(no subject)

[frogfear]

Who: Willow Rosenberg (frogfear) and you!
What: Open and Closed Starters
When: Throughout March
Where: Throughout Trench

Content Warnings: Amnesia, probably mentions of death, hallucinations - will update as necessary

Comments

Closed to Clockhouse residents, and Faith

[frogfear]

[Willow is mostly quiet on the walk back to the house with Faith. It feels awkward, and she finds herself unsure what to say. Coming back from death in Deerington had felt far more dangerous, but at least it was simple. She just called Ozpin, and he came immediately to get her and bring her back to safety, no questions about where she belonged, or what happened. She felt terrible, sick in a way that gave a whole new meaning to the phrase 'death warmed over' but at least it was not confusing.

Seeing mushrooms that aren't actually there doesn't help either, but she's been very pointedly ignoring those.

She feels unsure suddenly as she approaches the door and she hesitates, glancing to Faith. Does she knock? Does she just walk in and say 'Hey! I'm home!' and see if anyone comes running?

Death complicates a lot of things.

It takes her another couple seconds to make up her mind and decide to do both. She knocks, then opens the door and steps inside, calling out.]

Is anyone home?

[clocktowers]

[ He has pretended not to be worried about her. Ozpin knows better than most that the death timeline is not an immutable thing, not a clearly-delineated resurrection. He only slightly regrets frightening everyone with that one long absence. He cannot begrudge Willow lingering in the sea, if that is where she is; he cannot take it as indication that she will not come back to them.

Still: when he opens the library door and sees who is in the foyer, relief breaks across his face like the dawn. ]

Willow. It's good to see you.

[frogfear]

[It's a relief to see Ozpin as well, and to be back where she belongs. Trench has apparently brought with it a lot of change, and the last few days have been both confusing, and challenging. The mansion might not be exactly as she remembers it from Deerington, but it's still comfortingly familiar.

It still feels like home.

She smiles as she crosses the floor to join him.]

It's good to see you too. Sorry - I guess I'm probably a little later than expected.

[slayerskiss]

[Faith awkwardly hangs back, leaning just outside the doorway with he arms crossed. She doesn't belong here. She's not even Willow's friend anymore, let alone a part of her little family unit. And now that Willow's back, Tara will probably be leaving too and Faith will be all on her own again.

She shifts slightly, trying not to be sad because sadness is a pathetic emotion and Faith is a stonecold bitch with no feelings.]

She was at uh... you know the guy with the black eyes who's real stingy with his name? Apparently he picked her up and took her to his place.

[clocktowers]

[ Black eyes has him on alert immediately. He picked her up and took her to his place does not help. For a moment, Ozpin's expression flickers to proper, startled concern. ]

The ship's captain— the man whose magic concerns skeletons? I've heard of him from Willow, yes. She has spent time with him before, but I've yet to have the pleasure of an introduction.

[ The eyes should not worry him as they do, and yet. ]

It's no trouble, Willow. [ His smile goes a bit more gently perplexed. ] Though you know you can always reach out to me by network. I am always glad to be of help.

[frogfear]

Yeah - he said we already knew each other, and we were friends.

[Willow shifts uncomfortably as he reminds her she could have reached out through the network. She would have done so immediately if she could have, maybe even tried for a little joke about it becoming a habit for him to come escort her home after death.]

Well... I didn't really have a way to. I would've just come home on my own, or got him to bring me here, but...

[She purses her lips and lets out a sigh. She's looking for a way to put it delicately, to avoid raising the alarm too much. She's sure there's already been enough worry and upset on her behalf.]

Things are, um. A little muddled. About Trench, and the stuff that's happened here.

[slayerskiss]

I call him Bones. He's real fuckin' shady, maybe kinda evil, but I think he's bizarrely sincere considering. I don't think you got much to worry about, Oz.

[She hopes not, anyway. They're all supposed to get a second chance here, right? She's evil, and she's giving it a shot. And the Doctor helped a great deal against the Leviathan, and more specifically helped her a lot.

It's not like the Doctor took away her memories, that's just the fucked up mechanics of death at work.]

She didn't remember where she lived. Had to show her.

[clocktowers]

[ For a moment he blinks in open astonishment; then it cools to worry. ]

Ah. So it seems the repercussions we knew in Deerington... may still be in effect. Though perhaps without the illness component. [ In a weak stab at levity: ] That, at least, may be some small relief.

[ But she knows as well as he does: the amnesia gets worse and worse every time. It does not fade quickly. And they have lost their usual means of intervention. ]

[frogfear]

It, uh, kinda feels that way. I mean, I guess it could be just a coincidence, but that seems a little... too coincidental, you know?

[Willow manages a little smile at the attempt to remind her that at least she does not also have the flu. It's a small comfort under the circumstances, but she appreciates it all the same.

She glances in Faith's direction.]

I've, uh, been getting some of the story about what's been going on since January, but, uh, there's still a lot of blanks that could use filling in, I guess.

a tad later!

[entreats]

[ Ange may not be the first one to greet Willow back, but it's not too soon after Willow is brought back to the house that she finds that the other is back from the dead.

There's a bit less fussing in the entire death thing here, knowing that at least people are going to come back without all the nasty side effects that Deerington used to bring people - but Willow's death was still worrying and upsetting in its own way, and Ange is more than glad to see the other.

Glad enough to actually smile a little when she spots Willow around the house. ]

.. it's so good to see you back, you know.

[frogfear]

[Willow grins as she lays her eyes on Ange. Her time spent recovering at the dilapidated house her friend from the beach had brought her to had been largely uneventful. It wasn't even so bad after she got used to the idea of skeletons shambling around, doing chores and helping out. But it wasn't home, and she is glad to be back on familiar ground, and surrounded by familiar faces.

Hopefully it will help jog her memory faster.]

Hey. Trust me, it's good to be back too.

[entreats]

I can imagine.

[ Not that Ange has any personal experience with the way death works in this place - knock on wood - but she can't imagine that it's exactly pleasant. Coming back from the dead back home wasn't exactly a party for her either, and that didn't involve her actual corpse.

Which is definitely a factor that feels like it'd make things so much more gross and unpleasant.

Ange pauses for a moment, like she's trying to think of what even to say first here, before slowly continuing. ]

How are you feeling by now..?

[frogfear]

Well... no flu this time, at least?

[She'll take the positives where she can, because there's a whole lot about this situation that still feels completely unfathomable. She's still trying to process a lot of the changes she's been told about that has come about in Trench. Not being able to remember it all herself leaves her feeling not just out of the loop, but off balance as well. It's deeply frustrating.

Her smile fades a little, and she shrugs. Even without remembering the past six months, it's hard to keep things from Ange.]

I don't know. It's been... Um, confusing. To say the least.

[entreats]

[ Ange frowns, before repeating the word. ]

Confusing.

[ It's like she's trying to figure out what's behind the word as she's echoing it back at the other - and it probably shows too, both in Ange's facial expression and in her tone as she moves to sit down.

In some other cases she might have bothered to hide it a little bit more, but what use is there to doing so in front of someone she likes? ]

In what ways exactly? Do you want to talk about it? [ The least Ange can do after failing to prevent the other's death is hear her out, right? ]

[frogfear]

[Willow gives a little nod as Ange joins her. There's no sense in keeping it hidden that she doesn't remember Trench right now, and there's a lot to readjust to, especially given how much things have apparently changed in the last six months.]

So, uh. You know how there were side effects? When you... you know. In Deerington? I guess that's a thing here too.

[Or at least that's the running theory. She's not absolutely certain yet if there's a connection between her condition and her death back in the dream, but it feels like there should be.]

You know, the first time you get the flu, the second time you get the flu, and you lose a bunch of memories?

[She glances at Ange, and gives a little shrug.]

The, uh, last thing I remember really clearly before coming to shore here is the beach after we went through the door back in Deerington. I guess a lot's changed since then...

[entreats]

That's.. unfortunate.

[ To put it mildly. But since Willow is shrugging and all as she's saying it, Ange doesn't want to be the one to make it a big deal here. Maybe this is just the other's way of coping with the entire idea - playing it down a little bit.

And it's weird too, since Ange is pretty sure she didn't hear about this amnesia thing happening to anyone else who's died, but..

Well, maybe it's better to keep that card close to her chest for a little bit longer too, in order to avoid overwhelming the other. ]

I mean.. yeah, quite some things have changed. It's been half a year since then, you know? [ Ange frowns a little, but she's careful to keep her tone relatively flat. Trying to keep things a little casual on her end too, no matter how worried she is. ] That's quite some time's worth of memories. And you can't remember any of them at all?

[onekindsoul]

Just a minute!

[There's the sound of some sort of work going on in the basement. More specifically gunfire as Ruby tries out some different bullets infused with blood to charge them elementally. A puff of smoke eventually rises out from the door to the basement along with a startled yelp.

A moment later a soot covered Ruby emerges and she looks to Willow with a grin.]

Willow! You're back! We were so worried!

[frogfear]

[The sound of gunfire makes Willow jump, and the smoke that rolls out from under the door is concerning, but just as she's about to decide she ought to go investigate, Ruby emerges, a little messy perhaps, but at least all in one piece, and not on fire.

She smiles in relief, and gives a little wave.]

Ruby! Hey! Sorry - I didn't want to worry anyone. Is everyone else okay?

[snakesdonthavelegs]

[ Shortly after Willow arrives, Jessica comes down from her room to see what all the commotion is. She hasn't been living here long, and its been hard to adapt, especially after receiving the crushing revelation of tragedy from Ange. Still, when she sees that friendly, helpful face from the boardwalk, Jessica approaches with a bright grin. One moment at a time for her, and right now she's glad to see another familiar person. ]

Oh, it's you! I didn't know that you lived here too!

[frogfear]

[Willow can't hide her surprise at seeing the girl from the boardwalk here, but she still greets her with a friendly smile, and a wave. It makes sense she supposes that their numbers may have increased since Trench.]

Oh, hey! It's, uh, good to see you again. I didn't know you lived here either. I was, um, kind of out of touch with everyone for a couple days.

[snakesdonthavelegs]

[ Jessica rubs the back of her neck, laughing. God, she has no idea what's going on. But it ought to be easier to face if she can make a few friends, right? ]

Oh, yeah! Ange's my cousin, and Sayo's my best friend from home. Well, she was a family servant, but I never thought of her that way. Anyway, it's really good to see some familiar faces!

[frogfear]

Oh, that's really cool! Yeah, I've known Ange for awhile now. She's a really good friend.

[Sayo is a different story - she doesn't remember Sayo at all, but she's sure if they're all from the same world, and all friends, she's probably made friends with her as well, especially since they all live under the same roof.]

I, uh, don't know Sayo so well, but I'm sure I'll get to know her too. It's good to see you again too - hopefully you're settling in okay?

[snakesdonthavelegs]

Me and Ange, well, it's a bit weird. She was really little when I'm from, and she comes from my future. I'm sorta proud seeing her all grown up, you know?

[ So many years that she spent all alone. ]

Yeah, it's... been a bit tough, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

[frogfear]

Yeah... that would definitely make it weird. I'm sure she's glad to see you all the same, though.

[It isn't hard to understand why adjusting to life in Trench could be described as a bit tough, especially after coming face to face with the adult version of your previously very young cousin, and Willow finds herself nodding sympathetically.]

It doesn't seem so bad, I guess. Once you get used to it. And I don't think there's a person in this house who wouldn't help you if you needed it.

[snakesdonthavelegs]

I know family is a lot more than blood, but... that's still what we are.

[ When she thinks of what Ange must have gone through, she becomes that much more determined to fill in the family shaped gap that she'd had in her life. And that was her family too, no matter how much she wants to believe that in her own world, they will be alive and well. ]

Thanks, Willow. The same goes for me. I wanna help out too if I can! [ But she has to admit that she's probably not ready for that quite yet. ]