[ It's not like he actually expects to find Eustace here, at the Tree of Life. Things are never that easy or neat, and he's sure that if the solution were so simple, then someone else would have gotten there first -- it'd be a sorry fucking state of affairs if he were the one to figure this out.
But still. He has to check. Just in case.
It's with that thought in mind that one afternoon finds Gen slinking around the Tree of Life, keeping an eye out for any sign of movement or anything that seems off. -- which he sure finds, though not in the form he was hoping for. ]
... Gray? [ It takes him a moment of squinting to confirm it's her. Which feels ridiculous, since he's well-accustomed to what she looks like, her silhouette, her posture? But something feels off. Gen gives a cant of the head as he looks her over once more before approaching. ] What're you doing here.
[ He'll find Gray sitting in the dirt, clumps of it still stuck to her clothing. A dull ache sits on her drawn expression, and for a moment it seems like she doesn't hear him. A couple clear streaks cut through the dirt down her cheeks — and though her gray hair is dusted brown, a small, barely-there streak of blonde peeks from the hang of her hood.
Gray's shoulders hiccup quietly for a couple seconds longer before she slowly wipes her face with the back of her wrist. She sniffs before moving to stand, dirt raining from her cloak in chunks. Her voice is a bit hoarse from misuse, like she's just woken up (because she has). ]
... I don't know. I came here without realizing it... I saw some things from my world... and then I woke up in the dirt.
[ She should probably be a little more discombobulated, but it isn't so different from being possessed. The loss of time, the sudden waterfall of emotions. Processing it all comes later; for now it sits tight and compressed in her heart. She finally turns to look at Gen, trying but failing to keep a distant hurt from hooding her gaze. ]
[ Ah, right. The moment she turns her head and he spots a wildly-tangled and disheveled lock of hair past the shape of her hood is the moment he realizes what feels so off about her -- she's not put together at all in this moment. And Gray's never this disheveled unless something's happened. ]
... nothin'. Just came here 'cause I needed some fresh air.
[ He's always been a decent liar when it matters, and Gen doesn't bat an eye as he drones out that utter falsehood. It doesn't feel like it matters at the moment, anyway. Eustace is gone, and that probably won't change; what matters more right now is figuring out exactly what's happened to Gray.
Dirt grits underfoot as Gen quickly slinks closer, reflexively casting about nervously in case anyone else is around. For better or for worse, it seems to be just the two of them, and he exhales hoarsely as he finally steps right up to where Gray's sitting and crouches down next to her.
Though he says nothing at first, there's concern etched clear in the furrow of his brow when he cants his head to get a better look at her face; those pointy canine ears of his are gently tilted back. ]
What the hell did you see? [ And ... it was just visions, right? It's not she actually had to experience anything stressful, right? ]
[ He came here for a breath of fresh air? She's skeptical even in this state but used to him keeping things close to the vest, so she lets it go.
She watches as he comes closer, seeing that there must be something concerning about her appearance if he's this visibly ginger about his approach. Well, considering she just came out of the dirt, he's probably justified. When he looks at her face, he'll find that her hair is the only hard change in her; her features are the same as always, if worked into a vaguely depressed air. She doesn't have the presence of mind to shy away from his close scrutiny. ]
I saw London. It was like I'd never left. I was the same age as I was back then... and I didn't have this.
[ She touches the faint scar above her nose, feeling its edges as if to make sure it hasn't disappeared. ]
But it felt real. It was about a month, and I didn't remember anything about having a Shard...
[ So much happened, she can't treat it all like it was just a dream. She trails off, wondering about how to piece everything together. And then her eyes tick wider, and the finger at her scar moves suddenly to a point just above her left eye. ]
Even though he knows that their homeworlds are gone (the have to be gone), a part of him still can't help wondering sometimes, given all of the fantastical nonsense this place makes them endure. And even if it really was just a dream ... what must it feel like, for Gray to dream of her home for what felt like a month, only to end back up here? (Does she miss the people she left behind? Would she rather not have woken up?)
And it's mostly thanks to those thoughts that Gen's movements are surprisingly gentle when he reaches forth to snag his fingertips against the hem of Gray's hood, lifting it up just a fraction so he can get a better look at her face. At the spot she gestures at. ]
... just your hair.
[ That's not that big of a deal, right? At least, that's what he tries to convey through his quiet, deadpan tone of voice. Even if a part of him knows it can't be that simple, not with what he knows of Gray's worries about her face, and how rattled she seems.
Well. First things first. ]
C'mon. [ He sighs as he pulls his hand away from her hood. ] Let's get you out of here first. You can keep thinking this stuff over once you've had a shower or something. ... can you walk?
[ She doesn't move as he shifts her hood. By now he's more than earned enough of her trust and comfort that the usual alarm bells surrounding her hood are temporarily disabled.
"Just" her hair, he says. She can see why he'd think so, but it's all the difference to her. Her mind races, her gaze shifting. But she snaps back to the present when Gen asks a question he clearly expects an answer to. ]
Yes. I think so...
[ She pushes herself up to her feet, only a little unsteady before she finds her footing. She dusts the dirt off herself absently and tries to remember something she was supposed to talk to Gen about before her body decided to bury itself in the dirt.
It comes to her all at once. She turns to face Gen, worry and a little hope threading her brow. ]
Gen, have you heard from Mr. Eustace lately?
[ Maybe while she was indisposed, something might have changed. If he dissipated again, maybe his Shard was found — maybe he's even already reformed under the Tree of Life. ]
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tree of life ; around gray's birthday
Date: 2023-06-19 04:35 am (UTC)But still. He has to check. Just in case.
It's with that thought in mind that one afternoon finds Gen slinking around the Tree of Life, keeping an eye out for any sign of movement or anything that seems off. -- which he sure finds, though not in the form he was hoping for. ]
... Gray? [ It takes him a moment of squinting to confirm it's her. Which feels ridiculous, since he's well-accustomed to what she looks like, her silhouette, her posture? But something feels off. Gen gives a cant of the head as he looks her over once more before approaching. ] What're you doing here.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-21 05:14 am (UTC)Gray's shoulders hiccup quietly for a couple seconds longer before she slowly wipes her face with the back of her wrist. She sniffs before moving to stand, dirt raining from her cloak in chunks. Her voice is a bit hoarse from misuse, like she's just woken up (because she has). ]
... I don't know. I came here without realizing it... I saw some things from my world... and then I woke up in the dirt.
[ She should probably be a little more discombobulated, but it isn't so different from being possessed. The loss of time, the sudden waterfall of emotions. Processing it all comes later; for now it sits tight and compressed in her heart. She finally turns to look at Gen, trying but failing to keep a distant hurt from hooding her gaze. ]
Why are you here?
no subject
Date: 2023-06-26 03:04 am (UTC)... nothin'. Just came here 'cause I needed some fresh air.
[ He's always been a decent liar when it matters, and Gen doesn't bat an eye as he drones out that utter falsehood. It doesn't feel like it matters at the moment, anyway. Eustace is gone, and that probably won't change; what matters more right now is figuring out exactly what's happened to Gray.
Dirt grits underfoot as Gen quickly slinks closer, reflexively casting about nervously in case anyone else is around. For better or for worse, it seems to be just the two of them, and he exhales hoarsely as he finally steps right up to where Gray's sitting and crouches down next to her.
Though he says nothing at first, there's concern etched clear in the furrow of his brow when he cants his head to get a better look at her face; those pointy canine ears of his are gently tilted back. ]
What the hell did you see? [ And ... it was just visions, right? It's not she actually had to experience anything stressful, right? ]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-05 04:07 am (UTC)She watches as he comes closer, seeing that there must be something concerning about her appearance if he's this visibly ginger about his approach. Well, considering she just came out of the dirt, he's probably justified. When he looks at her face, he'll find that her hair is the only hard change in her; her features are the same as always, if worked into a vaguely depressed air. She doesn't have the presence of mind to shy away from his close scrutiny. ]
I saw London. It was like I'd never left. I was the same age as I was back then... and I didn't have this.
[ She touches the faint scar above her nose, feeling its edges as if to make sure it hasn't disappeared. ]
But it felt real. It was about a month, and I didn't remember anything about having a Shard...
[ So much happened, she can't treat it all like it was just a dream. She trails off, wondering about how to piece everything together. And then her eyes tick wider, and the finger at her scar moves suddenly to a point just above her left eye. ]
Here! Is there anything different right here?
no subject
Date: 2023-07-14 02:52 am (UTC)Even though he knows that their homeworlds are gone (the have to be gone), a part of him still can't help wondering sometimes, given all of the fantastical nonsense this place makes them endure. And even if it really was just a dream ... what must it feel like, for Gray to dream of her home for what felt like a month, only to end back up here? (Does she miss the people she left behind? Would she rather not have woken up?)
And it's mostly thanks to those thoughts that Gen's movements are surprisingly gentle when he reaches forth to snag his fingertips against the hem of Gray's hood, lifting it up just a fraction so he can get a better look at her face. At the spot she gestures at. ]
... just your hair.
[ That's not that big of a deal, right? At least, that's what he tries to convey through his quiet, deadpan tone of voice. Even if a part of him knows it can't be that simple, not with what he knows of Gray's worries about her face, and how rattled she seems.
Well. First things first. ]
C'mon. [ He sighs as he pulls his hand away from her hood. ] Let's get you out of here first. You can keep thinking this stuff over once you've had a shower or something. ... can you walk?
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 04:11 am (UTC)"Just" her hair, he says. She can see why he'd think so, but it's all the difference to her. Her mind races, her gaze shifting. But she snaps back to the present when Gen asks a question he clearly expects an answer to. ]
Yes. I think so...
[ She pushes herself up to her feet, only a little unsteady before she finds her footing. She dusts the dirt off herself absently and tries to remember something she was supposed to talk to Gen about before her body decided to bury itself in the dirt.
It comes to her all at once. She turns to face Gen, worry and a little hope threading her brow. ]
Gen, have you heard from Mr. Eustace lately?
[ Maybe while she was indisposed, something might have changed. If he dissipated again, maybe his Shard was found — maybe he's even already reformed under the Tree of Life. ]