Chapter Text
—JON—
Jon entered the bar/club, titled The Purple Hare, that he’d met Nora at. He was sure that it had been called something else the week before. This was the best place to find someone affiliated with the Confusion.
He looked around the bar for people who didn’t seem quite right. Not someone who was too brightly coloured, he had a specific someone in mind for that. No, he looked for someone who’s face didn’t fit their name, or looked wrong.
“Oh, hello Jon! Didn’t think I’d see you again!” A voice rang out from behind him.
He jumped.
“Oh, whoops. It’s just me, Nora!” And it was her, smiling and trying not to laugh. “So why’re you here? Seems a little too relaxed for your taste.”
“It, ah, it is. I just needed to find someone of the Confusion.” She blinked at him, looking confused.
“Huh? Are you talking about Those Of Stolen Names And Faces or Those Of Madness Who Lie?”
God, why couldn’t everyone just use the same name for each Entity? He’d heard so many. Some descriptive, some blunt, some vague. Some that could be talking about multiple at once.
“The, ah, first one, I suppose. I call it the Confusion.”
“But Those Of Madness Who Lie also confuse. That name could apply to both.”
“I call that one the Twist. At least I’m not Michael when it comes to names.”
“I actually like Michael’s names! They’re rather elegant.” Jon disagreed. They varied too greatly, some long and confusing, some short and confusing.
“Then what do you refer to the Filth as?”
“Oh, The Rot And Infestation That Loves Us All. I only used Filth with you because your moths told me to. And I respect your moths. Oh, why were you looking for something of… the Confusion, then?”
“I, ah, think one of my coworkers is part of the Weavers. That’s the-“
“Spiders, I assume.”
“Well hello there! What are you two talking about?”
A woman appeared next to them, tall and thin, with curly brown hair that reached down to their waste and blue eyes that were a bit too large. Confusion, not Twist, as while the features were odd, they could be focused on.
“My name is Karen! Jon, who is that you’re talking to?”
“Hello, I’m Nora! He came here to see you! We need some help with someone affiliated with whatever you call those horrible spiders!”
‘Karen’ tilted her head a bit too far and dropped the smile, “I like the spiders, though. They helped us with a ritual years and years ago! Why should I help you?”
“Your planning a ritual soon, yes? Well, we’ll postpone our own until you try. It’s just a quick visit to someone’s house and then you can go.”
“And he’ll help you find whatever ritual item your looking for!” Nora added, unhelpfully.
“No I will not!” Jon wasn’t going to just let them start a ritual now. From what he learnt, they had almost completed ritual preparations.
‘Karen’ considered it for a bit, before shaking her head, “Sorry, but your ritual will take a while to start, and we’ve almost finished! If you get us the skin we need, then I’ll happily help you!” That would be an awful idea. Jon didn’t need the world to be thrown into confusion and chaos just to make sure Martin wasn’t planning anything.
“Sorry, ah, I can’t do that. We’ll be leaving now, goodbye.”
“That’s a shame, Archivist. Goodbye!” She disappeared into the crowd.
That was annoying. He needed as many allies as he could get. The Weaver’s trap might be destroyed if enough unpredictable people arrived.
“Sooooo, what now? The both of us could take… whoever it was on! We’re strong!”
“Its the Weaver, Nora. I don’t have time for you to go in and die.”
“Whatever! So, who’s next?”
“I have an idea.”
———
Jon sat down at a relatively cosy café and took a sip of his tea. Burning hot, and tasted rather bland. Jon liked his tea to not taste too strong, but this pot tasted like nothing. Nora chuckled at the expression on his face.
She’d bought a sausage role, and instead of drinking it, she would throw crumbs at his head. He assumed it was for the moths.
“So, why are we here? I can’t think of anything supernatural that would willingly go here.”
“I invited Michael-“
“MICHAEL?” Nora stopped dead and stared at him, eyes wide. She’d started tapping on the table.
“I-yes? I, ah, thought you liked him?”
“No! I liked the names he gave all the Entities! I despise him.”
Interesting. He’d have to ask what happened later. It seemed like there was a story there, and he wanted to know it.
“Michael’s here.”
And so it was, sitting at a table next to the wall and stirring its tea with its…fingers. It didn’t acknowledge them as they walked over and sat down.
“Hello, Michael.”
“Greetings, Archivist. You wanted to talk to me. I don’t talk to many people nowadays. Well, unless you count screaming as talking. Then I suppose that I do talk to a lot of people.” It let out a distorted laugh. Nora glared at it.
“I need your help.”
“You need a door?” Another distorted laugh, “I can give you a door. But are you ready to enter them?”
“Please, shut up and just do what Jon asked.”
It stared at her, it’s smile dropping just a bit, “I don’t think I want to help you.”
“Nora, please.”
“I don’t think I’m going to help you, Archivist. You know, I’ve never liked your kind. I’m going to leave now.” It stood up and opened a door that wasn’t there before.
“Michael-“
“Goodbye, Archivist.” It left, the distorted laugh growing louder and echoing in his mind.
“Thought you said you didn’t want to meet Those Of Fire And Wax because they were ‘unpredictable.’”
“I, ah, I suppose I did. I’m still not going to meet any who serve them.”
“Righttttt. So you want to break into his apartment alone?” Nora rolled her eyes and stood up.
“Ah, can you come wi-?”
“No.”
“…Ah.”