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Who: Rapunzel (

prodigalhairess) & YOU
What: Catchall for general introdution/settling in and event stuff!
When: Early November
Where: Disaster House + All over

Content Warnings: None for now, will update if necessary

[A; 7 AM, The Usual Morning Lineup... (Closed to Disaster House residents)]

[When Rapunzel starts feeling anxious, she falls back into old habits.

Nothing too bad, but in the past few months, she's taken to really diving into things that just keep her moving and busy for hours on end. In the tower, it was her chores and hobbies that kept her from falling too deep into the dull monotony of a confined life. In the palace, it was painting. She'd painted over and redone her entire room to keep herself from thinking about the severity of her parents' missing memories and the threat of Cassandra looming over her. And... it helped, really. Painting each new scene and each new bit of creative flair helped her focus, to keep thinking about the good rather than the bad.

It didn't work all the time. She still thinks of that big, blank spot on her ceiling a lot. The missing piece.

But the point is, Rapunzel doesn't like wallowing forever. So it takes only a few hours after Varian brings her home with him for her to be up and about; she'd been attempting to clean, but the sheer amount of stuff in the Disaster House keeps on distracting her. One moment she might be outside, marveling at the gorgeous collection of plants and flowers in the garden. The next, she might be in one of the many reading nooks, her eyes practically glowing as she skims so many titles of so many books she's never heard of. Or maybe, perhaps, she's in the music room! She's very good at both the guitar and piano, and will probably lose quite a bit of time alternating between both.

... She notices the grave out back, too. But she doesn't want to dwell on that.

So... yeah! You've all got a new roomie, the fabled princess from Varian's world. No time like the present to start bonding, yeah?]

[B; So Many Roads I've Yet to Travel, So Many Friends I Haven't Met... (OTA Everywhere)]

[Even in a dark, ominous city like Trench, it's hard to really snuff out the excitement and curiosity that often overtakes Rapunzel. This is somewhere new, somewhere different, and though there were definitely times where the hairs at the back of her neck stood on end as she explored, for the most part, she just... wants to dive into anything she can find.

Throughout all the districts and all the shops, the golden-haired princess can be found. Trying on clothes - the clothes too dark and warm to fit with her usual attire, but she still wants to fit in!!! - in one store, examining various trinkets or baubles in another. She'll definitely be found rooting through a bookstore, almost overwhelmed with the vast amount of information in front of her. A whole new world, with brand new stories! What's not to love here????

The one time she seems to mellow out is when she passes by one of the statues of the Pthumerians. She's not... unsettled, exactly, though that feeling at the back of her neck prickles. It's more like she seems to be reminded of something, a wary hint of familiarity glinting in those emerald green eyes. The statues are beautifully carved but...

The Great Tree. Janus Point. Gorgeous altars to old magic, heavy with secrets just as ancient....

... Yeah. It's. Certainly a look.

But she tries not to dwell on it for long! Rapunzel's on a mission to learn everything about this new world, and nothing can stop her. Especially not the person she accidentally just walked into-]

Oof- oh, sorry!! I just- [She laughs.] This is all a lot to take in, isn't it? I've never seen anything like it before!

[C; Mushabooming (OTA Everywhere)]

[Rapunzel had a goal today: try and make herself useful for her new friends. She'd already done her best to organize and clean up bits of the house the other day, but she knows she needs to do more for these people who have been taking such good care of Varian. She'd noticed the way mushrooms have been popping up like weeds, so maybe... some kind of soup? Soup's always a perfect ward against the chill of the cooling weather. And she's made her fair share of mushroom soups just from what Gothel would gather, so this is something she could definitely do on her own!

... Of course, she wasn't prepared for the strange fungi popping up. She's already gotten a few good handfuls of portabellos and buttons stuffed in her bag when she comes across one of the weepers. It's... bizarre, to say the least, and Rapunzel can't help but crouch down to examine it more closely.]

Strange...

[She's not stupid, though. After nearly a year on the road, she knows better than to just pick strange plants - especially fungi without knowing what they are. So instead of doing that, she'll plop down there, right on the side of the road, and pull out her sketchbook. It's not her journal - not the one her mother gave her, so stuffed with memories of her adventures thus far - but it's a new one that's already seen some use. She turns to a fresh page, pulls out a pencil, and begins sketching.]

Looking like that, I bet you must have some pretty interesting properties, huh, little guy? Either that, or you're.... really dangerous.

[A pause, and then she shuffles a foot away. She probably shouldn't take any chances, huh?]

But you're still fascinating to look at!

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[Rapunzel's learned a lot, these past few months since she returned to Corona. She's learned that not addressing problems is a problem in itself, and can lead to more problems ten times worse. She knows that bottling up emotions will only cause them to fester, and can wind up hurting you and others when they're finally aired out.

She doesn't want to slide back into old habits again, but... she's still having a hard time processing everything. It's why she's trying to lose herself in the book she's currently curled up with, and why there's just a hint of tiredness in her smile when she looks up at Varian.]

I think so, yeah! It's... a lot to take in. [Understatement of the century, there.] But I think I'm doing okay. It helps that your house is absolutely fascinating!

[She sets her book aside, turning fully to face him as her hands clasp together.]

Did you collect all of this stuff all on your own??? Did you make any of it?

Yeah. It took me a couple of months to really get settled into...everything, back in Deerington.

[He makes note of the hint of tiredness and it does worry him. He knows she's coming from a desperately terrible time back home, and finding herself here is not going to make that any easier. He just really hopes the city doesn't get any worse so she doesn't have to hit the ground running.

At the question he chuckles, shaking his head. ]

I can't take credit for most of it. When I arrived here I pretty much just locked myself in the basement and converted it into a lab and stayed down there. [You know, basically how he exists back home, the boy did not change. ] Fern did most of the decorating when he moved in to take care of me after-

[After he died the first time. Varian pauses, decided that's definitely not a thing to say out loud while Rapunzel's still settling in (he can not address the problems this time, it's his turn) and moves on.]

Anyway, it's his sense of style you have to thank for most of the house. He really likes the skulls and swords. [He says that fondly though, the grassy little weirdo.] I made a few of the things here. I took one of the bathrooms apart because I wanted to figure out how all the plumbing worked- that was pretty cool!

Sounds like you made yourself at home pretty fast.

[She laughs, fond and good-natured. It's adorable, really, how fast Varian can turn anything into a working lab - all his stuff sprawled around the Demanitus chamber is perfect proof of that. It's why she assumes most of these trinkets and baubles are done by him - when he's trying to distract himself, he works. Rapunzel kind of wishes she could be more like that. Maybe hard work will make her think of Cassandra a little less.

... She... doesn't like that thought. Pushing Cassandra aside. It feels too much like giving up on her, and Rapunzel has very adamantly made her feelings on that clear.

But no. She can't get lost in her head like that. Put a bookmark in it, don't shove it aside.]

Plumbing? Wait... you mean like what you were trying to do in Old Corona when we first met? [Her eyes sparkle with interest as she leans forward.] They managed to crack the code on how to do it???

Well, I had a lot to understand. I needed a lab for that, Rapunzel.

[Just so matter of factly. Water is wet, snow is cold, Varian needs a lab. He'd absolutely attest that it doesn't do much for all the worries on his mind. It just...stoppers them for a while instead of dealing with them in a healthy manner.

Still, bookmarking is a good way forward! He'd be proud of her. ]

Yeah, it's exactly that! It was already running, apparently, it has been for like...centuries in the future. [Oh!! But an excited smile crosses his face because this is a big deal for him. The biggest deal. Bigger even than the portal or the Rooster or anything else he's ever created. Because this was his Magnum Opus.] I worked it out back home, though!! Corona's the first of the Seven Kingdoms to get hot running water. Everyone has it now. Eugene loves it a lot.

[Ohhhh Varian. Rapunzel can't help it; she lets out a squeal and hugs him, pride and excitement nearly radiating off of her in waves.

... Almost... literally. It's nothing intense, but it's a feeling almost akin to heat radiating off of a rock that's been out in the sun for a long time. The emotions themselves can be felt, but Rapunzel seems completely unaware of what's going on with that.]

Oh, I knew that amazing big brain of yours could figure it out! [A giggle.] Eugene was so happy whenever we came across a hotspring on our journey outside of Corona - I can only imagine how much he's enjoying himself with hot water on command.

[He deserves to lounge like that as much as he can. Between everything they saw on the road, and everything happening in Corona... her darling boyfriend absolutely should pamper himself as much as he wants for a while.]

Oooh, do they have any fancy hair-care products here? Maybe I can take some back to him!

[He accepts the hug with a little laugh of his own- a flush crossing his own features. Varian can't feel the heat anymore, but he can still feel those emotions and that's...kind of comforting. Naturally, he's still freezing to hug, but he hugs her back all the same. Hearing praise from her is still... well, it means more than it does coming from other people.]

Hah. Thanks. I um- you made me the Royal Engineer back home. It...meant I could reach out to the whole kingdom a lot easier.

[Turns out you can do a lot more with the backing of the crown than working in a shed on the family farm. His smile does fade a little as she talks about taking things back to Eugene. ]

I...I don't think we can go home, Princess. When... when we were given the choice to go home or come here in the dream, they made it pretty clear this was a new life. Like...it was closing the door on our old homes.

[Which means he chose this world over Corona, he knows that- and he knows he's going to have to explain that- it creates a twinge of guilt in his stomach.]

Which...at least we had the choice. We didn't know new people would be brought here along with us...people like you who weren't given that choice.

[Luckily for Varian, Rapunzel doesn't quite catch on to the implication of his choice. She's too busy processing his words - that proud, happy smile fades, melting into a look of confusion and worry.

That can't be right, can it? There has to be a way home. If they got here somehow, even if that door - metaphorical or no - was shut, they could find a way to break through it, right?]

Hold on, that can't be right. There can't just be no way home. [Something coils in her gut, cold and tight.] I can't just... never see my parents, or Eugene, ever again. And your dad - we just got him back!

[There's so much left to do, so much left to see... she can't just accept that she's never gonna see Corona again.]

There has to be a way out. It just hasn't been found.

[Oh no, oh he hates watching that smile fade away. But would it have been cruller letting her live the lie? Probably. At the mention of Quirin he...grimaces. Because that's a whole other mess, too. That's how he knows what this world is- what it really is. ]

It's...not how this world works. Um. Okay, Rapunzel this is a lot so...yeah.

[He grabs a stick, moving onto the dirt on the ground to draw one line. ]

Okay, so this is you, back home, but...but when you came here? [He splits one line away from it.] You created a whole new life for yourself. There's still a you...a us back home. [He continues drawing the original line, then moves to the new one, so they run parallel to one another. ] But you're...we, we're other us-es now. Like...same memories, same person. But like... a split. An alternate life.

[He looks up, frowning.]

The...the idea is that everyone shows up here eventually. So they will, one day. It's just a case of...waiting for them. I'm sorry. It's not fair you weren't given a say in this.

[Rapunzel, for however naive she is about many aspects of the world, is still a pretty intelligent young woman. Not quite on Varian's level, but she picks up on things pretty quickly. So even though her brows furrow as she listens to his explanation, she doesn't seem lost, exactly; it's just... hard to accept, not understand.]

So I'll be able to see them again, but not... Corona.

[It's like a stone's been dropped into her gut. It's somewhat reassuring, knowing that she only has to wait to see her parents and boyfriend again. But... her home, the beautiful kingdom she's finally embraced...]

There's still so much I haven't seen. Corona, the other kingdoms... [She's heard Arendelle is beautiful in the winter. She was looking forward to visiting someday - there were whisperings of a coronation happening in the near future...] I'll never be able to see any of that again?

[Varian knows, oh he knows, Rapunzel is smart. He knows he doesn't need to dumb much down for her, she's the only person back in Corona able to translate his scientific ramblings for the rest of their little family.

But just because she can understand doesn't mean it's any easier to accept. He had time to work on this himself. Over a year. He also came from a point in time when he knew everything was okay, where nothing awful was looming over them all. Everything was working for him to accept this change, being freshly wrenched from Corona, with everything going on...it must be nearly impossible.]

...I'm sorry, Princess, but no. Prob-probably not. [His tone is gentle, but he's not going to lie to her.] I've seen people leave here? Like...they go back into the water? But the natives seem to think we just go back to being squids.

[He rubs the back of his neck.]

You can go into a deep sleep here? It...it sends you home? That happened to me once. My body was here, but my mind was back in Corona. When I first came to the dream, the last thing I remembered was being put in cage. [That WAS a lie, the last thing he remembered was Zhan Tiri invading his dream, but he didn't want to worry her with that right now.] I went to sleep, lived my life a little more and when I got to the point I last remember now, I woke up in the dream. So I guess you could go back that way?

[Oh boy, one day he'll tell her about meeting Anna and Kristoff- that'll be a ride. Now they're on this route though, he needs to be...honest.]

But in the dream, when it was breaking? We- we were given the option to go home or go onwards into...well, this world. We knew it was probably a one-way trip. I...I picked here. Not- not because I never wanted to go back to Corona or...or anything. I did, but I couldn't leave here, either. I couldn't leave-

[Oh. Right. She...really should know this part. He's nervous, and he doesn't know why.]

Um. There's- there's actually something you should know. Before we go home- to the house. I live in. That...that you can live in too if you want. Um. About me.

[It's... it's good that Varian is telling her this. Really. It's hard to believe, and she doesn't really want to believe it, but there's not as much of a nagging sense of doubt at the back of her mind, like there might have been if she'd heard this from any of the strangers up and about. It's not that she mistrusts anyone here or anything, but... it's really not easy to accept that you'll only ever see home again in dreams.

There's a lot she still wants to say. Questions. But it's hard to talk about - hard to think about Corona now, being home in a past tense. So as he speaks, she focuses on that. On his words, and leave that harsh dose of reality to unpack later.

She takes a deep, steadying breath, then does her best to bring her smile back.]

I'd love to stay with you, Varian. [Open and earnest, as Rapunzel always is.] What do you think I need to know first?

[It's a hard concept to grasp. Sometimes, Varian forgets just how long he's had to get used to it. It's a part of life now- but for Rapunzel, fresh from home? It must be impossible. He doubts he would have accepted it if their positions were reversed.

He'd figure she has questions, and he'd answer every one he could when she asked them. But for now, it's nice to move onto something else. Even if this is...awkward and that nervousness is growing. He tells complete strangers about him and Fern all the time. Easy, like it's nothing. But there's something more daunting about telling...well, home people. Especially someone whose opinion he holds above everyone else. ]

Okay, um. Right. Right. So...you- you've met Fern, right? Of course, you have, yeah. [Is he blushing? He feels like he's blushing.] Uh. Me and him are...together. Like... together together. Um. In the romantical sense.

[For a brief moment, there's nothing in Rapunzel's eyes. No disgust, or wariness, or anything of the sort, thankfully. But she's not... immediately over the moon, like she would have been at any other sort of relationship reveal. She has that look about her; the mix of curiosity and confusion that's often on the princess's face whenever she's faced with something new. Something she's never heard about in that lonely tower of hers.]

Romantically? [Huh. Huh.] Wait... guys and girls can do that???

[She knows this is important to Varian. She understands how seriously he's taking it as he works up to saying it. She's trying not to brush aside his feelings, really she's not! But this feels like... cracking a shell around her head wide open or something.]

[Luckily, he was expecting this. After all, it took him a damn long time to understand this concept himself, and much longer to accept those feelings him himself for what they were. He indulged in a good, heavy slab of denial for a while.

So when she asks the question, he flushes, laughing a little awkwardly. ]

Y-yeah, that's- that's a thing that people can do. They can like both girls and boys. It's...uh- it's for sure a thing. Apparently, it's pretty common?

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