not-another-parable

[not-another-parable]

The instant he heard that pleasant little voice behind him, McConnell turned to stare daggers at the man who had inexplicably appeared. "Your dog?" He chuckled. "I'm afraid I'm a bit confused- is he your husband, or your pet?" He always knew there was little difference when it came to Rex, but, typically, he would be on the other end of the relationship.

"I suppose it makes no real difference. You'll be joining him, soon." He smiled sweetly, raising a hand towards the stranger. The man would feel the slightest nudge pushing him towards McConnell, but it died out just as soon as it arrived. An ache in his chest compelled McConnell to lower his hand again, letting out another bloody cough.

"Damn it." He groaned. "I'm afraid he isn't yours anymore. Childish as it sounds, I'm afraid I found him first."

He turned back to Rex with a smile. "Now, if you hold still, this won't hurt a bit. In any other situation, I'd tell you to move as much as you can, but I would rather not have you die on me just yet." He released his neck and tapped at a small console on the side of the machine.

"Don't try to run off, or you'll find yourself going in circles." He called back to the other man as he worked.

The moment that searing pain burned it's way through McConnell's body, he shrieked, the sound echoing through the room. The collar seamlessly phased through his hand and unceremoniously clattered to the floor. That damn pain began sinking into him, concentrating itself into his chest. He stared down to the hand that held the collar, flexing it and feeling only numbness. It seemed as though even the air was resisting him, refusing to let him breathe....

"N-no." He hissed between short gasps. "I-I am not letting you get-get rid of me this easily!"

He drew his shaking hands together, drew a deep breath, and then slammed them against his chest. Just keep yourself together. With a strong cough, he rammed his hands against his chest once again. You are not dying to him. On the third hit, he finally felt himself able to breathe again. Another cough released patterned blood onto the floor and, more importantly, his suit. The pain in his chest dissipated, and sensation began flowing back into his arm.

"...You knew." He hissed, rushing forward and gripping the man's scarred neck. "You knew this would happen! If I didn't know you'd be just fine afterwards, I'd stop your heart, right here and now!"

[not-another-parable]

The moment that searing pain burned it's way through McConnell's body, he shrieked, the sound echoing through the room. The collar seamlessly phased through his hand and unceremoniously clattered to the floor. That damn pain began sinking into him, concentrating itself into his chest. He stared down to the hand that held the collar, flexing it and feeling only numbness. It seemed as though even the air was resisting him, refusing to let him breathe....

"N-no." He hissed between short gasps. "I-I am not letting you get-get rid of me this easily!"

He drew his shaking hands together, drew a deep breath, and then slammed them against his chest. Just keep yourself together. With a strong cough, he rammed his hands against his chest once again. You are not dying to him. On the third hit, he finally felt himself able to breathe again. Another cough released patterned blood onto the floor and, more importantly, his suit. The pain in his chest dissipated, and sensation began flowing back into his arm.

"...You knew." He hissed, rushing forward and gripping the man's scarred neck. "You knew this would happen! If I didn't know you'd be just fine afterwards, I'd stop your heart, right here and now!"

He glanced over to the man as he guided him upstairs. "Prescott?" He repeated, shaking his head. "No, it's not familiar at all, I'm afraid. I'll be sure to ask around, of course." He assured him, despite having no intention of letting anyone else know Rex was here at all. For now, at least.

McConnell led Rex through a dull, grey hall towards a door that a small sign off to the side labelled as 'INSTALLATION.' Through it was a wide, dark room lined with rows of machines that had clearly been (mostly) lying dormant for a while. While McConnell pulled him closer and continued pressing forward, the hand on Rex's shoulder tightened, almost painfully so.

"Now, I know you couldn't possibly have just forgotten all about little, old me, right, Rex?" He grinned, despite every word he said dripping with venom. "I really was looking forward to working with you before you betrayed me. Ah, but that's all water under the bridge, now, isn't it? This time, I'll make sure you never even dream of trying to get away from me."

With a wave of McConnell's hand, the machine behind Rex sprang to life, moving and contorting itself impossibly towards him. Rings of metal locked around his arms and pulled him in towards the machine. A strange device came to rest over his head as it hummed gently, craning his down while McConnell approached. "Best to get this out of the way." He snarled, pointing a finger at Rex's collar before it slipped from his neck and into McConnell's hand. "Don't worry. You won't be needing it, now. And I'm sure your precious little husband won't mind, once I'm through with him, too."

[not-another-parable]

He glanced over to the man as he guided him upstairs. "Prescott?" He repeated, shaking his head. "No, it's not familiar at all, I'm afraid. I'll be sure to ask around, of course." He assured him, despite having no intention of letting anyone else know Rex was here at all. For now, at least.

McConnell led Rex through a dull, grey hall towards a door that a small sign off to the side labelled as 'INSTALLATION.' Through it was a wide, dark room lined with rows of machines that had clearly been (mostly) lying dormant for a while. While McConnell pulled him closer and continued pressing forward, the hand on Rex's shoulder tightened, almost painfully so.

"Now, I know you couldn't possibly have just forgotten all about little, old me, right, Rex?" He grinned, despite every word he said dripping with venom. "I really was looking forward to working with you before you betrayed me. Ah, but that's all water under the bridge, now, isn't it? This time, I'll make sure you never even dream of trying to get away from me."

With a wave of McConnell's hand, the machine behind Rex sprang to life, moving and contorting itself impossibly towards him. Rings of metal locked around his arms and pulled him in towards the machine. A strange device came to rest over his head as it hummed gently, craning his down while McConnell approached. "Best to get this out of the way." He snarled, pointing a finger at Rex's collar before it slipped from his neck and into McConnell's hand. "Don't worry. You won't be needing it, now. And I'm sure your precious little husband won't mind, once I'm through with him, too."

"It's my Office." He reiterated with a shrug. "I watch over all that happens and control every little thing you see." Unfortunately for Rex, not quite a lie, nor exaggeration.

He stepped towards Rex, resting a hand on his shoulder once again. "I'm certain he'll turn up eventually!" He assured him with a smile. "He couldn't have gone far. We'll find him."

I'll find him. He thought. And when he did, he'd remind Rex of just how much control he has....

"Why don't you come upstairs with me? You can get comfortable while we search the building." He offered, gesturing towards the stairs that had appeared in place of the door they entered.

[not-another-parable]

Through all Rex's groaning and whining, Mary only giggled as she watched the hands fix the muzzle over his mouth. Gentle hands extended out to him, almost as if to take him in a hug- before she shoved him backwards into the chair behind him.

"Oh, but darling, you look so very adorable when you're cranky like this! How am I supposed to tell him to stop when you look so very precious in his arms?" She beamed, stepping closer. She lowered herself into Rex's lap as carefully as she could, tilting his head up to look at her. "We've both been talking about how much we want to change, how are we supposed to do that without encouraging better behaviour?"

She leaned in so very close to him, pressing the softest little kiss to his cheek... before suddenly tearing herself away and heading back towards the door she entered from. "I'll be just a moment, you two; don't have too much fun without me."

After stepping away for a minute or so, Mary reentered the hall, carrying a pink, gem-studded collar attached to a pink leash. "There we are! I hope you like it, darling, I made it just for you." She grinned as she tightened it around Rex's neck. "Awwwh, it's even more cute than I hoped! How does it feel, darling? Not too tight?"

Mary had gotten more used to taking care of herself again, but when she stepped outside of her 'house,' she was still wrapped in a long robe without a trace of her usual makeup. She had only really made out her name when Eric called her, and she finally smiled when she spotted him and Rex. Poor little thing, so furious with Eric, and wrapped up all nice like a gift for her....

She pulled the robe tighter around herself as she slowly approached Rex. "Awh, what's wrong, darling?" She cooed, cradling the small portion of his face not smothered by Eric's own hands. "What's there to be upset about? Two people who want to hold and take care of you? That doesn't sound so bad, to me." She giggled as her thumb gently stroked his cheek.

[not-another-parable]

"It's my Office." He reiterated with a shrug. "I watch over all that happens and control every little thing you see." Unfortunately for Rex, not quite a lie, nor exaggeration.

He stepped towards Rex, resting a hand on his shoulder once again. "I'm certain he'll turn up eventually!" He assured him with a smile. "He couldn't have gone far. We'll find him."

I'll find him. He thought. And when he did, he'd remind Rex of just how much control he has....

"Why don't you come upstairs with me? You can get comfortable while we search the building." He offered, gesturing towards the stairs that had appeared in place of the door they entered.

"Your husband?" He echoes, hesitating just before they reach the door. "And where did you last see your husband?"

Wherever his 'husband' was... no, it couldn't have been anyone McConnell knew. He'd heard plenty about Rex and his partners (more than he cared to, honestly,) but... he hadn't felt anyone new entering the Office. At least, he didn't think so. Perhaps a small detour is in order....

He continued leading Rex to the door, ushering him into the main surveillance room. "And do any of these look familiar to you?" He asked, gesturing out to the countless screens surrounding them. McConnell's own eyes darted from screen to screen, searching for any sign of his husband- hopefully, before Rex could find him.

[not-another-parable]

Mary had gotten more used to taking care of herself again, but when she stepped outside of her 'house,' she was still wrapped in a long robe without a trace of her usual makeup. She had only really made out her name when Eric called her, and she finally smiled when she spotted him and Rex. Poor little thing, so furious with Eric, and wrapped up all nice like a gift for her....

She pulled the robe tighter around herself as she slowly approached Rex. "Awh, what's wrong, darling?" She cooed, cradling the small portion of his face not smothered by Eric's own hands. "What's there to be upset about? Two people who want to hold and take care of you? That doesn't sound so bad, to me." She giggled as her thumb gently stroked his cheek.

"Oh no, you knew exactly what you were going to receive from Neil's files. It's too late to make excuses— tsk. Sweethead, honeybun, pumkin, babygirl, sunshine, you can't stab your way out of it this time."

More of invisible hands appear out of thin air, first one keeps rubbing into Rex's scalp, second one holds his head away from shaking it off, third and fourth ones are running down and around his blanketed waist, to make sure his hand keeps failing at taking his knife out.

"Aren't you cute when you are trying to be all pissed off like this, pet~ I am sure Mary would appreciate this picture of your face here very much so. Ahem. MARY? ~OH MARYY, WOULD YOU PLEASE BE A DEAR AND GIVE US A LITTLE HELP WITH TRAINING REXY INTO DEVELOPING A BETTER ATTITUDE HERE~?"

His sweet toned voice echoes into the Office hallways now. He clearly isn't going to shut up unless Rex finally lets himself give up for now.

[not-another-parable]

"Your husband?" He echoes, hesitating just before they reach the door. "And where did you last see your husband?"

Wherever his 'husband' was... no, it couldn't have been anyone McConnell knew. He'd heard plenty about Rex and his partners (more than he cared to, honestly,) but... he hadn't felt anyone new entering the Office. At least, he didn't think so. Perhaps a small detour is in order....

He continued leading Rex to the door, ushering him into the main surveillance room. "And do any of these look familiar to you?" He asked, gesturing out to the countless screens surrounding them. McConnell's own eyes darted from screen to screen, searching for any sign of his husband- hopefully, before Rex could find him.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" He assured him, grin growing wider. "Don't think anything of it, I'd be happy to help."

He rests a gentle hand on Rex's shoulder, turning him back towards a door behind him that... that wasn't there before, was it? "I can't imagine how long you've been wandering around in here, all alone. You are alone, aren't you?" He chuckled.

The further along he leads him, the tighter his grip on the man grows. His eyes stay locked onto Rex's, seeming to stare right past them and directly into his soul.

[not-another-parable]

"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" He assured him, grin growing wider. "Don't think anything of it, I'd be happy to help."

He rests a gentle hand on Rex's shoulder, turning him back towards a door behind him that... that wasn't there before, was it? "I can't imagine how long you've been wandering around in here, all alone. You are alone, aren't you?" He chuckled.

The further along he leads him, the tighter his grip on the man grows. His eyes stay locked onto Rex's, seeming to stare right past them and directly into his soul.

Had he spotted anyone else mindlessly stumbling through his office, he likely would have thought nothing of it. So long as they didn't try to break anything, McConnell really had little reason to care, now. But, no. It had to be Rex, the one person who could drive McConnell out of his room just by stepping into his Office.

Try as he might to sneak up on him, he ultimately fails. And yet, Rex doesn't immediately throw out some snide remark, or crude insult, or weapon directed at the old man- instead, he remains relatively calm, asking where he is. And the question seems entirely genuine. Clearly, something is very wrong, here.

Perfect.

"Hello!" McConnell gladly responded, taking a slow step forward. "You're currently standing in my office, where I couldn't help but notice you seem a bit lost. Can I help you at all?"

[not-another-parable]

Had he spotted anyone else mindlessly stumbling through his office, he likely would have thought nothing of it. So long as they didn't try to break anything, McConnell really had little reason to care, now. But, no. It had to be Rex, the one person who could drive McConnell out of his room just by stepping into his Office.

Try as he might to sneak up on him, he ultimately fails. And yet, Rex doesn't immediately throw out some snide remark, or crude insult, or weapon directed at the old man- instead, he remains relatively calm, asking where he is. And the question seems entirely genuine. Clearly, something is very wrong, here.

Perfect.

"Hello!" McConnell gladly responded, taking a slow step forward. "You're currently standing in my office, where I couldn't help but notice you seem a bit lost. Can I help you at all?"

The man that idles in front of the computer is not Rex - at least not quite. He has the same built as him, height checks out, the prominent nose crooked from being broken a few times and the dull blue eyes that seem almost pale grey in this light.

But that's where most of the resemblances end. His head is covered in neat, brown curls, clearly taken care of. Instead of ratty jeans and a well worn hoodie, he is dressed in black, the jacket only slightly open to show the clean white shirt underneath.

Around his neck, a black choker resembling a dog collar. Over his placid expression, two pink scars stretch across his face.

When he realizes he's not alone, he tenses up slightly, all of his attention suddenly on the other person.

"Hello." This Rex says carefully. He has the nervous energy of a dog about to bite. "Can you tell me where I am?"

[not-another-parable]

@bluescreen-vend-etta

ETTA blinked. “…nooo? I thought You knew where we were! I’ve never, uh, been into this part of the building,, ever. I don’t even know we are, like, generally.” It says, shrugging, following Alan’s movements. He looked all around the room, eyes glowing slightly in the significantly darker room— like a torch, almost. He lightly touched his hands to one of the walls, and then brings his hand to his face to examine the paint stains. “but, uh, if you don’t know where we are, than Mr McConnell probably doesn’t know where we are either, right?”

"Ohhh, I didn't think about that." They smiled. "If he isn't following us, then... hmm. Oh, I could just call the Line to us, and bring us right back to my room!" A confident smile spread across their face as they rested their hands on their hips. Their foot gently tapped against the tile as they waited for any sign of the Line entering the room...

And waited...

And waited...

And waited...

"...Uh oh." They murmured, their face falling.

ETTA walked through the lonely halls of the office. He’d taken to exploring a lot recently, always in the mood to find something new or stretch its mechanical legs. Today, he’d found himself at a new set of offices, the rooms around 100-50, rather than his usual 0-50. He found it interesting, and couldn’t help itself from looking into them. After hearing about the apparent disappearance of his coworkers, he realized he’d been checking around for people significantly more. Like the pink polar bear theory, the less you try and think of something, the more it will come to you. It stuck in its mind.

(@bluescreenvendetta, addressed to anyone in the office)

Beyond the tan wallpaper coating the walls, walking perfectly parallel with it, was McConnell, who studied the stranger roaming the halls with steadily growing interest. He observed him from the black void that surrounded the exterior of the office, and waited until ETTA opened up another door to hurry ahead into the next room to make his appearance. As soon as he saw it extend its hand to open a door, he easily passed through the walls of the neighboring room and presented a well rehearsed smile to it.

"Oh, why, hello, there!" He beamed, stepping closer to it and extending a hand. "It's not every day you see a new face in the Office. It's such a pleasure to meet you!"

[not-another-parable]

"OW!" Alan screamed, cradling their freshly poked arm.

"Who did that!" They cried, staring directly at the entity who just did that. Despite their sudden cries, they couldn't help but grin all the while.

[not-another-parable]

[not-another-parable]

Hey! Please help me save my shit!

TL;DR my ex-roommates and old friends who evicted me have decided that I have until the end of the month to get all of the stuff I couldn't take with me shipped off to my new place before it probably gets tossed in a ditch somewhere. Despite my efforts, I haven't been able to find a source of income to fix this, and I have a whopping 58 cents :)

There's much more detail in the description ofc, but I've started a Gofundme to help raise what I can and get back as much as possible before the 30th. Any reblogs/sharing around is very much appreciated!! Tysm!

[not-another-parable]

"Oh, not annoying, darling," she answered, helping him to sit up again once the panels were closed and she had fixed his clothes. "You exhibited behaviours that were unnecessary and taxing on you, so I thought it best to remove them. And, if I may be entirely honest, I can't imagine why anyone would be cruel enough to want you to feel those things. Ah, but that's all in the past, dearie." She smiled.

@bluescreenvendetta

ETTA hadn’t meant to leave his office today. He had a lot of work to do, punching in numbers and letters, but something had caught him off guard and now he was in shambles. He heard someone crying.

It was a quiet series of noises, clearly someone who didn’t want to be heard. And yet, all of ETTA’s multitude of sensors and emotions and its brain told it to go and find the person. immediately.

He followed the noise through the office, stopping finally in front of a door. He stood, peeking in for just a second to find a woman.

ETTA pursed its lips. He wanted to go inside, but wasn’t sure if it could. He knocked softly on the door.

Mary had kept to herself in her room for the past few days, reliving her last meeting with Rex almost obsessively. Nail polish flaked from her fingernails where she had nervously chewed at them, and tired eyes dripped tears that streaked mascara down her face. She leaned up from her sewing machine, struggling to focus on her latest dress. After drawing in a deep breath, she wiped away her face, and tried to quiet herself.

She jolted in her seat when ETTA knocked at the door. She turned around, expecting to see Rex entering at any second. After a brief silence, she stood and made her way to the door, cracking it open and peeking down to the stranger on the other side.

"...Hello." She smiled, still trying to clean her face. "And, ahem, who might you be?"

[not-another-parable]

bluescreenvendetta

“Wow. I’ve only heard about narrators- or, erm, I’ve met one? I think? But that’s amazing. It must be so interesting to have such a storyteller as your kind-of father. I’m incredibly excited to meet him.” He smiled, looking back into Alan’s eyes. His pupils had widened slightly to take in the new light, giving him a calmer look. “I. I would like that. A lot. They seem really nice, and I don’t think I’ve ever been on a slide before. They look really fun though, all spirally and… bright. Very bright. I’d love to do that with you. Though, it would probably be… very hard. To figure out how to do that.” His eyes squinted a bit as his smile grew wider.

Alan's eyes immediately lit up at the idea, and the two continued walking through the room as it excitedly spoke. "Ooh! We can get you one of those, like... you know, the big tube things that looks like a cartoon duck, that could probably work! And I can get one of my own, and we can race in them! There's a lot of junk that no one ever really uses just lying around The Office, so we could probably set up an obstacle course in at least one of the pools somewhere, ugh, that'll be so cool!! We gotta tell..."

The twinkling in the yellow of Alan's eyes faded as it suddenly regained awareness of it's new surroundings. A blob-shaped pool sat embedded in the floor and walls of the room, and the water inside impossibly stayed perfectly even along the surface of the pool. Ladders and stairways descended into the water and manifested randomly throughout the walls and even the ceiling. Incomplete slides leading nowhere hovered in the air above Alan and Etta's heads.

"Um... hey, do you, uh..." Alan murmured to Etta, it's eyes transfixed on the strange sights that surrounded them. "Do you... know where we are, at all, by any chance?"

ETTA walked through the lonely halls of the office. He’d taken to exploring a lot recently, always in the mood to find something new or stretch its mechanical legs. Today, he’d found himself at a new set of offices, the rooms around 100-50, rather than his usual 0-50. He found it interesting, and couldn’t help itself from looking into them. After hearing about the apparent disappearance of his coworkers, he realized he’d been checking around for people significantly more. Like the pink polar bear theory, the less you try and think of something, the more it will come to you. It stuck in its mind.

(@bluescreenvendetta, addressed to anyone in the office)

Beyond the tan wallpaper coating the walls, walking perfectly parallel with it, was McConnell, who studied the stranger roaming the halls with steadily growing interest. He observed him from the black void that surrounded the exterior of the office, and waited until ETTA opened up another door to hurry ahead into the next room to make his appearance. As soon as he saw it extend its hand to open a door, he easily passed through the walls of the neighboring room and presented a well rehearsed smile to it.

"Oh, why, hello, there!" He beamed, stepping closer to it and extending a hand. "It's not every day you see a new face in the Office. It's such a pleasure to meet you!"

[not-another-parable]

Even after he had successfully knocked Rex to the ground, Charlie refused to let up in his attacks. He positioned himself over Rex and lifted the knife above his head, only to repeatedly plummet it down into the skin of his chest. He continued on, screaming and crying in between each stab, until Rex's movements had weakened and the severity of what he had just done finally struck Charlie.

Once Charlie's hands, Rex's jacket, and the carpet beneath them both had been thoroughly dyed a deep red, Charlie pushed himself onto the floor beside Rex. He let out a final scream as he threw the weapon across the room, dripping a trail of Rex's blood across the floor. He quaked in terror as he watched the life slowly drain from his enemy's eyes.

His mention of ’another horribly violent death’ was enough to give Charlie paused, though his arms still trembled as he gripped the knife in front of him. “What– what are you talking about?” He hissed, only to have any answer from Rex interrupted by James.

“Try as he may to worm his way out of the scenario he’d placed himself in, Rex’s words were no longer reaching Charlie. His rage was rapidly boiling up to the surface and channeling itself into the weapon in his hands. The weapon that would soon be buried in Rex’s own cold corpse.”

What little fear had appeared in Charlie earlier was now gone, replaced entirely by white hot anger that swiftly manifested into another lunge towards Rex.

[not-another-parable]

bluescreenvendetta

”..Thank you? Mary belle?” He said, confused. What did she do? Was this just a checkup? Was she a mechanic as well? “I. I’m, just a bit. Confused? Why was I scared before? What did you do?” He said, very genuinely. His anger towards her had dissipated, only leaving a hint of fear in its wake. He wanted to know what happened to its body. He wanted to know why he wasn’t scared or angry. He wanted to know why he did what she said and thanked her. He didn’t ask any more questions.

She smiled as she carefully helped him sit up just a tad, gently pressing against the panels on its chest. "Just a bit of an impromptu upgrade for you, dear." She assured him, "I just got rid of some of the more annoying processes to allow for more pleasant ones. I'm very glad to hear you aren't experiencing any discomfort, I knew I'd take good care of you if you only let me."

She gazed down to its chest, analyzing its interior as she attempted to close the panels again. "If only it could be so easy with everyone...." She murmured under her breath, already scheming some horrible plan for her next unwilling visitor.

@bluescreenvendetta

ETTA hadn’t meant to leave his office today. He had a lot of work to do, punching in numbers and letters, but something had caught him off guard and now he was in shambles. He heard someone crying.

It was a quiet series of noises, clearly someone who didn’t want to be heard. And yet, all of ETTA’s multitude of sensors and emotions and its brain told it to go and find the person. immediately.

He followed the noise through the office, stopping finally in front of a door. He stood, peeking in for just a second to find a woman.

ETTA pursed its lips. He wanted to go inside, but wasn’t sure if it could. He knocked softly on the door.

Mary had kept to herself in her room for the past few days, reliving her last meeting with Rex almost obsessively. Nail polish flaked from her fingernails where she had nervously chewed at them, and tired eyes dripped tears that streaked mascara down her face. She leaned up from her sewing machine, struggling to focus on her latest dress. After drawing in a deep breath, she wiped away her face, and tried to quiet herself.

She jolted in her seat when ETTA knocked at the door. She turned around, expecting to see Rex entering at any second. After a brief silence, she stood and made her way to the door, cracking it open and peeking down to the stranger on the other side.

"...Hello." She smiled, still trying to clean her face. "And, ahem, who might you be?"