voice post - of a sort. ( there is a faint sound like the gentle whirring of a tape recorder. the archivist isn't speaking into a tape recorder, not exactly, but it's there all the same. there is always a tape recorder. there is a beleaguered sigh and the man begins to speak. he is not, however, addressing anyone else, more speaking to himself. or maybe to the tape recorder. which is not the same as speaking into the tape recorder. his voice is steady and calm, measured in spite of the words, the oxford accent crisp and proper in the way of someone who has tried very hard for a very long time to not sound like they come from bournemouth and succeeded. he also sounds very tired. it is a bone-deep thing, almost a living entity to himself. )
Well...that was certainly...
( a pause and a sigh )
It doesnโt matter. Right then. Statement of... ( a huff of breath ) the Archivist, regarding... ( thereโs a sound like heโs struggling to find the words ) honestly, I havenโt the faintest idea how to classify this.
Statement begins.
I appear to be...somewhere else. I didnโt go through one of Helenโs doors and, no doubt, if this were her doing she would be here making a nuisance of herself. She says she wants to help but... ( a noise of frustration ) she knew what Eli...what Jonah was doing and she did nothing to stop it. She could have stopped it.
So it isnโt the distortion and it isnโt...this is not the horror show that Jonah brought about. That...that I brought about. It seems almost peaceful. Aside from the magic... ( a dismissive snort ) No doubt Martin would find it ridiculous of me to scoff at magic after everything but it seems a bridge too far if Iโm being honest. And magic has always had such a benign connotation compared to the entities and their terrors.
( a pause. there is something gentler and almost wistful, but also concerned. )
God...Martin...last I saw, he was...
I do hope he was okay. Wherever he is.
He has to be okay.
( the way he steels himself is almost an audible thing )
But I cannot focus on that now. There are greater concerns. There must be greater concerns.
Is this a product of the Beholding? Some sort of.:.illusion as the world comes to pieces? That doesnโt make any sense though. The Eye is about Knowing. Itโs about truth. Lies, even pretty ones are beyond itโs scope.
( a pause )
Oh. OH. That is...right. I really hate the Knowing sometimes. Itโs a bit of a headache. But in this instance, it has its uses. At least in making sense of this place, in as much as sense can be made.
This is...certainly a new problem...
( a sigh )
This feels like more than I deserve after...if Martin were here...it would almost feel like a reward. ( a quiet, brittle laugh ) A reward for...breaking the world...it's ridiculous to think of.