain starts, shout-out to Panda__Rat__ for being literally the only one who knows who Clara is. CLARA IS NOT THE GIRLFRIEND HE BUILT. WHEN LISTENING TO CHIRP IN EXILE, TOMMY SAID IT REMINDED HIM OF AN ASTRONAUT NAMED CLARA. ok enjoy. :)

The area around Techno's cabin is serene to the point where nothing feels real. The snow acts as a blanket, muffling the loud and stressful chaos from the outside world. The house itself is in the middle of some snowy plains, and the clearing is enwrapped by a spruce forest. Wilbur said at one point that the area "felt like a hug", and despite the unfamiliarity Tommy has with that feeling, he agrees. His only hugs since dying have been from an ice-cold ghost who's body steams when it comes in contact with Tommy's, the drastic temperature differences causing some sort of reaction.

Tommy can only pretend to recognize the feeling of a hug. But he's sure they don't involve sizzling. If a hug really does remind Wilbur of the forest around Techno's field, then it seems great. The forest drowns out everything but the field. The only sounds are crunching footsteps in snow and sparse amounts of wildlife navigating the forest. Sometimes, when it snows, you can hear the light pattering of snow as it hits the surface, or when the breeze comes through, you can hear the branches rustling. It's comforting.

"The snow feels so weird," Tommy complains, looking down at his feet, which burn with every step he takes. "Is it like this for you?"

"Yeah, we ghosts can't touch water or snow. Or we go psssssssss," Wilbur answers, mimicking the hissing noises that him and Tommy make every time they touch the snow.

"Tommy, I have a question," Wilbur asks, stopping in his tracks. Tommy stops too, and turns around to face him.

"Yeah?"

"I remember the good things. And I don't know why, but that includes dying. I remember it all. Do you remember my death?"

Tommy hesitates for a moment, scouring his memory. In the past week since he's come back, he's remembered only a few small things, like people yelling at him or betraying him. But he did remember one major thing. "Yeah, I remember," he mumbles mournfully. He remembers standing near a crater, and seeing a hole in a mountain that revealed the interior of a cold cave that'd been turned into some kind of control room. In the room, there stood Wilbur and a man who Tommy is less familiar with. He wore a green white bucket hat and matching outfit, and had braids throughout his rugged blond hair. But his most distinguishable feature was the pair of massive white wings on his back. But in that moment, his feathers were burnt up and he appeared to have used them as some kind of shield, leaving tears throughout them. 

Tommy doesn't remember exactly the conversation the two had, but he remembers hearing shouting. Wilbur was angry, or excited. It was hard to tell. And the other man, Tommy believes his name is Phil, shouted too. He was angry too. Except his anger was more hurt. He sounded almost guilty, like he'd been the cause for whatever lead to the massive crater and Wilbur's complex emotional range as smoke rose from the remains of whatever used to lie there. Wilbur shouted at Phil, but didn't seem to feel any sort of way towards the man himself. It was all just some internalized conflict. Phil was just roped into it. Wilbur picked up a sword off the ground, and shoved it into Phil's arms. And with one last exchange, Phil roped him into a hug before quite literally stabbing him in the back. But Wilbur seemed happy. He was free. 

"I don't think I was there for your death. I probably wouldn't have remembered it, but I feel like if I was there with you when it happened, I would've been with you when you woke up," Wilbur explains. "Tommy, do you really not remember dying?"

Tommy wants to lie and says he remembers it. He doesn't want to face the fact that maybe he forgets it for a reason. But he can't even come up with a story. "I truly don't. I've tried so hard to figure it out, but I can't."