video; seelie

[truesight]

[ when the feed clicks on, Rachel's sort of- giggling? okay, not sort of. she's giggling. quiet and pleased. it would be a loud out-right laugh if there wasn't a streak of silver at the back of her jaw, making it hurt a bit to open her mouth wide. but anyway- ]

I just want to leave a little memo here about- um, if you're in need of some pain relief, come find me outside at the Station. By all the new flowers, you know? It's so nice out. [ she's even taking a second to shut her eyes and enjoy the sunlight again for a second. her whole tone is kind of lazy like a cat right now, it's ..telling. ] Anyway, if you've been getting sicker, then I know you're probably feeling achy. I was too. But I've got you.

[ this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare letting the world know she has The Good Shit. dat elven kush. no jk what is kush who even knows, I don't smoke pot. but she's got herbs, yo. she's not TOOOOTAALLYYYY HIGH, she's not like that, but they use it for meditation back at the Oracle's Spire, and she's been knowing to have it out at the gallery from time to time, but she's using it now just to chill out, take the edge off of the weird tingling in her fingers and those spots of silver that seem to keep popping up.

she also might've purposely parked herself at the Station so she could help out Unseelie friends who happen to be around there too, but we're not mentioning that out loud.

and oh yeah, there's a reason why she's laughing- ]

It's a serious offer, I promise. I'm only laughing because I- I went home a little while ago, so my memories are still sort of- figuring out how to mesh together, right? But it made me think about how I used to paint myself gold and stand around like a statue in Central Park to raise funds for my school's art club. Ironic, isn't it? Sort of. The Alanis Morissette kind of ironic.

It feels good to laugh, though. You just have to, sometimes.

Comments

audio;

[dreamcatcher]

( look, nothing wrong with an herbal remedy, or remembering to laugh, or anything like that, but... Emma does kind of worry more about that spot of silver. )

Does it help? With the pain?

( that's good to know if it's true. )

audio;

[truesight]

It takes it down a few notches, for sure.

You can tell it's there, but it doesn't hurt.

[ so. yeah! that's helping, right? it's easier to ignore, at least, and focus on bigger things. like researching for a cure. ]

audio;

[dreamcatcher]

Medical marijuana is legal in a few states back home for similar reasons. At least it's something.

( it's just... not a cure, and those are a lot harder to come by. )

How long have you been infected?

[truesight]

It's safer than trying out experimental magical cures, at least.

[ which is true - Rachel can be pretty bold, but she's not about to mess with magical potions or whatever until they have a clear idea of what helps and what might just make everything works. ]

I think it's been a little longer than a day. [ she grins! ] But it's alright. This isn't how things end for me. I don't think this is how things end for anyone here. A cure will be found.

[ ehh she's usually pretty sharey but apparently pot makes her feel a lot more casual about the whole fate thing ]

[dreamcatcher]

Depends on the cure you're talking about. I've heard of a lot, and some are just weird, not dangerous.

( walking around a castle seven times does not sound dangerous. just time consuming.

Emma is kinda used to blind optimism, thanks to her parents, but she's not sure if that is what this is. )

You think so?

[truesight]

I read about hugging an enemy - which I would be up for trying if that didn't mean getting on the bad side of our beloved court leaders - and one that included making a raw soup made out of those giant frogs you can find in the woods - which I'm just morally against, so. I've sort of cut my losses on the research thing. I tried.

[ but again, not sweatin' it ]

You can feel it when something's about to wipe out a bunch of people. A vibe, you know? [ just assuming she does know yep ] This doesn't feel like that. This feels like a detour, not a freefall.

[dreamcatcher]

Frog soup. Yeah, no thanks. It seems everybody I talk to has a different cure, but the only one I tried work. It uh... probably won't work for everyone. ( it still gives her unbelievable emotions to think about the fact her mother truly loves her so... she's just not gonna think about that too much.

an instinct, though, Emma can actually understand. she has pretty strong intuitions herself. ) Yeah. I guess I know what you mean, though I can't say I feel that way about this. I hope you're right.

I'm Emma. By the way.

Audio

[roman_hands]

[Okay Jason hasn't known Rachel that long but this seems... off to him.]

Rachel... is there something different about when you went home and when... I did? Because according to Leo, I might have amnesia again. Just not my whole life this time.

[truesight]

It sounds like the only difference is that I remember, and you don't. [ but she seems pretty chill about it ] It happens to people here. You're okay. This place bends reality and manipulates time to get us here. Maybe they just thought it would be better if you were starting from scratch.

I wouldn't think of it as amnesia, not like what Hera put you through. Alternate realities and timelines, you know? [ no, Rachel. how would he know? ] That was another Jason Grace.

[roman_hands]

[Jason visibly shakes his head even though he's pretty sure that Rachel can't see it.]

Alternate realities and timelines I kind of get - I mean, I've met Hercules now and he's not like I remember at all. He's a God, for one. And you're saying that I'm okay, but... are you okay?

[truesight]

Oh I'm just fine.

[ all things considered! she really is. minus the whole- being sick thing. ]

Before I left, I didn't know if we were ready for the war. My Sight was all wonky and I was stuck just sitting around at camping waiting for the worst, but hoping for the best. [ her smile is there in her tone ] Now I know how things turned out. It's a nice feeling.

[ but she doesn't get that he might mean she's sort of different than how she was at home, nnnnnope ]

[roman_hands]

Geez Rachel, I'm sorry about that... If I'd known you were worried, we could have talked about it a lot more. Normally I'd have worried about... messing up time or something else Doctor Who-ish, but with an Oracle I'd think it would have been safe.

Oh well.

[Now he's kind of worried though...]

Is anyone else in your boat? Old boat, anyway, where they don't... know about the end of the war?

[This is such a confusing conversation now.]

[truesight]

[ moooore headshaking that he can't see ]

It's okay. I left and came back just before you got here. ... Maybe they did that on purpose. [ in a whisper now! ] I should have known.

[ but anyway ]

Leo doesn't. But I'm sure you already knew that.

video;

[foraneye]

What's that like, to be gone and back again like that? It almost seems like it would make you into two people at once.

[If that makes any sense...it doesn't, does it.]

video;

[truesight]

Well, you don't remember this place when you go home. But it feels that way when you first come back. [ she lifts both of her hands fingers spread wide ] Two different sets of memories, you know?

[ she wiggles her left hand ] Two years' worth of memories of the Drabwurld, [ then she wiggles her right ] -but only a few weeks went by back home. [ she threads her fingers together, but slowly and a little sideways, like- ] It takes some time for your mind to sort that out, at first.

But it doesn't last. It stops feeling so confusing when you just let it be.

[ ... clearly. ]

video;

[foraneye]

[It's hard to imagine, but Élise has no reason to doubt her. It's just such a foreign experience.]

I'll try to keep that in mind should it ever happen to me.

Did your time here truly make no difference when you returned? Even if you didn't remember what was different?

[truesight]

[ she shakes her head ]

I picked up right where I left off. Like everything had just been on a time out since then. Which is bizarre, you know, considering they make such a big deal about the fate of our own worlds while we're here? But none of that mattered. Maybe that's just a testament to the power of this place.

[foraneye]

Exceedingly bizarre. How can the fate of our worlds be in question if we've seen for ourselves that they have a future? [It's all a little beyond her.] Yet you did return.

[truesight]

I do get it on some level - just because I've lived to see more of the future than I lived through before, doesn't mean it has much time left after that. Who knows? It's impossible to tell.

But coming back here to realize I spend time at home and didn't remember this place at all, that's what I don't get. Maybe because they're afraid we'll send the world into a panic if we bring up this place while we're there, even if it's just for a little while. I was only home for a few weeks.

I realized I'd not tagged this and PUNCHED MYSELF

[depicted]

[He looks at this and in all of it, he just has to bite his lip for a moment as he smiles. Really, now?]

Pain relief, is it?

[RACHEL]

OHNO don't do that it's ok

[truesight]

You know.

[ said just like a "well! y'know." and a YOU KNOW, BRUH smushed together. somehow. ]

I just want to help people, that's all. Sharing is caring, right?

[depicted]

It tends not to be the opposite of caring, most of the time. [beat] Unless it's sharing a disease. [Like. Here. Which he did. ON ACCIDENT.]

You'll tell me if you're running low? I can seek out more for you.

[He is a pal, Rachel. The best pal.]

[truesight]

[ "tends not to be the opposite" takes her a second to sort through, but then she's nodding ]

Not being able to give hugs has been the worst part so far, I think.

And I will, actually. [ normally she'd be very insistent, nono! I can get it! but she doesn't want to possibly get Blackjack sick, and even if she's wearing gloves- nah. not taking the risk. ] There's always something or someone at the gallery. [ secret stashes at the gallery? probably. or she just left one of her bags there, cause she practically lives there, and there's some in it. or the people there just have it on them. they've got options. she's not worried. ]

[depicted]

I am entirely unsurprised to hear that's true. I'll check and fly it over.

[He is getting a bit worse for wear in the development of his own sickness, but that doesn't mean he's so bad off he can't fly some herbs to a friend in need.]

[truesight]

Don't go out of your way or anything, please.

[ it's probably pointless for her to even say that anymore, but she does. she'll say it any time anyone offers to do her a favor. ..but it's especially important now because if she's sick, it's very possible he is too. ]

I can send Blackjack to meet you.