(Lucretia had been grudgingly hoping something might have legitimately come up to stop her from having to host Rin this afternoon. Inventing something briefly crosses her mind but– well, she'd promised Taako that she'd give Rin a proper shot, and she doesn't want to disappoint him. Besides, she's painfully aware that 80% of Rin's antagonism has been invented by her and nobody truly deserves that, no matter how irritating they come off as.
This little internal war distracts her from any work she might have completed so she stress doodles in her journals, feeds the more uninspired sketches directly to Junior, and waits for his arrival.
He's prompt, at least. When her wards ping his arrival she pauses, setting her pen down on the table as she gets to her feet so she can open the door smoothly the moment he stops outside of it (a neat trick that she likes pulling on people).)
[ Rin can tell that Lucretia doesn't exactly think the world of him, but he's not terrifically perturbed by it. He's used to winning people over slowly, and he knows that his fondness for antics can make that journey longer than it needs to be.
He grins at her quick arrival, then bows deep, making a sweeping flourish with one hand. ]
Lucretia takes a moment to reply to that because she is doing a quick mental count to ten to stop herself from saying something horrible right off the bat. Oh, the things that she does for her friends. Eventually, she tips her head, and gives him a look and while it's still withering, it's definitely toned way back.)
You could say that. How are you?
(Stepping back from her door, she crosses to her kitchen.) Can I get you something to drink?
(But she gets him his glass of water, handing it over before she goes to fill up the kettle to make herself a strong cup of coffee.
She's thankful that Junior is here to lighten the mood: it's been tracing lazy circles around the ceiling for the better part of an hour, mirroring her nervousness, and comes over to inspect Rin as he steps over the threshold.)
[ He drinks as he watches the fish move, then smiles at it as it draws near to him. ]
All right. Someone used to sing this to me when I was young. You're free to take it.
[ He sets the glass down, and then, after clearing his throat, begins to sing. It's a lullaby in his own language--Undercommon--and it has a beguiling, otherworldly tone to it. Rin's voice is a rich tenor, surprisingly warm and multi-dimensional; he sings like he's practiced. He draws out the whispering syllables of the song, slow and careful, and clearly designed to ease a wayward child into sleep. ]
(Lucretia pauses with the kettle in one hand, turning to watch him sing to the voidfish. She hadn't been expecting a performance, which, in hindsight, was perhaps silly of her, but she can never quite tell where Rin's overcompensation begins and ends. She doesn't recognize the language, either. It doesn't sound like Elvish. Not that she would understand it even if it was. She smiles tight and sad at the thought of this.
His voice is beautiful. She leans against the counter and Junior pauses in mid air, flashing blue and purple in time with the melody as it basks in the memory. This is exactly the kind of thing that Junior likes best: craft with real emotion behind it. Lucretia is more than sure it will take the song.
Which it does. The moment Rin has finished singing, Junior promptly accepts, and the song is erased immediately from their memories. Lucretia blinks down at the kettle in her hand, then returns to filling it up at the sink.)
[ Well, that's a weird feeling, albeit not unwelcome. He'd chosen that song for a reason, and to be relieved of its burden--even for a short while--is a blessing. He's still staring up at the fish, his pale eyes slightly wide with wonder, when Lucretia speaks to him again. ]
--ah. Well. Well enough, I suppose.
[ He looks down, shakes his head, rubs his temple. ]
(She hasn't seen Rin like this before; at least, not in recent memory. Quiet, contemplative. She likes it a lot more than the Rin who tries to needle endlessly at the things that she says. Lucretia shrugs a shoulder, watching Junior turn satisfied little loop-de-loops above their heads.
The voidfish's power is muted enough that she can tell Rin must have fed it something just now without the resulting static laid over the lost memory becoming too loud, and distracting.)
No problem.
You're doing me a favour, really. I can only keep it happy with my notes for so long.
No, it's still soothing to watch. It makes you feel small.
(The patterns that swirl in the bell look like galaxies; Lucretia remembers standing in front of the larger Voidfish back at the Legato Conservatory and getting lost in the sheer size of them.
Then, Rin's memory comes back into focus, and Lucretia blinks, glancing over at him curiously.)
I confess I don't know much about the drow where I'm from.
(She knows that Taako and Lup didn't have a particularly great upbringing; but they aren't drow, and she can't speak for elves as a whole, so. She shrugs a shoulder.)
(She does, but she won't thank them, because she privately thinks Rin is being over-dramatic.)
You're the only one from your world here, correct?
(She's been noticing that some people (her, for example) have friends and family in Quarantine, and others have none. Lucretia wonders how the portal deigns who is allowed to come and who is not.)
(Lucretia comes over to Bill's place in the community housing later that evening, and although she looks very collected, she's quite nervous underneath of it all. For one thing, she's worried for Bill. Getting your memories back can be a very stressful experience, can even physically hurt if quite a lot come all at once, and although she knows Bill has made the decision to open the canister herself Lucretia still feels for her, knowing the trouble to come.
Another point is she hasn't really seen Bill in person since she changed, and she's stupidly self-conscious in a way she's not used to. She liked Bill, after all (likes? It's muddled now, and Lucretia is so unsure of where she stands). When she had lost twenty years in Wonderland she had been delighted to see her body change, but this situation is so different and she can't help but ruminate on whether or not Bill is disappointed in her now.
All of this is swirling about in her mind as she takes the stairs to the second floor, and finds Bill's door to knock on.)
[ Bill is glad there's at least some relative privacy in the communal housing for her not to have to open the canister out in the open. She opens the door to Lucretia, and at first she's definitely taken back a bit to see her in person looking so much... well, older. It looks good on her, for sure, the way grey hair suits the Doctor. But it definitely means that whatever they had, or whatever the might have had, is gone. Bill doesn't pursue anyone outside her age range, which Lucretia definitely is now. ]
Hey. Come in.
[ Her little room is tidy, with not many possessions to clutter it, and the bed is made, with the update canister sitting on the foot of it. ]
(The corner of her mouth twitches in a little, awkward smile as Bill hesitates over the sight of her.)
Thanks. (She doesn't address it though, just allows Bill to let her in; her place is sweet. The canister sitting innocently at the foot of her bed gives her pause, though.)
[ Bill takes a deep breath, then follows Lucretia's advice, sitting on the edge of the bed. ]
Okay. Here goes... my future.
[ She opens the canister. At first, there's no outwardly signs of anything happening, just a faint light emitting from the open canister and a far-off, unfocused look in Bill's eyes. Her face twitches slightly, passing through a few emotions rapidly. Wonder. Worry. Skepticism. Boredom. Disbelief. Then suddenly, there's a flash of light and a gaping hole appears in the middle of Bill's chest, charred on the edges as if caused by something impossibly hot. Her mouth falls open, she looks down at it.
But then the canister continues its work, and the hole is replaced by complex machinery. More and more machinery is added, until the figure on the bed is unrecognizable as Bill. In its place is a person made of metal, with a cloth face and hollow black eyes. A single tear falls from one of the eyes as a mechanical voice cries out in pain.
And then, just as suddenly as she'd been replaced, Bill is back, made whole again somehow in the blink of an eye. Except... she's not the same as she was. Her clothes have changed, and she's looking down at the canister in her hands. Hands which are... dripping. All over, Bill looks kind of damp, as though she's just been out in a rainstorm. That soft, unfocused look in her eyes comes to an end, and she lets out a held breath, the light in the canister fading as she finally looks up at Lucretia.
What to say, after everything she's just seen-- everything she's just been through? What could possibly sum all that up? ]
(Lucretia, unsure of whether to sit next to her or not, ends up standing a little awkwardly in front of her as Bill prises her nails into the canister's seam, cracking it open.
Everything starts to change drastically. The little flickers of various emotion feel true to Lucretia's own experiences (she and Taako had opened their canisters at the same time, so this is her first time seeing somebody do so), but the physical changes are unexpected. When a hole tears into Bill's chest Lucretia jerks in place as if she had been about to lunge for her but stays standing frozen in place with her hand over her mouth as the hole neatly plugs itself with wires and machinery.
What is happening? Is she supposed to do something? Bill is turning to metal right before her eyes and she has no idea how to help or if she even can. All Lucretia can do is watch, horrified as Bill opens her mouth to cry...
But then she's back again. Another blink and she's as human as she was before– or, almost? There's something strange to her now that Lucretia can't discern. That, and she's dripping water all over the floor of her room.)
You... what? (Forgive her for sounding startled, she has no idea of anything that just happened. Her heart is pounding a little.)
[ Bill is crying, just a single line of tears down her cheek, and in a corner of her mind she wonders, is it mine or hers? But she's smiling, because everything's alright. Everything's wonderful. It was horrible for so long, but now it's grand. ]
I can't... I don't know what to say. So much happened. Years. [ She may look a little older. She did spend about a decade at the bottom of that ship. ]
(Oh, no. Lucretia glances around, looking for a tissue box– there's one on Bill's desk, which she cross the room to take, and proffers to her. She's smiling through her tears though, which is... good? Though what's truly good is that she doesn't seem to be made of metal despite all that she just saw.)
Give it a moment to sink in. It's a lot to process all at once, especially when you skip so far ahead at once.
(That's okay. Lucretia doesn't ask. She's all too familiar with how confusing the additional information load can be; she can be curious and ask questions another time.)
Different, (she echoes. Bill does look older, but aside from that she seems more or less the same. Aside from the:) Does this have something to do with all of the water on the floor?
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riverviewlogs2017-10-07 05:42 pm
for imperceptus ♡
This little internal war distracts her from any work she might have completed so she stress doodles in her journals, feeds the more uninspired sketches directly to Junior, and waits for his arrival.
He's prompt, at least. When her wards ping his arrival she pauses, setting her pen down on the table as she gets to her feet so she can open the door smoothly the moment he stops outside of it (a neat trick that she likes pulling on people).)
Hello.
no subject
He grins at her quick arrival, then bows deep, making a sweeping flourish with one hand. ]
My, so fast. Eager to see me?
[ Sorry. He literally can't help himself. ]
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Lucretia takes a moment to reply to that because she is doing a quick mental count to ten to stop herself from saying something horrible right off the bat. Oh, the things that she does for her friends. Eventually, she tips her head, and gives him a look and while it's still withering, it's definitely toned way back.)
You could say that. How are you?
(Stepping back from her door, she crosses to her kitchen.) Can I get you something to drink?
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Peachy keen.
[ He heard that old slang from somewhere around here. He follows her amicably, his voice perfectly cheerful. ]
Water's fine, thanks. Got to wet the pipes.
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(But she gets him his glass of water, handing it over before she goes to fill up the kettle to make herself a strong cup of coffee.
She's thankful that Junior is here to lighten the mood: it's been tracing lazy circles around the ceiling for the better part of an hour, mirroring her nervousness, and comes over to inspect Rin as he steps over the threshold.)
no subject
All right. Someone used to sing this to me when I was young. You're free to take it.
[ He sets the glass down, and then, after clearing his throat, begins to sing. It's a lullaby in his own language--Undercommon--and it has a beguiling, otherworldly tone to it. Rin's voice is a rich tenor, surprisingly warm and multi-dimensional; he sings like he's practiced. He draws out the whispering syllables of the song, slow and careful, and clearly designed to ease a wayward child into sleep. ]
no subject
His voice is beautiful. She leans against the counter and Junior pauses in mid air, flashing blue and purple in time with the melody as it basks in the memory. This is exactly the kind of thing that Junior likes best: craft with real emotion behind it. Lucretia is more than sure it will take the song.
Which it does. The moment Rin has finished singing, Junior promptly accepts, and the song is erased immediately from their memories. Lucretia blinks down at the kettle in her hand, then returns to filling it up at the sink.)
How have you been?
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--ah. Well. Well enough, I suppose.
[ He looks down, shakes his head, rubs his temple. ]
Thanks for this.
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The voidfish's power is muted enough that she can tell Rin must have fed it something just now without the resulting static laid over the lost memory becoming too loud, and distracting.)
No problem.
You're doing me a favour, really. I can only keep it happy with my notes for so long.
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Will it--grow?
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(A length of time she does not intend on staying here.)
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[ He squints. ]
Maybe less so once it's the size of a house.
[ But, as she's suggesting, he doubts he'll ever see it. ]
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(The patterns that swirl in the bell look like galaxies; Lucretia remembers standing in front of the larger Voidfish back at the Legato Conservatory and getting lost in the sheer size of them.
Then, Rin's memory comes back into focus, and Lucretia blinks, glancing over at him curiously.)
You sang for it. What was the song?
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[ The song's coming back to him now, piping into his memory like a bad dream. He smiles, robust and false, shrugging. ]
Just a lullaby. Thought your little friend might enjoy it, that's all.
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(Junior is idly above their heads, seemingly content.)
You have a lovely voice.
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[ NO FALSE MODESTY HERE. ]
You get a lot of practice when you have to sing for your supper.
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I see. Was your childhood stressful?
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You have no idea.
[ Which is a good thing. ]
I don't quite understand what drow are like where you're from, but where I'm from, none of us have an easy childhood.
[ Or anything else. ]
Such is life.
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(She knows that Taako and Lup didn't have a particularly great upbringing; but they aren't drow, and she can't speak for elves as a whole, so. She shrugs a shoulder.)
I'm sorry to hear it.
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[ He shakes his head. ]
It's fine. None of my family are here, so it hardly matters anyway.
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You're the only one from your world here, correct?
(She's been noticing that some people (her, for example) have friends and family in Quarantine, and others have none. Lucretia wonders how the portal deigns who is allowed to come and who is not.)
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Yes, and with any luck, it'll stay that way.
[ He nods at her. ]
You seem to have quite the family here, though.
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(And she misses the other half so dearly.)
I'm glad for the company.
for tutee ♡
Another point is she hasn't really seen Bill in person since she changed, and she's stupidly self-conscious in a way she's not used to. She liked Bill, after all (likes? It's muddled now, and Lucretia is so unsure of where she stands). When she had lost twenty years in Wonderland she had been delighted to see her body change, but this situation is so different and she can't help but ruminate on whether or not Bill is disappointed in her now.
All of this is swirling about in her mind as she takes the stairs to the second floor, and finds Bill's door to knock on.)
Hey, it's me.
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Hey. Come in.
[ Her little room is tidy, with not many possessions to clutter it, and the bed is made, with the update canister sitting on the foot of it. ]
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Thanks. (She doesn't address it though, just allows Bill to let her in; her place is sweet. The canister sitting innocently at the foot of her bed gives her pause, though.)
That's it, huh.
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Yeah, that's it. The big change.
[ She still is hesitant about opening it, but she's made the decision to do it. ]
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(And yet...
Lucretia looks at Bill steadily for a moment.) And you're sure, about this?
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[ She crosses to the bed, and picks the canister up, holding it carefully. ]
How do we do this? Do I just... open it?
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You might want to take a seat, just in case.
(She remembers her canister made her acutely head sore. She may be being overly cautious but she doesn't want Bill to fall and hurt herself.)
cw: blaster wounds, cyberman transformation
Okay. Here goes... my future.
[ She opens the canister. At first, there's no outwardly signs of anything happening, just a faint light emitting from the open canister and a far-off, unfocused look in Bill's eyes. Her face twitches slightly, passing through a few emotions rapidly. Wonder. Worry. Skepticism. Boredom. Disbelief. Then suddenly, there's a flash of light and a gaping hole appears in the middle of Bill's chest, charred on the edges as if caused by something impossibly hot. Her mouth falls open, she looks down at it.
But then the canister continues its work, and the hole is replaced by complex machinery. More and more machinery is added, until the figure on the bed is unrecognizable as Bill. In its place is a person made of metal, with a cloth face and hollow black eyes. A single tear falls from one of the eyes as a mechanical voice cries out in pain.
And then, just as suddenly as she'd been replaced, Bill is back, made whole again somehow in the blink of an eye. Except... she's not the same as she was. Her clothes have changed, and she's looking down at the canister in her hands. Hands which are... dripping. All over, Bill looks kind of damp, as though she's just been out in a rainstorm. That soft, unfocused look in her eyes comes to an end, and she lets out a held breath, the light in the canister fading as she finally looks up at Lucretia.
What to say, after everything she's just seen-- everything she's just been through? What could possibly sum all that up? ]
...I have a girlfriend.
no subject
Everything starts to change drastically. The little flickers of various emotion feel true to Lucretia's own experiences (she and Taako had opened their canisters at the same time, so this is her first time seeing somebody do so), but the physical changes are unexpected. When a hole tears into Bill's chest Lucretia jerks in place as if she had been about to lunge for her but stays standing frozen in place with her hand over her mouth as the hole neatly plugs itself with wires and machinery.
What is happening? Is she supposed to do something? Bill is turning to metal right before her eyes and she has no idea how to help or if she even can. All Lucretia can do is watch, horrified as Bill opens her mouth to cry...
But then she's back again. Another blink and she's as human as she was before– or, almost? There's something strange to her now that Lucretia can't discern. That, and she's dripping water all over the floor of her room.)
You... what? (Forgive her for sounding startled, she has no idea of anything that just happened. Her heart is pounding a little.)
no subject
I can't... I don't know what to say. So much happened. Years. [ She may look a little older. She did spend about a decade at the bottom of that ship. ]
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Give it a moment to sink in. It's a lot to process all at once, especially when you skip so far ahead at once.
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Things are... [ Her voice cracks. She swallows, tries again. ] I got separated, from the Doctor, for... years. And it-- they changed me.
[ She doesn't want to say who "they" were. Doesn't want to think about the Master who'd worn a mask and pretended to be her friend. ]
But I'm better now! I'm whole again, I'm me again, only... different.
no subject
Different, (she echoes. Bill does look older, but aside from that she seems more or less the same. Aside from the:) Does this have something to do with all of the water on the floor?