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[ the more claire describes frank, the more annabeth's face twists with disgust. she understands societal rules and expectations of different times, but it hardly sounds like jamie was this much of a dickhead and he was from the fucking 1700s. she is aware there could be plenty claire isn't touching on, but she will remain solid in her negative views of frank. she knows and likes claire. she doesn't care what frank was thinking with the context of everything claire has been through. ]
What an asshole.
[ she indignantly shoves another cookie in her mouth to stew on it, to settle with the smile claire offers at the end of it all in the face of the happiness she's managed to find here. it's a far cry from the more mature advice she might have offered claire in the illusion, but it's the truer annabeth version of support. she nods at the older woman's affirmation that she deserves it. ]
As peaceful as things can be in this place, I guess. There's a certain reprieve it offers, in spite of everything.
[ she once told claire she really appreciated thorne's beds, so she supposes she understands that experience of not taking the good of this place for granted. ]
What an asshole.
[ she indignantly shoves another cookie in her mouth to stew on it, to settle with the smile claire offers at the end of it all in the face of the happiness she's managed to find here. it's a far cry from the more mature advice she might have offered claire in the illusion, but it's the truer annabeth version of support. she nods at the older woman's affirmation that she deserves it. ]
As peaceful as things can be in this place, I guess. There's a certain reprieve it offers, in spite of everything.
[ she once told claire she really appreciated thorne's beds, so she supposes she understands that experience of not taking the good of this place for granted. ]
[ Annabeth's assessment pulls an abrupt laugh out of Claire, a spit take if she'd had a mouthful of coffee. Luckily not, and she laughs until her side aches. ]
Truly, I've waited so long to hear someone else make that exact statement. Thank you, it feels validating in a way I can't explain.
[ She takes a deep breath that feels nice and cleansing and lets it out. ] We'll see how long the peace actually lasts. But I will say that here, I've been less afraid for myself as a woman. That alone is a reprieve from the 18th century.
[ With about half a cup of coffee left, she nods toward the back door. ] Would you like to go look now?
Truly, I've waited so long to hear someone else make that exact statement. Thank you, it feels validating in a way I can't explain.
[ She takes a deep breath that feels nice and cleansing and lets it out. ] We'll see how long the peace actually lasts. But I will say that here, I've been less afraid for myself as a woman. That alone is a reprieve from the 18th century.
[ With about half a cup of coffee left, she nods toward the back door. ] Would you like to go look now?
[ yes! she made claire laugh! that's a win! it's a good grade in making adults laugh, which is both reasonable and normal to want to achieve. ]
[ she grins, a little warmly, pleased to have made claire feel a little better too. ] Well, it's true. You're welcome.
[ she exhales a little, and opts for another semi-joke instead of dwelling on the horrors of a misogynistic past. ] Plenty of other dangers besides sexism here to contend with instead.
[ annabeth nods, draining the last of her own coffee. ] Yeah. I really wanna see what it normally looks like.
[ she's still just happy claire wants her around. it feels nice. ]
[ she grins, a little warmly, pleased to have made claire feel a little better too. ] Well, it's true. You're welcome.
[ she exhales a little, and opts for another semi-joke instead of dwelling on the horrors of a misogynistic past. ] Plenty of other dangers besides sexism here to contend with instead.
[ annabeth nods, draining the last of her own coffee. ] Yeah. I really wanna see what it normally looks like.
[ she's still just happy claire wants her around. it feels nice. ]
[John understands that he probably should have told her about all of this sooner. But he also had reasoned that doing so would only cause her to worry when there would not be a lot that could be done from afar. And in his position, it's easier to wait until he knows that things are more settled and he's not in any more immediate peril, then simply beg her forgiveness for having withheld the information from her for this long.
In his defense, he feels as though he has burdened enough people already.]
𝓒𝓵𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓮?
𝓘 𝓶𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓼𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓴 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓪𝓼 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓭.
[Ominous.]
In his defense, he feels as though he has burdened enough people already.]
𝓒𝓵𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓮?
𝓘 𝓶𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓼𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓴 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓪𝓼 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓭.
[Ominous.]
[ Claire is typically in her garden no matter the time of day, and now is no exception. She stands up straight, on high alert and ready to help, assuming this is a call to action, a forewarning about an incoming attack, perhaps. ]
𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑡, 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡?
𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑡, 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡?
[He had known that a message like this would alarm her. Part of the reason he had waited until after the fact to send it. He can read her alert in her message and does his best to try and be as calming as he can be, given what he is about to share.]
𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓼𝓪𝓯𝓮 𝓷𝓸𝔀, 𝔂𝓮𝓼.
[A beat.]
𝓘𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓒𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓮𝓼. 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓖𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓽.
[He knows he owes a further explanation so he goes on quickly:] 𝓛𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽, 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓸 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓭𝓾𝓽𝔂. 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓷𝓮 𝓒𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓖𝓾𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓭𝓾𝓽𝔂 𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓫𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓸𝓾𝓽, 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽. 𝓘 𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓲𝓷 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓪 𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓱𝓪𝓼𝓽𝔂 𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓪𝓹𝓮.
𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓼𝓪𝓯𝓮 𝓷𝓸𝔀, 𝔂𝓮𝓼.
[A beat.]
𝓘𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓒𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓮𝓼. 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓖𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓽.
[He knows he owes a further explanation so he goes on quickly:] 𝓛𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽, 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓸 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓭𝓾𝓽𝔂. 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓷𝓮 𝓒𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓖𝓾𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓭𝓾𝓽𝔂 𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓫𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓸𝓾𝓽, 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽. 𝓘 𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓲𝓷 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓪 𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓱𝓪𝓼𝓽𝔂 𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓪𝓹𝓮.
[ There is so much to process, that a few of her thought slip through unfiltered before she can stop them and think clearly. ]
𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 where??
𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒-
𝐴𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜-
𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡'𝑠 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒?
[ She stops, taking a breath before finally thinking in complete sentences. ]
𝐴𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑓𝑒? 𝐷𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛?
[ If John can get to the Free Cities...perhaps...Claire shakes her head, not wanting to get her hopes up, to plant a seed that can't grow. ]
𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 where??
𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒-
𝐴𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜-
𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡'𝑠 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒?
[ She stops, taking a breath before finally thinking in complete sentences. ]
𝐴𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑓𝑒? 𝐷𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛?
[ If John can get to the Free Cities...perhaps...Claire shakes her head, not wanting to get her hopes up, to plant a seed that can't grow. ]
[John chews on a lip, uncertain exactly where to start first. It had not been an easy decision, not because he does not want to be here (of course he does), but because he knows what he is leaving behind. He knows the potential danger he is putting himself and all those others that have helped him get this far in, in aiding his passage.
Thus far, he has not run into any trouble. But that does not mean that there will not be any. He is effectively a deserter, and that concept does not particularly sit well with him either.]
𝓖𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓽, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓭𝓭, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓨𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻. 𝓣𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓹 𝓶𝓮 𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓪𝓹𝓮. 𝓞𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓘 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓸𝓽𝓽, 𝓨𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓮𝓬𝓾𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓶𝓮 𝓪 𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓮 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓶𝓮 𝓪 𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓵 𝓸𝓾𝓽. 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓮.
[It was not cheap. That's where Geralt and Istredd come in.]
𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓒𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓭𝓲𝓭 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓸𝓫𝓳𝓮𝓬𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝔂 𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓷𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓾𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓵𝔂 𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓶𝓮. 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓶𝓪𝓷, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓾𝓫𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓬𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓶𝓮 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷, 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓻 𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓼.
[Besides. He is with Geralt. Which means he is as safe as he can be, as far as he's concerned.]
Thus far, he has not run into any trouble. But that does not mean that there will not be any. He is effectively a deserter, and that concept does not particularly sit well with him either.]
𝓖𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓽, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓭𝓭, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓨𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻. 𝓣𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓹 𝓶𝓮 𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓪𝓹𝓮. 𝓞𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓘 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓸𝓽𝓽, 𝓨𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓮𝓬𝓾𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓶𝓮 𝓪 𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓮 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓶𝓮 𝓪 𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓵 𝓸𝓾𝓽. 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓮.
[It was not cheap. That's where Geralt and Istredd come in.]
𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓒𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓭𝓲𝓭 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓸𝓫𝓳𝓮𝓬𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝔂 𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓷𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓾𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓵𝔂 𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓶𝓮. 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓶𝓪𝓷, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓾𝓫𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓬𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓶𝓮 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷, 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓻 𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓼.
[Besides. He is with Geralt. Which means he is as safe as he can be, as far as he's concerned.]
[ The most important thing first, then. ]
𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑛. 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑟, 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑. 𝐼'𝑚 𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛.
[ And that is why, in her heart as it has been shaped by this world, she doesn't see herself leaving Abraxas unless forced. Let the version of her living the life John experienced, have it. She misses Bree, but as far as she knew when she touched the stones, she was always going to spend a lifetime missing her daughter. Here, there is a freedom she can't deny. A freedom for everyone, and it means something to know John has found that freedom in his relationship with Geralt. ]
𝐼 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑒. 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦, 𝑚𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑟 ℎ𝑢𝑠𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛.
[ She says the endearment fondly, not possessively, quietly wishing the best for them. ]
𝐼'𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 '𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒' 𝑎𝑛𝑑 '𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑙' 𝑠𝑜 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑦. 𝐿𝑜𝑜𝑘 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑓𝑎𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒.
𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑛. 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑟, 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑. 𝐼'𝑚 𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛.
[ And that is why, in her heart as it has been shaped by this world, she doesn't see herself leaving Abraxas unless forced. Let the version of her living the life John experienced, have it. She misses Bree, but as far as she knew when she touched the stones, she was always going to spend a lifetime missing her daughter. Here, there is a freedom she can't deny. A freedom for everyone, and it means something to know John has found that freedom in his relationship with Geralt. ]
𝐼 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑒. 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦, 𝑚𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑟 ℎ𝑢𝑠𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛.
[ She says the endearment fondly, not possessively, quietly wishing the best for them. ]
𝐼'𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 '𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒' 𝑎𝑛𝑑 '𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑙' 𝑠𝑜 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑦. 𝐿𝑜𝑜𝑘 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑓𝑎𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒.
[John cannot help but feel his heart lightening at Claire's response. Not that he had feared that she would disapprove of his choices, but the fact that she does not, that she supports him in it, it means quite a lot. Claire may not have the same shared experiences as he has with her, but their friendship still means a very great deal to him even so.]
𝓘 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓪𝓶. 𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂. 𝓞𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓽 𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓽, 𝓘 𝓶𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮. 𝓘𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓪 𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓭𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓲𝓽 𝓪𝓼 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽. 𝓘 𝓶𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓵𝔂 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓪 𝓫𝓾𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓷, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸. 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓫𝓸𝓽𝓱 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓖𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓽. 𝓢𝓪𝔂 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓶𝓪𝓷, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓾𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓵𝔂 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓸𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓼 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓽𝔂.
[Which is not to say that John does not think he has a kind heart. He just does not go handing it out willy nilly.
At the teasing, John cannot help but smile and tease a little back.]
𝓔𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓪 𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓼𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪𝓼 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓬𝓪𝓹𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓪𝓭𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓪 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭 𝓼𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼. 𝓘𝓽 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓽𝓸𝓸𝓴 -- 𝓪 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪 𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓯? 𝓞𝓻 𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽-𝓱𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓭-𝓪𝓷𝓭-𝓸𝓷𝓮? 𝓓𝓮𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓷 𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽.
𝓘 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓪𝓶. 𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂. 𝓞𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓽 𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓽, 𝓘 𝓶𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮. 𝓘𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓪 𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓭𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓲𝓽 𝓪𝓼 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽. 𝓘 𝓶𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓵𝔂 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓪 𝓫𝓾𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓷, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸. 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓫𝓸𝓽𝓱 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓖𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓽. 𝓢𝓪𝔂 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓶𝓪𝓷, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓾𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓵𝔂 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓸𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓼 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓽𝔂.
[Which is not to say that John does not think he has a kind heart. He just does not go handing it out willy nilly.
At the teasing, John cannot help but smile and tease a little back.]
𝓔𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓪 𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓼𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪𝓼 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓬𝓪𝓹𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓪𝓭𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓪 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭 𝓼𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼. 𝓘𝓽 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓽𝓸𝓸𝓴 -- 𝓪 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪 𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓯? 𝓞𝓻 𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽-𝓱𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓭-𝓪𝓷𝓭-𝓸𝓷𝓮? 𝓓𝓮𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓷 𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽.
𝐺𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑑𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑡𝑜.
[ Claire smiles to read his words, glad that his finding this happiness for himself, finally. ]
𝑂𝑙𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑔𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛, 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑡 𝑢𝑠 𝑔𝑜.
[ If only he could hear her laugh, teasing them both. At this point, she's decided the numbers don't mean a damned thing anymore. ]
𝐺𝑜, 𝑏𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦. 𝐺𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝐺𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠.
[ Claire smiles to read his words, glad that his finding this happiness for himself, finally. ]
𝑂𝑙𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑔𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛, 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑡 𝑢𝑠 𝑔𝑜.
[ If only he could hear her laugh, teasing them both. At this point, she's decided the numbers don't mean a damned thing anymore. ]
𝐺𝑜, 𝑏𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦. 𝐺𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝐺𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠.
[Climbing the creaky stairs, Daisy's hand hovers at the door to Claire's bedroom for a moment. She isn't sure what time it is, exactly, but it's still dark out. It could've just been a weird dream she's just had, but her gut tells her it's more than that.
Quietly, at first, Daisy knocks on her door.]
Claire?
[When she doesn't answer, she opens the door as quietly as she can. Of course, the door squeaks louder than she'd like it to.]
Claire?
[She repeats, a bit louder this time.]
Quietly, at first, Daisy knocks on her door.]
Claire?
[When she doesn't answer, she opens the door as quietly as she can. Of course, the door squeaks louder than she'd like it to.]
Claire?
[She repeats, a bit louder this time.]
[ Claire's gotten used to Daisy by now, finding it oddly comforting to have both her and Michael nearby. Claire's on her side, hair casting a faint glow in the room. When she stars awake and sits up, the soft moon-like light bounces on the walls and she squints, blinking as concern laces her voice. ]
Daisy? Are you alright?
[ She turns to look at the window; not even a hint of sunlight yet, and she reaches out a hand, lighting a lantern with the tips of her fingers by using general magic she's book-learned. Adjusting the flame on the wick, she motions for her to come in all the way. Claire's in her shift, and she adjusts her legs so that Daisy can sit.
The opposite side of the room is her 'office' of sorts, where there are scattered papers, more plants, and a window overlooking the garden. ]
Daisy? Are you alright?
[ She turns to look at the window; not even a hint of sunlight yet, and she reaches out a hand, lighting a lantern with the tips of her fingers by using general magic she's book-learned. Adjusting the flame on the wick, she motions for her to come in all the way. Claire's in her shift, and she adjusts her legs so that Daisy can sit.
The opposite side of the room is her 'office' of sorts, where there are scattered papers, more plants, and a window overlooking the garden. ]
[Her heart hammers in her chest when Claire says her name, the feeling of knowing something that she probably shouldn't eating away at her. At the same time, however, Claire's voice doesn't give Daisy the sense that she also experienced the same thing. Which leaves her feeling ridiculous for even coming up here, much less waking her up.
She's tempted to tell her it's nothing and just go back downstairs, but there's that nagging feeling in the back of her mind telling her not to.]
I'm--
I had weird dream.
[God, she feels stupid. Wringing her hands together, she walks into the room and takes a seat on the edge of her bed. Looking at Claire, her brows furrow together. Just moments ago she had been looking at her, visibly younger. There's no way she could've just dreamed this.]
Does the name Bree mean anything to you?
She's tempted to tell her it's nothing and just go back downstairs, but there's that nagging feeling in the back of her mind telling her not to.]
I'm--
I had weird dream.
[God, she feels stupid. Wringing her hands together, she walks into the room and takes a seat on the edge of her bed. Looking at Claire, her brows furrow together. Just moments ago she had been looking at her, visibly younger. There's no way she could've just dreamed this.]
Does the name Bree mean anything to you?
Edited 2024-11-10 16:50 (UTC)
[ It isn't until Daisy says Bree's name, that Claire remembers the shared dream, a moment she began to forget as soon as soon as Daisy woke. For Claire, still asleep, she'd started to fall into something dreamless, the experience fading. Now, it comes back, visibly drawing in a breath in shock before exhaling. ]
Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ.
[ She swallows, rubbing a hand over her face for a moment. ]
What do you remember?
[ Claire already knows the answer, she's just buying time. ]
Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ.
[ She swallows, rubbing a hand over her face for a moment. ]
What do you remember?
[ Claire already knows the answer, she's just buying time. ]
[That phrase echos in her mind, remembering her saying that exact thing in her living room. A living room that doesn't exist, and one she's never seen before. It's like a punch to the gut, knowing that it was somehow real.
At her question, Daisy has to look away. Knowing that, somehow, she had witnessed a very traumatic and vulnerable time in her life.]
All of it.
[Swallowing thickly, she looks back to her after a moment.]
Has something like this happened before?
At her question, Daisy has to look away. Knowing that, somehow, she had witnessed a very traumatic and vulnerable time in her life.]
All of it.
[Swallowing thickly, she looks back to her after a moment.]
Has something like this happened before?
We've shared dreams, yes. The glimpse into the future I told you of.
[ Claire gets up and slips her feet into slippers before reaching for her shawl. ]
Come on. I won't be going back to sleep now.
[ Leaving the lantern, she lets her hair guide the way back down, getting a fire going in the hearth once there. ]
I'm going to make tea, would you like any?
[ She doesn't know what to do or where to start, but tea has never let her down, and she needs to move, unable to be still. ]
[ Claire gets up and slips her feet into slippers before reaching for her shawl. ]
Come on. I won't be going back to sleep now.
[ Leaving the lantern, she lets her hair guide the way back down, getting a fire going in the hearth once there. ]
I'm going to make tea, would you like any?
[ She doesn't know what to do or where to start, but tea has never let her down, and she needs to move, unable to be still. ]
[Shared dreams. The idea of it leaves Daisy feeling vulnerable, fearing that the same might happen to her. Her past is something she keeps close to her chest, and the mere thought that she could lose control of what is and isn't told makes her panic.
Numbly, she gets to her feet as she follows Claire out of her bedroom.]
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have woken you.
[She shouldn't have said anything at all, because now she knows something Claire wouldn't have told her otherwise. Wrapping her arms around herself, she can't help but look at her in a new light.]
You got anything stronger?
[Because with this new knowledge that her memories/dreams aren't safe from others, she needs something stronger than tea.]
Numbly, she gets to her feet as she follows Claire out of her bedroom.]
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have woken you.
[She shouldn't have said anything at all, because now she knows something Claire wouldn't have told her otherwise. Wrapping her arms around herself, she can't help but look at her in a new light.]
You got anything stronger?
[Because with this new knowledge that her memories/dreams aren't safe from others, she needs something stronger than tea.]
[ at some point over the wintertide & solstice season, arriving shortly before their invitation and arrival to the nether, claire will find a package delivered to her in solvunn, containing a handmade knitted gift for the celebrations. ]
wrapped neatly and tied with a bow, please find inside a blue and green patterned scarf. there's only a short note that simply reads:
Happy Holidays
♥ Annabeth
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