it's not your act of creation

[beautifullies]

Who: Claire and closed starters + opens
When: September + October
Where: her house in Solvunn, the Horizon, will add more locations as needed
What: An open where Clarie discovers she can control bees (up to 30 ft), an option to bake bread or garden with her, eventual questing, a handful of closed starters and more!
Warnings: Will update as needed
Notes: Please feel free to match the brackets or switch to prose, tag with your heart. Assume wildcarding is on the table, just message me first or hmu on plurk @ babybananas w/any ideas!




look how cute, how adorable, how perfect

Comments

[smilefornow]

Doctor Claire, you have no idea.

[Arthur lets out a strange little laugh.]

Everything got so terribly fucked up after the war. But they drugged us all, so we didn't know. We thought it was all fine, everywhere was like this, and we never questioned all the things that didn't make sense. We believed Uncle Jack when he told us we weren't starving, and we'd be fine eating tulip bulbs and bark! And every day, so many activities designed to keep us suggestible and trusting...

[He shakes his head. It's just sad really. All those people, who were probably perfectly nice and normal people before the Germans came, doomed to such an empty and lacking existence.

He really didn't intend to bring down the mood of this visit, but so much has built up in him, away from Wellington and well flushed of Joy in his system. He understands even better now, how awful it truly was. And he'd known! He was one of the lucky ones who saw through it all.

And Claire does seem amenable to listening...]

But oh yes, I got a few shocks in my time, but that was the worst of it for me. From Simon Says, anyhow. I, er...well, I snuck off after I had to host, but in my defense, I was already in the middle of trying to escape Wellington. And I did! Well...I think I did. I was on the bridge...the one to the mainland. I was walking to the mainland. But then I was here.

[And really, probably for the best. He'd ended up in the same position, alone in a world he didn't understand and knew nothing about. Only here no one expected him to have ID papers or money, which may have been a problem in England. If England still existed.

He's still not terribly sure about that.]

[beautifullies]

[ Claire really has nothing to compare that sort of experience to. She's lived through harrowing moments, times where she was sure was set to die or be killed. But she's never been controlled or manipulated in the ways Arthur describes. ]

May I say that I'm glad you're here? You don't deserve that sort of life. I'm in no position to decide what any of us deserve, but I do know that life wasn't it. Not for you. Not drugging and cults.

[ Unless one counted the deities here, but no one's forced to worship. Yet?]

I can't tell you how it went exactly in the aftermath for for England because I happened to travel back in time. But upon return, there was certainly no Uncle Jack.

[ It's endlessly fascinating to her, how different their worlds are, and yet the similarities are there as well. ]

[smilefornow]

You and I both. Ending up here was no worse than making it to the mainland, and likely a good deal better. I didn't have to explain to anyone what's been going on in Wellington for the last twenty years.

[He manages a small laugh at that. But it's true. There were no awkward questions when one is summoned magically to another dimension. They'd been expecting him here!]

And I'm not surprised, Uncle Jack's influence never went further than Wellington Wells. We cut ourselves off from everything, even the rest of England. And it was illegal to leave, or admit anyone from the outside.

[There had been nothing, not even communication. London had become an exotic, far away land. An idea. Nothing existed but the little chain of islands in the channel - the ones that were still populated and had buildings still standing, anyhow.]

It...it really all went to hell.

[beautifullies]

Arthur, it went to hell on the express train.

[ She brings the tray then, setting a cup of tea in front of him first. Then she pours, orange and ginger permeating the air before pouring for herself. ]

Help yourself to the milk and honey. Would you like a slice of cake?

[ She supposes she could press him for more details, but it all sounds so awful, why make him live in those moments just for the sake of her own curiosity? Although, there is one thing she can't help but wonder aloud. ]

I wonder how long a cut-off community like that can stand? I suppose with the right resources...

[ She makes a sound close to an ugh, dropping the thought. ]

In any case, you're here now, and that's what matters. How long has it been now?