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He was tiny. Now Mike knew he wasn’t the tallest guy in the world and even he was at least three centimeters taller than the Archivist. Jon, he thinks someone might have called him. How did Elias pick his archivists? Just reach into a hat of short and curious researchers?
Then again, he had heard Gertrude Robinson could make any avatar she met shiver in terror on the mere mentioning of her name, so maybe Elias did know what he was doing.
But even if Mike did use that reasoning this Archivist looked like he had been through the wringer. He had scarring from what looked like multiple somethings trying to burrow into his face and hands. Sitting in the corner spot where he could watch everyone and the door with a casually terrified gaze. Like he was just waiting for something to happen, something to go wrong. And considering it looked like he hadn’t slept in several months maybe he had evidence to that claim.
Sitting next to him was a goth covered in eye tattoos, but from what Jude had told him he was End, not Eye. With Annabelle Cane and Oliver Banks, both people he had never met in person, getting drinks at the bar. It left him sitting next to Jude, who had invited him there in the first place. He wasn’t entirely sure why either, but she seemed oddly invested in getting him a social life that didn’t involve sitting on the couch, throwing people off buildings, and moping.
That mostly involved inviting herself over to his house with beer and a hitlist of old coworkers that were still kicking (not that there were many left) to either torch or throw off buildings. But more recently had involved her coming over to rant about her most recent conversations with Oliver Banks; who had apparently used to work an accounting job and could understand when she started talking about money and numbers in a way her cult members couldn’t. Then about the new Archivist, who it sounded like she hated. Burning his hand pretty quickly into meeting him the first time. But as the rants went on, Mike could tell she liked him more than she let on. Actually sounding fond on occasion. A tone he didn’t hear much outside of her rare drunk ramblings about Agnes. Though admittedly this sounded more like familial fondness than the sappy heartbroken Agnes rambles.
So, he knew it was only a matter of time before Jude dragged him along.
He just doesn’t know why he said yes. Well, he does know why he said yes. Because that’s just what you do when Jude Perry has your home address and has bullied her way into your lonely life.
Banks and Cane came back with far too much alcohol for this to be a night that didn’t end in a hangover, because while avatars did have a tolerance to alcohol his wasn’t very strong. He had been too busy looking for Leitner’s for most of his life to build up any kind of tolerance. Which Jude found hilarious in the few times she had gotten him to drink. He liked the feeling of vertigo it sometimes gave him, but the hangovers were bad enough to keep him cautious. He had only gotten drunk once, thinking that it might hide the fractals, but it had just made them worse.
Now that he was fully claimed by The Vast he doesn’t have to worry about that. So he just finds a spot to sit next to Jude.
“This is Mike Crew, avatar of The Vast and in dire need of a social life.” She says her smile turning into a smirk.
“You’re from statements 0132806, 9981221, and 0060711. The man with the lightning scar, Michael Crew.” The Archivist’s green eyes turned brown after the comment before taking a shot of strong-smelling liquor from Cane and cringing.
“Don’t feel special, he does that to everybody.” Banks looking amused at his confusion.
“You probably already know Annabelle, because everyone knows Annabelle. I’m Oliver, if Jude hasn’t already introduced me. Gerry is the one with the eye tattoos and despite that is End, not Eye as you may have picked up on. Jon’s the one in the corner, The Archivist, but no one calls him that except Elias, and Elias doing something is a fairly good reason to never do that thing.” Oliver explains eyes glittering in amusement.
Gerry rolls his eyes when Oliver mentions him and gives a half-distracted wave before diving back into his conversation with Annabelle. Jude very pointedly started talking to Oliver about stocks and math and money and compound interest and things that went way over his head. Leaving him to either break into Gerry and Annabelle’s conversation, something about a band he’d never heard of. Start a conversation with Jon, who was looking more anxious by the second, and had just taken his second shot in five minutes. Or just sit quietly until it was polite to leave, and just as he felt comfortable settling into the third option Jude glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow in a way he knew eliminated that option in its entirety.
He had categorized many of Jude’s facial expressions in the short time he’d known her and not following that one and never led to anything good.
“So, you know me from the statements. Anyone have anything nice to say?” He says like he doesn’t already know they don’t.
Jon cringes away like he knows that too and Mike supposes he would know. Considering he read the damned things.
“You threw a man's brother who was afraid of heights off a building.” He says slightly incredulous.
He’s not sure if he remembers doing that.
…He nods anyway.
“Yeah, that’s fair.”
“There was a statement about a childhood friend of yours. He didn’t anything bad to say about you. He said he was the reason you were struck by lightning.”
That was surprising. He had almost forgotten about Dominic Swain. It had been years since he saw him last.
“Really, what happened to him?” Mike was partially curious, and even more than that surprisingly, he was worried. Worried that the fears had taken not only Mike but Dominic as well. They had just been kids after all. They hadn’t known what was going to happen.
There was a reason the saying “The chances are like getting struck getting struck by lightning” means the chances are low, not impossible. They just found that out in a rather shocking way.
“He ran into a copy of Ex Altiora, a Leitner. I’m sure you're familiar.” Jon explained awkwardly, fiddling with something in his hands.
“I’m very familiar. I’m assuming he got away okay?” Please say he got away okay, please say he got away okay.
“He’s fine. Gerry bought it off him before it could do too much harm years ago.”
Mike just nods trying not to show his relief. Funny how the same book reached out to two people who used to be friends.
“So how long have you been Archivist?” He asks and Jon looks a bit distressed.
“Too long.” He mutters annoyed and Mike laughs which shocks Jon out of his reverie enough to look offended which makes him laugh harder.
“How long have you been an avatar of The Vast.” He asks in response a little petulantly.
“Just long enough.” Mike responds which makes the avatar across the table sulk even harder before a flicker of a smile crosses his face. It’s dangerous and worrisome and maybe Elias did have a reason for choosing Jon after all.
“You’ve never given me a statement.”
“A statement about what?”
“Anything really, I’d prefer it to be about your own experiences, what got you to this point in your life. I‘ve gotten statements out of Jude and Gerry already. Oliver used an alias, but I’ve read his written document. I can’t get anything out of Annabelle yet, but I know what happened through outside sources. You’re the only one I know nothing about.”
“Well, maybe I don’t want to feed The Eye for someone I don’t know.” He says with a raised eyebrow.
Jon looks a little offended by that but nods.
“So, I guess I’ll just have to get to know you better.” Mike says shocking both himself and Jon before a shadow of a smile forms on Jon’s face.
“I’ll drink to that.”
The hangover tomorrow was going to awful, but maybe, maybe it’ll be worth it for some new friends.