bigapplesauce | Daine's Arrival [Closed]

Current Location: Central Park
Current Music: December 27th, 2012

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Daine's Arrival [Closed]

Daine Sarrasri knows that wandering about with only Cloud and the other People for company might not be the wisest idea she's ever had, but the recent snowfall--the first of the season--is too tempting. It's been months since she's had the chance to take a quiet ride for no reason but the pleasure of it, with no particular destination in mind and no need to hurry. Given how busy things have been--and how busy they're likely to get, as it's only a matter of time before some immortals cause a ruckus somewhere--she's happy to seize the chance while she has it.

At least there haven't been any new holes torn in the barrier lately, and the forest around the castle is safer than most, thanks to frequent patrols. It's not a guarantee that there won't be trouble, but she has her bow--already strung, just in case--and she's quick enough with her shifting that she's not too worried. If anything, it's Cloud's safety that might be a concern. Daine taking a hawk shape and flying off wouldn't do her pony much good.

Cloud lets out an indignant snort, reminding Daine that she's not a helpless foal in need of coddling. If there's trouble, it's as likely to come from the stork-man as an immortal.

Daine can't help smiling at Cloud's less-than-flattering nickname for Numair, but it turns into a wince a moment later. She isn't sure what to think about her teacher's recent protective streak. Given what happened in Carthak, she supposes it was fair enough at the time… but she hopes he isn't planning on continuing with it now that they're home. She doesn't think he'd get into a pet over her outing, but she wasn't certain enough to tell him about it and risk his grousing.

A jay's warning call startles Daine and Cloud, who stops in her tracks. There's something up ahead that has the People upset, and Daine catches something through the bare branches--a glimmer, or a flicker--that reminds her of the holes she's seen torn in the barrier. A quick survey of the nearby animals confirms that there are no two-leggers about, though. Barring mages, who--or what--could be making the hole? Daine's mind races as she slips off Cloud's back. Is the barrier so weak that holes are just appearing? There's a problem they don't need.

"Stay put," Daine orders Cloud as she draws an arrow from her quiver and edges toward the spot where the flickers seemed to be coming from. If any nasties show up, she wants Cloud to have a head start. She doesn't feel any nasties, though; there's no unpleasant buzz of an angry immortal in her mind. If there is a hole in the barrier, nothing seems to be passing through it. Frowning, she steps forward.

There's a whinny from Cloud, and then the world gives a sickening tilt that blurs Daine's vision and sends her sprawling. She lands harder than she expected, because there's suddenly no snow to cushion her. Instead, there's a crunch of frozen grass, and the wind is knocked out of her.

As she gasps for air, she realizes that she can no longer hear Cloud, not even in her mind. Her range with Cloud ought to be miles; how can she not hear her? In a panic, she casts her magic out like a net. There are squirrels, pigeons, a few horses, a fair number of cats and dogs, rats (lots of rats), and--she jerks back as soon as she reaches a menagerie, though she hears enough in that brief moment to confirm that it's not their majesties', but one she doesn't recognize.

Belatedly, she realizes that sending out her magic might have been a mistake. All the People in her range are now aware that she's here and eager to meet her (with the exception of the rats, who are no more welcoming now than they were in Carthak), and she's in no position to greet them properly. Please, not yet, she silently calls as she waits for her head to stop spinning. I'd love to meet you all, but I need a little time, first. There's an agreeable ripple of response, and most of the People go back to whatever they were doing before she interrupted them.

After a steadying breath, Daine pushes herself up and blinks to clear her vision. She doesn't recognize anything, not the smooth lawn, or the trees, or the handful of gray squirrels eyeing her curiously. Even the air is unfamiliar.

Where is she?

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Daine watches the cars drive by. They're not moving too quickly--there are plenty of animals that could outpace them--but there are lots of them, and all traveling faster than a human could run. Crossing the road without the light system seems all but impossible.

"So when the lights switch back," she says, wanting to make sure she understands, "that's when we'll cross."

"Yup." Yuri smiles and decides to try actually taking her hand. The worst she can do is have the cat tear his face off, right? "Once it turns and we've got the walk sign, we'll go. Are you ready?"

Daine glances down, a little surprised by the gesture, but she doesn't shake him off. She could use the reassurance, at least until they get across. "Ready," she says, because she has to be.

The cat seizes the opportunity to leap up onto Yuri's shoulders, which are both broader than Daine's and higher up, giving him a steadier perch and a better vantage point.

Fleas! supplies Yuri's brain. Also, claws, that's another thing cats have. He stiffens, squeezing Daine's hand a good bit harder than he means to, and tries not to move his head.

"...Alright," he says, voice a little strained. It's just a cat -- he can deal with a cat. Next to his face. Giving him fleas.

"Sorry," Daine apologizes on behalf of the cat--not that the cat is the least bit sorry, but it's clear that Yuri's less than thrilled with the arrangement. "He won't hurt you," she adds, giving the cat a pointed look.

The cat doesn't deign to respond, though Daine isn't sure if it's because he doesn't want to make any promises of good behavior or because he's too busy lashing his tail in such a way that it repeatedly hits Yuri right in the nose. Daine tries to disguise her laugh as a cough, but doesn't do a very convincing job of it.

"I'm fine," says Yuri, trying to be calm and maybe a little bit gruff and tough. When the cat doesn't start scratching him open he relaxes very slightly, but he still can't help but think he'd better treat himself for parasites tonight.

He tries to squint at the walk/don't walk signal in a manly fashion, but keeps having to blink every time the cat's tail hits his face. He lets out a snort that's not entirely unamused, and reaches his free hand up to try to redirect the tail.

Daine bites her lip to keep from grinning. Beneath her amusement, she appreciates that Yuri's being gentle in his attempts to push the cat's tail away. Plenty of two-leggers wouldn't be so nice about it.

As the other light turns yellow, Daine warns the cat that they're about to start moving. Accordingly, the cat stops tormenting Yuri and settles on his shoulder, his tail hanging down Yuri's back, the picture of innocence. Daine takes a few steadying breaths as most of the cars slow, though a few speed up--to make it through before the light turns red, she guesses. By the time the light changes to red, all the cars have stopped obediently.

They'll be fine. Everyone else was fine last time the lights turned, right? Well, then. She swallows and squeezes Yuri's hand.

Yuri might be acting extra-gentle right now for Daine's sake...but even under normal circumstances, the worst he'd probably do would be to try to shoo the cat off his shoulder. A while back, he decided that he's destructive enough once per month without being a menace as a human as well.

"Good cat," he tells it, glad he's not going to have to cross the street with fur going up his nose (moreso than already). He doesn't remember being this nervous about crossing a street since he was young enough that he had to hold his mother's hand. Now, if everyone will just do what they're supposed to....

He gives it a moment, letting a couple people start crossing, before he steps out into the street with Daine in tow. "We'll be fine," he assures her. "I've done this hundreds of times."

Daine doesn't have much time to be amused by the cat's scornful reaction to being dubbed a 'good cat' before they're moving. She stumbles a little as she follows Yuri off the curb, her attention so fixed on the cars that she's not watching where she puts her feet. She quickly recovers herself, though not without the wry, fleeting thought that it's just as well the cat isn't on her shoulders anymore.

The cars rumble to themselves, but seem to be staying put. When they're about halfway across the street, one inches forward a bit. Startled, Daine instinctively shies away from it, bumping into Yuri in the process. The cat lets out an indignant meow at being jostled, though he manages not to fall.

Is that how one induces good cats to act contrary, then?

Yuri tries very hard not to look worried or nervous, but when he thinks of how this must all look to Daine, it's hard not to imagine her breaking loose and simply making a run for it. He tenses when she bumps into him, and winces, anticipating claws digging into his shoulders.

"Easy!" he says, though he shoots the driver a glare. The gesture he gets back is rather ruder.

"Sorry," she replies, shivering. Part of her feels foolish for overreacting--even as she'd bumped into Yuri, she'd registered that the car hadn't moved much, and had stopped again quickly enough--but the larger part just wants to get out of this gods-cursed street as soon as possible. She grits her teeth and quickens her pace, darting anxious glances between the opposite curb and the cars they're passing.

They might get a glance or two from people not used to seeing a young man with a cat on him leading about a young woman who's obviously terrified with no obvious cause...but then, this is New York City. No one pays them much mind, including the drivers.

Yuri feels a flood of relief when they reach the curb after what seems like the single longest street-crossing of his life. "There," he says with a smile. "We made it."

"Huzzah," Daine deadpans, shivering. It occurs to her that she'll have to do it again--quite possibly more than once--and she winces. Maybe it will be easier next time. At the very least, she'll have some idea of what to expect.

"Where do we go, now?" Getting across the street was one thing; now she wants to get away from it.

As noted, Yuri has already realized that she would have to do it again -- alone -- in order to get back to Central Park. He feels a little more easy about the prospect of actually getting her to the base now.

"Now we go underground," he replies cheerfully. "Up ahead -- it won't be long now."

Yuri needn't worry; Daine said she'd go to the base, and she keeps her word. Granted, she's not much enjoying the walk, but unless she feels truly threatened by Yuri or his friends, she's not likely to bolt.

"Right." Daine frees her hand and tries to regain some of her dignity. "Good."

That's...not exactly the impression he has of her.

Yuri pauses for a moment, wondering if the cat will (please) transfer itself back to Daine. Whether or not it does, though, he'll lead the way, still hurrying along.

Granted, she's not at her best. She'd be a lot less flighty if she wasn't so out of her depth (and equivalent century).

The cat leaps back into Daine's arms, though it's more for her benefit than Yuri's. She could use the comfort of a purring cat right about now. Daine hugs the cat close as she hurries to keep pace with Yuri. She almost has to trot, but she isn't complaining; at this point, she's probably as eager to reach their destination as he is.

Yuri winces when the cat jumps off him, expecting its claws to dig in (whether they actually do or not). He doesn't slow his pace, but he does keep an eye on Daine to make sure she's keeping up. Soon enough, they're in sight of the entrance.

He gives her an encouraging little smile before slipping down inside, pausing to be sure she's coming. "Almost there!"

Daine eyes the entrance, disappointed (if not surprised) to see that it's entirely man-made. It's like everything else outside the park, as far as she's seen--nothing natural except trees and grass, and even that only seems to be growing in places that it's been allowed. There certainly won't be any trees or grass underground.

Just think of it like the palace cellars, Daine tells herself as she attempts to return Yuri's smile. It helps a little, though the palace is a fair sight cleaner than this place.

"Is all of it underground?" she asks. "The whole base?"

Yeah, no. But they'll have plenty of rats! She likes rats, doesn't she? They're animals, after all.

He nods. "We have some apartments above-ground -- homes for people to live in, in one of the skyscrapers -- but all the ops stuff is down here." He says that as if he thinks it'll be reassuring for her to know she can get accomodations in one of the giant metal buildings. Hey, he'd like to live above-ground.

Speaking of. Daine wrinkles her nose as they descend; the rats are less than welcoming, and she can feel their unfriendliness like an itch. It reminds her of docking at Carthak, though at least the rats here aren't as concentrated as they were at the docks. Rather, they keep their distance, not wanting to associate with Daine--or with the cat she carries.

Daine furrows her brow at the idea of living in a skyscraper, though it's the idea of living here that upsets her as much as doing so in a skyscraper. She's not staying--not any longer than she has to.

Belatedly, it she realizes that quite a few other folk must have come through the rift--that's how it sounds, anyway. Otherwise, how would they know so much about it, and why would they need homes for anyone?

"Just how many folk does the rift bring here?" she asks.

Yuri isn't thinking of rats, naturally. He's aware they exist, but he doesn't really think about them unless he's having to help put out traps, the same way he doesn't think about most animals unless he's directly confronted with one.

If she asked, she might be interested to find that Yuri himself arrived through the rift. Or she might not.

"Too many," he replies. "Hundreds of us." If not more; it's hard to judge how many came through before Romac started up.

Hundreds? She winces in sympathy; she knows what it's like to find yourself beset by those from other realms. Though 'beset' might not be the right word if the rift is only spitting folk out one at a time... and that's assuming most of those who are brought here aren't out for a fight.

It takes her a minute to clock the 'us,' but when it hits her, she glances at Yuri in some surprise. "You came through the rift, too?"

Most of them aren't violent, no, or at least don't have a fight to pick with the people here. Still, they have to be housed, and fed, and given work to do. Yuri knows that too well.

"Yeah," he nods, sounding slightly awkward. "A while back. This isn't really all that different from where I come from, though."

So much for him being from Tortall or any of its neighboring countries, then--though she'd figured as much when she'd had to explain mages to him. It's still a bit disappointing, though.

She tries not to think too hard about him having been here for 'a while.' Well, if he's from a world without mages, it would be that much harder for anyone from his realm to find him, wouldn't it? Daine shifts her grip on the cat so she can brush her fingers against the badger claw around her neck. Her friends are a different matter.

It must be terrible, though, to be stuck here without much hope of getting back where you belong. "I'm sorry," she says quietly.

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