Eleven Bells: [Action/Written] Oddly Introverted Today

[simplestgift]

[Tonight, Archie is out in the woods, walking along the river instead of the path toward the southern lake. Something about being away from the village, in the solitude of the woods, with the sky going on for miles above him, is closer than anything else to the openness of the sea. The strange thing is that Archie was never too poetic about the sea itself--it was the ships he loved, not the water they sailed on. But now that the sea is far away and there is no ship to sail upon it, he finds himself very homesick for that endless expanse. So he walks by moonlight, gathering his thoughts and finding as much tranquility as he can in the woods.

When he returns home through the village, it will be past midnight. He'll stare at the furnished, unlived-in bedroom in his apartment, set up for someone who never comes. In the morning, he'll wake up on the couch, beneath the mural of the Indefatigable. Eventually, he'll write an unsigned message on the journal network.]

When the wind embraces all the world between the sky and sea,
It speaks in my ear of the left-behind, dear friend, it speaks of thee.
I wish you a journey far and long and spirits high and free,
And hope that the wind still speaks to you, dear friend, and speaks of me.

[A few minutes later, he'll scribble the whole thing out.

In the morning, anyone will be able to find him about, grocery shopping mostly, but also just browsing the shelves idly.  He'll hit Good Spirits a little earlier than usual and drink a little more than normal.]

Comments

[ written ]

[herotypical]

Spontaneous world-jumping? Believe me -- way more likely than you'd think.

Re: [ written ]

[simplestgift]

But a place isn't sentient, is it?

[ written ]

[herotypical]

Doesn't need to be sentient to have magics. Or the ability to break into other worlds and drag hostages through. It could just be like slipping through the cracks.

[ written ]

[simplestgift]

You seem to know a great deal about this.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

We can blame my line of work for that one. Why? Not from one of the magics-filled worlds?

[ sometimes, they were easy to spot. ]

[ written ]

[simplestgift]

I never spent much time contemplating magic in my world.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

It's probably there, though. In the background.

[ written ]

[simplestgift]

I know, it just wasn't important.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

[ important to someone, she would bet. ]

It's the same thing, back home. Not everyone knows. Not everyone even wants to know.

[ written ]

[simplestgift]

Why should they? The world is frightening enough as it is.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

Exactly. They don't need to know.

[ and she aims to protect most from ever having to know. ]

[ written ]

[simplestgift]

But you do.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

Again, I say, blame it on the job.

[ written ]

[simplestgift]

You must be very brave.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

More like I don't know when to quit.

[ bravery had never been part of the equation for buffy. it was simply do or let everyone else die. and she couldn't allow the latter to happen. ]

[ written ]

[simplestgift]

You might say instead that you know never to give up.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

Either way? I think it boils down to mule-levels of stubborn.

[ written ]

[simplestgift]

It would compensate very nicely for everyone who'll give up at the drop of a hat.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

...Luckily, I don't know too many people like that.

[ written ]

[simplestgift]

Yes. You have no use for bad b useless soldiers.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

It's not about -- I've got friends, okay? And they're the brave ones. Sticking it out when they really didn't have to. Some people are chosen but the real heroes choose.

[ written ]

[simplestgift]

I believe you. Although I believe if you'd run off somewhere, there wouldn't have been a thing anyone could have done about it.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

Kind of a baseless belief though.

[ she doesn't know that he knows. oh my. ]

[ written ]

[simplestgift]

I suppose I cannot argue my point fairly until I know you.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

Exactly. I could be a total wash-out loser. You just don't know.