✧ 06 ✧

[bonnypiperlad]

[The snow falls in great flakes from the sky, covering the walkway that's sprung up out in the lake. The one that connects to what looks like some sort of tomb, with a stylized metal man of some sort on the wall outside the great, heavy doors. It has voices, as well, drifting out into the cold - a young girl and a man, both with English accents.]

You look very nice in that dress, Victoria.

Thank you. Don't you think it's a bit...?

A bit short? Oh I shouldn't worry about that, look at Jamie's.

[From the expression on Jamie's face, the girl's voice strikes some sort of cord deep inside - and his own reply is barely a murmur.]

Victoria...

[Some time passes before he notices the footprints, but once he does, he - like everyone else - starts to follow them, eventually making his way to the fire in the observation deck. As he's rubbing his hands to try and warm them, he looks up to see that question scrawled across the many screens in the area.]

Och, that can't be good.

(OOC: Feel free to run into Jamie at the Cyberman's tomb or on the way to the observation deck or at the deck itself. Just let me know which in your reply!)

Comments

[fortune_sought]

[she shakes her head, thinking about that and not about Jamie's revelation] Perhaps...because of what the lie was about? Michael never caught a falling star--thank goodness! [curious] But what did you say that wasn't true?

[bonnypiperlad]

I never was attacked by a dragon. It was a unicorn...well, not a real one, but we all thought it was at the time.

[He frowns, thinking.] Did Michael catch something else, then?

[fortune_sought]

That seems a strange detail to be important...

Oh, no. [she shakes her head] But... [she pauses, a bit ashamed] We went out on the Porthaven Marshes together once, and he tried to catch one. It was my idea; we thought it was part of a spell. Neither of us realised at the time what would happen if you did catch one. But thankfully, the one he saw knew better and decided it would rather die than be caught. [she frowns] It was very sad.

[bonnypiperlad]

Which detail do ye mean?

[Did she mean the fact that it wasn't a dragon, or that the unicorn wasn't real? He wasn't entirely sure. Then again, he wasn't entirely sure he had heard her correctly just now.]

How did it know? Aren't stars, well...stars?

[fortune_sought]

Well, any of it, really. It doesn't exactly say anything about you.

[it's certainly nothing like as serious as making her talk about almost costing Michael his life, but she would rather not add that, so she doesn't]

Yes, of course. Stars are fire demons. [her tone implies that this should be obvious. then again, this isn't the first time she's had this conversation, so she decides she should probably explain a bit more] In my universe, at least. If you catch a falling star, you have to make a contract and give it your heart so it doesn't die.

[bonnypiperlad]

[Perhaps not, but his truths were rather more serious. So maybe it was a balance of a sort.]

Aye, maybe so. But what would ye think about it if you'd not come from a place where there's fire demons and magic, Sophie? Stars aren't demons where I come from. And I'd not ever heard of a unicorn until I dreamed it. Then we went to this place where one attacked us.

[fortune_sought]

[she frowns at that question, not sure what he's getting at] Do you mean to say you think this place is trying to make us sound untrustworthy? Or...you, at least, while I was...reckless?

[she flinches because that situation with Michael was reckless in both the lie and the real event, and it certainly wouldn't be the first time she's been accused of recklessness... maybe that was the town's aim after all]

[bonnypiperlad]

Untrustworthy, aye. Or mad, maybe. It'd sound mad to most people if they'd not seen strange things of their own.

[He sighs, running a hand through his hair - but he catches sight of that flinch.] Maybe the town wants us to sound like like things we're not. Or maybe they just wanted to start us talking for some reason. I don't know.

[fortune_sought]

["things we're not" seems a very nice comment for him to make. Sophie relaxes a little, grateful that he isn't judging her for her mistake with Michael, but she feels no nearer an answer than she was before. she nods at his theory, her expression sour] With this town, it's impossible to tell. [she shivers]

[bonnypiperlad]

[He catches that shiver, and for a second, he thinks about stepping forward to reach out to her. But mentioning the crush makes that a bit awkward right now, so he settles for looking at her in concern instead.]

Sophie? Are ye alright?

[fortune_sought]

Just c-cold. [she wraps her arms around herself, frowning] I thought the fire was helping...

[unfortunately for her, it doesn't help that she's only spoken about one of the three things she admitted]

[bonnypiperlad]

Aye, it is for me... [Which is odd, and he frowns for a moment. He has a suspicion about that, but he doesn't want to say - at least not until he can get some confirmation on it.]

Look, why don't we talk about something to take your mind off of it. That thing ye mentioned with the Witches' fire demon. Was that a falling star, too?

[fortune_sought]

Oh, yes, I suppose it must have been. But it was much older than Calcifer, so it had to have fallen a very long time ago. [she pauses, not sure whether to leave her answer at that or if she owes Jamie more of an explanation after everything he's told her. she decides the latter is probably most polite, not to mention he might have a point about taking her mind off the cold. she feels a bit better already. and really, all of this happened before she even arrived in town the first time]

It wanted into the castle so that it could take Howl's heart from Calcifer, just as soon as the Witch's curse caught up with Howl. It meant to let Calcifer die and use Howl's heart to control him! [her tone is indignant] It was terribly evil--perhaps even more than the Witch. I think she was more mad than anything, probably from being without her heart for so long. But I'm certain they both would have gotten up to horrible mischief, if Howl hadn't stopped them.

[bonnypiperlad]

Oh, aye. I see. [That part, he understands. If it was older, then it makes sense that it would have fallen long ago. The rest of it, though...]

Hey? How could Calcifer have Howl's heart in the first place? Because he was cursed? Or was that something else?

[fortune_sought]

Oh, no, it was long before that. You see, that's the sort of contract you have to make when you catch a falling star. Falling stars are dying, and they can only live if a human helps them to live in the way that humans do. Howl gave Calcifer his heart when they first made their contract. The Witch had done the same, long before.

[realising what that sounds like, she adds:] But Howl has his heart back now! I--well. I broke their contract. Naturally, they didn't want to end up like the Witch and her demon.

[as she explains, her shivering slows, though she's too busy to notice]

[bonnypiperlad]

[Jamie notices, though, and thinks if he can keep her talking, it'll help more. Luckily, it's not as though there's any lack of things to be talking about at the moment.]

Aye, I suppose not. But...I saw Calcifer, didn't I? How could I have done that if the contract was broken?

[He's assuming that would have meant the fire demon would've died, given what she'd just said about them needing to live in the way humans do.]

[fortune_sought]

[quickly] Calcifer didn't die! I...well... [she looks almost embarrassed; part of her still feels it's improper for the eldest to have such a unique magic gift] You know I can talk life into things, right? I spoke to him, so that Calcifer could live on his own.

He could have left then, but he chose to stay in the castle. And he has. Well...until... [she falters, worry coming into her features as she thinks of her missing friend--and husband] Until now, at least.

[bonnypiperlad]

[He'd had an idea, but her saying it makes a few things make more sense, and he ahs to himself before considering what she says next.]

Aye, but it's not as though he could have helped what happened there, not from what you've said. Look, if he can move around and things that means that maybe he's done just that, and there's hope for him as well as Howl. Unless I'm misunderstanding how that works.

[fortune_sought]

No, not at all! Of course there's hope. I'm--I'm quite sure they're both alive out there! I only need to get home so I can find them.

[there's determination in her tone despite her uncertainty. and of course, that leads her right back to the thoughts of the last truth she told Jamie--about her son, waiting in a stranger's care. she won't leave him there, either. not for a moment longer than she absolutely has to]

[bonnypiperlad]

[Jamie's thoughts go there, as well, because he'd seen the start of that, hadn't he?]

Sophie? That last thing ye were forced to mention...was that true then? About Morgan?

[fortune_sought]

[she flinches as though struck--then nods] Y-yes. [quickly, as though she's trying to justify it:] Since we'd never make it to Kingsbury on foot as cats--oh, but you saw that, didn't you? [she pauses uncomfortably] Yes, well, I did what we discussed. I approached the men at night. One of them, the Strangian soldier, took to Morgan immediately. He's been very protective of him, so I'm certain he's safe. [not that she sounds entirely certain, but it seems like the best outcome she could have hoped for under the circumstances. she smiles weakly, as though to punctuate her certainty. meanwhile, she's stopped shivering completely for the moment]

[bonnypiperlad]

Aye. Well, then, if he's taken to Morgan that well, you've nothing to worry about. Once ye get back then ye can see about getting him, too.

[He's confident that it'll all work out, and without thinking, reaches a hand out to lay it on her shoulder. But then, the awkwardness of the forced admission of the crush rears its head again, and he lets it slip back to his side fairly quickly. Rather than let the silence slip in, however, he puts a question in its place.]

Hey, listen, are ye still cold?

[fortune_sought]

Yes, exactly. [again, it's clear she's trying to sound firm to convince herself--but Jamie's faith does help. she smiles a little when he puts his hand on her arm, but when he quickly withdraws it, she also remembers his admission and frowns. she wishes her presence didn't make him feel so conflicted, but the best she can think to do is to say nothing--which is what she does]

[at his question, she blinks. for a few moments, she'd forgotten all about the cold] I--no. I feel much better for the moment. Has the fire grown? [she turns to give it a curious look]

[bonnypiperlad]

[He doesn't even bother looking at the fire - he can see it out of the corner of his eye well enough.]

No, it's still the same as it was before. I...I think it's the talking that did it. I felt warmer after I'd talked to ye about what I'd been made to say.

[fortune_sought]

Talking? [she frowns, thinking about that] I suppose that makes sense. But if that's true, then this place certainly is just trying to force us to talk! [she scowls as a thought occurs to her] And does this mean that anyone who isn't asked--ah, the message--won't be able to stay warm? That's cruel!