For all of Colin's big talk, when the time came, he could certainly back it up. The rescue on the skyway would have been nothing short of miraculous. One minute, Rosethorn would have been going about her business alone. The next minute, Colin would have been there, offering to get her out of there and back to the safety of the Super Nova.
After taking care of anything that needed to be taken care of on the Skyway, the next two weeks would have been a flurry of activity. Their trip to the hospital would be short. Rosethorn would have gotten firsthand experience with the Nova's Temporal Dimensional Portal Generator. A swirling blue portal would have taken them from the skyway, straight to a large, sterile living space.
There was a commons room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small kitchen with a replicator. After seeing Rosethorn's discomfort, Colin tapped into the comm. Thirty minutes later, a six foot long planter loaded down with various plants was delivered.
The next week would be spent in comfort. There were lots of medical questions asked, lots of tests taken, but only one blood test would be necessary. For the most part, Rosethorn would have been left to her own devices. Colin, on the other hand, would be having frequent visitors and would spend quite a bit of time being debriefed on everything that had happened.
Rosethorn would also have the opportunity to meet some of Colin's family. Even behind their isolation suits, their personalities would be distinct enough to tell them apart.
Jade would be the first, and most frequent of the visitors. Head of the Nova's medical staff, she would be personally seeing to a lot of their quarantine-related testing. She was warm and cheerful, and would always be willing to talk to the both of them about anything while she was there.
Amber would be next, and certainly one of the most memorable. She was in charge of many aspects of the Nova's security, and something of a hardass. She was also protective of Colin, though certainly not enough to keep from giving him a bit of a hard time. Colin took it in good humor though, and Rosethorn would probably be able to tell that there was no malice between them. Just good old fashioned siblings being buttheads to each other.
Pearl would come with their father sometime after the initial rush. The most calm and collected of his sisters, Pearl welcomed him back with a hug and kind words. She would also have stayed to make chit-chat with Rosethorn, recognizing Colin's friendship with her as a reason for bringing her back to the ship and staying with her. It would probably come as no surprise that Pearl was a diplomat, though she also served as acting Captain of the ship as well.
And finally, there was Colin's father. Emperor Mooj Starfury. He had joined in the hug with Pearl and Colin, perhaps even more readily than she had, and he'd stayed as long as he could manage before he had to depart. The universe wouldn't stop for an extended reunion, but Mooj left with a promise to his son that he would clear his schedule as soon as was possible, and Colin didn't give any indication of doubting his father's word.
When quarantine was over, the two of them would be quickly released. A doctor of Jade's choosing would have recommended nutritional supplements to Rosethorn, along with a request to see her periodically over the next few months. From there, Amber would have been waiting for them to show Rosethorn to quarters.
Colin would have laughed quietly, and told her that he'd already made arrangements. From there, Colin would have shown Rosethorn to the arboretum. And if anything, his description hadn't done it justice. When they arrived, the first thing Rosethorn would have seen would have been plants EVERYWHERE. Their arrival would put them near the edge of a forested area, with three buildings in sight: A house in the far distance, a large stable, and a Great Hall. Otherwise, there were trees, grass, and wild as far as the eye could see, along with clouds overhead.
The only hint that they were actually inside a ship would be the occasional huge, plant-covered pillar rising from the ground to the ceiling a mile above. Even the ceiling itself would be difficult to make out. And if Rosethorn were to listen, all around her, the plants were utterly content.
Colin would lead her to the Great Hall, explaining that it was one of the remnants of his father's first home. It was an ancient medieval building of wooden construction, with paintings and trophies and assorted memories of time gone past hanging on the walls. The first floor held a kitchen and a bar, and was otherwise filled with tables and a large hearth on a far wall. Lamps lit the place, and though they were electronic, they seemed to flicker like bright candlelight.
The second floor had a dozen rooms, well furnished like an inn. Colin would offer Rosethorn her pick of them.
Hopefully that's a good scene-setting, the intro tag will be coming later now that the scene is set.
For a few days, Colin would have left Rosethorn to her own devices without too much bothering. He would have stayed nearby, so as to be close if she needed anything, but he wouldn't want to crowd her too much. After a week of quarantine, he imagines that she probably wanted some breathing room.
Today, though, he's there bright and early before she wakes up. When she comes down from her room, she'll find Colin sitting at a table near the stairs. And on that table, there will be a fruit platter, as well as several pastries, croissants, and an assortment of other breads. And a steaming pot of tea.
"Good morning, Rosethorn," he says in bright greeting.
After all the time she spent on the Skyway alone, quarantine was almost welcome, something she never expected to think. It was strange, to be around people again. Rosethorn was never good with people in the first place, and now she's out of practice on top of that. Her plants were a very different sort of company. Starting with just Colin was easier, before the flood of strangers. She was a little skittish, at first, but his sisters were nice enough. Rosethorn especially liked Jade. Her only context for good siblings or fathers is what she's observed of other people's families, and of her adopted children, but Rosethorn is glad Colin has them.
Admittedly, once they got out of quarantine and Colin whisked her off to the arboretum, she went back to spending all her time around plants and mostly avoiding people. She settles in slowly, but it's impossible not to like the arboretum. She can feel so many different plants all at once. When Colin stops giving her space and comes to find her again, Rosethorn finally feels a little more human and able to be around other people. She'd become... half plant, she supposes, after she got lost. The plants here have been soothing away all her rough edges as she remembers she isn't one of them.
She returns that smile more easily than she has since Colin found her, nothing desperate or hesitant written on her face. The plants here have helped. "Good morning. I expect you have more impossible things to show me today?"
Because all of this is already impossible, based on her previous experience.
"Easily a half-dozen things before you've even fully woken up," Colin tells her, his voice full of mirth and amusement. "Though I suppose I can be convinced to keep it down to two, maybe three. You know, to keep the shock down."
He'd been tempted to get to his feet, pull out her chair for her, and pamper her after all that she'd been through these past few months. He liked helping people, liked taking care of things and being useful. But if she'd wanted that, she'd have given some sign of it. Instead, he simply gestures in offering to the food on the table. "I took the liberty of preparing some breakfast for you," he said. "I hope it wasn't too presumptuous."
He could be helpful without crowding. There's always different ways of doing what you want after all.
She snorts. "I'm already awake. You're too late for that part of it." But she shouldn't tell him that, or Colin will just get her back for it by springing even more surprises on her.
"Not so long as you don't hover over me to make sure I eat enough of it." Bringing her food is fine. Cajoling her into taking care of herself has been earning Briar and his siblings scoldings for years. She knows Colin could offer more. As it is, he's shown himself prepared to charge through bureaucracy and arrange her life however he thinks will make her happiest. It's not that she's not grateful, but she needs to stand on her own feet and speak for herself. Even more so because of how hard-won all her words were.
He isn't pushing. That's good. Rosethorn takes a seat across from him. "Thank you for breakfast."
"I'm behind schedule then," Colin muses, a mischievous twinkle gleaming in his eye. "Did I ever tell you that the Psilons engineered a plant that can grow in hard vacuum?"
Sorry Rosethorn, you issued him a challenge that he had to rise to. The expression on his face is completely innocent. The kind of expression you can only achieve through years of practice at delivering startling statements with a straight face.
He finally smiles though, and he shakes his head. "Nah, you got enough poking and prodding from the docs. You're a big girl, you don't need me telling you what to do. Except when I take you flying, then you're going to be getting some lessons on proper procedures."
"I'm sure that would be more impressive if I knew what a vacuum was," Rosethorn returns dryly.
She knows that look. Colin's only a little better at it than Briar, even with all his extra years of practice. She just looks back at him, completely nonplussed.
Fortunately, there are distractions near to hand. Rosethorn reaches for the pot of tea first thing, inhaling deeply to see whether it's made from familiar plants or something entirely new to her. She cheats and uses a tiny tendril of magic to make sure it's steeped enough before pouring two cups and passing one to Colin. "Tell that to my family. They kept trying to sneak up on me with food or medicine or jackets, as if I wouldn't notice what they were doing if they were just careful enough."
Her mouth tightens slightly, because there aren't words for how much she misses her children and Lark. Instead, she summons up at least a half-hearted glare for Colin and demands, "Besides, do I look like an Air Temple Dedicate to you? Bad enough I'm on a ship floating between the stars. I'll stay firmly on what little ground I have, thank you."
"You are making a complete mess of my attempts to dazzle you, you realize this," Colin says with a playful pout.
The tea should be very familiar to her. When Rosethorn disappeared from the Bastion, Colin was quick to ransack her living space when it was clear she wasn't coming back. Learn more about her, learn more about her beliefs, learn everything he could possibly need to find her. That also meant that he learned her preference in tea. Or at least what kinds of tea she liked to keep on hand.
He takes the tea and smiles at her, taking a sip of it before he answers her. "Ah, but you seemed intrigued when I promised to show you the surface of another world," he tells her with a smile. "And using the portal drive to get there takes away half the fun. I keep my promises..."
A pause. He noticed that tightening of her expression, and he shakes his head. "I keep all of my promises," he adds. "I haven't forgotten that I said I'd find Lark for you. Right now, it's a little beyond me. I haven't been cleared to return to duty, and I've got a lot of knowledge to catch up on. Once that happens, once I have full access to my resources? I'm KEEPING my promise."
He snags a piece of melon from the platter and he points the tip of it at her playfully. "Until then," he says pointedly. "I intend to make sure you're able to do whatever YOU want to do, as you want to do it, WITHOUT dragging you along while I do everything for you. Oh, I'll drag you to see things, to do things... but they're gonna be your call."
Rosethorn just snorts, because she doesn't need dazzling, thank you very much. She's getting quite enough of the strange and impressive without Colin going out of his way to spring more of it on her.
Then she gets to the tea. Eyes narrowed, she looks back to Colin. "This is one of my blends." How did he know? But oh, it's good to have something familiar. She takes a sip, eyes closed.
Rosethorn doesn't like being vulnerable. She hates it when people see right through her; her family took far too much advantage when she was younger, and she's been protecting herself for too long. She exhales quickly, all the air expelled from her lungs in what could have been the beginning of a sob if she were willing to cry.
"Colin, don't." Don't remind her. She's still terrified to get her hopes up. She knew all along that Colin was promising her the impossible, and he's stubborn enough that she almost believes he can deliver. But if she ever really believes, wholeheartedly, and their attempts fail, it would be like losing Lark all over again. Once was already too much.
She takes a deep, steadying breath, Inhale for seven, hold for seven, exhale for seven, before trying to speak again. Even the rest of it is overwhelming. Colin is exhausting, with so many things at his fingertips. And he knows her too well, because he's promising what she needs all over again.
"I need something useful to do," she tells him. "All the plants are so happy here already, I'm not sure what help I could offer them."
Colin pauses, and he shakes his head. He hadn't meant to hurt her, merely reassure her. It's something that's going to need to be covered, but that'll come later. He recognizes her calming exercise, and he lets her do it as he nibbles at the melon in his hand. He's even counting to twenty one as she counts, and when she speaks again, he smiles a little wider.
"What makes you think I wouldn't have that in mind?" he offers with a friendly tone. "The plants here? I'm sure they're happy. This greenery is all from Neverwinter. Everything in this area is old growth, and has been here for years. This is dad's happy place, and he goes to great pains to keep it in the best condition possible."
He takes out a pad and sets it on the table near her. There's a detailed topographical map being displayed on it, showing a great expanse of land, and an arrow indicating the small area they're currently in.
"Once you go beyond the forest here, though, it starts getting a little more interesting," he says. "There's wilds from a half dozen worlds or more here, stretched out over thousands of kilometers. I'm sure the plants out there would have quite a different opinion of things. I wasn't kidding when I said we've got botanists, environmentalists, and geologists whose sole purpose is to make sure that this place doesn't turn on itself."
He snags another piece of fruit from the platter then. "And besides. You're still finding your feet. I figured that today, we could tour anywhere you wanted, let you get the lay of the place. I imagine it's going to be at least a few more weeks before you're acclimated to the place and can really start to find your groove."
He ducks his head and flashes a grin then. "As for the tea... I ransacked your place when you'd vanished," he explains. "I was looking for any sign of where you may have gone, and I decided I'd keep your stuff safe."
Rosethorn takes a piece of melon to herself once she's calmed down, biting into it half in hunger and half because an excuse to avoid talking for another moment seems like an excellent idea. It's one of the two most sensitive subjects Colin could bring up, and she wants Lark and her children back so badly it hurts.
The change of subject is welcome, and all the tension slides away from her shoulders and her face. Colin does know her too well. As she leans forward to study the map, she remarks dryly"You're telling me about wilds from half a dozen worlds and then asking me what I want to see? You didn't need to ransack my house to learn that much."
She inhales the steam rising from her teacup It smells like home, and that's such a welcome thing. Speaking of home, she hesitates to ask for anything. Colin already offers so much that she's reluctant to accept it all. It's overwhelming. Adding requests on that is excessive. But she really does want one thing in particular. "I'd also like it if I could get new robes, or at least fabric to sew them myself. I had trouble finding enough green cloth, or white that I could dye, in the Bastion. I don't have any that are much better than rags at this point."
She doesn't have anything by way of currency, and very little to barter, but her mage kit still isn't entirely empty. She's sure she can come up with something.
"I thought you might say something like that," Colin says, smiling even wider. "I could tell you that clothes are completely free for citizens of the empire, but I suspect you'd just give me a tired expression. Fortunately, clothes being free does not mean you can't buy nice things."
He shakes his head then. "But for jobs, you're going to need to wait a little while," he adds. "If you're willing, of course, you're going to need some introductory courses on Corsican culture and advancements. To get you past the culture shock and get you the knowledge you might need to live here comfortably."
He knows she isn't going to be very happy to hear that, but he also knows she'll understand the logic behind it. With protest.
"That said, Jade and Pearl have both expressed willingness to take you under their wings and get you started. I told Jade about your medical practice, she expressed interest in seeing your studies. Medical history and new techniques are always of interest to her. If you're willing, of course."
"I don't need nice things, unless you're planning to stick me in the middle of formal events. I wish you wouldn't, on that count. I just want new temple robes." She isn't completely required to wear them, but her vows are important to her, and she's never objected to the uniform. Dark green robes to mark her as an Earth Temple dedicate, and black at all the hems declaring her a mage.
She makes a face. He's correctly predicted just how thrilled she is at the notion of mandatory coursework. "Classes, Colin? I left the university after I graduated with no desire ever to go back." She did research for awhile before taking temple vows, but it wasn't anywhere near Lightsbridge and all its stone walls. Rosethorn needs a garden to stay sane.
"Of course I'm willing to talk about medicine with your sister. Jade's easier to get along with than certain of my research partners ever were." There will be a lot less bickering in this partnership.
"They try to keep me away from the formal events," Colin says, laughing quietly. "Something about 'diplomatic incidents' and 'offending people'. I mean, would I do something like that?"
The shit-eating grin he gives her is all the more confirmation that yes, it is is a valid worry. "What I meant is... Corsican Society is set up so that everything people need it provided for them. Clothes included. The taxes are high to cover it, but what's left in peoples pockets is solely disposable income, for investment, luxury items, whatever people want," he explains, and he gives a smile he hopes isn't too patronizing. "That's what the classes would be for, to get you acclimated to the differences between what you're used to, and how this society operates. To get you through the culture shock, in other words."
He frowns, and folds his hands on the table in front of him with a shake of his head. "I'm probably not the best person to explain it," he confesses. "I'm comfortable just about anywhere you throw me, and I adapt extremely quickly. Add in a marked disregard for social norms, and that makes for an arrogant-seeming outward appearance..."
"Diplomacy is not either of our strong suits," Rosethorn agrees, amused. Colin is even worse at it than she is. Rosethorn can manage, if she has to, but she doesn't like it. "I do think you're more likely to cause incidents than I am. Most of the time."
She snorts. "It's been nothing but culture shock for the past two or three years. I said I wanted to travel, and I've gotten far more than my fill of it. What's left to be shocked about? As long as your father is as far as possible from the Yanjingyi emperor, I'll be fine." She had her fill of emperors and then some in Yanjing. She cringes away from the word these days, as a reminder of death and pain and fear.
Somehow, she doesn't think 'I'll be fine' is going to get her out of any of these classes. Quietly she admits, "I'm adaptable enough, but the differences make me homesick. Similarities might be worse."
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earthandpine) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
triangularity2016-01-23 10:58 pm
A quick summary.
After taking care of anything that needed to be taken care of on the Skyway, the next two weeks would have been a flurry of activity. Their trip to the hospital would be short. Rosethorn would have gotten firsthand experience with the Nova's Temporal Dimensional Portal Generator. A swirling blue portal would have taken them from the skyway, straight to a large, sterile living space.
There was a commons room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small kitchen with a replicator. After seeing Rosethorn's discomfort, Colin tapped into the comm. Thirty minutes later, a six foot long planter loaded down with various plants was delivered.
The next week would be spent in comfort. There were lots of medical questions asked, lots of tests taken, but only one blood test would be necessary. For the most part, Rosethorn would have been left to her own devices. Colin, on the other hand, would be having frequent visitors and would spend quite a bit of time being debriefed on everything that had happened.
Rosethorn would also have the opportunity to meet some of Colin's family. Even behind their isolation suits, their personalities would be distinct enough to tell them apart.
Jade would be the first, and most frequent of the visitors. Head of the Nova's medical staff, she would be personally seeing to a lot of their quarantine-related testing. She was warm and cheerful, and would always be willing to talk to the both of them about anything while she was there.
Amber would be next, and certainly one of the most memorable. She was in charge of many aspects of the Nova's security, and something of a hardass. She was also protective of Colin, though certainly not enough to keep from giving him a bit of a hard time. Colin took it in good humor though, and Rosethorn would probably be able to tell that there was no malice between them. Just good old fashioned siblings being buttheads to each other.
Pearl would come with their father sometime after the initial rush. The most calm and collected of his sisters, Pearl welcomed him back with a hug and kind words. She would also have stayed to make chit-chat with Rosethorn, recognizing Colin's friendship with her as a reason for bringing her back to the ship and staying with her. It would probably come as no surprise that Pearl was a diplomat, though she also served as acting Captain of the ship as well.
And finally, there was Colin's father. Emperor Mooj Starfury. He had joined in the hug with Pearl and Colin, perhaps even more readily than she had, and he'd stayed as long as he could manage before he had to depart. The universe wouldn't stop for an extended reunion, but Mooj left with a promise to his son that he would clear his schedule as soon as was possible, and Colin didn't give any indication of doubting his father's word.
When quarantine was over, the two of them would be quickly released. A doctor of Jade's choosing would have recommended nutritional supplements to Rosethorn, along with a request to see her periodically over the next few months. From there, Amber would have been waiting for them to show Rosethorn to quarters.
Colin would have laughed quietly, and told her that he'd already made arrangements. From there, Colin would have shown Rosethorn to the arboretum. And if anything, his description hadn't done it justice. When they arrived, the first thing Rosethorn would have seen would have been plants EVERYWHERE. Their arrival would put them near the edge of a forested area, with three buildings in sight: A house in the far distance, a large stable, and a Great Hall. Otherwise, there were trees, grass, and wild as far as the eye could see, along with clouds overhead.
The only hint that they were actually inside a ship would be the occasional huge, plant-covered pillar rising from the ground to the ceiling a mile above. Even the ceiling itself would be difficult to make out. And if Rosethorn were to listen, all around her, the plants were utterly content.
Colin would lead her to the Great Hall, explaining that it was one of the remnants of his father's first home. It was an ancient medieval building of wooden construction, with paintings and trophies and assorted memories of time gone past hanging on the walls. The first floor held a kitchen and a bar, and was otherwise filled with tables and a large hearth on a far wall. Lamps lit the place, and though they were electronic, they seemed to flicker like bright candlelight.
The second floor had a dozen rooms, well furnished like an inn. Colin would offer Rosethorn her pick of them.
Hopefully that's a good scene-setting, the intro tag will be coming later now that the scene is set.
A few days later...
Today, though, he's there bright and early before she wakes up. When she comes down from her room, she'll find Colin sitting at a table near the stairs. And on that table, there will be a fruit platter, as well as several pastries, croissants, and an assortment of other breads. And a steaming pot of tea.
"Good morning, Rosethorn," he says in bright greeting.
no subject
Admittedly, once they got out of quarantine and Colin whisked her off to the arboretum, she went back to spending all her time around plants and mostly avoiding people. She settles in slowly, but it's impossible not to like the arboretum. She can feel so many different plants all at once. When Colin stops giving her space and comes to find her again, Rosethorn finally feels a little more human and able to be around other people. She'd become... half plant, she supposes, after she got lost. The plants here have been soothing away all her rough edges as she remembers she isn't one of them.
She returns that smile more easily than she has since Colin found her, nothing desperate or hesitant written on her face. The plants here have helped. "Good morning. I expect you have more impossible things to show me today?"
Because all of this is already impossible, based on her previous experience.
no subject
He'd been tempted to get to his feet, pull out her chair for her, and pamper her after all that she'd been through these past few months. He liked helping people, liked taking care of things and being useful. But if she'd wanted that, she'd have given some sign of it. Instead, he simply gestures in offering to the food on the table. "I took the liberty of preparing some breakfast for you," he said. "I hope it wasn't too presumptuous."
He could be helpful without crowding. There's always different ways of doing what you want after all.
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"Not so long as you don't hover over me to make sure I eat enough of it." Bringing her food is fine. Cajoling her into taking care of herself has been earning Briar and his siblings scoldings for years. She knows Colin could offer more. As it is, he's shown himself prepared to charge through bureaucracy and arrange her life however he thinks will make her happiest. It's not that she's not grateful, but she needs to stand on her own feet and speak for herself. Even more so because of how hard-won all her words were.
He isn't pushing. That's good. Rosethorn takes a seat across from him. "Thank you for breakfast."
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"I'm behind schedule then," Colin muses, a mischievous twinkle gleaming in his eye. "Did I ever tell you that the Psilons engineered a plant that can grow in hard vacuum?"
Sorry Rosethorn, you issued him a challenge that he had to rise to. The expression on his face is completely innocent. The kind of expression you can only achieve through years of practice at delivering startling statements with a straight face.
He finally smiles though, and he shakes his head. "Nah, you got enough poking and prodding from the docs. You're a big girl, you don't need me telling you what to do. Except when I take you flying, then you're going to be getting some lessons on proper procedures."
Gods dammit, Colin.
no subject
She knows that look. Colin's only a little better at it than Briar, even with all his extra years of practice. She just looks back at him, completely nonplussed.
Fortunately, there are distractions near to hand. Rosethorn reaches for the pot of tea first thing, inhaling deeply to see whether it's made from familiar plants or something entirely new to her. She cheats and uses a tiny tendril of magic to make sure it's steeped enough before pouring two cups and passing one to Colin. "Tell that to my family. They kept trying to sneak up on me with food or medicine or jackets, as if I wouldn't notice what they were doing if they were just careful enough."
Her mouth tightens slightly, because there aren't words for how much she misses her children and Lark. Instead, she summons up at least a half-hearted glare for Colin and demands, "Besides, do I look like an Air Temple Dedicate to you? Bad enough I'm on a ship floating between the stars. I'll stay firmly on what little ground I have, thank you."
The arboretum isn't so little, to be fair.
no subject
The tea should be very familiar to her. When Rosethorn disappeared from the Bastion, Colin was quick to ransack her living space when it was clear she wasn't coming back. Learn more about her, learn more about her beliefs, learn everything he could possibly need to find her. That also meant that he learned her preference in tea. Or at least what kinds of tea she liked to keep on hand.
He takes the tea and smiles at her, taking a sip of it before he answers her. "Ah, but you seemed intrigued when I promised to show you the surface of another world," he tells her with a smile. "And using the portal drive to get there takes away half the fun. I keep my promises..."
A pause. He noticed that tightening of her expression, and he shakes his head. "I keep all of my promises," he adds. "I haven't forgotten that I said I'd find Lark for you. Right now, it's a little beyond me. I haven't been cleared to return to duty, and I've got a lot of knowledge to catch up on. Once that happens, once I have full access to my resources? I'm KEEPING my promise."
He snags a piece of melon from the platter and he points the tip of it at her playfully. "Until then," he says pointedly. "I intend to make sure you're able to do whatever YOU want to do, as you want to do it, WITHOUT dragging you along while I do everything for you. Oh, I'll drag you to see things, to do things... but they're gonna be your call."
no subject
Then she gets to the tea. Eyes narrowed, she looks back to Colin. "This is one of my blends." How did he know? But oh, it's good to have something familiar. She takes a sip, eyes closed.
Rosethorn doesn't like being vulnerable. She hates it when people see right through her; her family took far too much advantage when she was younger, and she's been protecting herself for too long. She exhales quickly, all the air expelled from her lungs in what could have been the beginning of a sob if she were willing to cry.
"Colin, don't." Don't remind her. She's still terrified to get her hopes up. She knew all along that Colin was promising her the impossible, and he's stubborn enough that she almost believes he can deliver. But if she ever really believes, wholeheartedly, and their attempts fail, it would be like losing Lark all over again. Once was already too much.
She takes a deep, steadying breath, Inhale for seven, hold for seven, exhale for seven, before trying to speak again. Even the rest of it is overwhelming. Colin is exhausting, with so many things at his fingertips. And he knows her too well, because he's promising what she needs all over again.
"I need something useful to do," she tells him. "All the plants are so happy here already, I'm not sure what help I could offer them."
no subject
"What makes you think I wouldn't have that in mind?" he offers with a friendly tone. "The plants here? I'm sure they're happy. This greenery is all from Neverwinter. Everything in this area is old growth, and has been here for years. This is dad's happy place, and he goes to great pains to keep it in the best condition possible."
He takes out a pad and sets it on the table near her. There's a detailed topographical map being displayed on it, showing a great expanse of land, and an arrow indicating the small area they're currently in.
"Once you go beyond the forest here, though, it starts getting a little more interesting," he says. "There's wilds from a half dozen worlds or more here, stretched out over thousands of kilometers. I'm sure the plants out there would have quite a different opinion of things. I wasn't kidding when I said we've got botanists, environmentalists, and geologists whose sole purpose is to make sure that this place doesn't turn on itself."
He snags another piece of fruit from the platter then. "And besides. You're still finding your feet. I figured that today, we could tour anywhere you wanted, let you get the lay of the place. I imagine it's going to be at least a few more weeks before you're acclimated to the place and can really start to find your groove."
He ducks his head and flashes a grin then. "As for the tea... I ransacked your place when you'd vanished," he explains. "I was looking for any sign of where you may have gone, and I decided I'd keep your stuff safe."
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The change of subject is welcome, and all the tension slides away from her shoulders and her face. Colin does know her too well. As she leans forward to study the map, she remarks dryly"You're telling me about wilds from half a dozen worlds and then asking me what I want to see? You didn't need to ransack my house to learn that much."
She inhales the steam rising from her teacup It smells like home, and that's such a welcome thing. Speaking of home, she hesitates to ask for anything. Colin already offers so much that she's reluctant to accept it all. It's overwhelming. Adding requests on that is excessive. But she really does want one thing in particular. "I'd also like it if I could get new robes, or at least fabric to sew them myself. I had trouble finding enough green cloth, or white that I could dye, in the Bastion. I don't have any that are much better than rags at this point."
She doesn't have anything by way of currency, and very little to barter, but her mage kit still isn't entirely empty. She's sure she can come up with something.
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He shakes his head then. "But for jobs, you're going to need to wait a little while," he adds. "If you're willing, of course, you're going to need some introductory courses on Corsican culture and advancements. To get you past the culture shock and get you the knowledge you might need to live here comfortably."
He knows she isn't going to be very happy to hear that, but he also knows she'll understand the logic behind it. With protest.
"That said, Jade and Pearl have both expressed willingness to take you under their wings and get you started. I told Jade about your medical practice, she expressed interest in seeing your studies. Medical history and new techniques are always of interest to her. If you're willing, of course."
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She makes a face. He's correctly predicted just how thrilled she is at the notion of mandatory coursework. "Classes, Colin? I left the university after I graduated with no desire ever to go back." She did research for awhile before taking temple vows, but it wasn't anywhere near Lightsbridge and all its stone walls. Rosethorn needs a garden to stay sane.
"Of course I'm willing to talk about medicine with your sister. Jade's easier to get along with than certain of my research partners ever were." There will be a lot less bickering in this partnership.
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The shit-eating grin he gives her is all the more confirmation that yes, it is is a valid worry. "What I meant is... Corsican Society is set up so that everything people need it provided for them. Clothes included. The taxes are high to cover it, but what's left in peoples pockets is solely disposable income, for investment, luxury items, whatever people want," he explains, and he gives a smile he hopes isn't too patronizing. "That's what the classes would be for, to get you acclimated to the differences between what you're used to, and how this society operates. To get you through the culture shock, in other words."
He frowns, and folds his hands on the table in front of him with a shake of his head. "I'm probably not the best person to explain it," he confesses. "I'm comfortable just about anywhere you throw me, and I adapt extremely quickly. Add in a marked disregard for social norms, and that makes for an arrogant-seeming outward appearance..."
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She snorts. "It's been nothing but culture shock for the past two or three years. I said I wanted to travel, and I've gotten far more than my fill of it. What's left to be shocked about? As long as your father is as far as possible from the Yanjingyi emperor, I'll be fine." She had her fill of emperors and then some in Yanjing. She cringes away from the word these days, as a reminder of death and pain and fear.
Somehow, she doesn't think 'I'll be fine' is going to get her out of any of these classes. Quietly she admits, "I'm adaptable enough, but the differences make me homesick. Similarities might be worse."