entrancelogs | + Your imagination can't hurt you! +

Entry tags:

+ Your imagination can't hurt you! +

Who: YOU!
Where: The Mindscape
When: starting November 11th
Rating: may be up to R for character deaths
Summary: Navigate challenges to learn valuable lessons about nonviolence, cooperation, and self-sacrifice! Release your inner animal! Read more about the event here, and on the bulletin board.
The Story:

"If you know yourself, you have nothing to fear."
"Working together is the only way."
"Deaths are a necessary part of life, but not all deaths are necessary."
"The needs of the many outweigh the life of just one."

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-lying lazily on the ground.] Sans! [She shouts his name and immediately begins to fall, bracing for the impact of her feet against the stone. Wind rushes up around her. Water drips from her soaked clothes into the completely dry room. In just a moment that metal door will bang shut again, and the roof will shut, and it will be too late.]

Sans!

[Catch me catch me catch me, she thinks, unaware that her Mirror once thought the exact same thing.]

[There's water in his skull. It's a good thing skeletons don't need ears to hear. He's almost completely underwater, and he's sort of drifting along the floor, unable to keep his purchase. His soaked clothes are pulling him down. Skeletons aren't known for their buoyancy.]

max!

[Ten more seconds, then he'll--]

[On the other side of the door, she's apologizing. He almost interrupts, almost tries to ask her what in the world she's talking about, why she's apologizing when she's the one about to die, when he's probably about to fail her like he already failed her, like he always fails--]

[I have to rewind.]

[It's like his mind goes numb.]

[You have to catch me.]

[But she can't--she said--]

[Remember.]

[Reset. Rewind. Back five minutes, the door will be up, and he'll be able to see her, will be able to teleport directly to her, so long as he remembers. And memory's one of the few things he's good at. Teleport. Catch her. Teleport back. The door slams down, and both of them are on his side, the side with the exit.]

[But there's a moment as the water rises above his head, a moment of sheer, blinding terror, because he doesn't know if this is going to kill him or not, doesn't know if this will just tear him asunder like it almost did last time, and she can't possibly know about that because he didn't even bother to tell her, she just saw the crack and figured something bad must have happened and she lied, she lied to him, and even if it doesn't kill him it's going to hurt.]

[He tries to call out to her, either to tell her to stop or to just do it, but he's underwater and any sound is lost beneath the roar.]

[And then--]

[The world splinters and his mind shatters.]

[Everything unwinds, unspools, unravels. It's a dragging sensation, there and then not there, because his mind can't parse it. He can't even really remember the Resets, he mostly just guesses, makes educated guesses based on the script, on words he remembers hearing or saying, on fragments of memory or dreams or nightmares. It's always like a puzzle that's missing half the pieces. And rewinds are worse. Worse because on some level he has to actually feel it, even if he forgets it a moment (haha) later.]

[And then it's over and he's on the floor, halfway to sitting up, everything bright and strange. He's here. Max is there. He sees her a moment before she shouts and remembers three things. The door. Catch me. Teleport.]

[The pain in his left eyesocket is searing but he ignores it.]

[Three seconds.]

[One: he teleports, even before he's fully standing, lands right beside her in midair and catches her. Wonders why she's soaked.]

[Two: another teleport, landing them both back on the floor, mere inches from the exit door. His knees wobble from the landing and he almost goes down.]

[Three: the metal door slams down behind them.]

[They're safe. The roof is already starting to grind shut and water is starting to trickle down the walls--that must have been what happened before--but they're safe.]

[He opens the exit and tugs her on through, shutting it behind them even before the first puddles start to form. Something in the door clicks and locks as it seals the water room.]

[He lets go of Max, leans back against the door and covers his left eyesocket with both hands. Both eyesockets squeeze shut. He slides to the floor.]

[She stumbles through the door and almost falls against the opposite wall, sliding down to the floor almost at the exact same time as Sans, exhausted.]

Jesus, what the-

[What the hell was that, she wants to say. It felt like nothing she's ever felt before: sudden, and while it definitely wasn't painful, it was... a strange, almost electric sort of vibration that spread through her whole body. Unmistakable.

She runs fingers through her hair, pushing the wet strands off her face. Only then does she fully grasp what happened- he got her to the other side, and out the door. She's safe.

And you fucking did it again. Look at him, it's like he's in pain...

She stares at Sans, wide-eyed. Already she's wondering what kind of trouble she's in- they're both in. Wondering what he thinks of her.]

Sans...?

[He hisses through his teeth, very quietly. Pain is radiating up the hairline crack above his eyesocket and spreading through his whole skull. It'll go away, though. It sucks, it's dizzying, but it'll go away.]

[It was a rewind. She rewound. She did exactly what her Mirror did. Did she...tell him already? He can't remember. The door slammed down and they were separated and...and that's it. He remembers catch me. She's soaked head to toe, and there was water coming down the walls, so it must have been some kind of...some kind of locked room thing. Find the exit before you drown.]

[And rewinding was the solution.]

it's fine.

[His voice sounds thin and shaky, even to him, so he tries again.]

...it's fine. not as bad as last time.

[No new cracks. No marrow-deep, paralyzing pain, immobilizing him and putting him at the mercy of her Mirror.]

[Heh, but he's sort of at her mercy all the same, isn't he?]

[It's not as bad as last time. Doesn't hurt as bad. It's already fading a little.]

[He opens his right eyesocket but doesn't look at her. Keeps his left one covered.]

what, uh. happened?

[As last time?

Her mirror rewound- she knows that much. She thought they fought, not that the act of rewinding itself did something to him. She tilts her head, trying to see past his hands, trying to look him in the one eye that's not covered.

She wants to reach out and touch his shoulder, but she feels like he would recoil from her.]

...I had to rewind, to get the door up. Otherwise we'd be trapped, and- I'm sorry, Sans, I didn't know it would do this to you. People usually don't even remember anything...

[She has force out the words a little. Slowly she comes to the realization that she's scared of him right now, that he could say or do certain things that would hurt her in ways that water can't.]

[He avoids her gaze, staring at the floor. That must have been the plan, then. That must be why he can remember catch me. Maybe they discussed the whole thing already. Planned out all the details. She rewinds, he teleports before the door closes and gets them out.]

...was gonna fill with water, right? the room. that's why you're all wet.

[Makes sense. Not that water would kill him, but it would have killed her. So. She had no choice. They both had no choice.]

it's fine. no damage. just hurts a little is all.

[The pain is already fading, or at least he can pretend it is. Maybe he's just getting used to it. He's very good at that.]

guess i'm just weird, heh. time stuff, uh. affects me different. long story.

[He lowers his hands with a sigh, willing himself to get over it, to just be normal. He cracks his left eyesocket open, then closes it again. His vision's a bit fuzzy on that side.]

you, uh. said you couldn't do that. that it was just...

[She said she couldn't rewind. She said she'd tried and couldn't do it. That it was just her Mirror. She'd been adamant. He'd believed her.]

[Stupid. Pathetic. She did what she had to do to save them both, and of course she lied to him, why the hell wouldn't she? After the shit he pulled? She had absolutely no reason to trust him. Of course she lied. He has no right to judge her for it. He has no right to feel as betrayed as he does.]

[He's so damn pathetic. This is just consequences, that's all, more of the consequences of letting people down. He made his bed months ago, now he's lying in it.]

[He braces one hand against the wall and drags himself to his feet, keeping his left eyesocket closed.]

guess i deserved this, huh? heh. but hey, at least we're outta there. we should probably, uh...keep going. try and figure out where we are, what this event's about.

[She stands up along with him, running a hand over her forehead.] Y-yeah, the water was- I didn't have a choice...

[Time stuff affects him differently. If she had known... if she knew it would hurt him like this, what would she have done? Drown in a small, dark stone room?

And what kind of craziness makes you hurt during rewinds? What possible combination of magic and other weird stuff would result in something like that?

Obviously they both have a lot of secrets. And it hurts that she had to drop hers on him like this, when she didn't even want anyone to know. When he's not even supposed to remember. And it's obvious that it's affecting him- it's like he's trying to avoid the conversation, and she knows he's not saying everything he feels. She doesn't want to talk about this either, but... she owes him an explanation.]

Sans, I- I swear, I didn't know about it until a few weeks ago. I didn't think I had it anymore, but... I was wrong. I was so wrong, Sans, and I'm... I'm so sorry.

[She hangs her head. Stares at her feet.]

You don't... deserve this. I'm just... such a shitty friend, Sans. I should've told you.

yeah. heh, jeez. it's a good thing you did it, then. no secret is worth drowning over. if you have some kind of special power it's...best to use it responsibly, right?

[Her saving herself is worth a bit of pain on his end. It's fine. That's not the part that's still bothering him. And it shouldn't be bothering him at all, because this is what happens when you break promises and disappoint people and let them down. They turn around and hurt you right back, either intentionally or not, and you have no right to complain. It's just karma, after all. And isn't he all about karmic retribution? Heh.]

okay.

[He nods. She swears. She promises. She didn't know she could do it, even though she'd said before that she'd tried. Doesn't matter. Whether she's lying or not is irrelevant.]

nah. don't say that. i've given you no reason to trust me with something like that. not after last time. it's fine. doesn't even hurt anymore. besides, it's not like you knew anything bad could happen.

[Not like he told her how he got the crack in the first place, after all. Not like he bothered to explain it. She probably assumed her Mirror punched him in the face or something. So. He should probably explain it.]

[Should probably explain it now before she rewinds again and kills him. And there's a little swell of terror, oddly familiar, probably because back before the rewind he felt a little, uh, frightened at the fact that she could just. Just casually do something like that. Just casually rip time backwards, shred it to pieces and put it back together however she wanted, and tear him apart along with it.]

[No pieces to put back together in that case, haha.]

[But on the other hand, if he tells her, then she might not use her rewinds, not even to save herself. Maybe the next challenge they face in here will require her to use rewinds again. Nah. Can't risk her hesitating over his worthless little life. Consequences. Accept the consequences.]

[It's not like this is the first time someone has held his life in their hands without realizing it.]

[He finally looks at her and gives her a faint grin, forcing himself to open his left eyesocket. The light that's usually there is gone, leaving the socket blank and dark.]

anyway, it's not a big deal. just a bit of a headache, that's all.

[The truth is that she agrees with him- the thought had crossed her mind to tell Sans, if only because she had so adamantly denied having time powers before. But then she remembered the last time she told him a secret, and... decided not to trust him. She regrets it now, but she still feels like it was the right decision.

All the same, she watches him with sympathy and no small amount of worry, until he finally turns to look at her.

Her eyes widen slightly at the sight of his left eye. She can't help staring.]

That... that looks a little like a big deal. Does this happen every time... uhhh, like when Frisk or Chara do it?

[It's fine. It's fine, it's whatever. It's no different than after the fight with her Mirror. It just means he needs to be careful. It just means the onus is on him to stay safe, to not let her accidentally kill him. There's nothing natural about teleporting, after all, and he relies on it too much as it is.]

[It's fine.]

oh. sorry, guess it looks...hold on.

[He rubs the heel of his hand against the socket and forces the light to come back. The effort sends another jolt through his skull, but he feels the eyelight flicker back on and uncovers his eyesocket. If the light is a bit fuzzy around the edges it's probably nothing.]

there. that better?

[It's the best he can do right now, either way. He sighs and pushes himself off the wall, trying not to sway too much.]

we'd better keep moving.

Y- yeah. [Better. It doesn't really hide the fact that he feels like shit, though, does it? She can't imagine how he feels- she literally can't. If he's upset at her, or just aching all over, or having some sort of... internal crisis because, damn, there's one more time traveler in Wonderland. And when he fought her mirror, she hurt him... maybe he sees her like that, now.

She actually reaches out and touches his arm.]

Sans, wait, seriously... are you okay? Are you... I dunno, hella pissed at me? I wouldn't blame you if you got your rage on or...

[She trails off, worry etched on her face, pulling back her hand slowly.]

[He stops. He doesn't jerk away when she touches him, though every instinct screams at him to do so. It'll just upset her.]

[He's developing a real problem with touch lately. Gotta work on that once this event is over.]

i'm not angry. i don't get angry.

[It's not a lie. He doesn't get angry. He lost that capacity a long time ago. He's not even particularly upset with her.]

[Disappointed, maybe. Betrayed.]

[Scared.]

[He has no right to feel any of it, really.]

rewinding was the solution to the puzzle. if you hadn't done it, you woulda died. and why would you tell me when you don't trust me? i'm not angry, max.

[He starts to reach for his eyesocket again but then drops his hand. Stuffs both hands in his pockets in an attempt at casual.]

just don't worry about it. like i said, doesn't even hurt anymore. probably just some residual thing from when your mirror did it. she, heh, really cracked me up, after all.

[She finally drops her hand to her side completely, eyeing Sans as she gnaws at her lower lip, willing herself to believe him.

Gee, he's sure being honest isn't he?

...I could-

Leave it alone, silly.

She nods her head with tiny motions, stepping back as though to give him space and let him take the lead.

She hates feeling like this. Like she has no right to be mad at him now, even though deep down she's still feeling pretty sore about their whole relationship. And she shouldn't be mad, even though everything he said was true. She didn't have a choice, he was about to kill himself teleporting through that door... the least she could do was be grateful that he took one for the team.

Max sighs heavily through her nose.]

Just- promise me you'll tell me if there's something I can do to... to make it up to you.

just...

[He pauses. He should tell her, he really should just tell her, because he doesn't want to die again. He can't do that to Papyrus a second time, can't do that to Frisk or any of them. Doesn't want her to have that on her conscience and blame herself, because he knows she would. Assuming she ever found out. He could probably manage to keep it a secret, but that in and of itself is a problem. She'd probably find out eventually and then be furious with him, and she'd have every right to be.]

[But she might need to rewind again during this event. Maybe there are other challenges up ahead that will require a rewind. He doesn't even know anything. Do the rewinds affect the whole world, or just the area around her? Is it the entire timeline or just her personal one?]

[...A compromise, then.]

just, uh...use 'em responsibly. okay? ask me again when the event is over.

[He glances back at her, his left eyelight still fuzzed at the edges.]

there's just always consequences to this sorta thing.

[Always consequences?

Jesus.

Max nods obediently, eyes first snapping to his left eye-socket, then downward to her feet, head hung in embarrassment and a little shame.]

Yeah, I, uhh- I know.

[Why is he so hesitant to tell her? It's possible he thinks she'd screw it up, if he explained everything to her, if he told her what to do and what exactly the consequences are. Heck, she probably would ruin everything. But it might be some other reason too, some secret she's not privy too. And that definitely might be the case if it hurt him... maybe he just doesn't want it to happen again.

Well, of course she'll use it responsibly.]

Not a peep unless I really need to.

[And she'll definitely talk to him again after the event. They probably owe it to each other.

Unless she chickens out, which is a very real possibility.]

okay.

[That's it, then.]

[Time to move on.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

+ Your imagination can't hurt you! +

2/2 ahahaha I just realized now that you mentioned a glass ceiling

1/2 LMAO

2/2 welp

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