![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[ She isn't sure where she stands with the Horizon; when things go sideways inside of it, she always wonders if they could become stuck, bodies vulnerable while they can't escape their minds. As of yet, no such thing has happened, so she decides not to decline. If something does keep them locked in, at least they'll be together. ]
Who am I to say no to brandy, real or not? I can be there within ten minutes or so, if that isn't too soon?
Who am I to say no to brandy, real or not? I can be there within ten minutes or so, if that isn't too soon?
𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚊𝚠𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢, 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚒𝚝? 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚞𝚜.
𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎. 𝙸 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚍𝚘.
𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎. 𝙸 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚍𝚘.
[ Claire's heart warms; she feels such a pull to the Doctor in a way she felt toward her uncle: yearning to be in the space of someone who truly wants to watch her learn, someone who listens to what she's saying and helps her form ideas and opinions, and at the end of the day, someone who checks in, calls, or in this case reaches out in her mind, just because he's a bit worried. There will never be an age where she doesn't long for a paternal connection of her own, and she feels it so easily with the Doctor. ]
𝑂ℎ, 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦, 𝐼'𝑚 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ. 𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠; 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝐼 𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑢𝑛𝑛?
[ She knows she survived because a decade later she marries Lord John, so she feels comfortable with her words. They may not be as reassuring as she's hoping, though. ]
𝑂ℎ, 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦, 𝐼'𝑚 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ. 𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠; 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝐼 𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑢𝑛𝑛?
[ She knows she survived because a decade later she marries Lord John, so she feels comfortable with her words. They may not be as reassuring as she's hoping, though. ]
[ Likewise, of course, the Doctor feels pulled to Claire. He might not have worked out the specific reasons why, exactly, but that call to her is unmistakable and palpable, a feeling and a need to guide her, watch over her from afar. She's more than capable, he knows that, it's just that he feels protective of her. ]
𝙾𝚑 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚍𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕!
𝙾𝚑 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚍𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕!
𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑒. 𝐴𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑦 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠, 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝐽𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝐽𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑒, ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑝 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑤 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑘𝑖𝑑𝑛𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑. 𝑊𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑎 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝐽𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑎.
[ Here, Claire pauses. In the time she's been in Abraxas, she has tried not to think about Geillis. The woman who, with no way of knowing she'd live, sacrificed herself for Claire. The woman who kidnapped Ian. The woman Claire murdered and whose bones she examined two hundred years later. There's a significant pause before she sends anything else through to be read. ]
𝑆𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦, 𝐼 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑜𝑓𝑓. 𝐴 𝑙𝑜𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒.
[ And she skips right over all of it because it wasn't a good time. However, if anyone was going to prod, the Doctor would be the most likely to receive answers. ]
𝐼𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒, 𝑤𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑤 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑡𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑎𝑛, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐽𝑜ℎ𝑛 𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑, ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝐼'𝑚 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑙.
[ Here, Claire pauses. In the time she's been in Abraxas, she has tried not to think about Geillis. The woman who, with no way of knowing she'd live, sacrificed herself for Claire. The woman who kidnapped Ian. The woman Claire murdered and whose bones she examined two hundred years later. There's a significant pause before she sends anything else through to be read. ]
𝑆𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦, 𝐼 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑜𝑓𝑓. 𝐴 𝑙𝑜𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒.
[ And she skips right over all of it because it wasn't a good time. However, if anyone was going to prod, the Doctor would be the most likely to receive answers. ]
𝐼𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒, 𝑤𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑤 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑡𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑎𝑛, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐽𝑜ℎ𝑛 𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑, ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝐼'𝑚 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑙.
Not too soon at all. Thank you for accommodating me on such short notice. I will meet you there, my dear.
[True to his word, John is ready and waiting at the Beefsteak, whenever Claire makes her arrival. The Horizon is not too unstable there, although it is storming something dreadful. The building itself stands strong against the wind and rain, and once you are inside the fire is quite warm and inviting.
There is a decanter of brandy waiting to be poured for the pair of them, although John is standing ready to receive her at the front door, with a cloth to dry off if necessary. It is only polite, after all.]
[True to his word, John is ready and waiting at the Beefsteak, whenever Claire makes her arrival. The Horizon is not too unstable there, although it is storming something dreadful. The building itself stands strong against the wind and rain, and once you are inside the fire is quite warm and inviting.
There is a decanter of brandy waiting to be poured for the pair of them, although John is standing ready to receive her at the front door, with a cloth to dry off if necessary. It is only polite, after all.]
[ When Claire arrives and makes her way through the door, she's immediately grateful to see John waiting to dry her off. Her hair got the worst of it, and she tries to keep her dripping contained. Thanks to a shopping trip with Hilda, Claire's wardrobe has been modernized a little, so that she isn't always in corsets and skirts. This evening she's dressed down, in black leggings and an oversized blue and white checkered sweater, meant to be overlarge and comfortable. It's nice, not having layers that need to dry by the fire.
Once she's dry enough she embraces John, glad to see him as always, and quietly fretting. ]
It does feel as though it's getting worse.
Once she's dry enough she embraces John, glad to see him as always, and quietly fretting. ]
It does feel as though it's getting worse.
𝚂𝚘 - 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢!
[ It is, of course, quite the adventure to live through, and Claire's more than had her fair share, from other things she's told him. It never ceases to amaze him (and, at times, trouble him), the things that humans can go through in their relatively short lives. But it's also a reminder of why it's been so naturally easy to connect with Claire — she's seen and done so much, and she carries on raising hell, as she says.
On the other end of the psychic interface, the Doctor smiles faintly. ]
𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎.
[ It is, of course, quite the adventure to live through, and Claire's more than had her fair share, from other things she's told him. It never ceases to amaze him (and, at times, trouble him), the things that humans can go through in their relatively short lives. But it's also a reminder of why it's been so naturally easy to connect with Claire — she's seen and done so much, and she carries on raising hell, as she says.
On the other end of the psychic interface, the Doctor smiles faintly. ]
𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎.
𝑊𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑡 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑠.
[ She smiles to herself and wishes things didn't seem to be getting worse with the weather. ]
𝑀𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝐼 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒. 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝐼 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔.
[ She smiles to herself and wishes things didn't seem to be getting worse with the weather. ]
𝑀𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝐼 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒. 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝐼 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔.
[John will always be a little old-fashioned in his manners and his ways, but there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with that. He was born and raised to be a gentleman, and he has never heard anyone complain they did not appreciate his manners.
He gladly accepts the embrace that is offered, glad for her company. Glad to see her in person, if only incorporeally.]
I cannot even begin to pretend I understand why. Though I am grateful you are here. Won’t you come and join me by the fire, my dear.
[He gestures down the hallway, toward the room he has prepared for them to sit in.]
He gladly accepts the embrace that is offered, glad for her company. Glad to see her in person, if only incorporeally.]
I cannot even begin to pretend I understand why. Though I am grateful you are here. Won’t you come and join me by the fire, my dear.
[He gestures down the hallway, toward the room he has prepared for them to sit in.]
[ Claire's eager to get to the fire and lets him lead the way now that she's suitably dry. Each time she arrives, she has to take in what's around her, enjoying the space John's created before entering the sitting room.
Once she's settled, it means her shoes are off and her feet are curled beneath her. ]
I've lost my garden, now I'm hoping I don't lose the windows of my house. But that's not what we came here to discuss, at least not primarily. You have news.
Once she's settled, it means her shoes are off and her feet are curled beneath her. ]
I've lost my garden, now I'm hoping I don't lose the windows of my house. But that's not what we came here to discuss, at least not primarily. You have news.
[John frowns at that. He knows how special her garden is to her, but he also knows that it can be rebuilt. Flowers and plants are resilient, and it is likely that not all is lost.
At her reminder of the reason for his summons, he flushes slightly. It feels a little silly, given the storm happening around them, but he has to tell her sometime, and he does not want to keep this to himself just because there are more serious matters happening outside their door.]
Ah. Yes, well.
[He turns, fussing with the nearby decanter for a moment, buying himself time to figure out how to broach the subject entirely.] I had wished to speak with you about… A particular someone. [He cuts his eyes back to her.] Relating to our last conversation on the subject.
[He winces internally. It isn’t his best start, he will allow that much.]
At her reminder of the reason for his summons, he flushes slightly. It feels a little silly, given the storm happening around them, but he has to tell her sometime, and he does not want to keep this to himself just because there are more serious matters happening outside their door.]
Ah. Yes, well.
[He turns, fussing with the nearby decanter for a moment, buying himself time to figure out how to broach the subject entirely.] I had wished to speak with you about… A particular someone. [He cuts his eyes back to her.] Relating to our last conversation on the subject.
[He winces internally. It isn’t his best start, he will allow that much.]
[ It's almost as if a switch has been flipped, and Claire forgets the weather, face opening up into a hopeful expression. She's wanted for him something that makes him deeply happy without having to hide anything about himself, and she still staunchly believes that it can happen on this planet. ]
Oh yes, I remember. Please tell me you've had a happy development?
[ She waits eagerly, both for the brandy and John's news, hoping they'll have something worth toasting to. ]
Oh yes, I remember. Please tell me you've had a happy development?
[ She waits eagerly, both for the brandy and John's news, hoping they'll have something worth toasting to. ]
[John knows that he is taking his time in this reveal. He also feels more than a little bit self-conscious about this conversation -- which is ridiculous, in retrospect, considering how intimately he does know Claire.
Crossing back to the fire, he hands her a glass of brandy, keeping his own as he sinks down into his chair before he replies.]
I -- think so, yes.
[He offers her the flash of a self-conscious smile before glancing down into his glass in an attempt to gather himself.] I suppose you could say that I took what you said to heart. I'm... Not certain I can say what his motivation was. Perhaps it was the spirit of the Carnivale?
Crossing back to the fire, he hands her a glass of brandy, keeping his own as he sinks down into his chair before he replies.]
I -- think so, yes.
[He offers her the flash of a self-conscious smile before glancing down into his glass in an attempt to gather himself.] I suppose you could say that I took what you said to heart. I'm... Not certain I can say what his motivation was. Perhaps it was the spirit of the Carnivale?
[ Taking the glass with thanks, she takes a sip just as he begins explaining, and her entire countenance lights up. ]
John! You've buried the lede here, this is fantastic. You had me worried you were downplaying something terrible.
[ She leans forward in her own chair, smile still in place. ]
So, you were both swept up and—?
[ Claire isn't sure if this is the first time he's been entirely, completely safe to tell his own story in as many or as few details as he'd like, and so she tries to keep the reins in his hands and be an enthusiastic friend. ]
John! You've buried the lede here, this is fantastic. You had me worried you were downplaying something terrible.
[ She leans forward in her own chair, smile still in place. ]
So, you were both swept up and—?
[ Claire isn't sure if this is the first time he's been entirely, completely safe to tell his own story in as many or as few details as he'd like, and so she tries to keep the reins in his hands and be an enthusiastic friend. ]
[It is in fact one of the first times that John has ever been able to speak about things without fear, to another person who is not so directly involved. And even then, when he had shared with Claire, it had been mostly an interrogation on her part. Like a dog with a bone, she had been determined to ferret the information out of him and he had… Let her.
To offer it freely is much more terrifyingly new. But he would rather she hear it from him directly than at another time, from another person (somehow — and isn’t that a further nauseating thought).]
We have been known to each other for some time now. I was not certain if… Such attention would be welcome. In my attempts to investigate, I suppose that I was perhaps a little too obvious in my pursuit. [He glances up to her with the flash of a self-conscious, uncertain smile.] I fear I am still not used to this place. I still forget that there are other places and other times where… It is not so.
[His smile widens at the memory of that night.] He just came out and asked me, very bluntly.
To offer it freely is much more terrifyingly new. But he would rather she hear it from him directly than at another time, from another person (somehow — and isn’t that a further nauseating thought).]
We have been known to each other for some time now. I was not certain if… Such attention would be welcome. In my attempts to investigate, I suppose that I was perhaps a little too obvious in my pursuit. [He glances up to her with the flash of a self-conscious, uncertain smile.] I fear I am still not used to this place. I still forget that there are other places and other times where… It is not so.
[His smile widens at the memory of that night.] He just came out and asked me, very bluntly.
[ Listening raptly, by the end, Claire's grinning so hard her cheeks hurt a little, and then she laughs happily. ]
Oh, I would've honestly loved to have seen the expression on your face! It's understandable, being unsure, so I'm happy to know Geralt finally put it out there. [ What a relief it is, to know one's wanted in return, no matter the nature of the relationship. She hopes he has this for a long while, that it has the chance to turn into as much as John's hopes have taken him. ]
And now, do you plan on...well, whatever the equivalent is to courting or going together is on this planet, while we're here?
Oh, I would've honestly loved to have seen the expression on your face! It's understandable, being unsure, so I'm happy to know Geralt finally put it out there. [ What a relief it is, to know one's wanted in return, no matter the nature of the relationship. She hopes he has this for a long while, that it has the chance to turn into as much as John's hopes have taken him. ]
And now, do you plan on...well, whatever the equivalent is to courting or going together is on this planet, while we're here?
[The handwriting is formal and, likely, very familiar at this point.]
I don't know where to start.
I'd like for us to speak soon — face to face. I will come to you in the Horizon as soon as I may, if you are amenable.
— Jon Snow
I don't know where to start.
I'd like for us to speak soon — face to face. I will come to you in the Horizon as soon as I may, if you are amenable.
— Jon Snow
Edited 2024-05-13 08:15 (UTC)
[ She isn't sure what to think, either. Seeing his familiar script gives her a feeling of homesickness, but it's false. It wasn't real, and she can't ache for something that never actually existed. Claire isn't sure what she's ready for, if she's ready to confront this. But she's faced worse...hasn't she? She can face this, face Jon. ]
𝑌𝑒𝑠. 𝑌𝑒𝑠, 𝐼 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒, 𝑤𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑. 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝐼 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒. [ Can she still say things like that to him, when he isn't the safe place for her thoughts the way she's believed? She doesn't know. ] 𝑀𝑦 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒. [ There are no woods, of course, nothing as vast as what once was. Or wasn't. She can't figure out which it is. ]
𝐷𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢--𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛?
[ She'd rather not drag it out and put it off, rather not delay confronting things, if she's going to. ]
𝑌𝑒𝑠. 𝑌𝑒𝑠, 𝐼 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒, 𝑤𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑. 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝐼 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒. [ Can she still say things like that to him, when he isn't the safe place for her thoughts the way she's believed? She doesn't know. ] 𝑀𝑦 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒. [ There are no woods, of course, nothing as vast as what once was. Or wasn't. She can't figure out which it is. ]
𝐷𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢--𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛?
[ She'd rather not drag it out and put it off, rather not delay confronting things, if she's going to. ]
I need a few hours. I am a hand taller than I was before our journey to the Singularity. Before I do anything else, I must sort out new clothes, new boots.
That you feel lost — I don't like it. You deserve better.
That you feel lost — I don't like it. You deserve better.
𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙; 𝐼 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑟. 𝐼 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑐 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛.
[ She doesn't know if she will or not, but right now she has bigger things on her mind. Her bees are dead, her home needs half a roof, and she misses the wrong husband. ]
'𝐿𝑜𝑠𝑡' 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔. 𝐷𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑒, 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡.
[ This is her only chance to downplay things, while he can't see her face as she attempts to lie her way out of his concern. ]
[ She doesn't know if she will or not, but right now she has bigger things on her mind. Her bees are dead, her home needs half a roof, and she misses the wrong husband. ]
'𝐿𝑜𝑠𝑡' 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔. 𝐷𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑒, 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡.
[ This is her only chance to downplay things, while he can't see her face as she attempts to lie her way out of his concern. ]
[The truth here would be easy: "I like your silver hair" and "I'm not all right." But he has no right to say these things, so he doesn't. And it might be that time will soften them; it might be that it will not. Hard to say now. She isn't dead, like Ygritte is dead; she is only over in Solvunn and not truly his in any real sense. He cannot say whether this will make things better or worse.]
Better than me. My head is a whirl.
You should keep your hair as you like it, however you like it. There might be herbs that can make it brown again, if a spell cannot.
Better than me. My head is a whirl.
You should keep your hair as you like it, however you like it. There might be herbs that can make it brown again, if a spell cannot.
𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑟.
[ The thought is automatic, less filtered, and she regrets it as soon as its gone. She doesn't know him, or have any right to those words, does she? She doesn't know how to recover from that thought, and so she barrels ahead to changing the topic back to their plans. ]
𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑔𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑠𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑒, 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒.
[ The thought is automatic, less filtered, and she regrets it as soon as its gone. She doesn't know him, or have any right to those words, does she? She doesn't know how to recover from that thought, and so she barrels ahead to changing the topic back to their plans. ]
𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑔𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑠𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑒, 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒.
[She can't see the way he colors, but he can feel that his cheeks are, all of a sudden, burning.]
All right. I will be there as soon as I can.
[And three or so hours later, there is a hesitant rap on a cottage door.]
All right. I will be there as soon as I can.
[And three or so hours later, there is a hesitant rap on a cottage door.]
[ Her heart feels like it's in her throat, and Claire stares at the door as if it's committed a great offense to her. She's made what she knows he likes because...well. Why not? She's already second-guessing herself as she looks at the tea and biscuits. But she does finally stand from her table and open the door.
Seeing him causes a knot in her throat that she tries to swallow, but it causes a small wobble of her chin. She ducks her head and then steps aside, finding her voice. Her long silver hair is down and perfectly hides a portion of her face when she dips her head, just as she was hoping for. ]
Come in, please Jon.
Seeing him causes a knot in her throat that she tries to swallow, but it causes a small wobble of her chin. She ducks her head and then steps aside, finding her voice. Her long silver hair is down and perfectly hides a portion of her face when she dips her head, just as she was hoping for. ]
Come in, please Jon.
Edited 2024-05-17 00:56 (UTC)
Page 6 of 10