The Magic Box, Monday

[existencemisspent]

Eliot was eyeing the horses suspiciously, even as he tried to research how to feed Jon without his weird evil eye thing getting attached to whoever was doing the feeding.

The horses were very distracting. They looked way too much like the ones that pulled the royal carriage back in Fillory.

"You know," he said finally, setting the book on psychic phenomena aside. "At least the Fillorian Kings' horses were entertaining. Rude and weirdly literal, but entertaining. You couldn't try cursing me out or anything?"

The tiny horses gathered on the floor around where he sat neighed petulantly at him.

"Well that's not helpful. I have no idea what 'neeeeiiiiigh' even means."

[open!]

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[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"I don't think it means anything," Jon said, coming in just as he said that. "They're not sentient. "But, um. I have some carrots still." He hefted the bag he'd bought that morning, and the horses perked up. He fumbled one out and tossed it to them.

[existencemisspent]

The horses went at it like crows on carrion. Eliot was not reassured.

"Well. Good to see someone's prepared, at least. It'd be nice if we had a list of what to expect each day. 'December 7th: Seven swans a-swimming'."

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Unfortunately, that's not how the Eye works. I know what's going on, like needing the carrots," he tossed them another one preemptively, far away from the counter, "but I don't know what's coming."

[existencemisspent]

"So it's practically useless," Eliot said. He was in a bit of a mood, mostly out of frustration. "Might as well just shut."

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon huffed in laughter. "I'd never be that lucky."

He fidgeted awkwardly for a moment. "Eliot, about this...whatever it is that you want to do to help..."

[existencemisspent]

"Hmm?" Eliot said, still eyeing the horses distractedly.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"I, um. I really don't think we should," Jon forced out in a rush. "It, uh, i-it really doesn't seem safe, and you shouldn't be risking yourself."

[existencemisspent]

"Oh for --" Eliot rolled his eyes with a sigh. "What did Margo say to you?"

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon echoed that sigh; he probably should have known Eliot would realise that.

"That it would be risking your mind. It's...it's really not a good idea." She may have also threatened him with a mace and an axe, but that probably wasn't serious.

Maybe.

It was Margo.

[existencemisspent]

“Mmhm.” Eliot shook his head. “Well, whatever she threatened, we don’t have a dungeon here and I won’t actually let her hit you with anything.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Hitting me wouldn't actually do anything," Jon pointed out. "Wait, dungeon? Erm, I'm not aware that was something I should consider."

[existencemisspent]

"Ah. Well, she mentioned it when we talked about it." Eliot shook his head. "Can you guarantee that if we don't find you a way to eat you won't go on the world's creepiest binge-fest on the rest of the town?"

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon cringed. "I...no." He wrapped his arms around himself. "If it comes to that, a dungeon would be a...a good idea."

[existencemisspent]

“Yes, well. As I said, we don’t have one.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"There's probably a...a room somewhere that would work," Jon offered. "Or...or I could get Dwight to put locks on my flat."

[existencemisspent]

"Where you'll continue to get more and more ravenous and feral until inevitably something happens that lets you out and you eat everyone in sight," Eliot said. "No thanks."

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon huffed in a weak laugh. "To be fair, I probably won't be too strong by then." Starvation tended to do that.

[existencemisspent]

“Oh? Have you seen a starving fear entity, Jon?”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon gave him a tired look. "Starving me won't starve the Eye." He sighed. "Probably. I imagine it's in an incalculable number of worlds by now. All it does if I don't feed it is feed on me. I get weaker, not stronger."

More desperate, probably, but it wasn't like he could tear a door off the hinges.

[existencemisspent]

"Yes, and the very minute that we assume that you'll just waste away, the island will do something like do away with doors for a day."

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon thought about that for a moment, then sighed. He couldn't guarantee that wouldn't happen, no. "Maybe...maybe multiple layers of protection, then. There has to be something we can do."

[existencemisspent]

"There is," Eliot agreed. He held up a book on psychic magic. "I'm already working on it."

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon sighed and rubbed his forehead. "But if it's a danger to you...Margo said..."

[existencemisspent]

"Margo is not my mother," Eliot said. "Believe it or not, Jon, I'm not actually in a rush to have you invading my nightmares again. Or to relive any of the shit I've already survived. And sexual innuendo aside, I've never been in a rush to fall on anyone's sword. But you have a problem and I'm pretty sure I can -- well, not fix it, per se, but alleviate it a little, so if I promise to be extra specially careful, would you please just let me do it?"

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon grimaced. "I...I really want you do. but I don't want anybody else hurt because of my stupid decisions," he admitted.