XIX.

[hellshaped]

[Hellboy had spent the day flipping through his journal -- the old one -- and reading back on everything that had happened in the past year he'd been here. And even before. It went back quite a ways, further than he could even read.

There were a lot of people he knew that weren't here anymore. People he liked, people he didn't like, people he only had one conversation with before they disappeared.

And as he went further back, the number of people whose handwriting just stopped showing up after awhile was staggering.

With a heavy sigh, he closes the book and picks up the new journal, opening it to the first blank page. It was always a blank page, wasn't it?

That's the nature of this place.]

How many people have been here longer than a year? When do most people seem to disappear?

Comments

[hellshaped]

I don't know yet. How's that for a trip? A year, and I still don't know.

[gevurah]

Figure that might be a popular answer.

[hellshaped]

I'd be worried about anyone who has a different answer. "Hate it" might be okay. But anything else ...

[gevurah]

You'd be surprised. [ lol Uru... but she thinks about Charlie, and how he had nothing left to go back to on account of being dead. ]

[hellshaped]

You know somebody who's okay with this place? [Hellboy's actually going to die in a few years once he goes back home ... not that he knows that, but.]

[gevurah]

They left some time ago.

But it was complicated. [ Pause. ] He died back home.

[hellshaped]

Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. You're from after he died?

[gevurah]

I am. It was a shocker to arrive here and see he was alive and kicking.

[hellshaped]

I never even thought of that happening. [Suddenly glad nobody from his own life has showed up here, wow ...]

Did you let him know what happens?

[gevurah]

I did, though there wasn't much to say.

[ Because Charlie and Kate weren't close. She took care of him while he was dying, but only for a while. Plus, with Renee and her going their separate ways for the 10490248290482th time... yeah. ]

[hellshaped]

[Oh he still hasn't met your ex-or-whatever, Kate!! That will be fun........]

Jeez. I guess not.

[gevurah]

[ AWK... ]

It's different for everyone, but going from dead to being pulled here seems... like a cruel joke.

[hellshaped]

Just makes me think the castle really does feed on negativity.

What's more negative than knowing you're dead, or about to die?

[gevurah]

Finding out something bad happens to someone you care about, I guess.

[hellshaped]

Finding out something bad happens to someone you care about because of you might be worse.

[This is a weird game.]

[gevurah]

Might be?

[hellshaped]

Okay. I guess it wins unless we can come up with something more terrible.

[gevurah]

Is it a game now?

[hellshaped]

It could be. Passes the time, anyway.

[gevurah]

How morbid.

[hellshaped]

Well, when in Rome ...

[gevurah]

Do as the Paradisians do? How jaded. [ As if she's not jaded. Oh, Kate. ]

[hellshaped]

It's been a year. I might be allowed by this point.

[gevurah]

I can't help but think the castle likes it that way.

[hellshaped]

[ugh, Kate ... WAY TO BE A BUZZKILL. he sobers a little at that.]

No, you're right about that. It's a hard balance. If you let it get to you too much, you're giving it what it wants. If you ignore it and carry on ... you're pretending like none of it matters.