TEST DRIVE MEME

[fairyfoes]

TEST DRIVE MEME

Considering apping to EACHDRAIDH? Why not give the setting a test run here! OPTIONAL SCENARIOS 01. ARRIVING IN THE DRABWURLD. The Seelie and Unseelie courts welcome you with mirthful revelry and hearty food. After you have been briefed on your purpose here, you will find an endless feast and a night filled with entertainment to placate your concerns. Mingle with new arrivals, sneak down the castle halls and make sure your eyes are always on your glass; fairies and imps have no bias when it comes to tricks! 02. THE STATION. Looking for a little slice of home? The Station gives you all that and more. Take advantage of the wifi, have a cup of fairy-brewed coffee (the one they didn't spit in) or sit back and relax on the patio. You can even move your things into one of the available rooms! 03. WILDCARD. Your own scenario! Explore the Drabwurld or simply take advantage of your Locket!

Comments

[icy]

"This isn't any worse than some of the stuff the Unseelie throw out about me. At least you'll get your facts right, if you ever want to go that route."

Wry black humor precedes the way he shakes his head, lashes lowering for a moment to eye the tea, flicking back up to meet Charles's gaze. If this is a lack of manners, Jack's the Easter Bunny.

"I'm not hungry. Thanks, though. I'd cool it down if I came over there and you look pretty settled for the afternoon." In an effort to swing the conversation onto even ground, he asks, "Are you waiting for a friend out here?"

[excessivehubris]

Inwardly he winced, as Charles realized he probably had sounded a bit as if he'd been sizing Jack up for an experiment. He gave an affable nod of his head at Jack's graceful decline of the invitation and reached for his mug of tea.

The question caught him in mid sip and he took the momentary pause of swallowing to gather his calm before responding.

"No friends, I'm afraid." He said in a breezy tone. The truth was he found it very unnerving to be here with out Raven, Erik or any of the others. While Raven hadn't been wrong in her claim to be his only friend, she had always been with him, since they were children and being completely alone was disquieting.

"I checked but it would appear that of those I know I am the only one the imps saw fit to bring here."

[icy]

"I followed the fairies. Wish I hadn't, should've known better."

Three hundred years of spirits and creatures of folklore, and still Jack was a sucker for their pleas. He tilts his head at Charles and in the same light tone, makes an offer sound like a question.

"We can be friends, right? Until yours get led here, or something."

Jack is far from stupid, but he doesn't pretend to himself that he's interesting enough beyond the basics to keep a professor entertained for very long.

[excessivehubris]

Charles couldn't bring himself to correct Jack from 'until' to 'if' as he honestly had no idea why the others hadn't been taken as well. They had all been on the beach together, hell he and Erik had just barely gotten off him (after a wicked right hook to the face) the imps should have grabbed them both.

Bah, thoughts for another time.

For now he smiled warmly and gave a nod of his head.

"I'd like that, Jack." There is definite sincerity in his tone and in an attempt to say away from questions that made him sound like a researcher he went for the common ground between them. "Have you been here long? You sound as if you've had some experience with the faeries here."

[icy]

"Not long, no. I've ... spent a few years around this kind of crazy stuff, it doesn't bother me. It's more homely than talking to normal people, actually."

But, not to delve into that. He skims the subject (three hundred years of solitude and loneliness does not a good afternoon tea discussion make), sitting on the railing and drawing up a knee.

"Back where I'm from, people don't ever see magic as clearly as they do here. It's a good thing, I suppose. You don't want the Pentagon freaking out because satyrs decided to romp on their front lawn or there's an evil witch living down the road."

[excessivehubris]

The last bit caused Charles to chuckle, though the sound was more rueful than actually amused.

"The Pentagon does appear to have a very limited sense of humor," he agreed, in a tone that hinted at the fact that he may have had personal dealings with that lack of humor issue.

"I'm afraid that in my world the idea of magic is more about slightly of hand and illusion," he admitted. "What advice would you give someone who has limited experience with such concepts?"

It couldn't hurt to hear, from someone more familiar with such things, what he might face or experience while trapped in this strange land.

[icy]

Unexpected is one word he would use for inferring a British professor has contacts with the Pentagon, and Impressed is another.

"Advice?" That could be a hairy minefield. "Uh ... I know everyone says you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but magic doesn't work like that, so. If it looks bad? Don't poke it."

The wisdom of three centuries, summarized.

"I mean, the Boogeyman is made of shadows."

[excessivehubris]

Charles pulled a face at the suggestion to 'not poke bad things.' He was not exactly known for his 'look first' attitude; it was usually leap in and wonder about the consequences after the fact.

Though, given the events on the beach he was starting to come to the realization that perhaps he ought to temper his impulsive belief that he could make everything work the way he wanted it too simply by will alone.

He shook the thought off as Jack's latter words sank in and both eyebrows arched upwards.

"The Boogeyman?"

[icy]

"I know, it sounds stupid. He's as real as you or me, though, and he's called Pitch Black. He's from my world."

Does he ever feel like an idiot having to explain all of this to a grown man. Kids? Sure. Children already know that the fae are real, on some level, even if none of them ever saw Jack prior to Jamie. Adults, however, are another matter.

"When he comes out of the shadows, Pitch is really tall. We're talking seven-foot, you can't miss him." Pausing, he glances down before adding, "And he knows your fears on-sight."

[excessivehubris]

"Sounds like a lovely fellow," Charles said with more than a hint of trepidation and he took a sip of tea; the natural fortifier!

"So he's here as well, with you? Someone else from your world?"

Though it sounded as if perhaps this Pitch Black fellow may not be precisely a friend, Charles had to admit that despite everything that had gone down between them, he'd be quite happy to see Erik. Then, in an effort to (once again) try to stop questioning Jack like a test subject, Charles attempt to push them back onto more common ground.

"Does that happen here? People from the same world?"

[icy]

"I think so. It's hard to tell, what with all the messing around in shadows he does. If he was here, he'd be holding a grudge against me, I know that much."

To put it lightly, at any rate.

"It does, yeah. A couple of people I spoke to knew each other." Up go his brows. "Would you rather have one of your friends here with you?"

[excessivehubris]

Charles is quiet for a moment, giving it some thought. Given what he's learned of this world, he doesn't kid himself that he and Erik, for that matter he and Raven would find themselves on opposite sides of the Seelie / UnSeelie conflict.

"I suppose not," he said in a pensive tone. "At least, not the way I was brought here. If they were given a choice and came of their own design..."

That might be a different story but even then, his lips twitch and he glanced back up at Jack.

"I fear we'd be on opposite sides in this world."

[icy]

"You shouldn't let that stop you being friends. I wouldn't with mine."

Friends are hard come-by for Jack. They are also hard-won (see: Aster) and mean the world to him. No matter what anyone says about this or that faction being on opposite sides ...

"Fighting with them shouldn't even be an option, especially not just because someone else says so."

[excessivehubris]

"I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than that," he said, reaching to settle his fingers around the mug of tea on the table. He didn't lift it, merely set his hand around it as if anchoring himself.

"There are some important differences between us, in our home world and I am uncertain that we can overcome them."

Charles spoke with conviction, though there was a small part of his own conscience that ruthlessly point out that he'd made some spectacular mistakes and errors in judgement. That small voice was quickly silenced beneath the horror of seeing Erik turn the missiles back around towards the human fleet.

"I'm not certain we're meant to find common ground."