deercountry | faceless man counting crumpled bills // OPEN

Snow watched Rose jump, but said nothing of it as she moved beside the older woman, smiling. She tilted her head as she watched Jack say "you jump, I jump." What exactly was Rose jumping from?

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, someone from home," she smiled, waving a bit. "It must be wonderful that you can see each other again!"

Snow wasn't sure she would want to see anyone but the dwarfs again from home.

If anyone had to witness this, Snow was the best one. And the Jack in the portal reached a hand out towards Rose, fingers extended. So Rose reached out her hand and touched his hand, even though the portal was there and real and unbreachable.

And Rose sighed, both happy and sad at the same moment. "Jack, this is Snow White." Jack tipped his head down respectfully, and said ma'am.

Rose smiled, a hint of sadness tinging her smile. "It is. There are so many people I left behind me, but maybe...maybe Jack will be here in person. Maybe he's one of those squids out there, I just need to pinpoint the exact one. It's possible, isn't it," Rose said with the mingled hope and desperation of someone who needed a yes.

Sometimes the past is best left in the past.

Snow White curtsied in response to Jack's tipped head and smiled as she looked between the two. She then came over and rested a hand on Rose's arm, trying how best to handle this whole thing or what to say.

At her question, she looked off in the direction of the sea.

"Well, we're here, so anything is possible, wouldn't you say?" she offered with a smile. "People from all sorts of different worlds and times seem to be able to come here. So I don't see why Jack shouldn't be able to."

Jack grinned when Snow White did, clearly pleased that Rose had at least one person to lean on, saying "I knew you would do it, Rose. I knew you'd survive." And Rose took in a sharp breath and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Yes, Jack. I'm doing my best to follow my promise," and she leaned against Snow a bit.

It's hard to ignore the ocean after first coming to herself in the middle of the sea there, causing all kinds of unfortunate memories to slam into her.

"Yes, yes, I'd say so," Rose replied, a little desperately. "Jack, do you hear that? You can do it, you can come to me here and we'll be happy." Here would be a perfect place for them to build their life together, there was no need for money and no regard for status.

Snow White tilted her head. Survive? What was Rose trying to survive? What had she survived? She moved to gently rub Rose's arm.

"Don't worry, Jack," she assured the gentleman, smiling at him. "Rose is doing an incredible job. She's learning all sorts of things, I would know, I'm helping to teach her and she's helping me. And when you come and join us, you're welcome to join in on all our lessons! I'm sure you'd adore it."

While she was inwardly quailing at the fact that Jack had used "survive." She wasn't ready to tell her whole story, at least not yet. It all seemed too new, too raw still. But she still took comfort in Snow White's touch.

Jack grinned back at Snow White. "So you two are friends? I'm glad. Really glad. She needs friends, other than Molly none of them seemed like friends. I'll be there as soon as I can." And it took everything Rose had to not burst into tears because everything here seemed so terribly random and she desperately wanted to believe Jack, but knew that there were no guarantees. Not in life, not in Trench.

And Snow would not ask if Rose was not ready. She watched the other and then looked back to Jack, smiling.

"Oh yes! We most certainly are. And I can completely understand that myself. Before my dwarfs and here, I didn't have any friends, either. Perhaps lonely people have a habit of finding one another. And when you come Jack, we'll be friends too! I just know it!"

She's ready. Mostly. It's still difficult and she's surprised that her mention of being from 1912 hasn't set everyone from after that point's suspicions into overdrive. After all, what else happened in 1912?

Jack grinned warmly. "I'm sure we will, too. See, Rose? It's not so scary, getting people to like you." And Rose looked down for a moment, trying not to cry. "True, I suppose. But here, you'd be coming into a situation where everyone's my friend. Not like Tommy and Fabrizio. They were your friends first." And Jack scoffed. "How long did it take for them to realize you were worth knowing? No time at all. I'm sure the same is happening for you here, even without me."

And Rose trembled, reaching up a hand towards the portal. "Yes. Yes, of course you're right. I have many friends, Snow White being one of the dearest of them."

"Oh, Rose is absolutely lovely, I'm surprised more people don't love her," she smiled at Jack as she looked up at Rose and then back at Jack, smiling.

"You seem like a lovely person too, Jack. We'll have to show you around all the places here."

Snow White watched her trembling hand and bit her lip.

"Rose, is it safe to touch the portal?" could they go in them?

Rose gave Snow White a warm smile and so did Jack, saying "I'm glad she has a friend like you to be there for her." And Rose flushed, pleased to have the chance to talk to Jack. Wherever he was, it seemed like it had to have been nice. She wonders if he sees himself back in Santa Barbara at the pier.

"Yes, Jack, it's truly amazing. So many people from so many times and places and worlds, there's always someone interesting to meet and talk to. You'd love it."

And she was trying to not cry. But...she knew the odds weren't always in their favor as to whom washed up to shore and who didn't.

"I--I don't know. I've never heard of anyone trying?"

Snow White watched as Rose's eyes became watery, and she didn't want to press the other to talk more or to let it out. She knew how difficult it could be to cry in front of others. But she didn't want Rose to have to stay upset, either. Snow let them have their conversation and then bit her lips.

"Before you touch it, perhaps we should try?" she looked around a bit and then picked up a pebble that was white and smooth.

"Jack, dear, I'm going to throw this to you, do you think you could catch it?" if this meant Jack and Rose would get a chance to touch one another again, then Snow was all for letting them have a moment together.

Edited 2022-05-17 23:18 (UTC)

She didn't want to cry. But if she did, she wouldn't mind Snow White seeing. The other young woman had been so kind to her, to everyone who interacted with her it seemed, that she didn't want to take advantage of her kindness. But it made her feel warm in a way she wasn't entirely certain of yet.

"Yes. Yes, that's a good idea," Rose said, looking at her in relief.

And Jack gave Rose a concerned look before he turned his attention to Snow White, paying attention to what she was asking him to do. "Sure, I've caught both bigger and smaller things before." And Rose hiccupped a laugh at that.

"Alright, here it comes, Jack!" Snow White called out and then tossed the pebble. Only, it could not go through. As soon as it hit the barrier of the portal, it bounced back a bit harder than Snow threw. Her hawk friend caught it before it could even touch either girl and Snow made a noise of disappointment.

"Ah, no, I don't... I don't understand! You're right there."

Jack looks eager, hopeful as Snow White tossed the pebble, hands outstretched, Rose looking onward in anticipation. But both were disappointed as the pebble bounced off. Rose briefly closed her eyes and released a long sigh, Jack looking on, clearly dejected and trying to not let it show.

Jack gave Snow White and Rose a smile and said "I don't get it, either. But don't worry about it, I'll be fine. Rose, you're going to be fine, too, I know it." And Rose nodded shakily.

"Oh... I'm so sorry," she bit her lip, seeing how deeply upset Rose was and hating that she had contributed to it, even if she had wanted the exact opposite.

She reached out and rested a hand on Rose's back, rubbing it to try and be assuring.

"I'm sure one day you and Jack will get a chance to be together again. You mustn't give up hope. I certainly won't."

"No. No, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known," Rose said to Snow White. "None of us could. It was likely asking---asking far too much for these windows to act sensibly.

And Rose finds herself leaning into the touch, taking comfort in it despite the disappointment.

"I do hope so. Even if it's in the afterlife. And I--I appreciate you and your care during this. I can't begin to tell you how much."

"Oh Rose, I'm sure it won't take the afterlife for you to reunite! Someday Jack will come, I'm sure. But of course, I care for you very much, Rose, I want to be there for you both through good and bad." She gave Rose a gentle squeeze.

"I'm going to try and be there for you as much as I can. Would you like to spend some time alone with Jack?"

"I...I would hope so. It's impossible to know what will happen, when. It--it could be another month, it could be another year. And...I want to be with you for the same. If I can?" And Rose squeezed back, feeling a little thrill go up her spine.

"And I hope that you know you can count on me, whenever you need me. I'll be there. I swear. I would...appreciate that? There were so many things which should have been said at the end."

faceless man counting crumpled bills // OPEN

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(CW: PTSD)

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