Open Horizon Catchall

[nadine_he_loves]

Who: Nadine and YOU! (One closed starter)
When: November
Where: Horizon/Nadine's Domain
What: Catch-all for the month
Warnings: Will add as needed



[Following Halloween night, Nadine's been spending a great deal of time in the Horizon. Her domain is familiar, comforting, safe. Or at least offers a very solid illusion of safety. Particularly the square. She's often sat on a bench outside the little church, watching the clouds or the fall of autumn leaves and just thinking.

She has a great deal to think about.

Since she was twelve years old, Nadine has known the path of her life. She'd known the rules, known what she had to do, and known where her future led. And she had, for the most part, followed the rules and did what she had to do. Yet here she was, alone - by a certain definition - in a strange world, with none of the things she's been promised.

There's anger left in the wake of Flagg. Anger and fear and a sense of loss she doesn't know how to navigate. Whatever joy there is in the idea of freedom, it's overpowered by all the rest. What would she even do here? What would any of them do? She isn't the only one who's had the rug pulled out from under her. How is she supposed to take care of Lloyd and Julie? And then there's Susan... She isn't even sure exactly how to take care of herself in this world.

And then there's those tantalizing thoughts that hover at the edge of her mind. The ones that do find joy in the prospect of freedom, and how close it truly is. She's already had a small taste of it. There's so much more to life than what she's experienced, the chance to just live is right here. If she's willing to take it.

Sometimes, to try and quiet the storm of thoughts in her head, she wanders to the edge of her domain to add a little something. A pond with geese here, a winding stream with a wooden bridge, a spray of wildflowers... it's just something to occupy her mind, to keep her busy...and maybe just catch the attention of anyone in a nearby domain. A part of her has no real desire to be alone.]

Comments

[nadine_he_loves]

I'm sorry that it happened. It's an empathetic sorry. I can imagine how I'd feel, if I'd found something good and lost it.

[More than imagine, if Nadine wants to be entirely truthful with herself. She understands losing the idea of something good, the potential for it.

And she likes Amos. Knowing he'd found something...it's unpleasant to think he'd been taken away from it to be here. There's nothing she can do about it, and she's not about to try and offer that, but she can at least offer what she does have.]

For whatever it's worth...you're not alone here. I know I'm not much, but...you get me, and not a lot of people ever get me.

[baltimores]

[ His expression remains amiably blank. Imagine doesn't really do anything, either. Doesn't count for anything. Just one of those things he's never going to get, so it's also not worth debating — she's going to feel one way, and he's not going to get why. What else is new?

That's not to say he can't recognize the effort, though. So a bit of sincerity bleeds into his empty smile as he puts a hand on Nadine's shoulder, keeps it there, big and warm and companionable. ]

Well. I'm alone out there, but I get what you mean, Pearl. 's not as bad as it could be.

[ He nods, more to himself than anything. ]

Not exactly a good thing, when anyone gets people like us. [ He's not entirely sure how much anyone really gets him, but Nadine's got a better shot than most. Give it time, maybe. ] But yeah. Kinda gotta look out for each other, huh. That's usually how these things work.

[nadine_he_loves]

[There's a small chuckle at what Amos calls her, and a hard to define feeling when he lays a hand on her shoulder. Nadine isn't one who often enjoys casual touching, but there's something strangely reassuring about this.]

If we don't, who will?

[No one, in her experience. All the people who'd supposed to look out for her...they never had. And from what he's said, Amos had a similar childhood. He's right, of course, that it sucks in part to recognize that pain and deep seated loneliness in someone else. But there's something to be said for solidarity, for knowing you weren't unique in what you'd gone through.]

If you ever need to just...hang out and not talk about things, I'm around.

[baltimores]

[ He nods, sensing they've got the same answer to that question. Nobody helps people like them 'cept for other people like them. Cops are useless. Security forces are useless. UN's useless. If they're gonna do anything, it's probably just make shit worse until everything falls back in its natural order.

So, yeah. There's a lot to be said for solidarity. He recognizes something in Nadine that's in himself, and it's not great, but it's there. He made it out okay, all things considered. Seems like she did, too. Now there's only what comes next.

Amos gives her shoulder a light squeeze, lets his hand fall to his side again. He nods, looking around at her quaint little town, so unlike anything he's used to, unlike anything he's ever seen. He gets why she likes it. Why she'd make something like this. So. Yeah.

Meets her eyes again. There's a kinship there. Not often he finds that at all. ]

Sure. My place ain't anything like this, but same goes for me.