[001] time has a funny kind of violence

[themuseabandonsyou]

Who: Orpheus themuseabandonsyou
What: Arrival, acclimation, acceptance
When: September 1st
Where: The beach, Cellar Door

Content Warnings: suicidal imagery,

In another world, in another time and place, Orpheus plunges an antler - the last physical remnant of Deerington that came with him when he returned home - into his chest with shaking hands, and the world goes dark.

He finds himself floating in the darkness of some great and cold and foreign sea, the current too strong to resist. Somehow, though, the lack of light and the freezing temperatures and the pressure of the water all around him don't seem as immediately dangerous as they should. Somehow, the body he's in now is perfect for it, all flowing lines and long tentacles. It should be horrifying. It is kind of horrifying, if he thinks aboout it too hard, but there's an odd sort of peace to it, especially as he lets the tide sweep him inexorably wherever it's going, giving him time to reflect.

He thinks about arriving back home, walking out of the fog that surrounded Deerington and arriving where he fell asleep, and immediately turning around and heading straight back for the railway town. About Mister Hermes waiting for him with some small amount of surprise but great relief that he was back so soon after he'd run away in the first place. About telling him everything - about Deerington, the people he'd met there, the visions he'd seen, and his decision to come back home rather than keep running away from everyone who might want to help and support him. He thinks about how for a while it had seemed like it might be alright, and that he'd renew his search for a way back into the Underworld with support from those around him this time.

Of course, it couldn't stay that way. Slowly, steadily, things had started to feel... wrong, somehow. Off-kilter. Over time he began to feel less and less like he belonged anywhere, not because of anyone shunning him or anything like that, but in the sense of feeling connected to the world itself. It was hard to describe, but when he called on Hermes again to ask him about it, he got his answer.

You see, Hermes is the god of between-places - of travel, transit, of being neither here nor there. And that's where Orpheus was, caught between where he came from and where he was going. And the only solution, he'd said, was to finally go, to get to his destination, wherever that may be. And as much as Orpheus wanted to protest, he knew Hermes was right. So he said his tearful goodbyes, as best he could with his very self starting to slip sideways out of reality, and took the plunge.

I. it can't leave you the way it finds you

And now he's here, washing up on the beach. The transformation back into his old shape is awkward to say the least, but he manages it, crawling out of the ocean hand over hand and gasping for air as his lungs regrow. Once he's free of the waves, he collapses, just lying there for a moment in the sand and taking in the new and foreign sky above him. He feels... less bereft, than he might have expected? That's not saying much - being here is essentially accepting that his search for Eurydice is over, and he's still not sure that's sunk in all the way yet, but there's an odd feeling of belonging. A sense of relief, the loss of an ache that he'd felt so acutely that there had been no other way but to come here. It's strange, and he doesn't quite know what it means or how to deal with it, so he just... doesn't. He's cold and wet and covered in sand, but right now all he really has the capacity to do is lie there and stare at the sky.

II. good grief; I've heard people say it

Some time later, as he's been brought a bag of odds and ends - bizarrely, many of the things he thought to try to bring home with him from Deerington - and gathered the few familiar things of his he's found strewn around the beach, he wanders steadily into town, finding himself drawn as inevitably towards the sound of music and laughter as he was brought here by the ocean currents. His eyes are wide as he marvels at the architecture around him - it's been a long, long time since he's been in a city of any real size, and the ornateness of the buildings is dazzling to him in a way that rivals Hadestown in all its gleaming signs and towering heights. Jostling through the crowds awkwardly with his bag, guitar, and lyre all slung across his shoulders, he hums along softly with the music drifting out of the various venues as he passes them, not quite noticing the way little flickers of firefly-like soft golden light seem to dance around him as he does so.

Comments

[entreats]

His statement allows Ange's thoughts to drift off for a moment as she hears the music coming from the nearby buildings as well. He mentions dancing - and she can't help but wonder if the people here like that sort of thing, even though it's not for her. And what that would say about the people here..

But then Orpheus continues, and her attention fully snaps back towards him. Ange's eyes are a little wider than usually, like she's surprised he brought it up. She might have totally forgotten in the whole chaos of moving from Deering ton to this place, but now it's coming back at her. .. right, Orpheus had told her that way back, huh..? And she thought he wouldn't be able to do so anymore, since he went back to his own home, while Ange was moving on to this place..

"I.." She first starts, but her voice just trails off, clearly still surprised. "Yes. I would like that." If not just to give her a bit more to do in this place, now she's trying to figure out how to actually live a life. "As long as you still don't mind."

[themuseabandonsyou]

"Of course I don't mind," says Orpheus, beaming. If anything, it'll feel good to follow through on a promise, even a low-stakes one like this. Something he can do to make it feel less like he's letting people down all the time. That, and he does just genuinely really enjoy sharing music with people. It'll be fun!

"We'll just have to find somewhere that'll let us borrow their piano for a bit? Which might not happen right now, since it seems like everywhere is pretty busy."

And he doesn't imagine most people out for a night on the town would appreciate listening to someone go through their scales and arpeggios.

"I'll keep an eye out, though! It seems like it'll be easier finding something here than it was in Deerington." If only because Trench seems much bigger.

[entreats]

It does seem bigger, right? And the people seem less stingy than back in Deerington too - or at the very least, they don't actively seem to hate the Sleepers. It's that fact that makes Ange believe that Orpheus' plan actually has a chance of succeeding here.

".. right. This place is probably extra lively because of our arrival.." Because surely the people who already lived here need some way or outlet to deal with having all these strange squid people show up on their beach one day. "And if they'd make us pay for it or something, I guess I could try to find some way to provide the money.."

Because it doesn't seem fair to make Orpheus doing that when he's already the one providing the lessons.

(Even though Ange still isn't too sure if there's even an economy here - or how it works. She's just assuming it, because everything back home sure had cost money.)

[themuseabandonsyou]

Orpheus is sort of under that assumption as well. Money was never something he was particularly good with, but the fact that it existed and all the problems that came with not having enough of it just sort of felt like some kind of constant to him. Really, Deerington was the first place he'd lived where he hadn't struggled to make end's meet without help, and he's pretty sure that's mostly because food was both sometimes free and always plentiful up until the end when it suddenly wasn't anymore.

Either way, he glances in through the window of one of the quieter bars, thinking.

"Maybe if I get a job at one of these places, they'll let us use their instruments during the off hours? That's how I got to practice back home, at the bar I used to work at," he says. "But maybe that's thinking ahead too much? Either way, we'll figure something out together."

[entreats]

Hey, considering Ange is thinknig about it too right now, she doesn't think that it's thinking ahead too much at all. Granted, they should probably make sure to be fully settled in before thinking of these things, but.. well, it's not like it can hurt either, Ange thinks.

Besides, something about what he's saying right now makes her a little curious. Curious enough to glance over at Orpheus and ask: "Are you interested in that sort of thing? Working at one of these places?"

She doesn't sound too surprised. Something like that does seem to fit him, from what she knows about him. And he'd be able to make music, which he likes.

[themuseabandonsyou]

"It's what I know," says Orpheus, shrugging. "It's what I did back home for a pretty long time? Tending bar and waiting tables and washing dishes, or whatever needed to be done that day."

A little bit of everything, basically. He thinks a little harder about Ange's actual question, though, considering it.

"I don't know if it's what I'd choose to do if I didn't have to? But I guess I did like meeting all the people passing through town that way."

Given the bar he worked at was the only one at the railway stop, he basically got to see everyone who visited. That probably wouldn't be the case in a place like this, but it would still be a good opportunity to talk to all sorts of different people, depending on where he wound up working.

"I don't know. It's something to look into."

[entreats]

"It's not like you don't have time to think about it," Ange answers.

At least they have that. If they're meant to be in this place more permanently than they were in Deerington, then more than anything, they're going to have all the time in the world. No need to make hasty decisions when they've got all that, right?

"I just think.." She pauses, if not just for a moment. Because Ange really is trying to get better about this, but sometimes it's still a little hard to openly show she cares outside of moments of distress. ".. it'd be nice if you could do something that makes you happy."

Especially if he's separated from some things he cares about.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Orpheus looks over at her, beaming - not just because he appreciates the sentiment, though he does, but because he has noticed that this isn't the kind of thing she says out loud very often. The significance isn't lost on him.

"Thanks," he says, brightly, though there's a touch of softness to it as he smiles at her. "I hope you can find something that makes you happy here, too. And you're right, it doesn't seem like there's any real rush? Or like there's a shortage of options, when it comes to what to do."

Even if he does settle on working in another bar, there's a lot of those just in this part of the city alone. If anything they're a little spoiled for choice, at least by his standards.