Who: Claire Fraser and OTA + closed starters When: mid July through mid August Where: Solvunn, Nocwich What: Digging up stuff, research and junk Warnings: none yet but will change if necessary
[ Claire is looking down and writing in her notebook when the voice calls out, and her pencil makes a line dragging down the page as the accent nearly bowls her over. She's heard variations of what would probably be called a Scots accent over the last year and some months. But this is the first time the accent has been this strong since Sandor; she might've thought one of the men she'd left behind on a battlefield to die had approached.
He doesn't sound like Jamie, that voice she would know blindfolded in the dark and upside down. But before gathering her wits, she's already pictured an older, more rugged Murtagh, has briefly pictured Rupert or Angus. She thinks of a dozen more faces before finally looking at the person in front of her.
Unfamiliar.
She isn't sure if she's relieved or disappointed, but all the same, she exhales shakily, trying to pull her mind back from over twenty years ago now. ]
I was so caught up in what I was doing, I didn't realize I had company. [ An excuse even if a reasonable one, but she isn't prepared to explain why his accent felt like she'd been punched in the heart. ] I've have friends to help, thank goodness. Otherwise, I don't think I ever would've gotten started.
[ She smiles and brings a cloth out of her pocket to wipe her hands, then extends one to him. ] Pardon the dust and dirt. I'm Claire. And I've been looking for proof that this area was settled long before we assumed, by people who were more or less relocated to a smaller area.
[ If he'd asked a week ago, she'd have said she has no clue, but after finding more Luna-themed trinkets, she's more sure of herself. ]
[ Stepping forward, Red takes her hand to shake politely. His fingers are rough, with black ink marking his right hand along the back, up to the wrist and forearm, disappearing under the cuff of his sleeve. ]
A little dust and dirt never hurt a body.
Red mac Raith. A pleasure.
[ With introductions over, and feeling more welcomed to look around, Red allows himself to take a longer, curious look at the items. And the excavation site itself. ]
Most places are settled by someone before someone else comes along to tell them otherwise. I'd wager it's the way of things here as much as anyplace else.
It's nice to meet you, Mr. MacRaith. Are you newer to Solvunn? [She can't remember seeing him before, but then, she's had her head down focusing on how to get this dig done. Noticing the marks on his arm, she doesn't comment on them, too busy thinking back to decades ago. No, she never knew any MacRaiths, as far as she can remember. It's unique enough that she's sure she would. ]
It goes like that in too many places in many different worlds, I'm afraid. [ Not long ago, they'd seen a future that included more territory for Solvunn, and less for Thorne. Is that a future they're destined toward, or only a possible version? She's happier to answer his question than ponder the rest. ]
No, but I was raised by an archeologist, and honestly, if nursing hadn't been my passion, I would've loved to become an antiquarian. I've always loved old things.
[ She isn't sure if he'll know what an archeologist is, but she'll wait and answer any questions before assuming. With the way worlds can be the same yet different, or not at all familiar, she won't even assume he's heard of a place called Scotland. ]
It's that obvious, is it? [ he laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. Yes, he's aware Solvunn isn't a very large place. He still sticks out.
In truth, to him it's all the same -- archeology, the study of ancient artifacts, he'd use those words interchangeably -- though he doesn't linger on semantics. ]
Seems you've got a passion for it too, or you wouldn't be digging here, I assume. Anything I can help with?
Are you a nurse, then, when you aren't looking for 'old things' in the earth?
I've been here now for a while, I like to think I'm good at recognizing a familiar face. [ Though she has had her misses that she tries to make up for. At his offer, she can think of plenty of things and perks up, already eying a shovel. ]
How are you at digging holes, wide and deep?
[ She gestures to one that has a sort of awkward ramp leading down, but the ground has been more or less neatly excavated. ] I would need another, spaced apart from this one. With a bit of magical assistance, of course. [ Claire isn't holding him to anything, more pleased to have the company, really. ]
As for my day job back home, now I'm a doctor. But nursing is what led me there, and I was happy with that for a long time. Until I realized I could help more people if I continued my education.
If I can't put these old hands to work doin' something so simple, what good are they? Can't say I catch your meaning on the magical assistance, though. I only know how to use a shovel and follow instructions, madam.
[ This is said with some amusement. The magic of this world is still a novelty to him, and he's curious what she means.
Nodding in response to her further explanation of her chosen profession, Red smiles. ]
That's admirable of you. A fine reason to pursue being a doctor. I'll know who to go to if I find myself in a pinch.
The magic will begin to fill itself in the longer you're here. Quite honestly, I had no clue and didn't really try to understand it for a while. Then I realized it can be quite helpful, and so many here are from worlds where magic isn't uncommon. If it's something you're interested in, there are plenty of people happy to help teach you.
[ She can give them a decent headstart with the digging though, just by shifting the roots beneath them. As she walks them to the right spot, she smiles at his compliment; for just a fraction of a second in her mind, he's Murtagh, telling her he's proud, and then the thought is gone again. ]
I'll always be happy to help. In fact, I miss how busy my schedule was sometimes, I think it's why I give myself large projects like this.
[ It's definitely why she does. The woman has no idea how to be idle for longer than a day. ] What do you do, when you're home?
Aye, s'pose it could be useful. I wouldnae be opposed to learning, though I don't expect I have a talent for it.
[ At least, not anything more complicated than the rituals he's learned for his specific job. Spells beyond that aren't really something he's familiar with, and he doesn't know much about the finer details of how witches do their work. Though here, of course, things are different.
Everything is different here.
Red leans down to pick up a nearby shovel and lend a hand as promised, waiting for Claire to point out where she wants him to start. There's a bit of a grunt of effort as he replies, boot pressing the shovel down into the earth. ]
I'll tell you, but I've found no one knows what it means here. [ It was a niche profession in his own world already, anyway. ]
I'm a Banisher. You might call it a-- a ghost-hunter, of sorts.
[ Red turns his eyes to his work, mouth twisting. ]
...was a Banisher, may be more accurate. I'm sure there are as many restless dead here as anywhere else, but my ability to see and sense them has been... lacking.
[ Claire digs with him, not one to dole out work and then sit and watch as it's done for her. She's never minded it, sweating and getting dirt under her nails. There's something satisfying about it, and it doesn't hurt that at the end of the day, a literal angel will heal away her aches and pains. Though soon, she'll be able to show him the magic she spoke of.
Listening to him explain, she's fascinated enough that she stops shoveling for a moment to look at him with her head tilted in concentration. ] Well, you aren't wrong, I've never heard of a Banisher. That doesn't mean much though, I'd never heard of quite a lot before coming here. It's one of the positive things I used to cling to when I was trying to find some good about all this. I've met so many interesting people I never would've otherwise.
[ She goes back to shoveling, then of course, she has to ask a follow-up question. Not to doubt what he does at all, or question how he does it (at least not yet). ]
Do you think the magic here is blocking you from being able to do so? I'm not from a world where anyone has abilities, at least not to my knowledge. So I didn't lose anything when I arrived, other than my clothing. [ And what a day that was. From drowning to being pulled out of the water sans everything she'd been wearing had been a hell of a whiplash. ]
[ Red nods, unsurprised. ] Even where I'm from, a Banisher's a rather niche job you may not've heard of till the need arose. Not taken to kindly by some, though it doesn't stop folk from asking our help even as they curse the occult. You may believe in God or the Devil, but a haunting's a haunting.
That's a Banisher's job. We find the source of hauntings, banish spirits lingering on and harming the living. Shepherd ghosts beyond the veil.
[ He pauses in his slow but deliberate handling of the shovel, one foot on the edge of it. A sigh escapes alongside a shake of his head. ]
That's the trouble. I don't know. 'course, it could be lack of the proper equipment. Banishers need certain tools to do our jobs. Still, it's like my senses are dulled, somehow. I may not have my bane rings, but even without them, I feel like there's something... missing.
I hope—[ Claire pauses, because she isn't sure what she's going to say for a moment when she begins the sentence. She rests against her shovel a second, looking at him, and then the words come to her, and she offers them with a small but warm smile. ]—I hope you manage to find what's missing. Even if it's different than you expected.
[ She thinks of a year ago, how much she hated being alone, feeling alone, and how now, even when it seems like things are on the cusp of going straight to hell, she feels like her life is as it should be, a contentedness filling in the previous gaps in her heart.
That doesn't mean she can't be homesick, and she finally decides to comment on his accent. ]
Where you're from sounds like family to me. Your accent, I mean. When you first called out, I thought you were someone close to my heart, you sounded so familiar. Isn't that funny, how that can be in a place like this?
[ Likely not from two versions of the same world, if he's from Earth at all, like most everyone else. And yet she would swear he's Scottish, eyes closed, hand on a stack of bibles. ]
What you do sounds very interesting, Mr. MacRaith. [Wraith. It makes her smile to herself, and then she begins shoveling again, but she can tell she's leaning toward conversation and a break, more than actual work. She's been so absorbed in her own things lately, it's been a while since she's gotten to know someone else. ] I'm sure you have an interesting story or two.
[ What's missing. The phrasing makes his heart squeeze. It's not his muted ability to sense and interact with ghosts that's the biggest loss; if it wasn't for the fact that was his connection with her, he might not even mind so much, might try to find a new purpose and find it easier. But being a Banisher is what he is, what he's been since meeting Antea.
Now, she's gone. He's lost the love of his life and his purpose all in painfully quick succession.
There's no way he can keep the sadness out of his smile, though there's a sincerity in his voice even so when he responds. She meant it with kindness; he'll not dismiss the sentiment. ]
Thank you, madam. Though I'll not bore you with my stories at this time.
[ The change of subject is welcome. ]
I hail from Scotland. Have you heard of it?
[ He's learned that some people 'recognize' his accent but attribute it to lands found nowhere on his version of Earth. The question still sounds silly, though. ]
[ Oh, but she understands that smile. For twenty years it's one she carried with her anytime someone asked about her husband, not realizing she was thinking of Jamie before answering for Frank. She isn't sure anyone else recognized the ache in her, but she sees it in him now, giving him a gentle nod so that he knows she understands.
Although, the sudden bloom in her smile seems up to the challenge of chasing the melancholy away. ]
My second husband was a Highlander. [ She grins when she says it, proud that his Viking blood runs through their daughter's veins, proud that she's loved someone with such a deep bond to his land and his roots. ] His family estate, Lallybroch, is where we'd intended to raise our family. It wasn't too far from Edinburgh, about a day and a night by horse.
[ Now her smile dims, but she doesn't dwell, moving beyond the past tense. ]
Clan Fraser, although there aren't many clans left now at all. War saw to that. There is no land more beautiful that I've ever been to, than Scotland. The hills, the lochs, the sunset after it's rained. [ She sighs. ] I always wanted to go back.
[ And she did, for a moment. But now she knows she's never to return. At least, as far as she thinks she knows. ]
[ The brightness in her smile makes it impossible for him not to respond in kind, and Red grins back, visibly relaxing. It is a comfort he didn't realize how much he needed -- the warmth that radiates from this woman, the talk of home, familiar words. It's not all good memories for her (or for him), but even the bad experiences shared become easier to bear. ]
Aye. I've traveled to many places, some of them beautiful indeed, but I've yet to find one that measures up. Not that I'm biased, of course. [ He adds as a joke, laughing briefly before he asks, a bit more seriously: ]
May I ask when you're from?
[ It came as quite a shock when Julia told him she was from hundreds of years in the future, though they seemed to generally agree on history and places, so she might even be from the same world. However one determines that, now that he knows there are countless other places and, apparently, times. That's never going to stop being a wonder, probably. ]
[ There's a part of Claire that relaxes; he isn't family, but he's as close to home as she thinks she'll ever get again, even if she does leave this place. They're in America now, and they'll very likely never sail back to Scotland, it's too dangerous, and Christ knows when they'd be able to afford it again. ]
Oh, I've been around the world. I'm not biased at all, it isn't my homeland, but I've never been happier to be accepted there.
[When she's from; it's always such a tricky question, and she hesitates, noticeably before squinting an eye in thought. He can handle it, she won't try to dumb it down. ]
I'm a time traveler, of sorts. A reluctant one, but when I'm from, literally when I'm not here, is 1767. But I was born a hundred and fifty years later in 1918. I have a daughter, and she was born in 1949.
[ Claire gives Red a bt of a wry grin. ]
We're an eclectic group of all sorts on this planet.
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no subject
He doesn't sound like Jamie, that voice she would know blindfolded in the dark and upside down. But before gathering her wits, she's already pictured an older, more rugged Murtagh, has briefly pictured Rupert or Angus. She thinks of a dozen more faces before finally looking at the person in front of her.
Unfamiliar.
She isn't sure if she's relieved or disappointed, but all the same, she exhales shakily, trying to pull her mind back from over twenty years ago now. ]
I was so caught up in what I was doing, I didn't realize I had company. [ An excuse even if a reasonable one, but she isn't prepared to explain why his accent felt like she'd been punched in the heart. ] I've have friends to help, thank goodness. Otherwise, I don't think I ever would've gotten started.
[ She smiles and brings a cloth out of her pocket to wipe her hands, then extends one to him. ] Pardon the dust and dirt. I'm Claire. And I've been looking for proof that this area was settled long before we assumed, by people who were more or less relocated to a smaller area.
[ If he'd asked a week ago, she'd have said she has no clue, but after finding more Luna-themed trinkets, she's more sure of herself. ]
no subject
A little dust and dirt never hurt a body.
Red mac Raith. A pleasure.
[ With introductions over, and feeling more welcomed to look around, Red allows himself to take a longer, curious look at the items. And the excavation site itself. ]
Most places are settled by someone before someone else comes along to tell them otherwise. I'd wager it's the way of things here as much as anyplace else.
Are you an antiquarian, Miss Claire?
no subject
It goes like that in too many places in many different worlds, I'm afraid. [ Not long ago, they'd seen a future that included more territory for Solvunn, and less for Thorne. Is that a future they're destined toward, or only a possible version? She's happier to answer his question than ponder the rest. ]
No, but I was raised by an archeologist, and honestly, if nursing hadn't been my passion, I would've loved to become an antiquarian. I've always loved old things.
[ She isn't sure if he'll know what an archeologist is, but she'll wait and answer any questions before assuming. With the way worlds can be the same yet different, or not at all familiar, she won't even assume he's heard of a place called Scotland. ]
no subject
In truth, to him it's all the same -- archeology, the study of ancient artifacts, he'd use those words interchangeably -- though he doesn't linger on semantics. ]
Seems you've got a passion for it too, or you wouldn't be digging here, I assume. Anything I can help with?
Are you a nurse, then, when you aren't looking for 'old things' in the earth?
no subject
How are you at digging holes, wide and deep?
[ She gestures to one that has a sort of awkward ramp leading down, but the ground has been more or less neatly excavated. ] I would need another, spaced apart from this one. With a bit of magical assistance, of course. [ Claire isn't holding him to anything, more pleased to have the company, really. ]
As for my day job back home, now I'm a doctor. But nursing is what led me there, and I was happy with that for a long time. Until I realized I could help more people if I continued my education.
no subject
[ This is said with some amusement. The magic of this world is still a novelty to him, and he's curious what she means.
Nodding in response to her further explanation of her chosen profession, Red smiles. ]
That's admirable of you. A fine reason to pursue being a doctor. I'll know who to go to if I find myself in a pinch.
no subject
[ She can give them a decent headstart with the digging though, just by shifting the roots beneath them. As she walks them to the right spot, she smiles at his compliment; for just a fraction of a second in her mind, he's Murtagh, telling her he's proud, and then the thought is gone again. ]
I'll always be happy to help. In fact, I miss how busy my schedule was sometimes, I think it's why I give myself large projects like this.
[ It's definitely why she does. The woman has no idea how to be idle for longer than a day. ] What do you do, when you're home?
no subject
[ At least, not anything more complicated than the rituals he's learned for his specific job. Spells beyond that aren't really something he's familiar with, and he doesn't know much about the finer details of how witches do their work. Though here, of course, things are different.
Everything is different here.
Red leans down to pick up a nearby shovel and lend a hand as promised, waiting for Claire to point out where she wants him to start. There's a bit of a grunt of effort as he replies, boot pressing the shovel down into the earth. ]
I'll tell you, but I've found no one knows what it means here. [ It was a niche profession in his own world already, anyway. ]
I'm a Banisher. You might call it a-- a ghost-hunter, of sorts.
[ Red turns his eyes to his work, mouth twisting. ]
...was a Banisher, may be more accurate. I'm sure there are as many restless dead here as anywhere else, but my ability to see and sense them has been... lacking.
no subject
Listening to him explain, she's fascinated enough that she stops shoveling for a moment to look at him with her head tilted in concentration. ] Well, you aren't wrong, I've never heard of a Banisher. That doesn't mean much though, I'd never heard of quite a lot before coming here. It's one of the positive things I used to cling to when I was trying to find some good about all this. I've met so many interesting people I never would've otherwise.
[ She goes back to shoveling, then of course, she has to ask a follow-up question. Not to doubt what he does at all, or question how he does it (at least not yet). ]
Do you think the magic here is blocking you from being able to do so? I'm not from a world where anyone has abilities, at least not to my knowledge. So I didn't lose anything when I arrived, other than my clothing. [ And what a day that was. From drowning to being pulled out of the water sans everything she'd been wearing had been a hell of a whiplash. ]
no subject
That's a Banisher's job. We find the source of hauntings, banish spirits lingering on and harming the living. Shepherd ghosts beyond the veil.
[ He pauses in his slow but deliberate handling of the shovel, one foot on the edge of it. A sigh escapes alongside a shake of his head. ]
That's the trouble. I don't know. 'course, it could be lack of the proper equipment. Banishers need certain tools to do our jobs. Still, it's like my senses are dulled, somehow. I may not have my bane rings, but even without them, I feel like there's something... missing.
no subject
[ She thinks of a year ago, how much she hated being alone, feeling alone, and how now, even when it seems like things are on the cusp of going straight to hell, she feels like her life is as it should be, a contentedness filling in the previous gaps in her heart.
That doesn't mean she can't be homesick, and she finally decides to comment on his accent. ]
Where you're from sounds like family to me. Your accent, I mean. When you first called out, I thought you were someone close to my heart, you sounded so familiar. Isn't that funny, how that can be in a place like this?
[ Likely not from two versions of the same world, if he's from Earth at all, like most everyone else. And yet she would swear he's Scottish, eyes closed, hand on a stack of bibles. ]
What you do sounds very interesting, Mr. MacRaith. [ Wraith. It makes her smile to herself, and then she begins shoveling again, but she can tell she's leaning toward conversation and a break, more than actual work. She's been so absorbed in her own things lately, it's been a while since she's gotten to know someone else. ] I'm sure you have an interesting story or two.
no subject
Now, she's gone. He's lost the love of his life and his purpose all in painfully quick succession.
There's no way he can keep the sadness out of his smile, though there's a sincerity in his voice even so when he responds. She meant it with kindness; he'll not dismiss the sentiment. ]
Thank you, madam. Though I'll not bore you with my stories at this time.
[ The change of subject is welcome. ]
I hail from Scotland. Have you heard of it?
[ He's learned that some people 'recognize' his accent but attribute it to lands found nowhere on his version of Earth. The question still sounds silly, though. ]
no subject
Although, the sudden bloom in her smile seems up to the challenge of chasing the melancholy away. ]
My second husband was a Highlander. [ She grins when she says it, proud that his Viking blood runs through their daughter's veins, proud that she's loved someone with such a deep bond to his land and his roots. ] His family estate, Lallybroch, is where we'd intended to raise our family. It wasn't too far from Edinburgh, about a day and a night by horse.
[ Now her smile dims, but she doesn't dwell, moving beyond the past tense. ]
Clan Fraser, although there aren't many clans left now at all. War saw to that. There is no land more beautiful that I've ever been to, than Scotland. The hills, the lochs, the sunset after it's rained. [ She sighs. ] I always wanted to go back.
[ And she did, for a moment. But now she knows she's never to return. At least, as far as she thinks she knows. ]
no subject
Aye. I've traveled to many places, some of them beautiful indeed, but I've yet to find one that measures up. Not that I'm biased, of course. [ He adds as a joke, laughing briefly before he asks, a bit more seriously: ]
May I ask when you're from?
[ It came as quite a shock when Julia told him she was from hundreds of years in the future, though they seemed to generally agree on history and places, so she might even be from the same world. However one determines that, now that he knows there are countless other places and, apparently, times. That's never going to stop being a wonder, probably. ]
no subject
Oh, I've been around the world. I'm not biased at all, it isn't my homeland, but I've never been happier to be accepted there.
[ When she's from; it's always such a tricky question, and she hesitates, noticeably before squinting an eye in thought. He can handle it, she won't try to dumb it down. ]
I'm a time traveler, of sorts. A reluctant one, but when I'm from, literally when I'm not here, is 1767. But I was born a hundred and fifty years later in 1918. I have a daughter, and she was born in 1949.
[ Claire gives Red a bt of a wry grin. ]
We're an eclectic group of all sorts on this planet.