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General description of the au:

Eight gets teleported 2 months back into the past by a bored deity wanting to enact revenge on H2TCH. They end up meeting some new people, being subjected to torture and fucking over an entire orgnisation, as well as almost sacrificing themselves in the process.

This roleplay took place 03.12.2024 - 11.02.2025 (for now). This is the first time Eight has directly interacted with Edgar of all alternate timelines.

[Author was bored. And that is never a good thing. And that's where our story starts.]

"HETCH, what an unpleasant meeting!"

[The cheerful voice was coming from right behind H2TCH's back.]

[HETCH turns, and touches the side of his mask lightly with a gloved hand. An intruder he wasn't informed of before they reached him? This should be interesting.]

"Good afternoon. Dare I ask who you are, or why you're here?"

"Oh but of course! I am Author, god of storytelling, writing and history."

[They reached out one of their floating paws forward, mimicking an aristocratic lady who expects for her hand to be kissed as a greeting.]

[HETCH obliges, resting his hand under theirs and briefly pressing his mask to the back of their paw.]

"A pleasure to meet you, Author. I'm honored that you chose to visit us here. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"Yes there is, actually. I have found a curious little thing on my adventures. I would like you to take a look at it and tell me what you think."

[Author flicked their tail, and as they did so, something big appeared in front of them both, on the floor. It was hard to tell what exactly, as it was covered by a black cloth.]

"Care to do the reveal yourself?"

[HETCH drops their hand and kneels beside the cloth. The smell is... Unpleasant, to say the least, but he will not question a gift from a God. He will not hesitate. He throws the cloth aside to reveal a body in an advanced stage of decomposition. A faceless body, maskless, in the uniform he himself wears]

[Is this one of his predecessors? Why has he been given the corpse of a HETCH?]

[He examines it more closely, hoping to determine the reason for this unsettling gift, and finds a barely-visible line of stitching along the left arm of the unraveling uniform. HETCH pauses to absorb this information, and looks down to the tear in his sleeve that he planned to repair this evening.]

"Ah."

"Within the next year or two, then? I can't imagine this particular uniform will last much longer than that. How unfortunate; I'd hoped for a longer career, but I suppose it can't be helped."

"Within the next couple of months, actually. Perhaps even in the next month."

[Author smiled smugly, content at how the situation is turning out.]

"And you are wrong about the fact that it can't be prevented. That's exactly why I'm here, in fact."

[HETCH recovers the body and stands, clasping his hands behind his back.]

"I see. Thank you for this warning, Author, I must express my deepest thanks for the chance to realize my potential in this company. Would you be so kind as to tell me what I can do to avoid this fate?"

"Oh but of course! I will even bring the key to you. You see, masks aren't nearly as reliable as you all seem to think. It is one of the reasons for your upcoming death. But I have a person who, in being a mistake of the process, has the error particularly prominent in their code. I'm sure that if you manage to get your hands on said code, you'll easily be able to reverse engineer a solution."

[Author giggles, enjoying the little game they were playing. The sound was more easily attributed to a fox rather than a human.]

"All you have to do is catch them and get to said code. Which may not be quite as easy as you expect."

"A game, then. Very well. "

[HETCH thinks he understands this god. They're invested in the story, not the actors, with the power to change it: the ideal of the viewers this company was made for. If they seek entertainment, he is more than willing to offer it in exchange for his life.]

"Is there any more information you can give me, or am I on my own from here?"

"Oh you will know when they appear, don't you worry. They are quite a prominent figure."

[A loud crash comes from one of the rooms. Specifically, Diamond's room. Author's smile widens. Cursing can be heard, in a voice that is very clearly not Diamond.]

"I assume that's my code."

[Eight, who just spontaneously appeared out of thin air and started screaming, suddenly stopped as they saw that they weren't alone.]

"Diamond?? What are you doing here?-"

[They were sitting on the cold, tiled floor, looking up at the other with a look of pure confusion. Luckily, their mask didn't really show anything. Their incredulous voice did, however.]

"Is it?"

[Eight got up from the floor, stumbling a bit before finding a wall to lean onto. They were trying desperately to buy themselves time to connect to the local cameras.]

"We're in Showfall.. why are you in Showfall again? How the fuck did that happen?- when?-"

[HETCH stands outside for a moment, listening to their conversation. The key is clearly disoriented, perhaps drawn in from another timeline by the Author. He can use that. Offer to explain the situation, draw them away from Diamond. He can’t have his potential successor corrupted by such knowledge yet.]

"I don't think that will be necessary."

[HETCH steps into the room and moves between the two.]

"Good afternoon, Diamond."

"I'm aware. I met a very interesting viewer just now; I believe they brought you here, and if you would come with me, I'd be happy to explain the situation."

"Diamond, I will be back to tell you what you need to know later. For now, I think it would be safer to limit your contact with this individual, as they could very easily pose a minor threat to either of us."

"Yes, you are. Right now you are more dangerous - and more valuable - than you know, and if you'd allow me to explain, I'm sure we can clear everything up neatly."

[HETCH moves so that he can look at Diamond without allowing the key out of his line of sight, and softens his tone.]

"Thank you, Diamond."

[Eight shook their head in response to Di. Oh fuck no. They didn't know why they were here, but they weren't about to give themselves up willingly. They would fight him if they had to.]

"I'd rather die than help you in any way."

"Oh, dear... You must be disoriented from the travel. It's all right, we're not going to hurt you. Not unless we have to."

"If you’ll come with me, I’ll try to explain. Our viewer - the one who brought you to me - was not entirely forthcoming with the specifics."

"Why can't you explain here, exactly? Don't want Diamond to know?"

[Yes, this Diamond wasn't out yet. But Eight knew that some support is better than none and Di was the only ally they had with them right now.]

"Don't- don't drag me into this. I'm not involved in this fight. I don't want- I also want you out of my room."

[They spoke a lot less certainly then the Diamond they knew. Much more careful about their words.]

"Because the Author is not in this room and I dare not make demands of a valued Viewer."

[I dare not make demands of a god who has already offered me a chance to save my own life.]

"Perhaps you can learn from them. And Diamond is not meant to leave their room at this moment, so I will convey any necessary information to them later."

"Learn the answers to your questions, - hm. My apologies, I've forgotten to ask for your name. The Author did not tell me why you are so valuable, but I am inclined to believe them. Come with me, and we'll ask again together."

[HETCH holds the door open for them.]

[Shard hesitated for a couple of seconds, glancing at Di through the camera again. They couldn't stay in this room forever. They would be dragged out. And drugged too, likely. And they would like to keep their clear mind for as long as possible.]

"You first. I'll follow."

[They gulped, taking a step towards the door.]

[HETCH walks out into the hallway, seemingly perfectly at ease. He closes the door behind them, leads them out of earshot, and stops in an empty room.]

"I'm afraid I wasn't entirely truthful with you. The Author has already left."

"I'm not here to trick you or hurt you, despite what you seem to think. I want you to work with me."

"Somewhere in your code is the key to our survival, Shard. All we need to do is find it."

"The company itself."

[HETCH miscalculated. He assumed that the Author's tool would be as interested in showfall as the god themself; clearly, he was wrong. Adapt, and move forward.]

"You care about Diamond, for reasons unknown to me. They love this place. From your appearance, you once loved it as well. I'm... Cleaning up the messes left to me by my predecessor as well as I can, but my work will never be complete without your key. We can make something worth saving."

"I never loved this place. If you're referring to my mask, know that it is broken beyond repair. The reset button doesn't work either. I've tested it. Doubt that you'll even be able to get access to my code in the first place, or make something of it."

[He raises a hand in offering, the movement sharper than it needed to be. His body language is tense, hand high, for just a fraction of a second telegraphing an incoming blow. But it does not land, and the offering remains.]

[Eight steps back instinctively, raising their hands up to their torso in a protective manner. They don't flinch. It's a bit harder to do when they don't even see the movement until half a second after it happened.]

"What do you want to do to me? I've already told you that my mask is broken and my code is so glitched out that even I can't make sense of it sometimes."

"I'm sure we can figure something out. It would be so much easier with your help, but if you refuse, I'm afraid I will have to find another way to extract this information. This can be painless for you if you cooperate."

"I doubt that you even have access to my mask from the control center anyways. How are you planning to extract the information?"

[They were putting the answer off, trying to get more context. Information is king, isn't it?]

"I'm sure I'll find a way"

[HETCH tips his head to the side, finally lowering his hand.]

"You seem nervous. I'll do my best not to hurt you as long as you continue to do what is best for Showfall."

"Nervous? Hah. You're underestimating me. But okay. I agree to help you as long as you'll allow me to go through the process willingly, without drugging or other forms of control."

[They grabbed his hand tightly, squeezing it to the point where it almost hurt.]

"Of course. I'm insulted you'd think so little of me. "

[HETCH shakes their hand, then drops it, showing no response to their painfully strong grip.]

"Come. We have work to do."

[Eight nodded and followed after. They stayed a meter or two away from him, out of an arms reach. They stared at security cameras on their way.]

[I know you're here. I know you're watching. Help, if you can. Please.]

Shard in the past