ataraxionlogs | twenty-eighth jump;

Entry tags:

twenty-eighth jump;

CHARACTERS: Any and all.
LOCATION: Gravity Couches and beyond.
WARNINGS: Maybe some swearing, or even some violence, and more than likely some implied (and possibly explicit) nakedness.
SUMMARY: Another month, another jump, another round of new faces.
NOTES: It could just be the standard sensation of air on wet skin, but if you bother to check, you might notice the steam rising from your body, barely there and gone within a minute. By the time you get to the showers, it will be clear that it's not just taking you time to adjust. The room is cold — colder than usual, but no worse than the last jump. While it's nothing dangerous, it's certainly motivation to hurry through the usual routine and get dressed quickly.

It's getting closer.

YOUR EYES ARE OPEN.

KEEP LOOKING.

You wake up in darkness.

There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're deposited on the floor of a stark, sterile medical bay.

You are not alone.
There are others who have come before you, others who are awakening beside you. Some may be familiar to you, perhaps even friends. Others have much less amiable plans. Some are merely alien and inexplicable, but there are always those who might mean you harm.

After you catch your breath and your vision returns, you notice a number on the inside of your forearm. Maybe it's a familiar number. Maybe it means something. Maybe it's just a number. But the number—completely unique to you—is a tattoo, and it does not come off.

If you enter the room adjacent to the medbay, you will find a small locker with your number on it, surrounded by rows upon rows of identical lockers. Inside, you will find a few of your personal items, a communications device, and a ship's uniform in your exact size. The comms device is fully powered and connects directly to the ship's network; it's your only means of communication beyond physical conversation. Upon turning the device on, a neutral, automated voice will say, "Please take the blue lift to the passenger quarters." Any other attempts at communicating with the rest of the network are met only with static.

This is your welcome party.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

We will find a way out for everyone, if they have been taken as well we would make sure they are returned to their homes.

[Elizabeth is impressed her daughter is able to stay so composed, but then again that inner strength runs in the blood of the women in their family.]

If is it not George, we have other enemies. We must be more cautious than ever. [Elizabeth says softly but she can't hide the relief. If Edward has finally understood how dangerous George is, she's glad for that. It's one less threat.]

I last saw you as a young girl and now here you are, a woman all your own. [Elizabeth says with pride as she finishes doing up the buttons, giving her a warm smile.] I am sure your father is proud of you.

Yes, we will. I could never in good conscience leave them here.

[ to be truthful, she is scared out of her mind, confused and groggy. it is easier to hold herself together with her mother here, and by focusing on the welfare of others instead of her own. ]

We always have other enemies, Lady Mother. [ by the very nature of their status. still, she draws herself straight. ] I will be cautious.

Yes. I an eighteen now. And you appear just as young as I am.

[ she finds it easy to smile. up until her father is mentioned, and then it takes every once of willpower she has left and regard she has for her parent not to allow her face to crumple into an expression of sadness, or her heart to crumble anew with grief. she takes a breath, and smiles the same smile she has ever since arriving at richard's court, which looks genuine but is actually a clever little mask. ]

I hope you are right. I have never wanted anything more than to be worthy of his pride.

I am glad. We should find a more private place, there are many around. I am sure there is much to discuss.

[Elizabeth tightens her shawl around herself, someone had pointed out the lifts to her earlier and even if she's was still uncertain what lifts were, it meant more comfortable quarters it was worth checking out.]

He is always proud of all his children, I know that much for certain. [She remarked as they walked along, looking for a way out of the area they were in. It would be nice to be somewhere with lights that were so glaring and more quiet.]

Do you know how to leave this area? [ she tries to deflect the topic just enough that she doesn't have to let on just how much dread has just sunk like a ton of stones to the pit of her stomach at the idea of having a discussion about future events with her mother.

god save them both. elizabeth wraps her own shawl about herself and ties her necklace about her neck, before grasping the rest of her things in a loose pile in her arms. ]

I remember. [ she remembers a handsome face and a broad smile as she was declared a 'beautiful girl' so long ago. it is the one memory she has from her infancy which stood out enough for her never to forget. elizabeth feels the strain in her facial muscles because she is smiling when she would rather burst into tears.

she will never not miss her beloved father. it is a boon when they start to walk, leaving the bright lights behind with one step at a time. ]

I believe there is an exit...somewhere. [Any sense of direction is lost in this area, everything seems the same and Elizabeth just wants to get out.

She pulls her shawl a little tighter around her, noticing some people heading out towards a small metal room with doors which slide close. That couldn't be the way out.

She turns around, there has to be a door, something leading away but all she sees is is the same places, no exit. It's all unnatural, she can't figure out where people are going, how they are getting out. ]

Do you see a way out?

There must be. [ and given what that strange woman had told her earlier about this place, she is more than a trifle uneasy. ]

I have heard that some of these people have been here for two years, Lady Mother.

[ her pale face is the only indication as to how she is feeling at the moment. otherwise, she clasps her little bundle of belonging close to her body and casts her gaze about, looking for doors which.. do not. slide.

those look frightening, tbh. it's too bright, and there are too many people. too many voices. it is becoming disorienting. she takes in a deep inhale of air, and releases it slowly to calm herself. ]

No. But all of these people are going somewhere. They are not lingering here.

Two years? [Elizabeth frowns at that, she can't imagine being parted from her children, from Edward, from her life for such a long time. There is too much at stake, even if they had achieved a peace.]

We will find where they are going, do not have fear, Elizabeth. [She glances at her daughter, noticing her pale face. When the sliding doors open again, the people who had stepped into the small room are gone and there is no sign of them. It only makes her more anxious but it seems the area is becoming more empty.]

Come, it seems there are some people who are finding an exit this way.

So the lady said, yes. [ little does she know how short and sweet that peace will be. elizabeth is loathe to disabuse her of any happy thoughts. ]

I do not think we can afford to fear the Unknown. [ that, and she doesn't want anyone, especially her mother, to see her afraid. ]

They are not being killed in there. Perhaps that is the only way out.

[ she is in agreement with her parent; she doesn't like the look of that little room behind the sliding doors. people are disappearing in there as though by some black magic. but what other choice do they have? none. so elizabeth bravely takes the fore, and walks, talk and straight toward those doors. ]

[Elizabeth is proud of her daughter's bravery going into the elevator and she follows her without hesitation. It's that same bravery she saw in Edward whenever he rode off to war, that same fearlessness. She has no doubts that Elizabeth will one day be a strong queen, even if it's in a foreign land.]

We can only hope, we certainly cannot wait around any longer [She agreed as she looks around the small room, startled when the doors slide shut once more.

Their lives are truly in the hands of God now.]

[ she wants to make him proud. and her mother, as well. she doesn't come from weak stock in the least. on both sides, she has inherited strength. and so that is what everyone will see, even if inside, she's afraid. ]

No, we cannot. It is cold. [ but she does not shiver. if this room leads them somewhere warm, then she will risk entering it.

which she does first, because she would rather something ill befall herself than her mother. when the doors shut, she glances sharply at the door but manages to keep herself from jumping.

and then it begins to move, and her eyes widen. so this is why it is called a lift, is it? ]

[Elizabeth reaches back to clutch at the railing when the lift starts to move, her stomach lurching. It's an uneasy feeling not knowing where they might end up to, how they will get out of this box.

But despite her fear, she reaches over to take her daughter's hand in reassurance, a silent promise that it will be alright, even if she's not sure how.

She lets out a breath when the lift stops suddenly and the doors open. It may be the wrong floor but it's a different place, they have to take the chance to get out while they can.]

[ it is not often that her mother needs reassurance. but she gives and takes it in plenty as her fingers lace with her mother's, squeezing her palm firmly.

in her mind, she is chanting a silent prayer to god, mary and jesus to deliver them safely from this moving box. and what is surely some form of black magic.

and when the doors open and the box stops, she lets out a deep breath, before tugging her mother out of the doors. elizabeth is eager to be out of that thing, for now. ]

Do we explore a little, then?

[The hallways are thankfully not as bright, Elizabeth is more relaxed once they are out of the lift at last.]

Yes. I was told we were traveling through the heavens themselves though how that is possible, I do not know.

[Elizabeth isn't sure where they are going but anywhere is better, and at least here it's quiet, they are alone for the time being.]

[ which elizabeth's eyes and head are very thankful for, tbh. the pounding at her temples has abated enough for her to open her eyes normally, rather than squint.

and then she nods, her face a mask of neutrality. ]

A rather rude little girl told me such, as well. [ she pulls a funny face. ] She reminded me a little of Cecily at that age.

[ so they are, and here comes the conversation elizabeth has frankly been dreading. god give her strength, pls. ]

I only hope I could have seen all my children grown up. I can only imagine the future King Edward has grown up into. [To imagine anything else is something Elizabeth can't do.]

Has your father arranged your betrothal? [A simple question, or so she thinks.]

[ she stiffens where she stands, both with dread and the all-too typical 'mom whyyyyyyyy' syndrome. ]

We should discuss the former, Lady Mother. As for the latter..

[ she purses her lips, and sighs. ]

No. And yes. You actually arranged my betrothal, to Henry Tudor.

[ from the look on her face, her opinion of that is made quite clear. she won't do it. ]

[Elizabeth is confused at Elizabeth's reaction, stopping in the middle of the corridor to look at her.]

Has something happened? [She doesn't like the look her daughter is giving her, perhaps she's missed more than she had thought.]

Henry Tudor? [Elizabeth frowned at this. She remembered him as Lady Margaret's boy, but no doubt he was grown as well by the time when Elizabeth had come from.] And why would I do that? You, Elizabeth, you are to be a Queen. I would want nothing less for you.

So much.. Lady Mother, so much has happened.

[ and she has bottled it up ever since. her eyes are glittering with the tears she refuses to let herself weep. not here, not now.

perhaps not ever. ]

Father.. oh, Mother! He was taken by a fever a few months past.

And ever since.. [ she can't finish that sentence. ]

Because Uncle Richard is King, now. And he has declared us all.. [ oh, god, does she hate that word. ] bastards.

[Elizabeth's back hits the wall, as if the news is a physical blow.

Edward is dead. Her children declared illegitimate, it throws her whole world into disarray.]

That is not possible, he cannot do that.

[Even through her own grief, she reaches for her daughter, seeing those tears in her eyes, pulling her to her as if Elizabeth were a little girl once more.]

Please say you all are safe at least- [And then a horrifying thought. If Richard is king-]

Your brothers, Edward and Richard...[She can't bring herself to speak what she's thinking aloud. It's too horrible.]

[ her mother's reaction in turn hits her like a physical blow, and a single tear escapes her eye, rolling a slow trail across her cheek. ]

He did. Anne Neville is Queen, now.

[ she whispers, and feels herself crumple as her mother takes a hold oh her. elizabeth shudders and releases a strangled sob, because this has been grief she has been forced to hold onto for fear of reprisal from her uncle. or worse, anne. ]

I.. [ she inhales deeply, because there is a lump in her throat larger than a soccer ball, and it is almost impossible to breathe. ]

E-Edward was taken to the Tower. They wanted Richard too, b-but we replaced him with an innocent common lad and sent Richard to Flanders.

Mother.. the boys never.. [ oh, she can't say it, can she? that would make it real. and she half-hopes she's been living in a nightmare. that their family is not torn asunder. her lip trembles. ]

They never left the Tower alive.

[Elizabeth holds her closer, holding onto her as if her daughter may slip away as well.]

My boy...Edward...how could your uncle do this? [There is no holding back the tears now, her chest heaving. It's so difficult to believe there is a world where her husband has died leaving her alone with her marriage declared null and void, and her children, it's too much.

To think that Richard of all people would do this, this is something she would have expected from George.]

We have to find a way back, we have to stop them. [Her voice is still shaky but even here, she refuses to simply give up and let Richard just win.]

[ for once, she allows her veneer of composure to slip, and she weeps. great choking sobs as she clings just as tightly as her mother is to her. ]

I... I know not his counsel, Lady Mother. [ elizabeth's shoulder shake with the force of her sobs; her mother's sadness increases her own. as though the hurt her parent feels is being absorbed into her heart.

she's so all over the place where richard is concerned. he's confusing. and infuriating. and he frightens her, too. she is pale, face streaked with tears as her mother pulls back enough to speak. ]

God as my witness, Lady Mother, I know not how. He frightens me.

[ she might as well get all the bad news out there now. she won't want to talk about it again. ]

He has brought Cecily and I back to court. And he calls me Princess Elizabeth despite his law. The way he is acting.. Mother, there is gossip.

That he will put Anne aside. [ beat. ] For me.

[ and she can't stop, now that it's all ending up out there. ]

What does he want from me? He gives me dresses of the same cut and style as Anne's. He escorts me to dinner and dances with me. I did not want any of it!

But I do not know what everyone else wants or expects. I will not have him.

And I will not have Henry Tudor, either. His order killed my brother in the Tower. Or that of his mother. I am certain.

[Elizabeth can't imagine what her daughter is going through, what all her children back home are going through. She can't say anything for a long moment as she holds Elizabeth to her, letting her sob because there is no one but each other in that corridor, this is their time to mourn.]

I am here now, Lizzy, I am here now and you are safe, I promise you that. I will not give you to Henry Tudor, I will not let Richard harm you or Cecily.

[She can't let go right now though as the tears stream down her cheeks. Her heart is shattered but she knows she has to hold onto her daughter right now, has to be there for her even if all she wants to do is let the grief overwhelm her.]

[ hell; just like what her mother is likely enduring in her heart in this moment. something they have in common. lizzie clings tightly, unwilling to let go of the only person in any world she knows for a certain whom she can rely on and trust.

through her tears, she somehow manages to nod, and breathe a long exhale of relief. ]

Do not leave me, Mother. I.. [ she doesn't know what she would do if she were in this world alone. ] Good. I want a good man. An honourable man.

[ she doesn't care who, anymore. so long as they might not have murdered her brother, or declared her a bastard.

her own heart is breaking all over again, as it never really mended in the first place. but now the wound is clean, and it can heal. the tears, which continue to stream down her cheeks, are actually helping. they are clearing the rot from the wound, allowing it the possibility to heal. elizabeth holds tightly to her mother, and whispers softly: ]

Our little Richard is still safe, Mother. In Flanders. There is hope yet for us. We must cling to it.

I'll never leave you, I promise you that.

[Elizabeth will fight to keep that promise. She can't imagine what drove her future self to arrange a match between her daughter and Henry Tudor of all men.

She strokes her daughter's golden hair as she lets the tears freely flow. She doesn't remember the last time she was able to mourn, to cry even when her brother and father were so cruelly executed by Warwick.]

Then we will put our faith in that, in the knowledge Richard is safe and will one day return. [It's a small comfort but one she will cling to no matter what.]

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