lucetilogs | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who:

seventeensir,

hecalledmebrave, and

noprevaricating. Also

yrobtsvt, if Pel wants.
What: Reunion
When: Evening of July 20th
Where: House 36
Summary: Wellard has arrived, and his housemates must be made aware of this.
Rating: Wellard has two daddies?

Kennedy was packaging up Dawn's birthday present, a folding knife disguised as a pendant, sitting on the couch when the door opened. A quick glance to see who it was made him freeze momentarily, then rise slowly to his feet, face neutral.

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For the briefest of moments, Horatio Hornblower smiled like a boy who had just dragged in a half-drowned cat. The words "Can we keep it?" seemed to linger on the tip of his tongue.

Instead, though, he nodded to Archie and said, "I hope," 'and am quite sure,' "you don't mind that I have invited Mr Wellard to stay with us."

Wellard was looking about as nervous as a half-drowned cat would. Shortly after Horatio had helped him off the roof, the situation really began to sink in as the adrenaline wore off.

He said nothing, for now, and looked at Archie with something of a "what the hell is going on" expression.

He could remember hearing about the boy's death, with his own imminent. He'd never had the chance to properly grieve, and since coming to Luceti, he'd only blanketed Wellard with everyone else he knew he would never see again. Until now. Now, he had to resist the urge the pull the boy into a hug, with would inevitably be awkward for him, as hugs are for teenage boys. But he approaches anyway, hands clasped behind his back.

"Well, since we already have a spare room, I can't imagine why not."

His eyes are fixed on the boy. He was in the same position now as Kennedy, where this was now his only home, with nothing to go back to. The difference was that Wellard had had no time to prepare for death, and was too young for it anyway.

He reached out to grip the boy's shoulder. "I'll show you, and lend you a shirt. You've had quite the day."

Horatio gave a quiet laugh at the last of Archie's words. It was an exhausted, agreeing sound.

"Quite the day," he echoed.

Already, he was in the kitchen. Heights, jumping, and other such things that had occurred today put one thought in his head. "Once you've settled in a bit, Mr. Wellard, may I invite you to join me-- and Mr. Kennedy, perhaps?-- for a glass or two of brandy? I could rather use one," a rare thing for Hornblower to say, but he felt one was well deserved, "I would imagine you could as well, and..."

He chuckled faintly again, more because if he didn't do that, he might swear. "It's easiest to understand this damned place if you learn about it while having a drink."

Wellard was trying his best, in the meantime, to not stare at Archie, but it was hard not to knowing that he was dead too. Or he was supposed to be, anyway. Everyone seemed remarkably lively to be dead.

"Yes, sir," he said to Archie at last. "Thank you." Then, to Horatio, he echoed in surprise, "Brandy? Yes, I – " And then he stopped because this was too bizarre and everyone was behaving so normally about it and Wellard couldn't stand to act as though this was simply a meeting of friends who hadn't seen one another in a while. "I'm sorry," he said, "But what exactly is this place? I don't think I can even begin to think of understanding anything if I don't even know where I am." He sighed and said again, "Sorry."

"Mr. Hornblower should have had you read the guide," Archie said, shooting a Look at Horatio. "I'll take you to your room and find it for you. You can stay in there till you've had a bit of time to think things through. Though you should know we're not dead--that is very important to remember. This isn't an afterlife, it's...it's a world where life and death don't quite mean the same thing. You should think of it as another chance to live."

By the end of the last sentence, his voice had gone very low. He would end up being the boy's adviser in this, wouldn't he? Even though he had so few answers himself. It was a task he wasn't sure he was up to--and yet, he had to be. He hoped he could reveal his similar predicament tactfully, not knowing Horatio had already done so.

"We came straight here after we got him down," Horatio replied, frowning at the way Archie looked at him. He knew its meaning, and his own expressed his argument. There had been no time.

After the tree and threat of the roof and near fall, he had hardly wanted to further shake the young man by showing him the ins and outs (as much as he understood them) of that book. Witchcraft was not something Mister Wellard needed to be shocked with so soon upon his arrival. Best to get him safe in a house, settled in, and then frighten him anew.

"This place," he thought to say, looking toward Wellard, "is called Luceti."

Luceti. Another chance to live. Wellard found himself more unnerved by the idea than comforted. He looked from Horatio to Archie with a skeptical expression; all this about wings and a second chance at life and a place that sounded more like it was from a fairy tale than real life was too much to readily accept.

"Forgive me," the boy said, "But I'm still not entirely convinced that I'm not dreaming. This can't be really happening. It's impossible!"

Edited 2011-08-20 21:35 (UTC)

"It doesn't have to feel real yet. It'll sink in, probably around tomorrow night. Or it'll begin to, once you actually wake up and you're still here." It was spoken with a lot of sympathy, lightened out of habit as if trying to keep the boy from collapsing under the weight.

"It may take a few days," Horatio agreed.

Even after months, it barely felt real. At least to him. Having Archie here made it easier to accept, but William's arrival made it easier to believe. He remained unconvinced he could be sure he was not dead, though.

"Still, you may be sure, Mr. Wellard, that you have somewhere to stay and you are not done."

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