[His lips twitch, the kind of expression that implies a man is trying to hold back a scoff of a laugh.]
I'm from Indiana. A small town called Hawkins.
[Which is not untrue, per se. That is where he resided for too, too long before he was cast out into an alternate dimension. And it is so hard to think of Indiana as the state he was "from"; that implies a sense of home, which he has not felt...
[Amelia lets out what sounds like a "Hoo boy." Because time is a wibbly wobbly bastard especially when it crosses over with different worlds. It's like having two charts that look the same but it gets confusing when you peer through the magnifying glass.
But she won't worry much about alignment. That's not important.]
Okay. That's a start. For your reference, we're in Blackgale California and it's the 2010s. A bit of a jump there.
[Somehow, despite everything, this still surprises him. That's several decades beyond his own time, even if hints of it were sprinkled all around him -- from the decor within Amelia's home, to the models of cars that sometimes roamed past the house.]
More than a "bit". But ultimately, I shouldn't be surprised. If I was wrenched away from space, then why not time, too?
[Time marches on, dragging them all along to its terrible, unending tempo. Seems like he's skipped a few thousand beats on his way here, however that happened.]
Dr. Brenner didn't have a term for us like that. "Psychic" or "esper". But I suppose "psychic" or "psionic" is just as accurate as anything.
[Something dry in his tone. Something sharp in his eyes, but he continues pleasantly enough.]
Very uncommon. There were only a handful of us at most.
[The witch hums over the rim of her glass as she considers his answer. The name of "Dr. Brenner" brings up something in Henry's eyes, something she doesn't have skill in interpreting but based on her own experiences and the context with espers...
They networked for a reason. To protect themselves and each other. And to an extent, they protected themselves against the less scrupulous witches.
She makes a note to herself to circle back to Dr. Brenner.]
Well, we're flush with psychics here as I mentioned last night. There are probably some differences between you and them but I think it was a good idea not to hand you over to their governing bodies. Operating in secrecy is high on the list of their priorities.
That said... I'm going to take a stab in the dark and assume that having uncommon abilities with very few others that shared the same traits did not grant you ideal circumstances.
I don't want to be handed over to any "governing bodies" if I can help it.
[Again, his experience with that is Not Great. Snatched up by the US Government at such a young age, he certainly does not think very highly of any authoritative beauracracy.]
You must have some influence to have kept me away from them, though. Or am I assuming incorrectly?
[She had said she was powerful, after all. He wonders if that means "influential" instead. And he'll answer her implied question in a bit, he wants to hear her answer first.]
[The promise is direct and to the point. She means it.
Henry's question makes her pause and her expression seems to twist comically as she tries to see how to spin her answer.]
It's a mixed bag.
[girl what do you even mean... ]
I'm a well-known witch. That doesn't make me liked mind you. [Okay, that's rather vague so she tries to further explain.]
Look, it's more complex than we can fit into one conversation but the short of it is, yes, I'm influential to an extent but it's also just more convenient not to fight me once I've made up my mind.
[A well-known witch with a story. Oh, if he had his powers, he would try to skim the surface of her mind right now just to pick up a few pieces of that untold tale. But once again, he can't. And so he will just have to rely on words, instead, maybe to unfurl them from her sooner rather than later.
For now, it seems like she wants to flit right over it. So he'll just have to accept that she's influential to some degree; both a blessing for him, and a curse. It means he won't be swept up by the local "esper" authorities, but he'll probably be watched like a hawk beneath her own scrutiny.]
So you're bone-headed.
[Stubborn. He says it like it's a joke, but. With Henry there's a little bit of meanness to his personality that one can take as sincere.
But anyway-]
But good to know. To answer your question, yes. Extraordinary abilities spark the interest of those who want to use them, to control them. That includes the US government.
[Now that was just rude! She does open her mouth when he calls her bone-headed and stops to think about it. Shrugs.]
I've been called worse.
[And yeah, based on his answer, that universe does not sound powers-friendly. Amelia idly thinks that if the government tried to do anything to her... Well, bad times all around.]
That explains a lot. [Not that anyone would want to be imprisoned but his case filled in some blanks.]
And now this one has been bothering me the most.
Are you human or not? Or are you just human-shaped?
Oh, no. Don't misunderstand. [She holds up her hand and waves it dismissively.]
I was just confused when I thought about it. I don't think it would really change the circumstances that much.
[Why? Because she's confident (aka boneheaded) about being able to just push ahead no matter what Henry Creel reveals himself as? Maybe.]
And again, contexts. That would be nice to have to fully understand where you're coming from but I'm trying to approach this with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.
[Boneheaded might be right. She’s keeping captive an eldritch tentacle monster who has control over a hivemind of an entire dimension of similar monsters; not to mention a very powerful psychic with a penchant for murder to boot.
Yet in that same vein, she’s also debilitated him to the point where he can do nothing, and without access to said monsters, he has no choice but to wait this all out — to suffer through this sort of conversation. Boneheaded-confidence may be well-founded, either way.
He clearly pauses, trying to judge how to answer.]
Before I arrived here, I was in a dimension that… changed me. Into something other than human. Something similar to the biology of the creatures that live there.
[She tilts her head and gives a slow deliberate nod at him, the sunlight illuminating strands of her red hair as she does so.]
Hm. That sort of place, is it...?
[Give her some credit, it doesn't take long for it to dawn on her that this is headed in a dubious direction.]
And now you're in your human body again. For what it's worth it doesn't seem you've entirely reverted. You suffered severe wounds that disappeared within a few hours so unless you had a healing factor before that—
But you’re right. It seems I’ve held onto a few inconveniences, as well as a few advantages, despite the change. So. Not fully human again, but close enough.
[Henry, she can only promise not to turn you over to the espers, she can't promise to never burn you again. She'll keep that to herself, she's not trying to start a fight here.]
To circle back... So you were in this dimension that changed you into a different creature. But before that, the US government which included this Dr. Brenner, had you under lock and key I'm assuming?
That’s right. An underground lab, right under the nose of my small town. I was brought there when I was just a child once Dr. Brenner knew of my existence.
I was a prisoner there, the first of several more. We were…
(But she was a stupid, guileless child, charmed by the mystery of the arcane and the endless possibilities. She walked into a trap without ever understanding until it was too late.) ]
I see. Say no more.
[There is a difference, however, between the cruelty of an all-powerful deity's whims, and the cruelty of humans against their fellow man in the name of progress.
Amelia's gaze turns to her red and white roses on the other end of her garden.]
[Pity isn’t what he wants, not truly. It rankles his pride. But maybe it’s what he should angle for now, the best he can.
Easy when he can tell the story as he sees fit; it’s not like she’s a mind reader, for instance. Though credit where it’s due: nothing he’s said is a lie.]
It does. [A smile.] And so. I went from one prison to another. Always trying to claw my way towards freedom.
[He probably had some measure of it if he hadn't been so disoriented and angry on the beach. Then again, this isn't where he's meant to be and she wasn't supposed to have anyone on house arrest.]
Well. I only have one other question for now. I'm sure others will come up naturally but... Mr. Creel.
[Amelia sets her tea down in the grass and leans forward.]
Do you want to be here? This reality? Or do you have other intentions to be executed elsewhere?
[And thus, a question where he may shear away the finer details. He sips his drink. Condensation sluices down the side.]
I want to be home. In my reality. That’s all I ever wanted, what I was working for, back in that other dimension.
And while being here is… certainly nice, it isn’t where I belong. [It isn’t the world he needs to remake.] Ideally, I find a way back through the very thin veil that apparently separates this world and mine. And you wash your hands of me.
Something about this doesn't sit right with Amelia. Indeed, she at least believes that he doesn't have an interest in this world, which in itself is surprising. There has to be something else driving him to return to his reality, something to settle.
Is it really so bad if the problem is a whole other world away?
And yet, she finds herself saying:]
I'll see what I can do. There is a caveat, however. You know. It's always something.
[She stands up and she has her hands held tightly together.]
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sunfloras2023-04-20 07:42 pm
no subject
[Something innocuous then. Perhaps not relevant, but it's like dipping your small toe in the water.]
What state are you from? That is if your reality has its own version of the United States. And perhaps give the year.
no subject
I'm from Indiana. A small town called Hawkins.
[Which is not untrue, per se. That is where he resided for too, too long before he was cast out into an alternate dimension. And it is so hard to think of Indiana as the state he was "from"; that implies a sense of home, which he has not felt...
Ever.]
As for the year, it should be 1986 there.
no subject
But she won't worry much about alignment. That's not important.]
Okay. That's a start. For your reference, we're in Blackgale California and it's the 2010s. A bit of a jump there.
no subject
[Somehow, despite everything, this still surprises him. That's several decades beyond his own time, even if hints of it were sprinkled all around him -- from the decor within Amelia's home, to the models of cars that sometimes roamed past the house.]
More than a "bit". But ultimately, I shouldn't be surprised. If I was wrenched away from space, then why not time, too?
no subject
[Time for the next question, something she finds more pertinent.]
You are some kind of esper yes? Or in other words, a psychic. Were people with special abilities common or uncommon?
[She has a feeling she can guess part of the answer but wants to hear it from the man himself.]
no subject
Dr. Brenner didn't have a term for us like that. "Psychic" or "esper". But I suppose "psychic" or "psionic" is just as accurate as anything.
[Something dry in his tone. Something sharp in his eyes, but he continues pleasantly enough.]
Very uncommon. There were only a handful of us at most.
no subject
They networked for a reason. To protect themselves and each other. And to an extent, they protected themselves against the less scrupulous witches.
She makes a note to herself to circle back to Dr. Brenner.]
Well, we're flush with psychics here as I mentioned last night. There are probably some differences between you and them but I think it was a good idea not to hand you over to their governing bodies. Operating in secrecy is high on the list of their priorities.
That said... I'm going to take a stab in the dark and assume that having uncommon abilities with very few others that shared the same traits did not grant you ideal circumstances.
no subject
[Again, his experience with that is Not Great. Snatched up by the US Government at such a young age, he certainly does not think very highly of any authoritative beauracracy.]
You must have some influence to have kept me away from them, though. Or am I assuming incorrectly?
[She had said she was powerful, after all. He wonders if that means "influential" instead. And he'll answer her implied question in a bit, he wants to hear her answer first.]
no subject
[The promise is direct and to the point. She means it.
Henry's question makes her pause and her expression seems to twist comically as she tries to see how to spin her answer.]
It's a mixed bag.
[girl what do you even mean... ]
I'm a well-known witch. That doesn't make me liked mind you. [Okay, that's rather vague so she tries to further explain.]
Look, it's more complex than we can fit into one conversation but the short of it is, yes, I'm influential to an extent but it's also just more convenient not to fight me once I've made up my mind.
[The good ol' "I do what I want permit."]
no subject
For now, it seems like she wants to flit right over it. So he'll just have to accept that she's influential to some degree; both a blessing for him, and a curse. It means he won't be swept up by the local "esper" authorities, but he'll probably be watched like a hawk beneath her own scrutiny.]
So you're bone-headed.
[Stubborn. He says it like it's a joke, but. With Henry there's a little bit of meanness to his personality that one can take as sincere.
But anyway-]
But good to know. To answer your question, yes. Extraordinary abilities spark the interest of those who want to use them, to control them. That includes the US government.
no subject
I've been called worse.
[And yeah, based on his answer, that universe does not sound powers-friendly. Amelia idly thinks that if the government tried to do anything to her... Well, bad times all around.]
That explains a lot. [Not that anyone would want to be imprisoned but his case filled in some blanks.]
And now this one has been bothering me the most.
Are you human or not? Or are you just human-shaped?
no subject
That’s a tricky thing to answer, but only because he isn’t sure what her reaction might be, depending on what he says.
So, first:]
“Bothering” you? So does the answer change my circumstances?
[Which might be telling in itself.]
no subject
I was just confused when I thought about it. I don't think it would really change the circumstances that much.
[Why? Because she's confident (aka boneheaded) about being able to just push ahead no matter what Henry Creel reveals himself as? Maybe.]
And again, contexts. That would be nice to have to fully understand where you're coming from but I'm trying to approach this with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.
no subject
Yet in that same vein, she’s also debilitated him to the point where he can do nothing, and without access to said monsters, he has no choice but to wait this all out — to suffer through this sort of conversation. Boneheaded-confidence may be well-founded, either way.
He clearly pauses, trying to judge how to answer.]
Before I arrived here, I was in a dimension that… changed me. Into something other than human. Something similar to the biology of the creatures that live there.
1/2
Hm. That sort of place, is it...?
[Give her some credit, it doesn't take long for it to dawn on her that this is headed in a dubious direction.]
And now you're in your human body again. For what it's worth it doesn't seem you've entirely reverted. You suffered severe wounds that disappeared within a few hours so unless you had a healing factor before that—
no subject
And by the way, I apologize for enhancing the sunlight and nearly roasting you in front of my class.
[AMELIA THAT IS THE LATEST APOLOGY EVER]
1/2
Not much of a welcome to a new world. Don’t do it again.
[ma’am!!!]
no subject
I assume. It’s only been a day.
no subject
To circle back... So you were in this dimension that changed you into a different creature. But before that, the US government which included this Dr. Brenner, had you under lock and key I'm assuming?
no subject
That’s right. An underground lab, right under the nose of my small town. I was brought there when I was just a child once Dr. Brenner knew of my existence.
I was a prisoner there, the first of several more. We were…
[Here, he seems to pause, trailing off.]
no subject
(But she was a stupid, guileless child, charmed by the mystery of the arcane and the endless possibilities. She walked into a trap without ever understanding until it was too late.) ]
I see. Say no more.
[There is a difference, however, between the cruelty of an all-powerful deity's whims, and the cruelty of humans against their fellow man in the name of progress.
Amelia's gaze turns to her red and white roses on the other end of her garden.]
That would explain the lack of flowers.
no subject
Easy when he can tell the story as he sees fit; it’s not like she’s a mind reader, for instance. Though credit where it’s due: nothing he’s said is a lie.]
It does. [A smile.] And so. I went from one prison to another. Always trying to claw my way towards freedom.
no subject
[He probably had some measure of it if he hadn't been so disoriented and angry on the beach. Then again, this isn't where he's meant to be and she wasn't supposed to have anyone on house arrest.]
Well. I only have one other question for now. I'm sure others will come up naturally but... Mr. Creel.
[Amelia sets her tea down in the grass and leans forward.]
Do you want to be here? This reality? Or do you have other intentions to be executed elsewhere?
no subject
I want to be home. In my reality. That’s all I ever wanted, what I was working for, back in that other dimension.
And while being here is… certainly nice, it isn’t where I belong. [It isn’t the world he needs to remake.] Ideally, I find a way back through the very thin veil that apparently separates this world and mine. And you wash your hands of me.
no subject
Something about this doesn't sit right with Amelia. Indeed, she at least believes that he doesn't have an interest in this world, which in itself is surprising. There has to be something else driving him to return to his reality, something to settle.
Is it really so bad if the problem is a whole other world away?
And yet, she finds herself saying:]
I'll see what I can do. There is a caveat, however. You know. It's always something.
[She stands up and she has her hands held tightly together.]
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