eachdraidh | Video | Both courts

[The locket opened to Javik’s face, mouth pulled down in a scowl. He was inside somewhere dimly lit, and a horse nickering could be heard not too far off. Without demon dogs slowing him down, he’d made it to Treun in good time, arriving just before sundown. His attempt to check in with a few people, however, had reminded him of House’s silence since he’d last seen him at Samhain. If he’d angered the doctor, he expected to hear about it rather than being met with static. That left few other options.]

I have attempted to contact the human doctor Gregory House several times this past month. He has not responded, and this ridiculous device will not even recognize his presence.

[He worked his jaw for a second, looking as though he were chewing on something bitter. First Daud, then Will, and now the doctor? Who was next, himself or Maglor? He was no stranger to losing allies, but when they just vanished it was infuriating.]

I believe he is gone from this world. When I return to the Station, I will inspect his room to confirm it. If you know anything otherwise, you will inform me.

[ He snapped the locket shut, ending the video.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh. Look who's still here.

[That was it, Javik. That's all you were getting. The acknowledgement that he remembered you.]

[And look who's back - though Javik might not have noticed Damon was gone in the first place. At least he had the honor of being the first vampire he'd ever met.]

Had I the ability, I would have left long ago.

[It would have been weird if the guy had noticed he'd gone missing.]

Yeah, well, you and me both, buddy. Seems your friend found the way back.

That is what I suspect, but another explanation may exist. I will know more when I discover where he was last seen.

[He'd followed Daud's trail until it vanished, but at that time he'd had the luxury of being in the same area. Even with the fairy rings, that Station was a hike from Treun.]

I have not seen you since I first arrived here.

Probably because I went home, which could be where your friend went. But now I'm back, which was definitely not on my list of things to do. But hey, if your search shows up a way to get back, let me know.

[That... made absolutely no sense to him. He'd seen weird things on the locket before, but he'd never really asked the people that claimed to have gone home about it.]

My search will only confirm how he disappeared. [He was always looking, though, for that door out.] Was your home as you remembered it?

I can't really answer that. I don't even remember being here, so I don't know when I left or was taken back. By my count, I've been gone from here for... six months? Wasn't that long back home.

[Yeah, now it made even less sense. Javik had lost fifty thousand years in stasis, but at least time still went forward as usual. His scowl somehow deepened.]

The longer I am in this world, the less I understand it.

That might be the point. This is a fairy world. Magic. Laws of physics and linear time are sort of thrown out the window.

[Javik snorted, and got a snort in response from a nearby horse. Maybe he should get out of the stables and find a real place to spend the night.]

It is nonsense. Calling it magic does not excuse the lack of a scientific reason.

[Ah, Javik. Still in the stables? How fitting.]

You're talking to a guy who died and came back via magic means and has been undead for a hundred and fifty years while feeding on blood. I magically heal from death and getting hurt. You might want to broaden your definition of what's acceptable.

[At least it's not the same stable?]

I have seen things in this world that I do not understand. I am told the world is flat, and a month ago the month fell from the sky. What I find acceptable is irrelevant, but I am not some ignorant primitive content to think that what I do not understand is possible because of an imaginary force.

[Mass effect and biotics were basically witchcraft to people around here, so the entire system just infuriated him.]

[Was his horse still here, Javik?]

No one's saying it's god, Javvy. [Hey, look, he almost remembered your name] But magic is just... magic. I've had witches talk my ear off about the logistics and science of it. Maybe you need to find one of those here to fill you in.

[How the hell was he supposed to know? Technically, he'd stolen the horse he rode all over the Drabwurld anyways.]

I suspect even then I would be no closer to the truth than I am now. The manipulation of time is largely theoretical where I am from, and I do not expect to get an answer from people that barely grasp basic sanitation.

[Javik...]

Oh, please. I dare you to walk up to any witch I know and tell them they don't clean themselves properly.

[He could picture any one of the witches he knew deciding that Javik would look really nice if he was on fire.]

[Judge all you want, Damon.]

And are any of the witches you know present in this world? We met only once, but you are relatively clean. The same cannot be said for the natives here.

Ah, well, there's your problem. The natives here seem to be set a few hundred years back from the time I came from. Humans weren't into hygiene as much then and didn't understand what germs were. You get anyone from mid-nineteenth century onward and they're more aware of it. If you're curious, maybe ask about it. See how many witches are here and what kinds of worlds they're from. I've come across vampires from more than just my world.

[How could he talk about germs and still think magic was an actual thing? Unbelievable.]

I will keep it in mind. I have met other people that traveled the stars as I once did as well. There are... similarities between worlds, despite our vast differences.

[Talk to him about unbelievable when someone could look at you and burst blood vessels in your brain.]

There you go. Now you're being a team player.

[How about a race of machines that could twist your mind and enslave you if you spent too much time around them? This place was just too much weirdness outside of his experience.]

Cooperation may be necessary in war. Do not mistake my words for complacency.

[Which basically just meant he was going to keep complaining.]

[God, Picard. Stop being so prejudiced against the Borg.]

I'll make a specific note in my gives a shit book about how you're very much non-complacent.

[Sorry, he was prejudiced as fuck against machines.]

Unless you have something useful to say about the doctor's whereabouts, I believe we are done.

[A+ chat as usual.]

Yeah, grumpy, we're done. Have fun playing doctor with your... doctor.

[There was a condescending smirk and a wink and then Damon closed the locket.

Best chat ever.]