— 𝐜 𝐨 𝐧 𝐭 𝐚 𝐜 𝐭

[possessum]

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NOTE: I am forever backtag friendly and absolutely open to doing things from past events that won't really have an effect on things at any given time. For example, if you'd like to do something with Peter aged down or when he was his spider dream guide, etc.

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[possessum]

[ It... reminds him of those tense moments with Luna, when Peter had expressed his concern over the demon hurting her. She could do magic, she could... stop him if she had to, if it was necessary. He's glad people can stop him. ]

Y-yeah.... Yeah. [ Another swallow, because he needs to ask John about it, but he's almost too afraid of the answer. ]

My friend.... did something to try and help with that. To help us... get along better. She's a witch, but she... Is she gonna be okay?

[ That's vague as hell, Peter, but he's still making sense of it and still very close to panicking every time he thinks about it, and John sounds really bad and Peter's staring to feel ill again, uneasy and nauseated. He heard that groan. He.... sounds like death warmed over (...a painfully accurate idiom...) ]

What's wrong? Mr. Constantine, are you— sick? I can help you.

[oldhound]

[ John's still feeling massively out of sorts here and this is a lot of information all at once. For both of them. On his end of the phone, he squeezes his eyes shut, and tries to focus. ]

What do you mean she tried to do something to help you get along better? Do you know exactly what it is she did?

[ He's not a miracle worker, he can't sort things without information. Something he's got too much and not enough of in some cases. He groans softly, having tried to shift up but no, that was a terrible idea. He leans back against the pillows in his bed. ]

I'm a bit under the weather, yeah. I---[ Might as well come out with it. ]---I died. This is all just to do with the coming back portion.

[possessum]

[ Yeah, Peter's not handling this too well at all. Theoretically, he should, you know, meet John in person over tea or something and calmly explain what happened with Luna, and seek out his advice.

Instead, he's just kind of slipping into something panicky here. ]

She drew shapes with magic and like set out all this stuff — to summon him out of me like, like more properly? [ His heart's beating faster just at the memory of it; it had been terrifying. ] And then gave him an offering, and at first he didn't want to come out because he was scared? But then he did because he... I don't know, he really likes her? And they made a— a pact.

[ Relaying all of that feels like something out of a horror movie, and he's already having to catch his breath when that bomb drops and Peter's having to take a breath. He knows death isn't pleasant here, and even if people come back, there's still a weird sharp drop of his heart to hear that John died. Because even if he still barely knows the man, he's become a safe adult for him, and Peter's lost too many of those, and maybe he already has a fear of losing him, too. When he speaks, it catches in his throat a little. ]

......Fuck. I'm.... I'm sorry.

[oldhound]

[ Magical things like this very rarely suit to polite discussions over tea. These kinds of dealings don't exactly stick to timetables and the like. The panic is painfully obvious and the more he explains the more his heart sinks.

He's got to keep it together for Peter. What he's describing very much sounds like a pact and that kind of thing gives demons like Paimon a better grip. More power in this realm. ]

All right. Okay. I can't---do anything about this just yet. I can try and look into it though. Just try not to get too worked over it. It won't help things.

[ He coughs and has to pull the Fluid away a moment as he catches his breath. ]

Not your fault, old son.

[possessum]

[ It's really not quite fair of Peter to lay all that out on John like this, when the man's clearly unwell and overwhelmed, but the boy isn't thinking like that. He's not thinking too rationally; he's..... simply frightened, and seeking help. Peter's flailing desperately through waters he has no idea how to swim in. This business with Luna, with a "pact"..... It's completely over his head, and he's close to unraveling. But even just this much in reply from the older man.... helps. Someone saying they'll try and look into it. Telling him to try and calm down. Though John can't see him, Peter's nodding, eyes wide and breath shuddery. ]

Okay. I.... Okay. I'm sorry. [ He has to stay calm. Getting all panicked won't be good for him, and might even send Paimon back out again. That cough also grounds him a bit, and Peter gives a soft exhale, clenching his own Fluid tightly. ]

Is.... there anyone to help take care of you? [ Is John alone? Peter hardly knows a thing about him; does he live with someone? Does he have anyone around who can help him through this? ]

[oldhound]

[ It isn't something he'll hold against him. It's a lot for Peter to have to deal with. He's not used to this sort of life like John is. He keeps his voice low and gentle. ]

Hey, hey now, do me a favor, eh? Take a breath in through your nose, hold it, and slowly exhale, yeah? No worrying over me. I've got others popping in to check on me. So come on.

Deep breath. [ He'd demonstrate but he's pretty certain it'll send him into another fit. ]

[possessum]

[ He knows this technique — like an old friend by this point, except Peter still tips so close towards panic that it's easy to forget. Having someone there to remind him, a voice speaking it to him..... helps. In through his nose, hold, slowly breathe out. In, hold, out.

He does, his breaths slow and thick and very audible through the phone. If there were any part of him to get embarrassed for needing to be talked down from slipping towards panic, that part is long gone by now.

He listens to the man's voice, the shape of his accent, familiar in its way by now. And after a few moments, his heart is calmer; his grip on his Fluid isn't so tight. ]

Okay. Okay. [ He voices that he's okay so they'll both know it. Even as all of this adds up to something horrible; Peter... knows something bad happened to John because of him. Even if he hasn't been told the exact shape of it yet. Did he.... die because of him? Somehow? Death follows the boy like an illness, after all. There's a longer pause before Peter asks, very quietly. ]

Do you need me to... stay away from you for awhile? Because of him?

[oldhound]

[ He listens to the sounds of the young man breathing. Slowly starting to calm a bit, he hopes. He keeps talking him through it until he voices that he's finally all right.

He will fight that assumption if he ever voices it. Nothing happened to him cause of Peter. It happened cause of this place and that's all. ]

No, old son. That's the last thing I need. In fact, I'd be chuffed if you dropped by to see me.