ataraxionlogs | EVENT: MELPOMENE ▒ HOME

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EVENT: MELPOMENE ▒ HOME

CHARACTERS: Ensemble production!
LOCATION: Corridors in the belly of the Tranquility
WARNINGS: Creepiness, disturbing imagery, violence, etc.
SUMMARY: Characters discover slices of sanctuary deep in the maze.
NOTES: Open to all! Covers Stage Four of the plot & Escape.

You've been running and fighting for what feels like weeks now. Exhausted and desperate, you find another door, stumbling through into—

You're home, finally, far away and safe from monsters or spaceships. You're not alone, someone here who's been waiting for you, and they're so happy to see you. Relief overcomes you; you just want to rest, and there's no reason to believe anything here isn't what it seems, is there?

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I think our children are always wiser and stronger than us, thankfully for them. They learn from us, from what we could have done, or wished we had done.

[ That's not to say he thinks himself a terrible father, or a father who would eventually have many regrets. But he thinks part of the point in life is to always learn and grow, and to hope that their children thrive and do better in ways he couldn't even begin to fathom. ]

We do our best.

[ It's clear to him that she loves her children very much, and that's all anyone can truly ask; that a parent should love their child unconditionally, and do anything possible to care for them, keep them safe.

He's not expecting the touch, but he looks down, and with a warm smile, squeezes her hand in return, hoping to imbue her being with some of his own strength. ]

Yes. And I also let them make their own mistakes. Bjorn in particular has learned well from the scrapes he has gotten into.

( nor is she saying she is or was a terrible mother. what she hopes is that what she has taught him is enough that he knows wrong from right, and is able to make his own decisions now without her holding his hand. but of course, it's different with bjorn because he's half-grown. he already has his arm-ring. eventually, she will have to let go.

once she finds him, she can concern herself with that process. maybe it's a bit selfish, but she's glad that he changed his mind and left with her. she'd been prepared to go into the unknown alone, but she depends on his company a great deal. it's too bad he's being kept from her, somewhere. she nods quietly, willing herself not to let her guard down any further. she still has her pride. )

It's all we can do. And hope they make good decisions once they've learned all we have to teach them.

( lagertha sighs, letting the sight of the fire before her transfix her until the acrid smoke burns her eyes. it doesn't matter. she won't look away until this body is reduced to ash. then she will know that it's gone, whatever it was. and that it's left her daughter's spirit alone to watch over her.

honestly, she hadn't expected him to allow it. it's not always easy, leaning on others. but it does help a little, and though she doesn't look at him, she squeezes his hand back. thank you, is what the gesture says. )

My son is not yet at an age where he makes a considerable amount of mistakes that...mean much of anything.

[ At Roland's age, his mistakes just tend to be not listening to his father and wandering off, which certainly has consequences, but isn't generally life-altering. ]

I hope I've raised him well enough that he'll gain wisdom from the mistakes he does eventually make.

[ Especially since she initiated the touch, Robin doesn't intend to let go until she indicates she's ready. He can easily see that she needs this, and wouldn't dare pull away until she feels ready.

Then again, who could ever be ready for the sight before them now? ]

Of course. But he will be Bjorn's age in what will feel like the blink of an eye. Time truly passes quickly. Cherish each moment. They are all precious.

( one never knows what kind of trial the gods might throw at them. she had been unprepared, despite the seer's warning for the loss of her daughter. )

It may pass quickly, but you do still have time. Trust yourself enough to know you're teaching him as well as you're able.

( she isn't ready until the flames reduce the entire pyre and its contents to dust and fragments of bone. lagertha will stand here, still as a statue until it does. which takes what feels like hours but in reality may only be half an hour at the maximum. the funeral pyre of a viking burns much hotter than modern methods of cremation can. thankfully.

because despite herself, she has no wish to remain. she releases a shaky breath once it's done, and whispers a prayer softly in norse. only then does she let go of his hand, not wanting to overstay her welcome, as it were. )

I do try. I'm mindful that time will soon pass far more quickly than I would like.

I wish for both our sakes that our children were here with us. Even with the madness that's taken hold of this ship, I would prefer my son to be in my sight, to know where he is.

[ Once their hands are no longer held together, he rests both of his in front of him, casting his gaze to the homestead, then elsewhere. It's been such a trying time, not just for him, but everyone. And a part of him doesn't want to leave this place for the moment, because he doesn't know what else will happen, and if he'll survive. Yet there are other people he cares about, and wants to be sure are safe, so it's not a rational thought at all. ]

I suppose we should try to make our way back eventually.

I feel the same. At least if Bjorn were with me, I would know that he is safe. But if he were as young as your boy, I would prefer it even more. Others can say what they will, but they are safest with us than without.

( lagertha's reaction is slow, as she turns to look at him. her eyes are dull and haunted in the flickering light provided by the dying embers before them. she is tired, and doesn't know where to go. anywhere but here, but also definitely not back into that trip through hel.

she forces herself to stand straighter, and momentarily cast off the burden of her grief. there will be more than time enough for that later. )

Eventually?

I couldn't agree with that sentiment more.

[ It makes him wonder for a moment how many other parents are onboard this ship. He knows of Regina and Emma, of course, since they share Henry together. But of all the other people he's met, he's not sure if they have children. He assumes such a topic would come up, but if some of those people have been trapped here for quite a long time, perhaps it's easier not to speak of their children. ]

I worry about the trouble awaiting us, though I imagine you don't want to linger here.

There are many who do not. But there will never be a day where I'll just wake up and hope he's safe. I need to know.

( undoubtedly there are several; she would never deign to say that there must be none simply because some insist that she give up on this "vain" hope that her son might be here. though she wonders how they can wake up every day and function properly without knowing that their children are safe for a certainty. do they just hope for the best? do they pray? she prays to her gods; were there animals here and food not nearly so scarce as it is, she might sacrifice one as an offering to odin and freya to ensure it.

but she can't, and so all she can do is persevere and keep looking for him. until the day she drops, either from exhaustion or because she is dead. she closes her eyes, and turns away from both the pyra and the homestead. there is nothing for her here. but if he wants to stay, she won't leave him. )

I won't force you to leave if you are uncomfortable doing so just yet. It is up to you.

[ Robin is less vocal than some, perhaps, about finding his son. He won't stop hoping that he'll see him again soon, either here or because he's been returned to Storybrooke. Though right now, he's grateful that his son is somewhere safe, far away from the horrors plaguing the ship at the moment.

There isn't a single morning he doesn't wake up and wish that Roland's face were there to greet him. Not a single evening passes without him longing to hold his son and tell him stories as drifts to sleep. But if he lets himself feel the depth of that pain, he'll drown in it.

He doesn't answer her at first, giving himself time to think. ]

We should go, m'lady. All that's left here is sorrow to burden the heart.

( life has not spared any of her children from its horrors. but the world she lives in is far and away from being anything like robin's or what anyone else here would find familiar. ~~except the time travelers.~~ were bjorn merely four years old, she would be glad that he were not present to suffer this. but he is older now and determined to be a warrior someday. and the warriors among her people see suffering with every raid they embark upon. they are not immune to it, even if they might emerge victorious.

though she is glad that one way or another, she has not had to bear this particular pain alone for a second time. for as long as she lives after they leave this place, she will never forget neither his bravery nor his kindness. he is a good man, and a good friend.

and she closes her eyes, as once again he accommodates her discomfort. )

Thank you.

( it is the entire sum of what she intends to say, but it is soft-spoken and honest and far more than enough. she glances backward, to the lane leading away from the farmstead, by which he had originally arrived. there. they can follow this path and be quit of this place. she starts off, having forgotten whether or not she has let go of his hand. if she hasn't, well. she will lead him away from this place, and rely on his strength until she might somehow recoup some of her own. )

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EVENT: MELPOMENE ▒ HOME

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