abraxaslogs | Some days I look in mirrors

Entry tags:

Some days I look in mirrors

Who: Claire Fraser, ota and closed starters
When: October log
Where: Solvunn, Nocwich, the Horizon
Notes: I went with handwaving Claire's finished home, it's been too long now, BUT if your character would've helped then they did! ~~also please ignore the fact that I accidentally tagged this with Adora.~~
Warnings: None so far, will edit if needed. And brackets, prose - go with your heart.

𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑢𝑛𝑛

[ Claire's new home is tucked just short of the woods. Her gratitude for the help she received has been expressed in simple but filling meals, baked goods, doctoring, and helping with most chores. She's realized with a home of her own she must be settling, but she tells herself it's more to have her own space and feel comfortable. The home is two stories with her small bedroom upstairs that contains the space she works and spends the most of her time. One of the walls is completely plant-filled, and somewhere nestled in comfortably, is her new lizard. The downstairs has a kitchen with a hearth, and a built-in nook to sit and eat on one side. With a small sitting area made up of donated furniture, the other side of the downstairs is for seeing anyone who needs intense care and looking after, or drop-ins needing some sort of treatment.

Anyone dropping in is welcome and will not only be assaulted by plants and wildflowers in abundance, but bees will buzz lazily and drunk on nectar before flying back to their homes. They're tucked back just a bit, but the bee houses, lovingly painted by Nanaue, are bright and visible. She's left the back wall on the bottom floor windowless so that her friend can paint to his heart's content. When visitors arrive, the door is opened with a smile in greeting, able to see who's approaching from the front window.

Even though she has her own home now, she still makes sure to contribute, helping with cooking communal meals which helps her meet newcomers, and taking care of the animals which reminds her of Jamie. It all keeps her busy, and she can't say she doesn't like it. She still visits with the local Solvunnites she's grown fond of, and there are a few children she plays with outside with no shame in how silly she looks. ]

(𝑡ℎ𝑒) 𝐻𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛

[ Gone is Lallybroch from Claire's domain. She'd been thinking of changing it anyway, but something very large managed to take out most of it during the rifts. That makes it easier to change things, though it's still rustic and full of flora. There's still plenty of space for her to entertain outside, and around back is where anyone can come for human anatomy lessons. Separate from that, there's a garden and greenhouse so that she can both learn and teach about different plants. It's a place for her experiment too, trying out her magic without accidentally causing damage to real plants in her home.

Anyone heading inside will be met with comfortable warmth, more plants, and a gray cat that doesn't seem bothered by much. There's always a setup for tea or coffee and something stronger if wanted, along with furniture meant for sinking into a good book.

She does like to explore other's domains, but if it seems closed off, she won't poke around...much. ]

𝑁𝑜𝑐𝑤𝑖𝑐ℎ

[ Claire has come to enjoy the walk to the portal, and if anyone happens to be heading out as well, they're happy to join her. She's dressed for the cooler air, pendant hanging just below her throat and basket in hand. In the square, she can be found purchasing things like flour and other cooking items for her own simple kitchen. Claire even picks up a trinket or two for friends, stowing different things beneath her goods in case she happens upon someone. Because she's rubbish at knitting, she can also be found weaving in and out of different shops to browse mittens and cowls.

When she rests the first time at mid-day, it's near the stage with a drink in hand. Every now and then she looks around the crowd as if searching for someone and in truth, she is. This is her only chance to look for Jamie or Bree, and she takes it each and every month. Eventually, she continues her day and when she's ready for supper, slips into an establishment, finding a seat at a table that could fit two. And a lucky thing too, as she's managed to come in at the height of mealtime, apparently. Anyone is free to join her.

With her basket on the ground between her right foot and the wall, she sits back and thinks of a friend or two she wouldn't mind joining her, almost feeling as though they're near, while leisurely eating her meal.* It only makes her think that she must check up on others soon, especially those she hasn't spoken to since the rifts. ]

[ *ooc note: Claire is able to determine someone's location to her within about 120 yards. (Think the length of an American football field), so if you want her to be surprised because she was literally just thinking you were on your way, lmk in the subject! ]

𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑑

[ If none of these work, please feel free to whip up a starter! We can plot on discord @ lifewasawillow or PM. My plotting comment from the last CR meme can be found here. If I owe you a starter and I haven't poked you, please poke me! ]

Threaded | Flat

Kelson was still trying to get used to Nocwich. He liked the idea, neutral territory and all that. He understood the different factions, but, while magic was not something that was in any way foreign to him, such creatures were. And then there was the whole night time thing. It just seemed unnatural. Probably odd for someone who had blotted out the sun himself once. But, the young king was a hypocrite. And of course, a teenager.

He had poked around shops half heartedly, but mostly kept an eye out for anyone he might know from home, his mind and eyes casting wearily about every now and then. He hadn't expected to see anyone in Thorne. If they had any control over who they summoned -- and that, Kelson thought, was iffy at best-- he doubted they'd try anyone else from home. He hadn't exactly been playing nice. That didn't mean that the other territories wouldn't have better luck.

Ducking in to find a free table around mealtime, which seemed to be in rather short supply, he found one near a woman. She looked around the age of his own mother, or a perhaps little older? It was hard to tell, his own mother looked far older than she actually was. He gave her a slight nod and indicated at the empty seat.

"Is anyone sitting here?"

He hoped he wasn't interrupting, which, to be quite honest, was a bit of a foreign concept for him. It was hard to interrupt when you were usually the center of attention. He gave her an awkward smile, looking around in case he needed to find another seat.

His accent was not entirely unlike hers, although tinged with a bit of welsh, his black hair pulled back in a four strand braid doubled back in on itself.

I smell...coffee.

( that's not exactly what had brought him into this horizon but he can't deny the way the smell draws him closer. it feels like it's been some time since he's had a really good cup of coffee, horizon or not.

he can hear claire's heartbeat and knows that he's in the realm he wants to be in but he still stops short of making himself at home. )

Good coffee, even.

[ continued from ]

[ Claire has been sized up by men in two different centuries and now on two different planets. It always feels the same to her, but she's learned to keep the annoyance inside; especially with a man who seems to be from a time much further back than the 18th century, if she had to judge based on the clothing. Leaning over this time, she reaches into her kit and pulls out a transparent bag that's stitched closed and a jar which she unscrews the lid of. ]

I'll scrape out whatever dead tissue that's already forming with a small blade before resetting the bone. Then I'll stitch the wound closed, spread a salve over it and wrap it loosely. You'll need to let me visit every three days or so to clean and rebandage.

[ Wondering if this will be enough of an explanation, she holds out both objects for him to look over, not that it's much. The salve is honey-based with aloe vera and something close to marshmallow root for the inflammation and antibacterial properties. She wants to let him see everything so that he'll know what to expect. ]

We have medicines that you can swallow for the pain, though there is a magical healer I trust with my own life who would have all of this done within a day, no need for me.

[ She's speaking of Michael, one of the most solid men she's met since she's arrived. Well. Man-shaped person. In any case, she offers a self-deprecating smile, maybe to ease whatever tension he may feel, or to show she isn't completely high-strung. She truly does have his best interest in mind, and that includes making sure both options are on the table. ]

I'm Claire, and this is what I do. What I have done, my entire life.

[ Eddie is a born performer. Unfortunately, Solvunn offers far few opportunities to make that part of himself known (even if everyone knows anyway), so Nocwich has quickly become a common hangout spot for him. He can typically be found on street corners, but he’s been known to grab the stage for himself when local performers

He foregoes the stairs entirely. Guitar slung over his shoulder, he hoists himself and the instrument up onto the stage and sits, legs dangling over the edge as he begin to pluck out an old blues rift and adjusts his tuning. Never let it be said that his tastes aren’t well rounded. ]

Hey!

[ He catches sight of Claire and calls out to her with a grin. Whatever’s happened since their last conversation, it appears that at least some of the weight that had settled onto his shoulder has lifted. Things aren’t necessarily better. No problem has been solved, but talking about it has ultimately been a relief, and Steve reminding him that nothing is impossible here has helped immensely. ]

Looking for someone? It’s me, isn’t it?

[ He's back to his old jokes, at least. ]

[ "the neighbors lost their hives to a badger last month, and i need to freshen up the shrine, lad. run along to the new house belonging to the lady healer—she's got new bees i hear—and see if ye can't earn a half pound of fresh comb haulin' wood for her, so we'll have a blessing in time for the new moon. maybe get yerself some to eat and walk with, so ye sweeten up by the time yer back" his host tells dan heng in the morning, after he wakes and climbs down from the loft to help her haul water for the day. as soon as that is done, his host ushers him out the door with waxed sheets of muslin to wrap the offering in before bringing it back to the house, and directs him down the road, towards the woods.

she didn't even give him time to grab his sheaf of notes and his pencils, just in case he found something worth recording. it's not looking like a good day for dan heng, and he sighs before setting out down the path towards the woods with a loping stride. the sooner he finishes this task, the sooner he can go do his own: harvesting medicinal herbs to sell for cash. ]

Excuse me... [ he pauses just at the door when it opens to him, fine brows furrowed as he peers inside at the clinical part of claire's house. ] Miss Auin down the road said you be willing to trade chores for fresh honeycomb for her shrine.

[ auin and her wife also neglected to tell dan heng that the lady healer was a summoned as well, or he'd have started out saying something less... painfully nondescript. but maybe there's something in the way he holds himself (guarded), or the way he distinctly describes the shrine as not belonging to him, that might alert her to his own status as a summoned. other than that, he simply looks... young and serious with a messy mop of dark hair falling in his eyes. ]

And... are there any materials you need to restock on that you'd be willing to buy?

[ just kidding! he's on that GRINDSET. guess who has two thumbs and absolutely zero marketable skills besides "good at spear" and "interplanetary biology as a hobby" and is trying to at least find a way to make some coin so he can buy a ~~car~~ new spear? this alien. sorry haelva, but he's willing to sell to anyone who can give him cash instead of barter.

... he just has to find them first. ]

[Well. It's been a while, hasn't it? He's not reported in for his usual bout of taking care of Claire's bee houses or being taught how to do so, since the whole debacle with monsters crawling through rifts, tearing across Abraxas.

And perhaps that adds a layer of awkwardness to the whole thing, what with the vision the Singularity unabashedly beaming an image of blame into everyone's heads, coupled nicely with his own face. But Henry shows not a single mote of that awkwardness, ever able to shore up his unassuming demeanor without issue, even as he approaches Claire's new home.

Anyone there to greet him? If so, he offers with a smile, very simply-]

I like the new place.

[ The Sunday of the weekend in Nocwich, Claire carefully packs three different versions of the pink anemone she's been cultivating for Claude in order to give to Hilda. A part of her is a little thrilled that she's been able to create gifts like this; maybe she should start advertising. That's what she's pondering when she goes through the portal and makes her way to the cafe where she's meeting Claude.

Waiting to bring the plants out until his arrival, they're stored in an overlarge burlap bag that she's stitched for the sole purpose of moving plants from inside, out to her garden and vice versa. Sitting at a table outdoors, she's just been given a glass of water when she sees him coming and waves with a smile before standing once he's at the table. ]

It's been too long. [ He gets a hug if he'll let her and if not, a gentle squeeze of his hand before she sits again. ] Should we look at the flowers now, or after we've caught up and eaten?

Lockwood is doing his best to get his feet under him as quickly as possible. He had dedicated his initial hours and days to as much exploration of the Free Cities area as he could manage, and once he'd learned that Nocwich was open -if only for a brief period of time- Lockwood made the most of the opportunity.

Inwardly his lack of sword, or weapon of any sort, was making him incredibly anxious. He'd faced life with a rapier on his hip since before he was tall enough to keep it from dragging on the ground, being in a strange place without it's comforting weight was ... unpleasant. Lockwood, being Lockwood, channeled his anxiety into a near manic level of outgoing friendliness.

In all honesty, it was a wonder he hadn't gotten himself punched in the face yet.

Though depending upon how closely Claire was paying attention, she might witness Lockwood nearly managing to incite someone to physical violence. His high energy, and persistence in trying to charm a man out of something -best not ask what- eventually causing the man to turn sharply on the lad.

"One more word outtah you, boy and a box about the ears will be the least of your worries!"

Still smiling, that megawatt smile, Lockwood fell back a couple of steps and raised his hands in the universal gesture of yielding and peace. Behind the bar, the tender -possibly the owner- was giving Lockwood the stink eye, silently suggesting the boy move along and stop bothering his paying customers.

Glancing around, even as he turned a foot towards the door, Lockwood looked ready to leave, when suddenly he spied a woman sitting off to the side, quietly on her own. Not that he could know for sure, but she didn't appear to be imbibing the way so many of the other denizens seemed to be enjoying a drink with their meal. Thus, he slipped over and settled into the chair beside her, smile at full energy.

"Hello! Mind if I join you?"

Usually that was a question one asked, before sitting down. Lockwood sometimes like to leap before he bothered to look.

[ It doesn't really matter how Rocket found himself at Claire's quaint little cottage, staring at the paintings done up over the little wooden bee houses, only that he does. These days he doesn't mind it so much, taking these early day strolls through the commune, like he's got nowhere to be (these days he doesn't) and life's some kind of normal.

It's weird that it's so normal because he's never led a normal kind of life. Usually it is stuff like portals opening and letting monsters in, but that happens every day.

And some days he hates that it's so normal. Today though — today he doesn't mind it so much. ]

That shark looks familiar.

[ The Doctor never misses an opportunity to visit Nocwich, ever enjoying the lively atmosphere there and the chance to meet those from other factions. He's already made friends from the areas of this world he can't visit as frequently as he would want to, so he takes full advantage of the chance they have to connect here. He's never sure just who he'll find, but his hearts certainly brighten at the familiar face lingering near the stage.

Carrying his own drink with him, the Doctor comes up closer to Claire and announces himself with little preamble, but a bright smile nonetheless. ]

Claire Fraser! Oh, it's good to see you. Been okay?

Threaded | Flat

Nocwich

( horizon )

➳ sandor clegane

nocwich!

solvunn.

dropping in, maybe for bee duty?

➳ claude von riegan

Nocwich

solvunn —;

nocwich