12318/15 Fears: -10 Years Later-
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| 15 Fears: -10 Years Later- | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 03 August 2022 |
| Location: | The Astral Plane |
| Synopsis: | Jon makes the final trek of his journey and finds himself greeted by an old friend revealing herself to be much closer to his organization than he originally thought. |
| Cast of Characters: | Jonathan Sims, Chas Chandler
|
- Jonathan Sims has posed:
Ten years.
It's been /ten years/ since Jonathan Sims fell through a hole in reality, patched it back up from outside, and then wound up coming back via a portal to Hell. Ten years of trekking through Hell and then the Astral Plane, dealing with demons and faeries, torture and self-discovery.
Toward the end of it all, as he's gotten closer to the "real" world, there have been fewer and fewer settlements and more "wilds." More of the Astral here is left to the general imagination of humanity, and thus veers more into dream-realms or unformed land. There are places where there's really just nothing but the river to follow, and no boats, and Jon has to summon up his own boat and try to make his way downriver with nothing but swirling mists to either side. He manages to find food, and can always summon his own water, but there are more monsters to fend off and opportunistic beings looking to steal from an unwary traveler. Jon's sleep becomes fitful, as he's constantly on alert.
Not to mention--it's been /ten years/. Ten years since he had real food, or slept in his own bed. Since he regularly had tobacco. Statements are becoming harder to find. Ten years since he saw his family, or his friends. He's terribly tired.
In a reversal of the first few days he spent in the Astral, Jon has a passenger on the last leg of his journey down the Great River, a traveler who bartered passage with a statement. As Jon nears a place where the River starts to ramp up toward the sky again, he spots a fork off to the left, shortly before the river begins to climb upward. A swirl of blue butterflies flutters across the fork, from one bank to the other, and Jon knows--that's the way home.
"This is where we part ways, I think," Jon says, pulling up to the right bank to let the traveler off. "I'm headed that way--and it's not for you." He smiles, and gestures toward the upslope of the river. "You won't be able to catch the nebula crab, but trust me--the starfish is worth harvesting if you can manage."
After waving to the departing passenger, Jon angles his boat toward the fork, and floats on down the smaller river. It becomes clear before long that this is a reflection of the Hudson in the popular imagination, with stretches of dream-land to other side reflecting New York and New Jersey. Another couple of days down this river and he comes to a tidal estuary, past which is the astral reflection of New York. He scans the sky for a sign of the Velvet Room, but--no such luck.
There's the blue butterfly again, though, perched on the branch of a tree over on what should be the island of Manhattan, but is--at least here--a forested wilderness. Jon crosses over to the island, and finds a path near the tree the butterfly had marked out, leading deeper into the forest.
It's another day or two--heading on toward evening--when he stumbles into a clearing that seems more like a regular, ordered garden than a forest. He's all but out of supplies, and tired, and just wants to get /home/. And this... is not home. Did he fall off the path? Did the blue butterfly lead him astray?
All but spent, Jon sits down on the ground near a well-tended rosebush. "No," he says aloud. "I'm done. I'm not moving another bloody /step/ unless it gets me /home/."
- Chas Chandler has posed:
"That entirely depends on what home means to you, doesn't it, Archivist?" comes the soft light voice of Lily. It's been weeks or even months since he last saw her, their courses diverging in opposite directions at a particularly hospitable village. Only now, her outfit is different. Gone is the light blue gown and butterfly wings. Instead she wears a blue and black dress with black gloves that cover her entire hands and arms. black bloomers peek from the hem of the dress and white spats cover her legs down to the pattent leather loafers covering her feet. Her eyes are also different. They have the strange dual-iresed yellow that Elizabeth has.
"After spending a decade among the denizens of the spiritual, one might be tempted to call this your home now. You have grown considerably since we first met and that was only three years past. There is a knowing twinkle to her strange inhuman eyes. "Given what you endured before then... I can only imagine what progress you've made from what you were before this trek began for you."
She folds her hands together at her waist and smiles before casually walking over towards the Archivist. "But, we have some time if you are truly not going to move, so... why don't you tell me? What -have- you become through all this? Are you more than what you were when you started out? And please, you can use my real name now. I am Lavenza."
- Jonathan Sims has posed:
Jon peers up at the girl. "I should have known you were from the Velvet Room," he says after a moment, voice combining frustration with a kind of wry amusement. "The resonance of your voice--that's the same resonance the voice in the tomb had. Have you been guiding me this whole time? You and your... master?" A pause. "The former holder of the Velvet Room, I take it?"
He sighs. "Home is not where I spend all my time, necessarily. Home is where my family is. As wondrous as this land is--what's the point, if I don't share it with them?" He shakes his head. "Was that the point, then? To show me how much I need them? I already knew that."
They look about ready to cry in frustration. "I just--I could have gotten home /years/ ago if I just could have made a portal back. So--so /why/? Why have I been /forced/ to come home the long way?!"
- Chas Chandler has posed:
Lavenza nods. "He has a name, but he prefers to remain anonymous for now. He left the greater affairs of this world to you; humans--or former humans as many of you are." She shakes her head at the second question. "Not at all. I think the point of the exercise was to give you the opportunity to grow into what you -should- be. To give you insight into what threats you are to be tasked after as denizens and custodians of the Velvet Room."
Her expression is calm, collected, despite Jon exasperation and distress. "If you are to be able to truly handle and understand its purpose you will need to be at full strength. You would have ideally come into your power much earlier and properly had The Mother not interfered with your memories. This journey was to give you the proper time to do that." She gives him a pitying smile. "Given what you performed at the Dreamtender's village, I think you have done that and more."
- Jonathan Sims has posed:
Jon finally smiles, slowly. "I suppose... I suppose it /has/ done that, yes. Let me grow up, some. Let go of things that were holding me back. I just wish it hadn't had to take so long. It... /hurts/, you know? Missing them." A pause, and then, "Honestly, though, I'm glad to find you're a Velvet Room attendant. I'd have--missed you. I've grown rather fond of you over the past few years, I have to admit. I'd like to count you as a friend."
A pause, and then, "Truly handle and understand its purpose? I don't--I thought Chas just bargained for it to be our base. Are you saying there's more of a reason that we're there? That /we/ are there, specifically?" He raises his eyebrows.
- Chas Chandler has posed:
Lavenza's expression remains unreadable. "Of course, Archivist. Why else do you think the ancient dead gods are after the JLD specifically? You are holders of the key that would allow them free reign over the astral. In order for them to succeed in their goal, they must eliminate you -now- or be defeated -then-. It is all terribly complicated but painfully simple as well."
She offers Jon another of her sympathetic smiles. "I know it was difficult and that is why I asked to accompany you. So that you were not wholly alone on your journey. A companion, even one in disguise, is better than none at all. I hoped to provide a stable of consistency for you to lean upon in times of trial. Though, finding you during the past months has been difficult the maleability of the astral this close to the wakinig world makes location difficult to discern." She purses her lips. "And for that, I am sorry."
- Jonathan Sims has posed:
"I just figured, further away from the Faerie lands, it was harder for you to exist, or to find me." Jon shrugs. "I wasn't upset. I understand, in a lot of ways... the journey will be the journey, you know?" They smile, a bit sadly. "I had thought perhaps I'd seen the last of you. I'm glad that I haven't. And I'm glad for the help, the guidance, but--ugh. This whole 'indirect' crap is--crap."
A pause, and a smirk, and they say, "Which reminds me--you're not going to tell me the precise nature of the Velvet Room's purpose, hmm? You're going to tell me enough to find out for myself, or rather, to get the others to help me find out. Well. I suppose I'd better get on that, then, shall I?"
He pushes himself to his feet. "Which way is home?" he asks bluntly. "I need--I /need/ to see Cael, and my daughter. And Martin, if he's back. And my friends. And my bloody /cat/. Without all of that--I'd still be leagues back along the river, exploring that city on the space station. Or maybe one of the elven tree-cities."
- Chas Chandler has posed:
The smile Lavenza gives Jon is open and inviting. "There would be no merit if granting you the answers you seek concerning the castle. In order to master one's domain, one must prove their worth." She giggles a bit at that, the facade of stoic fae fading into one of a teenaged girl who's made a particularly funny joke. "I am serious though. I cannot tell you. I can tell you where to look, but not what lies at the end of that passage. But I am certain you will find it soon enough."
She turns and walks a bit away to a wall of shrubs and trees. "As for home... you are already there, Archivist." She peels back a few of the branches to reveal the topiaries and moth strewn garden path of the Velvet Room's gardens. "Several of your loved ones already lie inside, awaiting your return. It would not do to keep them waiting."
- Jonathan Sims has posed:
Jon rolls his eyes at Lavenza's joke, but nods. Then he blinks and hurries after her as she reveals... the Velvet Room?
"But... but this was on the ground. The Velvet Room's in the--" A pause. A chuckle. "Ahh. Magic. I should have expected such a thing, I suppose. At some point I crossed from one part of the Astral into another, hmm?" He smiles.
Then, rather abruptly, he gives Lavenza a hug. "Thank you," he says. "Thank you /so much/. For everything." Pulls back and smiles. "Take care of yourself, hmm? No more getting hurt fighting Old Ones."
- Chas Chandler has posed:
Lavenza looks a bit startled at the hug but gives in to it for a moment and then Jon's heading in. "I think my times of fighting their sort are done. I leave the rest to you and the others" she says softly.
"I will take care of myself, Archivist. I will see you soon enough." She then simply vanishes from the garden as Jon heads inside to meet with his friends.
