aefenglom | Network: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

[ With just a few words, Lydia manages to reassure two prominent, niggling fears that have kept Stiles awake at night: First, that his father might have relapsed in the hospital following his surgery, and second, that his father might have been affected by the hunter versus supernatural war Gerard allegedly machinated. While it’s possible that she might be lying to him, Stiles isn’t so paranoid as to start second guessing her; maybe it’s arrogant, but he likes to think he could tell if she was being dishonest. He only spent most of their childhood and teenage years obsessing over her, after all. ]

That’s…great. [ Voice thick with emotion, he drops his wrist for a moment so the video capture doesn’t show just how affected he is by relief. ] Thanks, Lydia. I’ve…I’ve needed to hear that.

[ It’s tempting to ask about the rest of the pack, yet he can’t quite manage to get Scott’s name out past the lump in his throat. ]

I’ll be there soon, [ he says, bringing the camera level once more. ] So, uh… Wh-where did you end up? For college, I mean.

[ When Stiles's face disappears from view briefly, Lydia's own smile slips away into something a little more drawn with sympathy. She realizes belatedly that she hasn't actually asked how long Stiles has been here. So when he appears again she shrugs, a small smile that falls just shy of her eyes pulls up the corners of her mouth, just a little. ]

MIT. Stiles, how long have you been here, anyway...?

[ She's curious how exactly he can be here when she doesn't recall him ever going missing back home. Although, actually...she never did ask him what happened when the Ghost Riders took him; it was just one of those things they didn't talk about and probably never would. Like the nogitsune. But he'd been taken by the Ghost Riders senior year, too. Yeah, he'd said that they'd just started, but had they just started or was he still in denial about just how close they all were to scattering to the winds and they weren't just starting so much as well into the year? Part of her doesn't want to ask that, either and that part wins out. For now, at least. ]

Long enough to turn eighteen. Guess who’s officially legal?

[ Not unlike her smile, the humor doesn’t quite reach his eyes. ]

It’s been four months, [ he admits wearily. ] So, not nearly as long as some of the oldest Mirrorbound here, but still four months too long for me.

[ Stiles has never been away from his father for such an extended period of time. Or Scott, though he doesn’t dwell on that thought. ]

But, hey! MIT. That’s amazing, Lydia. They have no idea how lucky they are to have you.

[ The Plan had involved everyone in the pack going to more local schools in California, yet it comes as no real surprise that said “plan” failed spectacularly. Maybe it was always destined to. “Control is overrated” – isn’t that what he’d told Malia? Speaking of… ]

How’d things work out for Malia? I, uh… [ An awkward pause. ] I know we broke up – I mean, I experienced that in the timeline before coming here. I just want to make sure she did okay with school.

I'm sorry I wasn't here for it.

[ Her brow creases at that, trying to figure out how long Stiles was gone in the Hunt. It definitely wasn't that long, but it could still account for some of the time, maybe... Or maybe it was the Hunt and it just felt like time was moving differently for Stiles. She wants so badly to ask for a more specific timeline landmark to go by but she also doesn't want to alarm him if she's right and Stiles just doesn't know what's happening, yet.

Instead, she opts to let Stiles push the conversation in a more comfortable direction for her, for which she feels guilty, but it is what it is. ]

Thanks, sweetie. She's fine. She had to go to summer school, but I was never going to let her have to repeat senior year all alone. I had plenty of time for it since I finished my credits pretty early in the year.

[ She pauses and looks concerned when she looks back at him. ]

...are you okay? Here, I mean...?

[ A soft, warm look eases the lines of stress from his face at the news about Malia. While the decision to break up with her may have been spur-of-the-moment, Stiles still stands by it. Despite that, he cares deeply for her even now. Knowing she didn’t struggle through senior year again without the majority of the pack around helps to settle something in his chest. He didn’t like the idea that she would be left behind – abandoned – as the rest of them moved on.

Stiles isn’t quite sure how to answer Lydia's question, but is saved from having to do so when she comes into sight. Barely remembering to turn off the comm watch, he calls her name. Then he’s racing over, long legs eating up the distance in seconds before he sweeps Lydia up into his arms in a hug. ]

God, it really is you! [ he exclaims into her hair, spinning the young woman around in his genuine joy. ] L-look at you! Holy shit.

[ Lydia is carefully placed back on her feet, though he’s reluctant to release her – like he’s afraid she might disappear if he doesn’t keep her. ]

I can’t believe you’re actually here.

[ At the sound of her name in the short distance, Lydia looks up sharply, relief washing over her. It's one thing to be reassured by his presence on this network thing on the watch, but it's entirely another level to see him running toward her.

Stiles sweeps her off the ground and Lydia clings to him like she hasn't since...well, since the last time they got into a sticky situation with one another back in Beacon Hills. Her head dips down and against his head as he spins with her and it actually takes a conscious effort on her part not to fall into old habits — do not kiss him; that's not a thing for you anymore and it isn't a thing for him yet — just out of the wash of emotions that come with seeing him in person again for the first time in a while piled on top of the fact that she's in a strange place.

When he puts her back down, Stiles doesn't let go right away and Lydia's in no rush to get him to. Instead, she closes her hands around his forearms to reassure herself that yes, he's real and yes, he's right there in front of her. Her smile is about as watery as her eyes when she finally speaks. ]

You have no idea how good it is to see you... Oh, my God, are you okay?! What's the last thing you remember from home, exactly?

[ There are no words to describe the depth of his feelings for Lydia Martin, even disregarding his romantic attraction to her. Whenever there was trouble, no matter how high the stakes, they could put their heads together and figure something out. While the werecreatures in the pack depend on a system of checks and balances to anchor themselves to their humanity, Stiles and Lydia build each other up to their best potential. She’s an invaluable friend, one whom he’s missed almost as badly as his own father.

With a breathy laugh, blinking rapidly to clear the tears from his eyes, he tries to address her questions. ]

I’m fine. Back home…uh, [ a pause, because it’s not an easy subject and he’s as hesitant to let this moment slip away as he is to release her, ] Theo attacked my dad. Melissa told me Liam attacked Scott in the library. Last thing I remember, I was sitting in the waiting room at the hospital.

[ Hoping to see his dad, hale and whole. From that time point, Stiles has no idea that Theo technically wasn’t responsible for the injuries to the Sheriff – Noah had yet to start dying to the chimera bone marrow in his body. ]

Must sound crazy to you, right? That’s gotta be like, ancient history now.

[ Lydia, on the other hand, reaches up to brush her own tears away rather than blinking them back. It's a lot, seeing him again under this particular circumstance. She wishes she'd been a better friend in the past few months, but school has been so busy and he's so far away... She makes a mental note to reconnect with him at home...if she ever gets back home. She's supposed to be temporary but she's not going anywhere without Stiles and, she supposes, Derek, at least not if she has a say in the matter. ]

Wow...yeah, kind of.

[ Yeah, that's...definitely ancient history, it feels like; there's a lot more crazy to come for Stiles, that's for sure. Lydia opens her mouth to try to fill him in on some but it's like the words fall away from her tongue and no sound comes out. For her part, her brow creases with confusion and she realizes a second later that she doesn't even remember what she was about to say. So, Lydia changes tack. ]

Are we going to stand here and talk or are you going to take me back so we can figure out how to get us all out of here?

[ Lydia falters in the wake of his answer about the timeline, which makes Stiles more than a little agitated; she’s never been the type of person to struggle for words. Ever a prisoner to his overactive imagination, he wonders what she’s withholding about the future. There has to be something that’s on the horizon for him back home. He can’t think of any other reason she would trail off like that. When she pushes to change the subject, Stiles almost doesn’t let her – he’s prone to anxiety, after all, and knows he’ll obsess over what that silence must mean. But she’s already informed him that his dad is fine. Ultimately, it’s enough to settle his nerves. ]

Ha, don’t get your hopes up, [ he warns, trying to keep his tone light despite the grim pessimism. ] But yeah, I’ll show you where I’ve been living. Are you hungry? We can stop at a café. Or, y'know, Jonas makes a mean sandwich back home.

[ “…back home.” The word choice is so natural to him now that he doesn’t even realize how unsettling it might sound. Oblivious, he continues speaking, tugging on her arm before finally releasing her, walking in the direction he came. ]

He’s the guy I live with. I think you’ll like him.

Okay, Negative Nancy.

[ It's a little troubling to see Stiles like this again. There was a time, specifically somewhere around this time in his life, where he had been more pessimistic and overly-cautious, but it had been short-lived. She'd almost forgotten how disquieting it is when Stiles isn't the perpetual force of cautious optimism to balance Scott's overly-optimistic point of view — one which Lydia finds herself taking on at the moment, in the Alpha's absence, picking it up as though she'd never walked away from it to go on with her life after high school.

Her brow creases slightly because she doesn't miss the way he calls wherever it is he's living "home." That's fair, if he's been here long enough, after all, of course he's had to settle in, but that makes her uncomfortable all the same. There's nothing about this place that feels like home except Stiles himself.

In the wake of his tug on her arm, Lydia reaches out instinctively and takes his hand when he starts to move away from her. Reflex. She lets go again and closes that hand into a fist for a moment before letting it relax again as she moves a little faster to keep up with him in lieu of continued physical contact for reassurance. ]

I talked to him while I was waiting for you; between texts with you. You're right. I like him. Stiles?

[ She gives him a look that can't quite decide whether it's worried or sympathetic. ]

We're going to get you home. But I need you to just...trust us. You got me out of—

[ Lydia stops again and looks confused again; the memory is at the tip of her consciousness but she can't quite grab it to put it into words. ]

Out of...

[ Frowning, she shakes her head, unable to remember. She changes tack again in order to at least get out the rest of her sentiment. ]

I just know we can do this if we put our heads together. You've managed some pretty significant feats without my giant brain to help you, so together, we'll be unstoppable. I just need you to believe that, okay? Please?

[ The “Negative Nancy” remark gets a wry smirk out of him, though the amusement doesn’t quite manage to reach his eyes as he begins to walk away. When she suddenly catches his hand in hers however, Stiles turns to peer at her questioningly. He recognizes the look she gazes at him with, one he might have resented from someone else but only elicits a faint, sad smile when it’s from Lydia. The next few moments, as she struggles to finish a sentence, sharpen his awareness to a fine point. That’s not normal – not for Lydia Martin. ]

…Alright, I’ll believe, [ he lies convincingly, even throwing in a longsuffering sigh for added effect. ] We’ll figure something out. Maybe Derek can pitch it for once and put that Cro-Magnon brain of his to use.

[ Continuing to walk, Stiles gives it a minute before trying to address what’s really alarming him. ]

So, what were you going to say? I got you out of…?

[ The question is asked casually, but he watches her carefully from the corner of his eye, worried. ]

[ Instead of apologizing or tipping Stiles off to why she grabbed his hand like that, Lydia pretends not to notice the questioning look at all. Issuing her own sigh, only half in response to Stiles giving one, Lydia shrugs to his suggestion that maybe Derek can help. She'd doubtful; Derek never helps with the logic stuff, he's always doing the brawn part, which Lydia isn't sure they'll need this time. ]

It wouldn't hurt to have an extra head trying to think it through.

[ For a moment, she thinks that he's going to let it go and she hopes that he does, largely because she's frustrated enough by whatever's happening; never mind trying to figure out how or why so that she can explain it to Stiles. That's wishful thinking and she knows it, though, and Stiles proves it a minute later as they walk.

More out of the reflexive desire to actually answer his question than the belief that she'll suddenly actually be able to get it out, Lydia tries again. ]

Ei—

[ and she stops again, mouth still open like the words are supposed to keep coming, only they just...don't. ]

Ei-ei-chan—

[ Once again, her voice stops abruptly only able to get out the first word and, even then, in a stuttering fight so that it sounds more like two words I can rather than the singular Eichan she means it to be. This time, her jaw snaps shut with a frustrated click of her teeth and her face goes red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. In a lame attempt to cover and only half-lying because she remembers the word but whatever was supposed to come after it is gone again. ]

I can't remember. ...I don't know. I don't know what's...wrong. Listen, I just know you got me out, okay? And it took a lot, it had to have. Just trust me, okay?

[ When she looks back at him, her expression has softened into something more hopeful. ]

Can you?

[ Those broken, stammered attempts to say “I can” – because what else could she be trying to say? – legitimately terrify him. Forever prone to overreaction from losing his mother far too young, his first thought is that Lydia must be suffering a stroke. The idea, nonsensical as it is, is abandoned quickly when she seems to finish the thought a moment later by admitting, “I can’t remember.” Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, he clasps her opposite shoulder and gently squeezes it. The fact that she can’t recall is definitely concerning, but at least Lydia doesn’t appear to be physically unwell. Either something happened in their world that messed with her memories – likely, knowing their luck – or there’s strange magic afoot in Aefenglom. The latter possibility feels like a stretch; Stiles has never known Mirrorbound to experience memory alteration during their time here, after all. ]

I trust you, [ he tells her firmly, because he does. ] I guess it’s not a big deal right now. We can look into why you can’t remember later. Does anything else feel wrong or weird?

[ Suddenly, it occurs to him that Lydia might be a Monster. ]

Are you…uh… [ A delicate pause. ] Okay, don’t get mad at me for asking, but…are you…growing anything? Anywhere…?

[ PLEASE DON’T SMACK HIM. ]

[ While Stiles's concern is not lost on her — he's never been very good at hiding that sort of thing from his expression, in her experience — Lydia appreciates very much that he doesn't push on it. He's not keeping it a secret, at least acknowledging that he sees something wrong and knows they'll need to address it, but he's not, like, having a panic attack over it or anything. That's about the last thing she needs right now because she's kind of already secretly panicking enough. Her own concern being compounded by his would be too heavy to carry while she's still trying to wrap her head around what the holy hell is going on and how she even got here.

So she looks relieved when he's willing to leave it at that; that he trusts her and they'll figure out why she's having trouble remembering when there aren't more pressing things to worry about. ]

I mean, besides the fact that I'm here at all, no, I'm okay I think.

[ Her eyebrows lift in challenge at that particular question. What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Slowly and with a hint of slightly frustrated incredulity, ]

...no...

[ It's followed with a look that suggests he should probably explain himself before she takes offense. ]

[ This isn’t something that he can explain without admitting what he’s becoming. When Jackson arrived, Stiles refused to provide those details. But he can’t – won’t – hide the truth from Lydia. She’s too smart for her own good; no doubt she’ll figure it out soon enough anyway. Still, this is a topic that’s intensely uncomfortable for him to discuss. ]

In this world, you’re either a Witch or a Monster. There’s no third option. Derek’s a Witch. [ He swallows, then plunges ahead. ] And I’m a Monster.

[ As they walk through the city, she’ll see examples of the latter everywhere. Men with the lower bodies of snakes slithering casually home. Women with beautiful wings for arms amiably chatting with neighbors. Unlike in Beacon Hills, it’s obviously known and accepted that such creatures exist. ]

Witches get access to magic. Monsters… They – we slowly transform into our Monster species over time.

[ Licking his lips nervously, he rolls up the sleeves of his hoodie to show her his hands and arms. A dark, chitinous exoskeleton is growing in over the flesh there, with fine hairs he uses to feel vibrations in the air: Trichobothria. ]

I’m an Arachne.

[ Stiles doesn’t bother spelling that out that name for her. Clever girl that she is, Lydia will know he’s talking about spiders. ]

[ Lydia's eyes narrow with concentration as she listens to Stiles's explanation of this place and what's going on with them while they're in it. That...well, sort of explains some of the questions of which she'd been on the receiving end, but it certainly doesn't make her feel any better about how long Stiles has been here or how little faith he seems to have that she can help them get out again.

When he shows her his hands, Lydia sucks in a quick, sharp breath of surprise and, following the word he uses to describe himself, her eyes move up to his face. She's actually incredibly familiar with the word after her Greek mythology kick back in sixth grade. Arachne was turned into a spider by the goddess Athena.

Lydia lets out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding for the past several seconds while she processed the information. Then, just like that, she's back in problem-solving mode. ]

That's fine. You're okay; when we get you back, Deaton will help us fix it, that's all. You'll be you again in no time, sweetie.

[ It's said with the same confident air she's gotten so incredibly used to putting forward when she's the exact opposite of confident. She doesn't like that she's feeling shaken by this revelation because it's not a part of her ex, back home. He'd have told her. So what that means to Lydia is that she's either talking to some sort of a clone of him or, terrifyingly worse, she's entered some level of a multiverse that she hadn't realized exists and that's going to make getting them all back really, really difficult. ]

How is that possible, anyway...? Do you...know?

Well, the silver lining is that I shouldn’t need Deaton’s help.

[ He pauses a moment so he can yank the hoodie sleeves back down over his arms. ]

There’ve been a few cases of Mirrorbounds being sent home then brought here again. Back in their worlds, they lost all Monster traits or Witch magic. Here’s the real kicker, though. They told me that – even though they were originally in Aefenglom for months – no time had passed in their world from when they were first taken.

[ A spark of sharp curiosity lights up his eyes; this is a subject that’s interested him immensely. ]

So, this place is totally a separate dimension. Time is relative. And so are our changes here. I mean, otherwise you’d remember me waking up one day with spider legs coming out of my back. [ A beat. ] …Th-that…doesn’t happen, right?

[ Stiles has completely distracted himself from her question. Sorry, Lydia. ]

[ Lydia looks warily thoughtful for a moment at that. That would explain why she doesn't remember him going missing, but it defies literally everything she knows about time and quantum physics, so that's...not great. She can't even use Jackson as a gauge because she hasn't talked to him in an age. They don't really keep in contact these days, even though they're not on bad terms by any stretch. ]

That's weird... I mean, I understand the concept of time being relevant but just...huh, I don't know. I'll have to wrap my head around that.

[ It actually takes her a second to pick up on Stiles's question because she's still trying to figure out how, exactly, that would work. The time thing, not the spider thing. When her brain catches up with her ears, Lydia looks surprised. ]

Oh! No, honey. No, it doesn't.

[ ...and she looks still more surprised by the fact that she's able to get that information out when she hadn't been able to get out anything else regarding home. Why is this different? ]

[ Blowing out a heavy breath in a sigh of relief, he allows himself to take some measure of comfort from that. So, Lydia – who is several years into his future – has no recollection of him displaying Arachne traits. More importantly, it doesn’t seem like the Stiles from her timeline ever told her about Aefenglom, or she’d remember that too. Either they’re from alternate universes (Stiles tells his inner comic geek to settle down) or his memory of Aefenglom is wiped upon returning home. That’s a question for his Mirrorbound contacts to answer. For now, he puts aside these wonderings. ]

The point is, we should figure out whether you’re a Witch or Monster. Jonas is a Witch – he’ll be able to help us out.

[ Taking her hand, Stiles hurries them back to the cottage he shares with Jonas, unconsciously eager to introduce a little piece of home to his new home. ]

Network: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

/fin ❤