The Mind in Matter

Something tore.

The entity's head lifted at the sound -- the sensation -- and turned to look around, the thick mass of golden hair swaying and waving through the weightless space like seaweed pushed and pulled through water's waves. It was sudden. Like a needle abruptly thrust through muslin; nothing permanently damaging, but certainly a hole made as quickly as it was closed. Something happened. Something most certainly tore.

It took him a moment, but when he spotted it, the giant went still.

A shape. A body. Floating in the darkness that was his realm, hair almost as golden as his own, but not quite. More natural, like the human body he had made for himself. There was something...odd...about it, though. He could feel something was odd, like it wasn't solid. Or, the right kind of solid. It was hard to place.

But it was there. A human body. In his reality fold.

All he could do was stare.

Sauron floated happily along as Weaver moved him, eyes flickering as he was directed towards the newly opened portal. Just before he was dropped through, he pocketed his pipe once more, spreading his arms as if to glide gracefully to the ground.

It certainly looked graceful, right up until he hit the ground, becoming more akin to a baby bird having flung itself from its nest in its first failed attempt at flight.

A moment passed as he lay upon the ground in a jumbled heap, before thin arcs of barely visible energy would push him upwards, like a marionette. His chest rose, once, twice, in deep breaths, before he let out a long, low, sigh of contentment, his clothing repairing itself slowly back to its un-damaged form.

“Well,” He said quietly, grin flashing wide, “This world is very alive… and I can just barely taste what I’ve lost here.”

He rolled his shoulders, as one might before beginning an arduous exercise, before beginning to walk forward, “I will need a spot near here that is mostly clear of sentients. What do you suggest, Weaver?”

   From the way his mouth scarcely moved to landing like a crumpled heap of clothes and limbs, it was like watching a clumsily handled marionette in every sense of the thought. Watching his battered garbs, however... It brought questions he would have to ask later.

  The odd lad righted himself and only then did the entity begin his side of the plan: Sauron would seek his item...

  ... and the Weaver would direct and watch over him.   It was almost like old times. When one needed his guidance, but needed subtlety. But that was neither here nor there. They were as they were. Old times.   Old and gone.

-drags self out of the abyss-

.... SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED

I'M GOOD THOUGH. HELLO

An odd but small snore croaked from his throat as he laid in the grass. He couldn’t find a place to rest in his traveling, trying to find his home city from...wherever he popped out of. He was walking for what felt like hours. The sun had set and still he walked. He had grown weary. He knew where he was going, for the most part, but didn’t know how far he would have to go. He needed to sleep, but open shelter was no where in sight. Then, there was a smell. A welcoming scent. An array of flowers, all of varying sorts, sizes, and colors. He could not make out much in the dark and his haze, but this seemed like a safe place to rest. At least, it felt safe. 

His son? He knew that Cass considered Auro a son, but he didn’t take into account the possibility of Cass actually referring to Auro as such to other people.

“Left just to get pickles huh? Yeah, that sounds about right.”

A blush crept upon the giant’s cheeks, that warm, radiant smile lighting up his face once again as he nodded. So that’s where he went. Going so out of his way to get something for his sake. Typical. The thought of Cass referring to Auro as his son to total strangers amused him; he couldn’t imagine what this must look like to other people.

“Yeah. Well, obviously not by blood he kinda just…took me in.”

Auro’s face relaxes as he begins to reminisce.

‘He was travelling through a particularly nasty neck of the woods and was ambushed by some brigands or something. I stepped in and chased ‘em off ‘cuz I thought he needed the help. Gave him a lift home and he hasn’t let me wander off without a full stomach since. He insists I stay, but I can’t burden him like that. I…I dunno what I’d do without him.”

The guilt that had a stranglehold on Auro’s heart began to fade bit by bit, watching as the total stranger he tried to manhandle just minutes before greet him like an old friend. Like he was somebody. Giving himself a little time to enjoy the change of being addressed somewhat normally, Auro listened to Breaker’s story with an amused smirk on his face, leaning on his elbow that sat upon his knee, cheek resting on a balled fist. How typical of Cassius to invite total strangers into his house, and how that makes Auro worry sometimes.

Auro nodded at Breaker’s final statement, sitting up straight as he brushed his hair out of his face.

“Breaker, huh? Good to meet you. I’m Auro. Auro Lengdreal…if surnames mean anything to you.”

He ‘holds’ out a hand, the gesture being a semi-outstretched hand with his forearm still sitting atop his crossed knee. Some habits never die…handshakes being one of them in the giant’s case.

“And…thanks for giving me the chance to talk.” The boy said with a grateful smile.

     Admittedly and notably, it all made Auro's thanks a surprise, one almost instantly met with a bright smile.     "Of course!" he chimed with barely a second of thought let alone any doubt. "I should be thanking you for being open to it! I've had far less mercy shown my way open over much smaller problems. You & Mr. Morgan have shown me more patience than I've received in..."     Breaker paused, a hint of tension in his stillness. It had only been some weeks since he was bound. A month, then.     Had all of this really happened only in one month?

    A deep breath, a blink, & a smile was back on his face & turned to Auro. To the best of his ability, it was as though nothing had happened.

    “Surnames, yes, yes I'd give you mine if I had one." A clumsy continuation of their conversation, but a continuation no less as Breaker mirrored the gesture respectfully as he tried to regather his thoughts, carding through everything he just learned to try & file his thoughts back into the moment.     Then a thought dawned on him: it made sense that Cassius wanted to give Auro his fill. He could see how his clothes hung on him like drapes on a clothesline, simple fabrics on little more than a frame. Garbs tattered & worn by weather & constant use. Garments that had seen better days, but were not lost causes. The Weaver could tell.

“You’ve got a rope around your ankle and your spinning.”  Comments the telepathic voice of the not-wolf perched nearby. 

     A promise was little more than words hoping for trust. The assurance that something was to follow should certain requirements be met, with nothing more than sounds easily made to drive it’s worth.     Breaker’s eyes shut tightly, fingers digging into his scalp with palms pressed to his forehead. He didn’t remember curling into a tight ball on the floor again. He felt like a dried leaf left shaking from the faintest of winds. He couldn’t think.     He was overthinking this. He needed to breathe.      Curse this body’s racing chemicals.

     He needed to listen to that voice. The mortal wanted nothing less than to follow the giant’s demands, but the giant just wanted to talk. A claim terribly hard to believe with that hand’s shadow burned into his mind, but his word was all Breaker had. It was either listening or ruining what little trust he was putting in him by refusing to respond.      The voice resounded just overhead; right through the window Breaker had finally decided to hide beneath, none of the furniture large enough to cover him. While it took him a moment to process, Breaker’s eyes blinked open after realizing something: Did he say old man?

     "Cassius?“ His voice chimed up, still out of the giant’s sight until the top of a blonde head peered out hesitantly. He refused to leave his spot entirely – his hands braced just out of sight, close to the floor, ready to open another portal on a moment’s notice – but until then, there was the little mess of hair with odd eyes peering out, his long nose almost set atop the window’s edge as he looked up at what he could see of the giant’s face.      His voice held as steady as it could to little success, wavering yet doing its best to not be as small as it felt, “You know Mr. Morgan?”

The giant’s expression as he peered into the window to look at the stranger lit up in surprise at the mention of Cassius’ name. Before long, an overwhelming wave of relief swept over Auro, a heart-warming, elated grin spreading from ear to ear lighting up his slightly gaunt face. Mr Morgan…this person was a friend. Cassius was safe and sound. But where is he? Realising that he had probably scared the man out of his wits a few times over by now, Auro took a step or two back away from the window and sat down cross legged, hands folded in his lap.

“Y-yeah. I was meant to come see him later today, but I’m a little early. Is he not home right now? Did he go somewhere?”

Auro ran a very sheepish hand through his hair while chortling nervously, the guilt wrangling his heart something bad. First impressions were not exactly Auro’s forte, but if this could potentially affect Cass’ reputation… The grin on his face faded a little, replaced with a painful grimace after realising that he had almost monkey gripped one of Cassius’ guests. Auro looked away, embarrassed by his previous behaviour.

“I’m…I’m so so sorry for all of that I just…Cass doesn’t go anywhere without his coat and he always summons a security thrall or two to watch the house while he’s gone and I saw none of those and one of you and his coat was still in the living room and–”

He takes a breath, calming down a little after wrestling with the awful thought that something had happened to Cassius.

The only person Cassius mentioned was his son. But he and this guy were so...different, to say the least. Though, when he thought back to how much food Cassius bought...

It was that sigh that brought Breaker out of his thoughts.

"You're his son, then?" Breaker called out, face now completely visible. Then, to perhaps both of their surprise, he began to laugh. Relief, joy, and nerves all released in a wavering laugh, pulling the disheveled man completely into view to lean on the windowsill as his "magic" faded to nothing. "I would have done the same, been it I in your place." he assured, still composing himself from his jittering nerves, yet the smile it brought held true. "He forgot something important from our trip to buy food. I've never seen someone so distraught over a lack of pickles." A note made only more amusing with the new information. All for pickled cucumbers. "Left in quite the rush."

He took this moment to take in the new face and self. Aside from features too slim, he looked perfectly normal. Sure, his clothes were tattered, but so were Breaker's. This was a normal man. One that happened to be the largest human he’s seen in his life.

One that looked so terribly guilty. It was time to change the subject.

An odd but small snore croaked from his throat as he laid in the grass. He couldn’t find a place to rest in his traveling, trying to find his home city from...wherever he popped out of. He was walking for what felt like hours. The sun had set and still he walked. He had grown weary. He knew where he was going, for the most part, but didn’t know how far he would have to go. He needed to sleep, but open shelter was no where in sight. Then, there was a smell. A welcoming scent. An array of flowers, all of varying sorts, sizes, and colors. He could not make out much in the dark and his haze, but this seemed like a safe place to rest. At least, it felt safe. 

The sight of his own hand literally encompassing an entire room was a sight that he would never get used to, the reminder of his condition searing his brain as his hand stretched out to the stranger. The thought of grabbing someone in a monkey grip like this sent shivers down Auro’s spine, but he highly doubted that the elusive stranger would be so willing to exchange words with him after that initial reaction. If it was a way to get them to ‘cooperate’ then so be it.

His hand, however, retreated a little at the sight of reality being torn open before being retracted out the window again, finding the man gone.

Auro stood up again, his brows furrowing in frustration as he began to walk very slow laps around the house, peering into the top floor. No one. His thoughts drifted to the only other place the person would have enough room to ‘leap’ into…was the séance room.

“Listen, pal. I’ll give you one more chance to come out so we can talk like adults. I’m not gonna hurt ya, promise.”

Auro’s steps stopped just outside of the séance room window, a deathly silence hanging heavy in the air before he spoke again, his words rolling like soft thunder.

“But I will if anything happened to the old man.”

He crouches down again, locks of his hair visible in the window.

     A promise was little more than words hoping for trust. The assurance that something was to follow should certain requirements be met, with nothing more than sounds easily made to drive it's worth.     Breaker's eyes shut tightly, fingers digging into his scalp with palms pressed to his forehead. He didn’t remember curling into a tight ball on the floor again. He felt like a dried leaf left shaking from the faintest of winds. He couldn't think.     He was overthinking this. He needed to breathe.      Curse this body's racing chemicals.

     He needed to listen to that voice. The mortal wanted nothing less than to follow the giant’s demands, but the giant just wanted to talk. A claim terribly hard to believe with that hand’s shadow burned into his mind, but his word was all Breaker had. It was either listening or ruining what little trust he was putting in him by refusing to respond.      The voice resounded just overhead; right through the window Breaker had finally decided to hide beneath, none of the furniture large enough to cover him. While it took him a moment to process, Breaker's eyes blinked open after realizing something: Did he say old man?

An odd but small snore croaked from his throat as he laid in the grass. He couldn’t find a place to rest in his traveling, trying to find his home city from...wherever he popped out of. He was walking for what felt like hours. The sun had set and still he walked. He had grown weary. He knew where he was going, for the most part, but didn’t know how far he would have to go. He needed to sleep, but open shelter was no where in sight. Then, there was a smell. A welcoming scent. An array of flowers, all of varying sorts, sizes, and colors. He could not make out much in the dark and his haze, but this seemed like a safe place to rest. At least, it felt safe. 

Admittedly, Auro’s expression was not the most welcoming as he and Cass were used to each other’s mannerisms by now. It’s a shame that the utterly terrified individual that was on the receiving end of a truly soul-piercing stare was not the old man he loved so dearly. Watching this complete stranger scramble out of the room and slam the door elicited an eye roll and a deep, chesty sigh that could be felt within the very walls of the house, Auro rising to his feet and walking around to the living room window. Poor bastard. He thought he was getting away that easily? To Auro, this was the world’s most elaborate dollhouse…one he knew every nook and cranny of.

The giant kneels down, trying to spy the stranger once again, his face blotting out all sunlight albeit with a softer expression than before. God he hated this cat and mouse game. His eyes, still so domineering and piercing despite his attempt to shed his terrifying demeanour zipped around the room, finding their mark looking straight at the strange looking man inside Cassius’ humble abode.

“Hey, listen…I know what this looks like but—”

Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes immediately darted over to what would be (to him) a damning clue to the mystery of Cassius’s safety. His coat was still hanging on the rack. The old man never went anywhere without that. Auro’s brows furrowed in thought. Cassius always summons a few security thralls before he heads out anywhere, and even if he left the house for five minutes, he never ever forgot his coat. Whatever had happened here…must have been bad.

Auro’s steely gaze slides its way back over to the unexpected visitor, his voice dripping ever so slightly with venom.

A fingernail digs into the side of the window, sliding it open…with enough space for his hand to fit through.

“…I just wanna talk.”

    Behind that closed door, Breaker sank to the floor, back firmly against the wooden surface as though it could keep the giant at bay. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that could have prepared him for this very moment and as that realization set in, Breaker's face found itself buried in his hands, blacking out the world around him the best they could. Fighting to ignore the rumbling sound that surrounded and filled the walls over focusing on his breath. Cass called this feeling something the night prior. He couldn't remember what, but that mattered little. He needed to breathe. Just breathe.

    A sound broke his fragile concentration like metal to glass, snapping his attention toward the noise. To the opened window. To the reaching hand.

    He didn't remember getting up. He didn't remember spinning in place to face the door and, evidently, he didn't remember the doorknob.     One second he was a ball on the floor. The next, he had thrown open a hole in the door, wood warping and bending like fabric, like curtains, to reveal an inky nothing before leaping inside, the hole closing seamlessly as soon as he was out of sight.