savetheearth | [closed] and off I go

[He's slowly getting used to being back to Locke. ....which is not the reason why he stands in a corner of the city that he isn't sure if he's ever seen before now. The reason for that is that he apparently got lost. Again.

So what does a man do? Go and try to find the next train station, bus station or even just a taxi. Something that will get him to a place from which he'll know his way home.

Well, where he ends up is right outside Gabriel's house, and so he decides to use his spare key and go up there to say hi. Which is how he walks in on Julien.]

[The safehouse where Julien had stayed in Locke before is enormous and very plush, with a bed even he can sprawl out in. Its long ex-numbered owner has a service Julien can use to get groceries and supplies without having to go out and talk to anyone, even the delivery girl if he wants. It also has fifteen cats now, all far too interested in him. He'd been glad when Gabe offered. Plant-tending and fish-feeding are simple enough, he can avoid the stairs by just flying to the patio, and if the place isn't his he has a reason to keep things clean and organized.

Thorir will open the door to hear music playing, something instrumental with a dramatic piano that covers the sound of the door being unlocked. There's a scent of athelas in the air. Julien's got cloth spread out on the table and is attempting to stitch something he can wear, something waistcoat-and-vest-looking. It's a moment before he catches that he's not alone through one eye, and another moment before he says anything.]

Oh. Uh, suil. I didn't know you were in town.

...I moved back here.

[If Julien looks a bit more closely, he will realize that the door handle, instead of being higher than his elbow, now is somewhere at the level of his hanging hand, and that he only just didn't have to bow down to get through the door itself.]

[Julien flits a wing to stop his music player, and there's only the sound of the heater. He's sitting or squatting on two different chairs at once.] Why'd you do that? You seemed pretty pleased with Vegas.

[He shifts, holding his feathers closer to his body.]

I... see once again you're taller than me. [When stretched up Julien is tall-ish, taller than he used to be certainly, but his size is mostly depth and breadth and length.] Did you have to catch a plane?

No.

[He shakes his head.]

But only because I moved back here a couple of weeks ago. With the mountain safe and Locke safe as well, it seems that I saw less harm in being here to support Mardís with our work than in keeping her out of numbered things by staying away.

[He shrugs] It's still a thing, in a way. People won't forget easily that I was numbered.

I've... been out of the loop.

[Carefully, ponderously Julien dismounts the chairs by standing up and backing off them, one foot at a time, and as ponderously draws himself up and faces Thorir. He's not sure how he feels. Julien can't really get angry at a Thorir who's more divorced from the start of the year, not to his face. It still hurts. He supposes he's saddened. There isn't any expression to show on his face, and the droop of his wings is subtle, but there is a hint of pleading in his voice.]

So, you recognize me? Remember me? I know I don't look like me anymore.

You still sound alike enough.

[He pulls over a chair to bring himself on the same level as Julien - the same tactic that he uses on most people, really, it's habit.]

Which I guess I'm glad about - that you don't kick me out, too. The notes regarding you mentioned that I had a bad episode of something that I thought must have been a mental illness or something akin to it and hurt you because of it. [He shakes his head lightly.] It seems to have been the only thing that made me wish to lose those pulses, that such an episode wouldn't happen again.

Practice. My voice is deeper now if I don't correct it.

[Julien fidgets and closes his inner eyelids, tinting his enormous eyes to sepia.]

I know... later, I heard you didn't mean to. You weren't in your right mind. But that's not something I could just brush off. It came out of nowhere. [His head starts to lower, but he catches himself and raises it again.] I've known you a long time. I've trusted you.

And it is hard to trust again after something like that happened.

[Whatever exactly it was - he only went into so much detail, probably for lack of time, and what he had written down doesn't make terrible amounts of sense now that all the context is lacking.]

And it seems to have come out of nowhere - there are no mentions of anything like what seems to have happened that month before it.

I'd suggested opening up some part of the mountain as like a national park, so access could be controlled, like. You... didn't seem to like that, but it was like yeah, okay, whatever.

[He fidgets closed wings and turns his back, vaguely wishing he could fly away. Only one eye is visible.]

You know, I've had friends suddenly end up rich and become raging assholes before. It happens like that sometimes. They excavate a lot of stuff to make space for... money, here, and if any of that was important it isn't anymore. And, I know you didn't mean to, some pulse just carved everything and, and dumped it out, and made you into that.

[Julien's head wobbles. Tears are forming in the lower rim of his eye, a semicircular line of brightness. He isn't angry.] But - I'm - how dare you. You said I was part of your family.

Under the spell of the same illness, Thorin got close to killing his cousin and best friend. The man that was my brother Hjalti.

[The notes on this had been curt in style but fairly in-depth. And he can see why - it must have hurt and yet seemed very important to him.

...He reaches out, meaning to run a hand down Julien's head and the side of his neck, though the moment is tentative - he's unsure of his welcome.]

I am sorry, and I do think of you as family. As ... a nephew, or a son, perhaps. Similar to how I feel about Fil. But I fear that friend and foe were alike to him - to me - at that time. With my pulses gone, that at least won't happen again.

Yeah... I know. I know. And you said before, you were trying to drive me away so you wouldn't attack me. But it's not something I can just say it's okay, it didn't count.

It does mean something, that you came with Aaron to try and find me. I don't know if you remember that, but I'm glad. It's just, it's complicated.

[He sees the hand approaching and pulls away, his feathers flattening closer to his skin, making him thinner and smoother.]

Don't pet me. I'm not an animal. I'm not! -You wouldn't try and pet me if I didn't look like this. Don't. Please. [Julien's head sags, that eye dropping out of view.]

If you want to touch me, I'd really rather be hugged.

[The last year is a bit hazy, but between the things that he remembers, what his wife and friends and family tell him, and the notes that he left to himself, he has it pretty figured out.

It is a bit strange to look at the much superior smithwork that he did during that time and think that he'll never again be able to do that, or the Christmas recording of him singing for his parents and knowing that he won't be able to do that again... but at the same time there are other notes and he is glad that he got rid of those parts. It more than evens out what he lost.

The very present downside to his regained normal human body is that he keeps running into things hung from the ceiling. Being back to his two metres has funny side effects.

He meets Arnold in a cafe somewhere in the business district, a nice middle-priced affair with cozy hidden corners.]

Good afternoon.

Good... [ Arnold doubletakes ] Afternoon? Wow. You got tall! [ Arnold... ]

Um. What... did you want to talk about?

My original height.

...Thorir's height. [Not Thorin's. There's quite an obvious difference between the tall-as human and the tall-ass dwarf.]

I lost my echoes. [Which is basically it. He left himself a note to inform a number of people, and Arnold is among them. Specifically to make sure that he is aware that Thorir won't be able to take care of Liam's numbered shenanigans anymore.]

Oh! [ Arnold blinks ] Julien mentioned that people do that sometimes. How strange! But... aren't you supposed to forget things afterwards?

That must be strange...

I did. All that was directly related to this ...having numbers and pulses, anyway. But I left myself rather extensive notes.

One of them asked myself to tell you that I won't be able to look after Liam the same way in which I did it up until now.

Gosh, that's a good idea, I'll have to do it too. [ Arnold nods ] Just to make sure Liam is okay, no matter what.

Thanks for looking after him until now. [ Arnold's smile is wry ] I know he can be a handful.

You should. Also include notes on what to do and whom to contact if you lose them; I would be a bit lost without those.

[He rubs his head.] And, as I said... he means well. [This is like putting "He did his best" on an employer's reference, but it is meant affectionately in this case.] And he has been more on the ball lately, I feel. Maybe he's growing up.

I'll do that as soon as I get home. [ Arnold nods ] Maybe make a few copies to be sure.

[ a chuckle ] Well I certainly hope so! I love him dearly, but I would worry if he never matured.

I lost my pulses.

-Thorir

Did you leave yourself notes? What do you want to know?

[The reply comes a little bit late: Gabriel can't say he's a little disappointed. But at the same time, he's known Thorir for decades: something like this won't be enough to make them lose contact.]

I couldn't tell you what happened if I had not.

Will you look after Fil, Liam, Julien and Sho when it comes to "numbered" things?

Do you really need to ask? [Not that he wasn't already half responsible for Liam anyway, and Fil seems more or less responsible. Or maybe that's in comparison?]

Are you free sometime this week?

Yes. You know that I like being safely on the same page about things, and if it's not mentioned, it is not sure.

I'll be free Sunday afternoon. Mardís is going out with a few friends, and there will be no urgent work.

I'll keep an eye on them, don't worry. Two eyes, if I can.

Want to come over for dinner and we can catch up?

[closed] and off I go

Julien

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Arnold

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Gabriel - text to Gabriel's phone

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject