i_likefeesh Who doesn't love voices in their head? [ Jake - After the Wayne dinner ]
It might have distressed those of the Wayne estate to learn that there were somethings that could still successfully go bump in the night, with or without the high tech security system of a mansion. Of course, these creatures were few and far in between, but Delirium could count herself as a part of this exclusive group.
She felt Jake differently now and given her last encounter with him she felt compelled to see him. She sat on his bed and folded his bed sheets into different origami shapes, her favorite being the life sized John Lennon. She was going to work on a tiny Ringo Starr to go with him out of a pillow case while she waited for Jake to come back to his room.
The tea party had been rescheduled, but this didn't bother Delly too much. She knew exactly where her favorite trickster had gone, along with all the other shiny fishes that belonged to her. She would have to go visit them soon, too.
As she started to fold the nose of the former Beatles drummer, one of her multicolored frogs appeared and croaked appreciatively at her work. At least someone would like it.
Oy sensed her first. That wasn't surprising, considering Jake's state of mind. The billy-bumbler whined, which drew Jake's attention long enough to furrow his brow before he opened the door.
He stood there, blinking at the shapes in his room, and wondered when he'd done that to his bedsheets.
I wish he'd just admit I'm dead. I wish he'd just take a look for God's sake and admit I'm clearly alive.
Jake blinked at the flash of red hair that was carefully folding his top sheet into another man. Who looked a bit familiar. But the red hair made him furrow his brow, reaching for a name...
"Delly?"
From: [info]i_likefeesh Date: 04/14/2006 11:50:44
"heLLos!" Delly picked up from her completed half of the Fab Four. "i hEArd yOuS. it wAS haPPy. BeCaUses.."
The youngest of the Endless fiddled with her fingers for a bit and squirmed like a child reluctant to give an obvious answer. She creepy crawled off his bed and approached him, her mouth open to continue her thought until she saw--
"oOOoh! pUppY!" And Delirium crouched down and peered at the dog. "i uSeD to HAve a PuppY oNCe. i Don'T kNow iF he ReaLLy lIKed mES or noTS. hE wAs foND of GRaviTY."
Oy took a step back, looking up at Jake. The boy looked at the bumbler and back at Delirium. "Oy, this is Del. She's... a friend."
At least he thought so. Jake had always been a boy with acquaintances and no friends, until he was drawn into Roland's ka-tet. He was still having some trouble with the distinction.
"Oy's a billy-bumbler. And... isn't gravity a law? Not a preference?" Jake was a bit confused. It had been the laws of physics that contributed to his death. All three times. Gravity had played a big part in those.
From: [info]i_likefeesh Date: 04/14/2006 12:20:11
Delirium squealed with happy laughter at Jake's mention of gravity as a law. She poured onto the floor like spilled milk and started to roll around on the floor. Then she started rolling for the fun of it.
"puPPy!" Delly called to Oy as if she hadn't heard or understood the comment about the animal being a billy-bumbler. "diDs! diDn'tS! dIIiiiIIIdS!"
Delirium stopped rolling and looked up at Jake. She had a perfect view of his nostrils. "i'M so hAPpy, jAKe. yOu cOUlD bE mINe iF yOu waNTeeeD. i wOUlD tAKe thE bEStEst caRe of You." Delirium clasped her hands together in a praying fashion and pleaded.
Furrowing his brow, forgetting the caution his instincts had thrown at him before, Jake reached out with his mind and lightly touched hers.
Pain redoubled in his mind as the voices became louder, more violently in opposition. Jake reeled, pulling himself inward and withdrawing away from her as much as he could. Dimly, he could hear Oy barking.
I MET A MAN. HE POINTED A GUN AT ME. I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO KILL ME, BUT THEN HE FELL OVER. HE WAS SICK. NO. I JUST HAD DINNER WITH BARBARA AND HER FRIENDS. I COULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT IF YOU WERE RIGHT. I AM RIGHT. I'M DEAD. AND I'M IN A STRANGE PLACE. I'M ALIVE!
Each word pierced his mind like a blade, temple to temple. His fists beat at his head, and Jake was unaware that he was speaking.
"Stop it stop it stop it stop it!"
He felt fur under his hands. Oy. He clutched Oy to him, and slowly, the voices began to recede back to their usual level. He was trembling, his heart beating so hard that light pulsed in his eyes with every pump.
Slowly, Jake opened his eyes, looking wildly at the girl in his room. "Who... what are you?"
From: [info]i_likefeesh Date: 04/14/2006 13:12:39
Delirium crawled slowly toward and kissed the tops of his loafers. It was backwards but at the same time it felt fitting.
"mY sIBlingS cALL me dEliRIum. i'VE haD loTs of oTHerr nAMes, tOo. somE tiMES thEy aRE noT niCE nAMes. buT thEY aRe minE."
The youngest of the Endless glanced up at Jake with her mismatched eyes. She looked apologetic. But she couldn't do that again, she couldn't give him that again like she did when the boy met the captain. So she sniffled just the slightest.
Jake was struggling to get some control back. It was hard. The billy-bumbler at his chest was offering what help he could.
"Delirium?"
Now he remembered the warning. She was what she was named. She was delirium, in a human form. He remembered the way she'd changed. How she'd struggled to make him feel better.
"Can you... can you make it stop?" Jake touched his temple lightly. "Can you take the voices away?"
From: [info]i_likefeesh Date: 04/14/2006 13:21:38
The redhead shook her head and frowned until she realized, "i CAn mAKE yOu sEE pInk bUGGesS! anD thEY woUlD be pREtty!"
She offered him a smile and it appeared she wanted him to see pink bugs, if for no other reason than it might take his mind away from the voices not to mention that it would make him hers.
Del thought it would be special to have a nice boy like Jake with his tea party plates.
Realization slid through the voices and the confusion, making him blink. "But... I don't want to be crazy."
From: [info]i_seeall Date: 04/14/2006 19:01:22
Babs had heard the screaming, even from upstairs in the attic where she'd been looking for the one person who could stop the madness. She suspected that anyone outside might have heard the screaming as well. Out of instinct, she grabbed her staff.
She went over to the elevator immediately and started downstairs, expecting to have to ease Jake out of a bad nightmare of sorts. It sounded like that sort of screaming, and it would've made sense. She wasn't expecting at all what she saw, or the words she walked in on.
"But... I don't want to be crazy."
"No one wants to be crazy." Babs stopped in the doorway, staring hard at the redheaded girl at Jake's bedside. "Who the hell are you?"
From: [info]i_likefeesh Date: 04/14/2006 19:10:28
Delirium's mismatched eyes got very big when she saw Barbara Gordon burst into the room. She found herself staring at the woman's legs.
Her mouth remained closed and she squirmed uncomfortably under the new scrutiny. As to what Jake said, Delly shrugged her shoulders and mumbled a few incomprehensible things before replying, "...weLL. OkAyS."
He heard a wheelchair. Heard the sound of wheels on the floor. "Suze?" Jake sat up, wildly hopeful, and looked towards the doorway.
He was far worse now than he had been. The eyes that he turned towards Barbara were glassy, and it took several seconds for him to focus. There was pain behind there. And fear.
Jake blinked. No. That wasn't Susannah. It was ... "Barbara?"
Trying to touch Touching Delirium had been a mistake. Oh, had it been a mistake.
From: [info]i_seeall Date: 04/14/2006 19:33:13
"Jake, are you alright?" One hand gripping the staff, and the a whee, Babs moved slowly into the room. Her eyes jumped back and forth between Jake and the girl on the bed. She wanted to make sure Jake was safe before her attentions left.
Her thumb was poised at the button on the staff that would cause it to expand. "I'm going to ask one more time. Who are you?"
From: [info]i_likefeesh Date: 04/14/2006 19:38:22
Delirium stared at them both. Her eyes seemed to grow too big.
Jake rolled onto his side with a grunt, one arm carefully cupped to catch Oy. "I touched her."
Talking took so much effort. The memories in his mind were flashing through more quickly, like a tape on fast forward.
"Delirium." Jake laughed. "She's Delirium. Whee."
Oh, joy.
From: [info]i_seeall Date: 04/14/2006 20:06:10
Delirium... Delirium.
Delly. Desire, Dream, Death, and Delirium.
Her thumb hit the button on the staff and it expanded instantly, a good five feet long. "Get. Out."
Her memory was quite a good one. She remembered the whole conversation with Desire, because it was necessary if she wanted to try and figure out what was coming. Other clues had been dropped too, such as who Jack had been shaking up with, so to say. Delirium.
Babs remembered Max mentioning someone by the name of Delly after her attack as well. She'd been part of the reason why Jack had picked Max in the first place. It was all falling into place now, slowly but surely.
Her grip on the weapon tightened, though she knew that if Delirium was anything like Desire then it might not do much good. She didn't know what she'd done to Jake. "Get away from Jake and get out of my house."
From: [info]i_likefeesh Date: 04/14/2006 21:11:37
Delirium sniffled.
She looked from the left to the right...
and then exploded into a swarm of pretty butterflies. They weren't as quick about making an exit though and some of them forgot that they were supposed to be leaving in the first place.
One landed on Barbara's staff and it twinkled in a happy, forgetful song. The majority left but a few of them still fluttered about.
She exploded. Into butterflies. "Pow." The boy mimed pulling the trigger of a gun, and giggled.
No. This isn't me. Shaking with effort, Jake sat up and shut his eyes, dropping his head into his hands. "I shouldn't have touched her. Oh, I shouldn't have touched her, Suze."
From: [info]i_seeall Date: 04/14/2006 21:41:05
Babs was willing to ignore the butterflies for now, so long as they didn't hinder her making her way to Jake. She simply shook the one off of her staff and went over, knocking them away as necessary.
"You touched her," Babs repeated once she was at Jake's side. She was cursing silently as she touched his shoulder, just to reassure herself that at least physically he was alright. "That didn't help, at all. Lie down, Jake. Just lie down, alright? See if you can remember... when did she get here?"
Lying down was a good idea. He started to do that, but felt a sudden pressure at his fingers. He looked down. Oy had bitten him. Not enough to break skin, but enough to get his attention.
"Ake! Ed!" The bumbler darted to the bed and back to Jake. "Ed!"
Bed? Jake looked towards the bed. It was a few thousand miles away.
She's talking to you.
He concentrated on what Barbara was asking. And then struggled to work out the memories. "She was here when I first saw Roland, and he almost shot me."
Wait. Was that right?
From: [info]i_seeall Date: 04/14/2006 23:07:15
"Roland was here?" She asked slowly, trying not to overwhelm him. "Or was that just your mind? You have to think about this." Eying the butterflies still around the room, she eased closer to him."I was just upstairs looking for Roland."
She laid a hand on his forehead gently. "Did you know Delirium before? I probably don't have to tell you this, but... she's not safe. In anyway."
"No..." Roland hadn't been here, in the room. He was sure of that. "He wasn't here. He was there, and I was..."
He was... what? "I forgot the question."
Before. "She found me when I got here. Here. When I first came here, to the City." God, it was hard to talk. "I was afraid the ladder would break and I wouldn't be able to get up again. And it smells bad. It's--"
'the only thing around here that smells at all.'
He heard the gunslinger's reply in his mind, in the memories that plagued him. Memories that weren't. Memories that were. "We'll get up early and see if there's anything down there worth taking. Then we'll go."
He remembered being glad he hadn't killed the man then. And wondered now if that had been the right thing to do. For both their sakes. They'd both be dead now, and no more of this.
"She's not safe. But she's not dangerous." Jake frowned, looking at Babs. "I think she's just lonely."
From: [info]i_seeall Date: 04/15/2006 09:50:09
"She may be lonely, but that doesn't mean anything." Her mind was made up. Even if Jack was locked up in Arkham, she didn't want any creature who could claim that Jack was 'one of her's' inside of her house.
But. They could have this conversation later, when Jake was feeling better. She knew to hold off on the talk for now. The message had been gotten across, for what it was worth. Delirium was not an invited guest.
"Keep talking," she encouraged Jake, trying to get his mind off of what ever Delirium had done to him. "We'll see if we can figure it out. What smells bad?"
Too tired to move, Jake sat where he was. His eyes closed, and he focused on one of the voices - just one - and the memories it gave. After a moment, he started to speak, his voice low and haunting, told as though he was watching from outside of himself, narrating the events as they played out in his divided mind.
It was the cellar that smelled so bad. The rest of the desert and the two dry, withered buildings that stood boldly in the expansion of it had been odorless. Even the hay in the stable had been without scent. Everything was dry, sapped, and Jake had been too afraid to burn any of the oil he'd found for warmth after the sun set, afraid that the buildings, maybe even the land itself might catch fire and spread.
But the cellar stank, with a wet and swampy stench that had made his head spin. Jake wouldn't tell the gunslinger this, but sometimes he had gone back to the trapdoor of the cellar and simply inhaled, as though the retching odor of potatoes, cabbages, and turnips long at rot made sense. It was something that seemed real, in this strange and barren place.
The morning after the man had arrived, he inspected the cellar. The ladder had held the gunslinger's weight, but Jake hadn't felt ashamed for not trying. He'd been afraid and unsure, and now he wasn't afraid. Well, no, he was still afraid, it would be silly not to be afraid, but he thought the man with the guns and the blue eyes wouldn't hurt him. Jake had already started to love the man, with a fierce sort of hero-worship that would deepen and blossom into something stronger.
The gunslinger went into the cellar, and he waited, going still for no reason that Jake could see. "You all right?" he called, nervously, but the man answered promptly. "Yes. There are cans. Wait." He disappeared from view, into the darkness, and Jake waited. He would have waited an eternity at the softly spoken command that had not been a command. But then the gunslinger was back at the ladder, arms laden with cans, and he passed them up. Jake took them, set them aside while Roland went back for more.
The noises began on the third exchange. A groaning sound. The gunslinger heard it first, and stopped, turning his head back to look in the cellar. Jake heard it a moment later, how could he not, as the sound grew and rose until it was filling the cellar, making the dry walls shake.
"Come up!" Jake screamed. "Oh Jesus, mister, come up!"
But he didn't. "Go away," the gunslinger said instead. His voice was calm. "Wait outside. If I don't come up by the time you count to two... no, three hundred, get the hell out."
"Come up!" Jake screamed again, but the gunslinger was already off the ladder, turning back, and moving into the darkness.
Jake ran. Out of the building, and was halfway across the stable yard when his legs gave out and he knelt on the hardpan, shivering and trying not to cry. One, two, three, four...
He made it to one hundred and nineteen when he saw a figure emerge from the building. The thought that raced across his brain was that whatever it was had gotten the man, and now it was coming for him. He wasn't aware of his scream, or that he had taken two steps back. But then the figure moved, and Jake knew him. He ran to the gunslinger, tears of relief coming from his eyes, and hugged the man. "I thought it got you, that it got you. I thought--"
The man held him, stroked his hair. "It didn't. Nothing got me." The gunslinger held him, comforted him, and Jake knew he loved this strange and wonderful and dangerous man. Knew that the man wouldn't leave him here. The man would save him.
The boy fell quiet, exhausted from the effort. He'd put too much into one of the memories - the other was struggling to compensate, noisily. Jake slumped back against the wall, and Oy immediately lay down on the boy's chest, licking his fingers.
From: [info]i_seeall Date: 04/16/2006 19:33:43
Her first reaction was not to his tale, but to what he did afterwards. If he'd fallen asleep, that was fine. If he'd fallen unconscious or into something worse, that was most definitely not.
She didn't want to wake him if it was just a simple sleep, but never the less, Babs leaned over and put one hand behind his neck and head and the other on his shoulder. She lifted him upwards slightly, into a position more comfortable than the one he'd fallen into. Jake wasn't completely dead weight yet, assuring her that he was still alright.
"And that was when you met Roland..." it wasn't so much a question. Babs wasn't going to encourage him to talk anymore than he had to. She sat next to him and stroked his hair as he'd described Roland doing.
"Sleep should help Delirium's touch," she said, hoping that that was right. She hated not knowing the answer.
"Will it?" he murmured, not quite believing her words. The touch hadn't been physical, only mental, and it had left his mind exhausted. His already fractured mind. What if he'd broken it completely now?
Dimly, he was starting to become aware that there was a bed, and he should really be in it to sleep. Sure, he could curl up here and be fine. But Barbara and Oy both preferred that he go to the bed. So, he would try. Using Babs for support, Jake struggled to his feet. "I can try it."