readytosee | closed rp post

Good. Scratch hates when all sorts of feds come poking around.

"A nice little holiday that you can conveniently write off as a work expense, hmm?"

It's fine, he won't judge. He takes huge advantage of his fake position as Alan Wake. In face, he encourages such opportunistic behaviour.

"What was your plan after asking the lake to talk to you?"

"It's work adjacent." Which it's not, not really, but this Scratch fellow doesn't really seem too bothered by it, either way.

Darling hums thoughtfully, looking out at the mist settling on the surface of the lake. "I'm not sure. If I'm honest, I'm not entirely sure what it is I'm looking for. I have dozens of datapoints and no real direction."

Scratch walks up to the water, the slight waves almost touching the toes of his shoes as he crouches down to let the water lap at his fingers. He understands the powers of the lake. Given the integral role the lake had in his own creation, he knows first hand just how mysterious (and dangerous) it can be. But it's just water in his hands as he stands up again.

"You could always stand there until it decides to reach out and drag you under."

"Well if it did, it might answer a few questions I have." The wind is picking up, and Darling hunches his shoulders a little against it. It feels harsher out here, somehow. Which would make sense, without hundreds of skyscrapers to diffuse it.

"If it's not too impolite to ask, how long have you been here, Scratch?"

"How long has it been since Alan Wake went missing?"

Scratch doesn't really pay attention to the passing of time. He doesn't really need to, honestly.

"I assume you know who I'm talking about."

"Ah!" The scientist ducks his head with a laugh. He wasn't expecting to get to the point quite so quickly or directly, but here they are.

"Nine years. Or thereabouts. I assume you're connected to that event, in some way. If not to his disappearance, then to him." Given the resemblance and the rather blunt line of questioning, it seems unlikely that he isn't.

"Nine years," Scratch repeats, more to himself than anything else as he gazes over the lake.

Nine years of Alan Wake running around helplessly in the Dark Place, nine years of Scratch waiting for Alan to do something to set the Dark Presence free at last.

Time flies when you're having fun.

He's not going to tell everything to Darling. That would be stupid, for one thing, but it's also boring to just give it all up so soon.

"Something like that. It's getting cold out, don't you think?"

He doesn't know where Alan is, only that somehow, whatever plane of existence he might be on currently, he was able to reach out and create the Hiss within the Oldest House. And that is fascinating. Such things are practically unheard of, outside of Northmore. Outside of what Dylan had been capable of.

But best not to ruminate on the past. He's here to discover new things. Things like Scratch, perhaps.

"It is, at that. I'd ask if you were staying nearby, but I don't know that you need to stay anywhere. Do you? Do you feel the cold, does it bother you? Do you need warmth?"

"No, I don't generally stay places."

Particularly here, where Alan is so prevalent. Though the idea always was to take over as the writer, and maybe one day he'll stage his own triumphant return. For now, though, it's more fun to toy with people. He loves especially teasing Alice Wake, and leaving useless 'coded' messages for that diner waitress.

But when it's all said and done, Scratch can slip back to the Dark Place.

He turns on his heels, walking away from the lake. That ridiculous fake cult will be out roaming the woods soon.

"My body functions the same way as any other human body does."

closed rp post

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