open ♔ september castle socialization

[wynn]

WHO || Everyone! [ota]
WHAT || Shenanigans.
WHERE || Anywhere in the castle, surrounding environs, London, etc!
WHEN || First half of September, any time between the September squiring ceremony and the War announcement on September 18th
HOW || Actionspam

[ The castle can be a happening place, even on more mundane days. This log is for random interactions over the course of the first half of the month.    Because not everyone is into parties, ok.

You are encouraged to start your own threads and tag around, and feel free to threadjack into any on-going threads that aren't specified as 'closed' in the subject lines since people can enter into rooms even in the middle of what's going on. WE ARE BIG ON THREAD-JACKING HERE. You can also specify 'single thread', meaning you want only one response for all participants, rather than multi-thread, where a number of different scenes/threads can be done as replies to the top prompt.]

On this log:
Drax @ the desk
Kate Bishop @ the desk
Sam @ the desk
Henry @ the desk
Kate Bishop @  roof/dining hall/library/grounds/bathrooms/desk/Dragon's Hoard/etc
Abigail @ Movie theater / library /firing range / training room
Francesca & Val'drin | closed
Penelope & Sam @ the woods
Emma Frost @ the library
Spike @ rec room
Lydia, Stiles, Astrid, Adam | closed

Comments

[uncurse]

[ Emma’s in the Dragon’s Light Wing getting her new scar looked at when Faye finds her. She turns away from where Alanna is examining the injury, looking pretty predictably like she has no good news to offer. Spotting Faye, Emma gets to her feet immediately, moving around the bunk and towards Faye. ]

He found you!

[reallywicked]

[Preparing herself for this was really a joke, because seeing Emma as flesh and bone and very much in one piece sends a flood of relief through Faye that she wasn't expecting. Knowing that Emma was alive is one thing, but seeing her up and moving and talking is totally different. Emotion forms a hard lump in her throat and she can't manage much of a reply, so she just nods, glancing down.]

Yeah.

[She had things to say. She still does, but it's like the thoughts have all flown out of her head.]

How..? How are you?

[uncurse]

Well.

[ Briefly sheepish, Emma looks at her feet and holds her hands out. ]

Flesh and blood. [ She looks back up at Faye. ] So that’s an improvement.

[ Those out turned palms move forward, resting on Faye’s shoulders while Emma steps in closer to look her over. ]

You okay?

[reallywicked]

[She's showered and changed, thanks to Lila's insistence early on. There's no sign of injury. The lie would be easy- nevermind that Emma always calls her on her bullshit. She could try to lie, could try to sell it. She's fine. She just had a mini vacation in tropical Cuba. No big deal, right? The words form in her mind and she opens her mouth to try to push them out.]

I...

[The rest freezes on her tongue as she meets Emma's gaze. All she can see is that statue, falling and breaking against the tilted floor. Her eyes drop to the scar at Emma's neck and she blinks several times, eyes stinging with tears that she's trying very hard to not let form.]

What happened?

[uncurse]

[ Faye’s reluctance to answer, her hesitation, draws more concern out of Emma. Her expression falls visibly, and she moves one hand up from her shoulder to the side of her face, cradling it as her head begins to tilt. Further question starts on her lips as she watches Faye tear up, but Faye beats her to it.

What happened?

Emma wishes she had a better answer. The problem, of course, is that she wasn’t conscious for any of it. From Emma’s perspective, she’d been in the Luckman Center one instant, and back at the castle the next. Seamless. (Except, of course, for the same she now wore on her neck.) Not so for the rest of her friends and family.

Months, they’d told her. She’d been gone for months. ]

It’s not a big deal.

[ She pushes her hand into Faye’s hair, combing the dark locks behind her ear, then she steps forward and pulls the young girl into a hug. Turning her face to rest her mouth against the side of Faye’s head, Emma keeps her eyes open, searching for the right thing to say. ]

I’m fine. I’m here.

[reallywicked]

[Before the mission, Faye would have gotten extremely stiff as Emma hugged her. She would have been defensive about she was fine and made some sort of joke to play it off. It wouldn't have been insulting, but reluctant to allow that sort of affection. Even now, that instinct is there, telling her to use those defense mechanisms rather than show vulnerability.

She doesn't pull back, though. She doesn't shrug out of the embrace or mumble how she doesn't know why Emma's acting so weird.

Slowly, her arms move around Emma's waist, hands reaching to lay her palms flat against the woman's back. Simultaneously, her fingers curl to grip at Emma's shirt while she buries her face against her shoulder.]

[uncurse]

It’s okay.

[ Emma squeezes her tighter, pulse quickening when Faye actually returns the hug. This isn’t the kind of affection Emma is used to showing—in fact, she’s more used to no affection at all. Yet it comes naturally, like holding Faye is an instinctual thing for her. ]

We’re all here: we’re safe now.

[ Smoothing one hand over Faye’s hair, from the top of her head down to cradle her head by the base of her neck, Emma presses a kiss to the side of the teen’s head. ]

Whatever happened in Germany, it's over.

[reallywicked]

[Faye's eyes shut tight, holding her breath to keep a sob from escaping. She clings for a moment longer before her grip relaxes and she slowly pulls back from the embrace, not running, but trying to regain some of her composure. A will save of 17 means she's doing okay!!! At not falling apart, at least.]

It's over, but it still-- It matters. Emma, I saw you die.

[uncurse]

I know.

[ Her hands fall away as Faye pulls back from the embrace, and Emma makes no effort to hide the heavy layers of guilt that build in her expression. The last thing she ever wanted was to bring something like that down on Faye, after promising to protect her. ]

I know, and I’m sorry that you saw that. But I’m here now.

[reallywicked]

I know, but-! [But what? It was fixed. So why did it still hurt? Why did it still feel like Faye had lost something important? Faye hadn't realized that Emma actually mattered to her until she was faced with the loss of her. Dealing with both of those at once was jarring, still is. She huffs and takes a step back, trying to clear her head.]

You're okay? [She asks again, like the answer might be different, like she needs to keep checking.] Really?

[uncurse]

Really.

[ This reassurance comes with the flicker of a smile, so light it almost becomes a laugh. She doesn’t laugh easy, and she also doesn’t want Faye to think that she’s laughing at her reaction, though, so Emma holds it in. ]

I didn’t even realize I shouldn’t have been until I was already awake. Besides. [ Her hand raises to the red line around her neck. ] It’s not my first scar.

[reallywicked]

I'm pretty sure it's the best story, though. [She wants to joke about it, act like it wasn't a big deal. But it was. It still is.]

Emma, I- [She glances down at her hands. Too many thoughts run through her mind all at once.

I'm sorry I was such a pain in the ass

I thought I lost you

I tried to save you

I stayed

But she can't say them, can't for the words out. Her eyes close briefly before she takes a breath and forces herself to look at the woman.]

I'm hungry. Wanna get out of here?

[uncurse]

[ For a moment, Emma searches Faye’s face for what she was going to say. Something more was happening there, she can see it. But, with no way to know what it was, Emma lets it pass and just nods. ]

You bet. I’m starving.

[ She drapes an arm around Faye’s shoulders and steers her toward the garage. ]

[reallywicked]

Actually... [She looks back at Alanna.] Before we go? I need her to check something out. I think something's wrong with me. Or, different at least.

[There's really no way to explain her flashlight eyes and so far that's the only trick she knows, so Faye thinks about needing light and opens eyes to reveal the very stranger thing her face does now???]

[uncurse]

[ Emma grows steadily confused and slightly suspicious?? ]

Different how?

[trebond]

An excellent question.

[ Alanna approaches, noticing the beckon. ]

Sir Chamberlain, right?

[reallywicked]

[Faye nods to Alanna.]

I don't really know. I figured out this- [She points to her shiny flashlight eyes] -by accident when I was teleported out of the room. But a spell would have worn off by now, so I don't really know what it is.

[uncurse]

What the—

[ Emma's helpful contribution is shock. ]

[trebond]

Horse Lords.

[ Alanna catches her breath, stepping in closer and raising her hands. ]

Well, I'm afraid I'm a bit behind the times if it's aught other than magic, I'll be ill-equipped to assist you properly. Doesn't mean I can't have a look.

[ With a few muttered words, purple light emanates from her hands and she casts detect magic. ]

[reallywicked]

[Faye stands perfectly still and lets Alanna get a closer look. Unfortunately, there's no magic to detect. Bummer.]

Anything?

[trebond]

Nothing.

[ She drops her hands, light fading. Her lips purse. ]

Doesn't mean there's nothing to be done of course. Pull up a seat, and if you'll give me just a moment, I know someone who might just get a better idea.

[ Pulling her phone out of her back pocket, Alanna phones Astrid up. ]

[uncurse]

[ Emma turns to Faye as Alanna steps off. ]

This started when you were teleported away? Or before?

[reallywicked]

[Faye frowns and goes to sit, not really finding all that much comfort in the idea that it's still a big fucking mystery what's going on with her.]

After, I guess. Or if it happened before, it just had a delayed reaction? I was in the mouth of this crazy monster and just thought about how I wished I could see better and then...wham.

[pathology]

[the faint sound of a ringtone can be heard from across the light wing. and then, in the medic area, astrid pops out from behind a counter like a ginger jack in the box. was she taking a nap down there???? never. jk that's exactly what she was doing.]

What? What? I'm here. [and then she sees FAYE IS BACKKKK] FAYE!! Wunderbar!

[reallywicked]

[That reaction actually makes her smile in a small, slightly sheepish way.]

Hey, Astrid. I think we need your help. I think I brought something back from the mission. [This sounds way more like herpes than she actually means it to.]