( the entirety of the day has been nothing less than chaotic whirlwind of events, but night-time sees everyone shuffled back to the manor. everyone and then some, actually, but don't worry about that. the manor has plenty of rooms and doesn't mind creating new ones if need be.
eda hadn't expected for there to be any real use for it, not when she once thought that it would never house anyone more than hunter and herself. she's delighted for it now, knowing she doesn't have to cram a bunch of teenagers on the floor somewhere.
ugh. imagine the smell.
it also meant that there was a room ready for gus tonight, almost like it was always waiting for him. that's probably creepy. or maybe heartwarming? or maybe just both!
eda knocks her hand against the threshold of the door of gus's new room. )
Hey.
( without waiting for invitation, eda steps inside. briefly, there's a whistling sound as well as she admires the furnishing of the place. swanky. )
Things starting to feel more real?
( she'd ask if he was alright, but that's a ridiculous question. )
[There's an old cliche thing where, when someone barges into the room, the other person gets startled and bangs their head on the thing they were under. Gus doesn't quite do that, but he's half-in half-out from under the bed when she comes in and the banging and scuffling suggests he has a tougher time getting out than he maybe anticipated.
But he gets out, clutching his treasure: a pair of high heeled shoes that had been tucked in the corner under the bed. Clearly, this house wanted him to have these strange human weapons. He sets them on the covers near Emmiline who's curled up so hard the wrinkles in the comforter have spiraled under her.
Eda comes in without waiting for his permission and he briefly wonders if she did that to Luz back at the Owl House. Probably, he concludes. Poor Luz.
Her question...is a good one. He shrugs.]
You'd think an illusionist would be able to tell the difference between reality and dreams but I'm still not sure.
[He's tired, and it shows in his uncharacteristically muted exuberance. It's not the acute exhaustion he felt when he was first stranded in the human realm, when the uncertainty of The Day of Unity and Belos and the Collector crashed down on him at once and all he could do was curl in on himself and cry, but...same cloth.
The difference may be in the knowing. Eda is standing in front of him right in this moment, alive and well. Back in Gravesfield, everything had been a big question mark: His family, his friend's family, his teachers, his home...everything in Bonesburough that had revolved around the Day of Unity up to that point. Speculating only brought up images of the worst case scenario and not having a way forward for the longest time...it was too much to take any more than one day at a time.
Or maybe it's because everything built on each other, in a way Gus could understand. Belos, Covens, The Day of Unity, The Collector...he could follow it. It was a little convoluted, but he could follow it, understand why it happened. Fantastic and the Alliance are just a random thing that happened to him out of the blue. He had no input in this, and he's still trying to unpack what it means.
This probably isn't what shock feels like, but it might be close. And it could have been worse if his friends hadn't intervened...]
( when eda had first arrived, had first fallen out of the sky like the world's loudest screaming comet, she had been lost. the first days were the most difficult. then suddenly much more difficult once she discovered hunter was here and what he last knew of their time in the demon realm. how their memories hadn't matched. hunter had been lost too, scrambling and scurrying around like an alley-rat.
she still remembers what it had been like to bring him here to the manor for the first time. absolutely nothing like what it was like to bring amity here. and nothing like it had been to bring gus. the first several days are unbearable, but it's easier somewhere safe and with familiar faces.
gus looks worn out, but that's far better than what it could have been.
eda shrugs, flapping a hand dismissively. )
Pssh. You're one of us, kid, I'll always come for you.
( simply. these kids could count on her for that much, she'd come when they needed her. normally eda wouldn't be so forthright about it, but if she's learned anything, it's that sometimes these things needed to be said. )
It takes a while to sink in, but eventually you start getting used to the Wrong Human Realm.
[That gets Gus right in his bile sac and he finds just the biggest smile for her.
Of course he knew it, it's such a strong part of the mix of emotions he's been feeling since he arrived in the right human realm. Whenever he's not feeling the ache of missing his home and his dad, he's with the friends he's bonded with more strongly than he even knew was possible. But it's nice to hear spoken out loud, especially from Eda.
He feels the same way he felt when Camilla took them in and tried to make them comfortable in the Noceda's home. Eda and Camilla are about as different as people can get, but the emotion is roughly the same.]
I hope so! I was just figuring things out in the right one! Did you know they just put giraffes out on display? In the open!? Mind-blowing!
Do they do that here? How long have you been here?
[He's starting small. What he wants to ask is...well, a million questions about the state of the Boiling Isles and Bonesburough and his dad and King and his school and his teachers and the Collector and he also has roughly infinite questions about this wrong realm, but it's all too much to get out at once and he's not even sure if he wants the answers besides.]
( eda closes her eyes for a prolonged moment, considering what she'd been told here. with this, she has a pretty clear idea where every one of them belonged on their respective timeline.
and she is the furthest back. yeah, she's not going to start letting her nerves get the better of her on this one again. she's not, she's not. she's not secretly dead and everyone else is just conspiring to hide it from her or something! ha ha!
but first thing's first. )
Don't worry, the Isles didn't become a mass grave site or something. Belos didn't win.
( however—
eda doesn't actually know this firsthand. )
Before we get into this, did anyone talk to you about how time is different here? You know, weird?
[A smoking pile of ash? A corpse moldering on the Head? Dead? Those thoughts sting his head in a bad way, a way that makes his eyes water and his throat go tight. He doesn't want to feel those things right now. He's earned the right to not feel that if he doesn't want to.
Time. Yeah, let's talk about that. Not typically the "safer" conversation option but he'll take anything.]
I mean...all this stuff is weird. Guess it makes sense that time would be too.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
paperclipsong) wrote2023-05-31 06:00 pm
( action ) night o' arrival-ish
eda hadn't expected for there to be any real use for it, not when she once thought that it would never house anyone more than hunter and herself. she's delighted for it now, knowing she doesn't have to cram a bunch of teenagers on the floor somewhere.
ugh. imagine the smell.
it also meant that there was a room ready for gus tonight, almost like it was always waiting for him. that's probably creepy. or maybe heartwarming? or maybe just both!
eda knocks her hand against the threshold of the door of gus's new room. )
Hey.
( without waiting for invitation, eda steps inside. briefly, there's a whistling sound as well as she admires the furnishing of the place. swanky. )
Things starting to feel more real?
( she'd ask if he was alright, but that's a ridiculous question. )
no subject
But he gets out, clutching his treasure: a pair of high heeled shoes that had been tucked in the corner under the bed. Clearly, this house wanted him to have these strange human weapons. He sets them on the covers near Emmiline who's curled up so hard the wrinkles in the comforter have spiraled under her.
Eda comes in without waiting for his permission and he briefly wonders if she did that to Luz back at the Owl House. Probably, he concludes. Poor Luz.
Her question...is a good one. He shrugs.]
You'd think an illusionist would be able to tell the difference between reality and dreams but I'm still not sure.
[He's tired, and it shows in his uncharacteristically muted exuberance. It's not the acute exhaustion he felt when he was first stranded in the human realm, when the uncertainty of The Day of Unity and Belos and the Collector crashed down on him at once and all he could do was curl in on himself and cry, but...same cloth.
The difference may be in the knowing. Eda is standing in front of him right in this moment, alive and well. Back in Gravesfield, everything had been a big question mark: His family, his friend's family, his teachers, his home...everything in Bonesburough that had revolved around the Day of Unity up to that point. Speculating only brought up images of the worst case scenario and not having a way forward for the longest time...it was too much to take any more than one day at a time.
Or maybe it's because everything built on each other, in a way Gus could understand. Belos, Covens, The Day of Unity, The Collector...he could follow it. It was a little convoluted, but he could follow it, understand why it happened. Fantastic and the Alliance are just a random thing that happened to him out of the blue. He had no input in this, and he's still trying to unpack what it means.
This probably isn't what shock feels like, but it might be close. And it could have been worse if his friends hadn't intervened...]
Thanks for coming to get me, by the way.
no subject
she still remembers what it had been like to bring him here to the manor for the first time. absolutely nothing like what it was like to bring amity here. and nothing like it had been to bring gus. the first several days are unbearable, but it's easier somewhere safe and with familiar faces.
gus looks worn out, but that's far better than what it could have been.
eda shrugs, flapping a hand dismissively. )
Pssh. You're one of us, kid, I'll always come for you.
( simply. these kids could count on her for that much, she'd come when they needed her. normally eda wouldn't be so forthright about it, but if she's learned anything, it's that sometimes these things needed to be said. )
It takes a while to sink in, but eventually you start getting used to the Wrong Human Realm.
no subject
Of course he knew it, it's such a strong part of the mix of emotions he's been feeling since he arrived in the right human realm. Whenever he's not feeling the ache of missing his home and his dad, he's with the friends he's bonded with more strongly than he even knew was possible. But it's nice to hear spoken out loud, especially from Eda.
He feels the same way he felt when Camilla took them in and tried to make them comfortable in the Noceda's home. Eda and Camilla are about as different as people can get, but the emotion is roughly the same.]
I hope so! I was just figuring things out in the right one! Did you know they just put giraffes out on display? In the open!? Mind-blowing!
Do they do that here? How long have you been here?
[He's starting small. What he wants to ask is...well, a million questions about the state of the Boiling Isles and Bonesburough and his dad and King and his school and his teachers and the Collector and he also has roughly infinite questions about this wrong realm, but it's all too much to get out at once and he's not even sure if he wants the answers besides.]
no subject
it feels as if it's been while for eda, dealing with anyone so spirited. she kind of missed it. )
Whoa, slow down.
( because experience says this is just a trickle of an oncoming storm. )
I don't know. It's been like months at this point. Hunter's probably at like around a year or so?
( then a thought. )
Were you still in the other human realm before you got here?
no subject
Well, good at switching topics at least.]
Yeah, for months. Since the Day of Unity-
[Hard swallow, push down the lump in his throat.]
-me and the others were staying at Luz's mom's house. Are you...I mean, did-
[How does he even ask this...]
What...happened? After the portal closed?
no subject
and she is the furthest back. yeah, she's not going to start letting her nerves get the better of her on this one again. she's not, she's not. she's not secretly dead and everyone else is just conspiring to hide it from her or something! ha ha!
but first thing's first. )
Don't worry, the Isles didn't become a mass grave site or something. Belos didn't win.
( however—
eda doesn't actually know this firsthand. )
Before we get into this, did anyone talk to you about how time is different here? You know, weird?
no subject
[A smoking pile of ash? A corpse moldering on the Head? Dead? Those thoughts sting his head in a bad way, a way that makes his eyes water and his throat go tight. He doesn't want to feel those things right now. He's earned the right to not feel that if he doesn't want to.
Time. Yeah, let's talk about that. Not typically the "safer" conversation option but he'll take anything.]
I mean...all this stuff is weird. Guess it makes sense that time would be too.