abraxaslogs | WELCOME TO NOTT!

Entry tags:

WELCOME TO NOTT!

WELCOME TO NOTT!

Welcome to Nott! A blend of old world Thorne and new world industrialism, densely packed wooden buildings surround a section of ancient stone architecture at the lake’s edge. The city rises up against the horizon and is easily seen from a distance, lacking any farmland or outposts around it to distract the eye.

The city gates are wide open. Whatever may be happening back at the Thornean capitol, there’s no obvious hint of it here. Busy citizens are going about their day, guards in local uniform patrol the streets with little urgency, and no alarm bells or horns are sounding. It appears,at least on the surface, as though no one is concerned about escaped prisoners here.

But it certainly is a bustling place! Sounds and smells assault the senses right from the gate. The streets are filled with vendors and panhandlers and criers shouting out deals and directions and soliciting money, hawking food and services and shops. There seems to be a tavern or a public house on almost every corner. A cool wind comes off the lake and the scent of the fish market carries through the city. People are everywhere and no one seems to notice or care that much about strangers - aside from wanting their coin.

It’s the perfect place to hide out from Thorne while staying within Thorne’s borders.

Within a few hours of arrival a city guard will approach each escapee from Thorne - regardless of what their standing was back at the castle - to politely inform them that Lord of Representatives Lyle Vela would be happy to receive them at the House of the Lords at any time today. Each character will be given a handwritten invitation marked with an official seal that gives directions to the House of the Lords, a sprawling Old Nott building on the lake that overlooks the city. The invitation is of course optional and there are no repercussions for declining.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Bucky is no fisherman, but he's trying to get work in a place where that's definitely the most plentiful work, so he's spent a lot of the day watching people and trying to figure out how he can offer his strength without worrying about the complete lack of skill.

After a full afternoon of unloading boats, he lets himself wander onto the beach with his seemingly-too-big-dinner so he can watch the water and try to plan his next move. He hasn't recognized too many people around Nott yet, but he does pay attention and it's hard to miss pink hair. ]

Hey!

[ He waves a sort of local bread roll at her. ]

You hungry?

[ It's hard to imagine that everyone who fled the castle will be able to unload fishing boats so easily and he's not above sharing what he's got with the others who've fled. ]

[ If he ever has to ride another horse again, he might drown himself instead so he doesn't have to deal with it. Staying on a horse was intimidating enough, but making sure Nadine didn't fall off, too? He's pretty sure he stayed tense the entire time. Sleeping on the ground hadn't helped much either.

The one thing he hadn't been expecting was the all-over aching that would come from days on end spent on the back of a horse. His whole ass feels like one giant bruise, and his back feels like it's on fire. While Julie's first order of business had been to immediately hog the bathroom, Lloyd's had simply been to collapse on the bed. Grime status be damned, he's fucking tired and is looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed for the first time in almost a week.

When she finally emerges from the bathroom, he's at least shifted to one side of the bed instead of taking up the entire middle. Propping himself up on his elbow, he watches her with appreciation- damn, she's got a fine body- as she examines herself in the mirror and moves over to the bed. ]

Don't look as bad as you think it does.

[ Even without her ability to primp as she normally does, she's still miles above all the other boring women he's seen around. He does love her vibrant, pink hair, though.

He takes the bottle with a grateful hum of thanks, taking a long and well-deserved swig. He keeps a loose hold on the neck of the bottle, but it's within easy reach for her. ]

Yeah, I can do that. Just uh. Don't think too much coming back about maaaaybe not remembering shit?

Susan fixes him with a hard, searching look. Has she seen him before? He looks faintly familiar, as though she's crossed paths with him, but if so, it's only been in passing - and, anyroad, it might just as easily be that he's got one of those familiar sorts of faces.

"No," she decides, bluntly, and folds her arms over her chest. There's something suspicious in her eyes. She's not prone to trusting men who come to talk to her uninvited, truth be told, especially not when she's alone and (as far as he knows) unarmed.

At the same time, though... There is something indefinably different about him, compared to the other men in the crowd; something in the way he holds himself, or maybe just in his accent. Enough to make her suspect where she might have seen him before, and enough that she can suspect what he's driving at. She doesn't soften, not at all, but she does clear her throat and add: "But I'm from the castle. If that's what ye mean."

[ Julie is quite surprised that anyone is calling to her. She's not sure how many Thorne refugees are hiding in Nott, and she only really knows a few people who weren't other prisoners. So she pauses for a moment, as if to process the fact that someone is actually speaking to her.

And then she just heads over to him. She doesn't really see a reason not to. Not much scares you after you walk hundreds of miles to get to a city where you don't know anyone. ]

Did you come from the castle too, or do you just really wanna get rid of some bread?

[ Julie had absolutely not made the experience better by being continuously annoyed and impatient with him throughout the whole ride. But honestly, in her defense, it's ridiculous that he doesn't know how to ride a horse. If she could learn as a young girl, then Lloyd should certainly be able to pick it right up.

Touch and attention starved, she shifts to curl up against him, arms wrapped around his neck and her legs tangled around his. It's the most affectionate she's been since before he brought her to live with him, but she's carrying the weight of imprisonment on top of her abandonment trauma. ]

What does that mean? If I go there, I'll lose my memory?

Why were you thrown in the dungeon? What did you do that offended them so? Because the impression I've gotten is that there was no offense. It was arbitrary and without any solid reason. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

We have a brief chat and you go on your way. I'm only trying to determine just what it is our leadership is up to. They won't tell me directly or show me what I want to see but I imagine you can. If they're honestly pouring all our resources and effort into you...visitors. They tell me this is necessary and they tell me this is what we all need...

[Lyle sighs and his mouth tightens.]

You've seen this city. You've seen its people and its streets. Do you think all we need is some ill-defined solution that relies on an artifact we barely understand?

Are you listening to a word I've said? You aren't in any trouble, I just want to talk to you. And that wasn't a queen. There's only one queen in Thorne and she's never even set foot here in Nott. Nor do we have any royal guards anywhere in the city as they apparently can't be spared. I just want to know how the capitol treated you and what they had you do.

[Now that it seems the girl has calmed down Lyle rises and moves to the door to call for a plate of food to be brought in from the kitchens.]

[ Getting on the horse had been the easy part, balancing and not squirming every time the horse shifted under him was another problem entirely. He's pretty sure his balls are just mutilated by now. Thanks, ya fuckin' horse.

Her arms wrap around his neck and he adjusts himself so they can just lay there, the wine bottle gripped carefully so he doesn't spill. It's a precious commodity tonight and they're both going to need it. His free hand wraps around her back, running up and down her spine. While he hadn't exactly had an empty bed at the castle, it didn't really count because it was Nadine and it was mostly just a comfort thing. They were both kind of pathetic. ]

We did the first time. Remembered everything when we came back about bein' there, but even if you do, you're not gonna be alone. I never brought anyone there, so I dunno what happens. If we get split up, I'm still gonna find you.

[ She flinches a little, her own explanation for why she was thrown into prison on arrival leaving her a little too vulnerable. Still, she's used to twisting the details to paint her in a better light, and this is no different. ]

There was some things that happened in the place I come from. I thought they'd imprisoned me because of those. I assumed it was the same with everyone else.

Abigail's also at the lake, needing to clear her head from the throng of people and the smell of the slums, which had been the easiest place for her to remain more or less anonymous. Sitting at the shore, staring at the rippling of the water and nibbling on some bread she'd managed to swipe from a trader's cart, it occurs to her that this is the first time since finding herself in this world that she's actually had a moment to decompress, between prison, her close escape, and trying to survive on the streets of Nott. It's only now, with the time and space to step back from it, that she can truly appreciate how bizarre the situation is.

Her response is to laugh, loud and sharp, at the surreality of it all, that she may as well be dreaming. The noise echoes over the water, but Abigail doesn't care if anyone hears, even the lady sat nearby trying to enjoy her own lunch. It's only when her laughter turns to sobs - and she's not sure when exactly that is - that she becomes self-conscious, hating for anyone to see her cry.

She presses her hands together as Susan gets closer. She remembered her being kind to her in prison, but she'd been on the other side of the bars. Abigail had assumed that had meant she was in Thorne's good books, but now she's not so sure.

"You're not going to take me back, right?"

Abigail's eyes look like they're about to pop when she sees the purse swiftly and silently parted from its former owner. She'd thought herself sly, having managed to sneak out of the facility and into Hannibal's house on more than one occasion, but she wouldn't trust herself to pull off something so spontaneous and intimate, and she's thoroughly impressed.

"You'll have to teach me how to do that."

The laughing doesn't get Nadine's attention much, beyond alerting her that she's not alone at the water's edge. The crying, however...

She's torn. On the one hand, crying alone at the edge of a lake is usually an indication someone wants to be alone. On the other, it could be the young woman doesn't have anyone. Looking at her, Nadine thinks she's familiar.

After a moment's thought, she gets to her feet and cautiously approaches.

"Hey...is everything okay?"

[ Look, Julie and Susan do not have the necessary experience to help him sit in a way that doesn't mangle his dangles. They tried, they made sure he had at least some semblance of the correct posture, but there are limitations.

This is the most physical contact Julie has had with anyone since she beat Eponine's face in, and she leans into it as she rolls that thought around in her head. She decides that temporary amnesia is acceptable. ]

So what do we gotta do? Should I get dressed?

"Yeah, that's what I meant." He nods, a little sardonic smile curling at his lips.

Her body language is all closed off and truth be told, he can't blame her. He doesn't know what life she might have lived before this place, but even what they'd seen in the castle is enough to be wary for anyone with common sense. Bucky's not exactly an open book of warm sunshine, himself.

"I'm Bucky." A moment of awkwardness and then he reaches into his pocket for a few coins. "I got some work unloading boats by the dock, if you need help or..."

Trailing off, he shrugs his shoulders and offers out the coins. It's not much, but he figures he should share what he's managed to get with the others who've escaped. They might not be his friends, but they've been pulled into this shit the same as him.

Well I did come from the castle, but I'm also worried about this going to my thighs.

[ He grins up at her, a little stiff but clearly in good spirits all things considered. Between The War and being a super soldier, the trek here hadn't been bad. He's more worried about the people he's been separated from than his own ability to get by. After all, it's not the first time he's had to flee and live a little under the radar and this time there's only one government potentially chasing him. ]

I'm not really sure how many of us wound up here, but I've seen a few familiar faces. Or haircuts in your case.

Ah, I getcha. Fatten everyone up and no one'll notice your chub rub.

[ She actually rode a horse to Nott, so she doesn't think it was bad getting here at all. The whole 'walk across several states' thing was long before she ever got stranded in Abraxas.

She swaps her sandals to the hand holding her skirt, and takes the bread from him. ]

I'm not gonna ruin my hair just because some Renn Faire jackass thinks it's funny to bring people here. But one'a my people is workin' on how to use magic keep it up. Or... y'know, change it. Just in case.

Edited 2021-09-10 02:33 (UTC)

I very much doubt I'd be inviting you to my office if that were the case. Sit, we can have a conversation without fear of repercussion. I have do doubts that they were watching and listening the last time we spoke.

[Lyle gestures for Bucky to sit.]

But nothing here? You broke none of our laws? Made no threats? I'll be very clear that I don't care what you've done somewhere else. I'm not in charge of prisoners or legal matters, that's another Lord entirely. Even if you did give the capitol trouble...

[Lyle leans forward over his desk and his voice lowers a little.]

I've wanted to give one or two castle mages a good shaking myself.

"No. God, no. No, I'm -"

She wipes her eyes furiously. Even through the tears, she can sense Susan's annoyance. Truth be told, she's half mad at herself too. How ridiculous to cry over chocolate. But it's so much more than chocolate. It's - it's freedom. It's that she's succeeded. It's that her life isn't in the gutter any more and she's sat in a beautiful gown sharing chocolate that she's paid for herself with a friend who seems to like her despite how worthless she is. It's that she's got a mother figure again, that she's been accepted by a group.

And it's that she's tasted chocolate.

Eponine takes a breath to calm herself and shakes her head.
"I'm sorry. That was stupid."
The chocolate's melting in her cheek. She sits silently, passively refusing any proffered handkerchiefs or sleeves, though she doesn't refuse Susan's hug. Having the freedom to unashamedly cry too is a new sensation, one that she won't give up.

"It's not how I thought it." That's stupid to say. Now Susan will think she's crying over the taste. She never says the right thing.

"

"It's not rough. It just... is. There were worse off than me, Nadine. Girls whoring on the streets and that, and dying of starvation or consumption. Me, I have done... well, when my Pa writes the letters, you know? Sometimes the gents what get 'em want their payment more than pretty words, and Azelma cried so much when I told her, it is always me. But at least it's inside and sometimes you might snatch a bread from the kitchen before they throw you out, you know? It's not so bad. But love? Not from a decent man. Me, I get M'sieur Homelander, what will promise me cake for kisses or murder, or M'sieur Nero, what I have promised myself to for the dress. "

She shrugs. There'd been rumours in the dungeons, that she'd do anything for food, and truth be told, they're not wrong.
Eponine purses her lips.

"Him, he is truly a thing. I thought he were a monster in my head, but no, he is real. He were telling me to murder Julie, you know? He promised me a knife and a dress if I murdered Julie."

She bites her lip. It must be obvious to Nadine that Eponine had gone along with it, had said she would. The guilt's written on her face. Eponine shrugs it away.

"Perhaps anger is the wrong word. I don't mean angry. I mean - that look. You know? Like in the eye. A fire? 'Parnasse's eyes were so empty so often, but every now and again, that fire would flare and his hand knotting my hair to drag me into the alley or his rooms, and to push me against the wall, and his knife - Not anger. But... but I don't know the word. I am too stupid for the words properly. But it's that feeling of your heart in your mouth and there is pain from him squeezing or pinching or pulling, but - but God. God, to think he wants me. Me, I would have all the pain for such a man. It's turns good, like a heartbeat, the throbbing to a pulse, you know?"

She can't explain what she means, but by god, she misses it.

"I've never had a new clothes before. Not since I were a very little child..."

It's not really an excuse at all.

[Eponine seems to shrink in her chair as she's ticked off and corrected. She's completely intimidated and her chatter had been her way of trying to make out like she's not afraid. But here, told to be quiet, ticked off, corrected? Her confidence is knocked.]

Those guards are stupid, Sir. Idiots. They're horrid fellows. You see my face?

[She indicates to the bruises, yellowing now, and her obviously broken nose, curtesy of Julie.]

They hit me, Sir, and lock me in a room with so little food. They didn't like me, Sir, for I escaped them. Me, I don't look much, I know, but I am clever.

[She looks up from her lap, grinning suddenly.] I outsmarted all them fools, and they shouldn't have found me even in Nott except for that stupid Himeka and that great big Estinien. More idiots.

It's not often anyone finds Eponine remotely impressive. Her grin lights up her dull eyes.

"You ain't funning me, are you? You truly think it is good enough to learn?"

She claps her hands in sheer pleasure. "Well, I can teach, but on a real target, no, for if you are caught at home, you will go to Les Madelonnettes or the other, and I swear, you will wish you hadn't. It is worse than the castle at Thorne, honest. Perhaps you will practice on me, or Nadine or Susan until you are good?"

"Hey...it's okay admit you've had a hard time. A lot of us have. And it effects how we look at the world and how we look at ourselves. When we're told we're worthless and useless and stupid enough times, we start believing it. Even if it's not true."

Nadine can at least relate to that. Her childhood wasn't a good one, but she'd had someone. Sort of. Flagg hadn't come into her life until she was twelve, but she'd been a broken and miserable twelve year old. Having him had helped.

"You think you don't deserve better than that. That no one else would want you, but that's not true. And that...I've been with a guy like that. Guys like that...it doesn't matter to them. They don't care who you are or anything about who they're sleeping with, they just want someone to use. There's something rotten inside them. You don't need that in your life. And you don't need to do awful things because some man promised you something. " She sighs, setting aside her little bag of crabs. There's a lot of work to be done here.

It's a pity Eponine is as old as she is. Nadine's sure that were she younger, not so set in these horrible thoughts, it would be easier to undo the damage. Now, as a nearly grown teenager - or thereabouts - it's a lot more difficult to get through all those years of negative thinking and lack of self worth.

"You're a lot smarter than you realize, Eponine. Stupid girls don't survive the kind of life you've had. You just haven't had a formal education, but that doesn't mean you're dumb. I want you to promise me something, okay? If there's something you need, or something you want...come to me."

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 3 of 10

WELCOME TO NOTT!

coast

01 | first night

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject