deercountry | [001] time has a funny kind of violence

Entry tags:

[001] time has a funny kind of violence

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

long

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[There was a figure there, dressed in a simple, white Ao Dai as she came over to greet him there on the sand. She knelt and offered a cloak to him while one of the others came by with towels to help clean him up. If he looked up, there were all three eyes staring down at him, a small smile on her face.]

Well well... look what the cat dragged in. Easy now. Your body needs time to adjust. We all went through it.

[ It takes Orpheus a half-second to react to Vira-Lorr's presence, unmoving for that brief moment while he caught up with the present before blinking owlishly up at her. ]

Oh, hi, Vira-Lorr. It's good to see you again?

[ That he sounds kind of unsure about it isn't a reflection on how happy he is to see her specifically so much as a general uncertainty of what's going on or where they are. He sits up, propping himself up on one arm and brushing his still-wet hair out of his eyes with his other hand as he looks around. ]

This is the new world? The one that came after, um. After Deerington?

Yes, you could call it the waking world of the young woman. It is what remains behind, reborn from that place's ashes. Welcome to Trench.

[She smiled and settled on a small towel to rest while he got his bearings.]

It is good to see you, Orpheus. You are hopefully not in too much pain right now. It's not easy to come out of the ocean...

[ The leaves are changing, and that can only mean one thing: winter is coming.

Eurydice hasn't seen fall colors like this in years, and on some level, red and gold leaves are a good sign. When the weather was at its worst, there wasn't that much of a fall at all. At least this is a proper season, if a slightly worrying one.

Still, Eurydice is utterly convinced she doesn't have much time to prepare. She's felt awfully restless ever since she arrived, which she chalks up to the season and the new city. Fortunately, this isn't her first round of being a newcomer, and she knows that the first and best thing she can do is learn about this place. Eurydice is already more or less dressing like a local, wrapped up in a large, black coat with her welcome bag slung over her back. She's in the process of drawing up a little map, making notes of decent sources of food, shelter, and work, when she someone humming. And not just someone. She knows that voice. It's --

-- it's you.

And then she's ducking and weaving through the crowd, muttering a few excuse me's as she goes. Once she's a few paces behind him, she'll call out: ]

Orpheus!

[ Does he turn around? ]

[ He doesn't.

Instead he freezes in place, catching himself a half-second before turning, eyes wide. He knows that voice. He'd know it anywhere, hears it almost every night in his dreams, was reminded of her almost every day in some way or another back in Deerington. This has to be something like that, doesn't it? He knows, on some level, that this isn't a dream any longer, that it may not be beholden to the same rules and lines of thought that Deerington was, but after a year of seeing some distorted reflection of her around every corner, he can't hope like he used to.

But he can't ignore it, either. After a moment's pause, he calls back, uncertain and afraid. ]

Eurydice?

[ Orpheus frowns a little at that, going thoughtful and melancholy over the memory of what happened to Julia and her last words to all of them. It's hard not to feel like they failed her in a deep and irrevocable way, and it weighs heavily on him. ]

I'm okay. Being something else like that was, um, really strange, and I don't think I want to do it again? But I think I'm fine. [ He finally takes the offered cloak, draping it over his shoulders as he looks over at her. ] You said everyone went through that? Did all the Sleepers come here the same way?

[A sentiment that they both shared. Those words had cut her deeply and she might not recover entirely for a long time. But other topics quickly dominated their conversation and she nodded over at him.]

So far as we know, that's how we all arrive, so it may be the form our bodies take at first until they ... well, reform themselves into a more easily managed state. It certainly explains the blood.

..

Which there is a possibility yours is different from normal.

[ Orpheus answers, and a wide, watery smile breaks across her face. He can hear her. She's real, and so is he. This time, there's nothing stopping her from reaching out. The gods she knows are not here. She hasn't signed any deals.

She crosses the last of the distance, wrapping her arms around him from behind and burying her face in his back for just a moment. He's here. Physical and solid and real, and she's holding him, and she desperately does not want to let go. She clings with the force of someone nearly drowned. Her body is cold to the touch, like someone who's just been out in a hard winter storm. ]

It's me.

Fern had already washed up a bit ago with the other remaining residents of Deerington, so he's managed to find his foot and make it beyond the beach. There's still a whole city to explore though, and once he's found several other Sleepers and settled in he goes about wandering the streets. He's checking things out when he notices the bits of light, confusedly following them until he spies a very familiar guitar.

"Orpheus? Hey, Orpheus!" Immediately he races on over. Holy cow, Orpheus is the last person he expect to see here. The last time they had talked Orpheus had been so sure about going home - so why's he back here?

It's you!

[ And he laughs with teary-eyed relief, still a little disbelieving but willing to let himself have this for as long as it may last. She's here? She's here! It had always been some distant possibility before - plenty of his friends had loved ones from their homes arrive too, and some of the people he knew said they were dead back home, but he hadn't let himself dwell on the idea for too long. He hadn't felt like he'd deserved to hope for something like that.

He doesn't feel the cold of her skin, not right away, not through the jackets they're both wearing, but as he reaches up to lay a hand over hers it registers that something is very wrong. Finally, (hesitantly, fighting the instinct of experience and repeated nightmares), he turns to look at her, eyes wide with concern. ]

You're freezing! Do you need another jacket? Here - [ And he sets his lyre down on the ground and pulls off the straps of his bag and his guitar, putting them down as well and drawing a few passing glares from pedestrians trying to walk on the sidewalk that's now occupied by musical instruments before he shrugs off the denim jacket Julia gave him and throws it around her shoulders. ]

I can't believe it - I thought I'd never see you again. I - Eurydice, I'm so sorry.

It took Varian a while to get even remotely settled in this new environment. But once he'd got his clothes and found his leg, he felt at least a tiny bit put together- enough to wander around and try and get a feel of the place, anyway. He hears the humming before he sees Orpheus, but he recognises the music immediately. Once you've been exposed to Orpheus' unique ability, you never forget it. So he turns quickly, pushing himself through the crowds to try and find his friend. He sees the light and follows that finally pushing himself through to where he can see him.

"Orpheus!! You made it!"

I guess it's safer than if we'd showed up in the middle of the ocean as our normal selves, [ says Orpheus, frowning as he looks back out at the sea. ] I don't know how to swim, like this.

[ He gestures to himself. There hadn't been a lot of occasions to learn - he's only really lived near or even been to big bodies of water a couple of times in his entire life. ]

Different? How? [ Now that she mentions it, he does feel like there's something deep inside of him that isn't the same as it always was, but he can't quite put his finger on it. Looking down at his hands, he squints at his wrists, looking for the blue of his veins and finding... nothing? His brow furrows and he looks back up at Vira-Lorr, waiting for her to explain. ]

There you go. Seeing the positives already. [A few people had, but no point adding that.] I think the form you took had a natural capacity, at least as long as it took to get here. Thankfully you won't need to swim again for a while unless you wish to.

[She pricked her finger and let a single bead of white show there, milky, almost sour in its odor. There it was, pale as could be, and in the sun's light, it was just odd. She put it to her mouth and shrugged.]

Some of our blood is unusual, and it is supposed to be important, though that remains to be seen exactly. I am what is called a paleblood.

Orpheus stops humming at the sound of that familiar voice, turning to look as the little golden firefly-lights fade away.

"Oh! Hey, Fern!"

Orpheus smiles and waves to him, doubling back through the crowd to meet him halfway. It's not a surprise seeing Fern here, after the explanation he got on the beach, but it is something of a relief to find a familiar face so quickly. There's a hint of sadness in Orpheus's smile as he approaches - still rattled over his decision to cut ties with his old home and come here - but he's clearly trying to mask over it as best he can.

"It's great to see you again! How long have you been here?" For his part, Orpheus very clearly just walked out of the ocean, hair still damp with seawater and covered in caked-on sand. From the looks of things Fern's had a little more time to settle in.

Orpheus stops when he hears Varian call out, much to the chagrin of the pedestrian who'd been walking behind him. He gives a quick "sorry!" and edges around them, cutting more carefully through the crowd as the little lights around him fade into dimness then invisibility.

"I did," he says, nodding, and it's maybe a little less bright and enthusiastic than it would be if it hadn't involved saying what may have been a final goodbye to everyone he'd known before, but he's trying. "I just made it to shore a little while ago. How are you doing? Did you and Fern make it here together?"

The lights fade and Fern is left perplexed, though that thought settles in the back of his mind momentarily as he instead focuses on Orpheus. He's here! That's great! Great and - horrible, given that he shouldn't be here.

"Not very long. Uh, longer than you, though," he replies, gesturing at Orpheus' wet hair. Regardless of their last conversation, Fern can't help grinning, and after a beat he decides to latch onto Orpheus in a tight hug. "It's great to see you, too!"

Ange has been staring at people from a distance. Not one to join in, but still very much busy with taking in the face of every single person that passes. Most don't look familiar to her, but every now and then there definitely is a face that she recognizes from Deerington.

And though it's not like Orpheus is the first person she spots in that sense - not by far - there's still the same reaction as the first person she spotted that way. Still the same surprise, the same relief. After all, she liked Orpheus. He's a nice guy, and here he suddenly is again.

"Orpheus!" Ange calls out, jumping up from the spot she was sitting at, running over to the guy with the instruments - typical - and the golden light around him - not.. so typical..?

Sorry, random pedestrian, there's important reunions that have to happen. Varian smiles, genuinely happy to see Orpheus, for more reason than his own selfish desire to not let his friend vanish away forever.

"I'm really glad to see you, and yeah! We both made it together, we're fine!" well, he has fucking magic now and that's something he's trying not to think about - he has more important things to discuss here and he rocks on his heels excitedly. "Orpheus, Eurydice is here!! I saw her and I recognised her from that lantern thing you had! Have you seen her yet?"

[ Well, that's unnerving to say the least. Orpheus leans in a little to get a better look at the drop of pale white blood on Vira-Lorr's fingertip, frowning in concern and confusion. When she pulls away to nurse the wound, he looks back at his hands, trying to see if he can tell what's now beneath his skin. ]

This happened to everyone too? Do you think it's permanent, or just one of those things that'll pass?

[ It all seems kind of worrisome to him, but he guesses whether it's a boon or a curse remains to be seen. It could be either! ]

There's another familiar voice! Again, Orpheus stops what he's doing - the lights dimming into invisibility as he stops humming - and turns towards the sound, pushing carefully through the crowd to meet Ange halfway before he even sees her.

"Ange! It's good to see you again!"

He hadn't expected to when he spoke to her last, and while he's caught on to the fact that most of the Sleepers from Deerington have apparently made it here now it's still a very pleasant surprise to run into her so quickly.

Laughing, Orpheus stoops down a bit to make up for the difference in height. As difficult as this whole situation is for him to grasp right now and as much trouble as he's having coming to terms with it, it's hard not to be happy to see Fern again after everything. He can worry about the rest later.

"I just got here less than an hour ago, I think?" he says. "This place is called Trench, right? It seems - livelier? Than Deerington ever did. There's a lot more people here at least."

And they're a lot less rude than the Townies were, just on first impression. On that note, Orpheus steers them towards a low retaining wall at the edge of the sidewalk and sits down, setting down his bag and collection of instruments out of the way of the people trying to get by.

"It.. It is good to see you again." She's not going to deny that, no matter what tsun layers there usually might have been poured over such a statement. Right now she's just glad to see him.

Glad, but also surprised. Especially since now they're so close and face to face, she can see that it really is Orpheus.

"But.. didn't you go back home..?"

The natives seem to think it's permanent or at least long-lasting. There's been no harm through it, but at the same time it's quite unusual and a bit disturbing. There are different sorts of blood at that. Mine is not the only strange variety.

[She shook her head, frowning as she did so. he wasn't the only one worried about what this might mean for them if it lasted, but time would help to clarify that.]

Fern doesn't let go right away. He never, ever thought he was going to see Orpheus again, and he gets that can't mean good things, but at the same time he's absolutely thrilled another of his friends is here. Plants are sprouting on his hat, carnations and bamboo leaves and flowers.

"Yeah! It's a huge city, and people don't give you weird looks for just existing near them!" He nods excitedly. It's a weird thing to say, but when you're made out of grass in a 1950s era American town, you notice the looks and the snide comments and the way people cross the street to avoid him. "It seems a lot nicer than Deerington? But also a lot spookier."

"That's great! I'm glad you were able to find each other so quickly," he says, and it's his intention to ask after how the two of them are doing - how long they've been here, what the place is like, but then Varian keeps talking and he freezes, wide-eyed, unsure that he heard correctly.

"Wait."

Wait. That can't be true, can it? He guesses it was always a possibility back in Deerington, where many of the Sleepers were from the same worlds and some of them were dead back home or from different points in time, but he'd never really dared to hope for anything like that. Not even his sometimes boundless-seeming optimism could make him feel like he deserved to think for a second he'd be reunited with her this way.

But maybe it's not about what he deserves. Or maybe it's not about deserving at all.

"She's here? You're sure?"

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[001] time has a funny kind of violence

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