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[ukan]

This is Lark Tennant, leave a message.

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Re: Audio

[power_of_yes]

"I suspected you could," he says blandly. "I don't - lie often. Not willingly."

[ukan]

"You don't seem to have much reason for it," he nods. "So why did you lie just now?"

[power_of_yes]

"Because I need it to be true. I wear it on my skin. It has to be true," he answers softly.

[ukan]

"But if you lie, how true is it in the moment?" He takes his gloves off. "It can become the truth later. With work. You don't have to pretend."

[power_of_yes]

He glances over to his marks, to the bandages, and sighs. "I know." A bit of false contrition. Not quite a lie, not quite he truth. He's giving Lark what he thinks he wants, accepting it, deferring to him.

But quietly seething about it.

[ukan]

He throws the bloodied bandages away and motions for John to follow him. There's a basket of unfolded laundry on the stairs. "All right. Same question, then: what replaced God, even for the moment?"

[power_of_yes]

John stands up to follow him. "The means to end the world."

[ukan]

That makes sense, given John's fixation on it. "To rebuild it in the aftermath, or just to have it all gone?"

He finds a dark t-shirt for him and hands it over.

[power_of_yes]

He looks at the t-shirt and then up to Lark with a Look before throwing it on over his head.

"To kill everyone," he says easily.

The farthest thing from a lie.

[ukan]

"A power taken from God's own hands," he muses. "Even your brothers?"

[power_of_yes]

John nods. "Jacob was always a sacrifice for Joseph and Joseph...can never die. But he would. If he had to. If God willed it."

It's not an answer and he knows it. But he can't make exceptions for anyone.

[ukan]

"Most people would find that hard to live with day to day, no matter how faithful." But Lark is a man who has sacrificed two packs to his goals, and while he wouldn't do it again he certainly understands the ends justifying the means.

[power_of_yes]

"Find what?" he wonders, tilting his head to the side as he considers.

[ukan]

"The idea of sacrificing their brother. Even Abraham struggled a little to put Isaac on the altar." Somehow he thinks John is even more far gone than batshit old Abraham.

[power_of_yes]

"Joseph would never want Jacob to sacrifice himself," he clarifies. "But Jacob - well, I told you about the war. About how we found him and he was nothing but a shell of himself."

He straightens the shirt and turns, intending on going back to retrieve his ruined shirt and his coat.

"He was going to do what he wants."

[ukan]

Those shells of men are where Lark builds his packs. He remakes people from the cellular level, and there's a part of him that wonders what sort of monster Jacob would have been.

"Hang on," while John gets his coat Lark gets him some gauze and nonstick pads so he can change the dressing. "Let me know if you need more but this should get you through."

[power_of_yes]

"This should be fine," he assures him, putting on his coat and then sliding the gauze and bandaging into his pockets. "Thank you, Lark. And, for the record, you didn't ask as many questions as I thought you would."

[ukan]

"It's your body. You have a right to do with it whatever you want." The moment, the second it starts to hurt someone else without their consent, though, he'll spring on John like a fucking leopard.

[power_of_yes]

John knows that. He knows that because Lark had almost done it when he sensed that John had hurt Carol. He isn't afraid of Lark or the consequences that come from it, but he is aware.

"Yes," he tells him. Then, after a moment, he adds- "And I wouldn't have to use a blade if I had ink."

[ukan]

"I'll ask around and see if anyone here has a tattoo gun. There used to be one." that people shared. So hygienic.

[power_of_yes]

He shakes his head. "What's done is done," he tells him. "I don't anticipate needing it again."

He will make sure of that.

Tighten the belt. Forcefully cut out what's already there if he has to. He'll do whatever he needs to keep from slipping again.

"Thank you, Lark." He gives him a nod before he turns to go.

[ukan]

"I'll see you later." He goes back to disinfecting the counter.