RP: Talk about Business...
Date: March 24, 2003
Characters: Su Li
Location: Barr's place
Status: Private
Summary: Su goes to Barr's talk talk about business. Sometimes the talk doesn't stay strictly on business, though.
Completion: incomplete
( Business talk... then girl talk? )
Characters: Su Li
Location: Barr's place
Status: Private
Summary: Su goes to Barr's talk talk about business. Sometimes the talk doesn't stay strictly on business, though.
Completion: incomplete
( Business talk... then girl talk? )
"We came here to talk about the hospital..." Su was slightly uncomfortable. Barr was her friend, her house mate, but at the same time, did Barr really care? "See, I came to Annwn for the excitement and I got what I wanted. Kind of. No, he didn't hurt me. Not at all." She closed her eyes. That was partly a lie, she supposed. He had hurt her, but not in the way Barr meant.
"He just wants to be friends. Barr, I don't do that. I didn't even have sex until I left Hogwarts. While everyone, as you know, was running around with each other, I just didn't. Perhaps it was the house I was raised in... Perhaps it was just being uptight, but it wasn't me. Then I meet this... this guy... he was drunk for the most part of our first meeting. Then I found him again.. and things happened. They just happened. I started to see a wizard in London when I went back. After he told me that he only wanted to be friends.
"I don't want to be just friends. I want the physical. I don't necessarily want to the emotional relationship. But I want to be able to shag him when I want to. Being around him just makes me... want him."
The words were tumbling out of her mouth quickly. She wasn't even sure if Barr was even following her. She just couldn't get him off her mind. She wanted the physical. She didn't know him to know if she wanted more, but to get to know him, she had to be around him and she only wanted to shag him when she was near.
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She wet her lips and thought for a moment. “Yes, you came here to talk about the hospital, but something… someone has made you hesitant to come here, and then it’s hard to work on a hospital, in the town you’re trying to avoid.”
Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on her knees. “Su… this isn’t just my hospital. It’s Annwn’s hospital. I just set the wheels in motion, and for this to work, people need to be comfortable with it, and you…” she smiled reverently, “you can do so much wonderful in areas of this that I can’t begin to fathom. That’s why I’d like for you to not worry about what has happened, partly because of this, but mostly… because you have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I don’t know who you are talking about, I may not even know him,” she continued, “but if he’d still like to be friends after a fast progression as you had, then he might be on to something with it.” She sent Su a small smile. “Think about it… he may just want to be friends, but that doesn’t rule out the chance of more happening, even without feelings getting involved.”
Now that that was off her chest she leaned back in her seat. “As for the excitement here in Annwn…” she looked down at her fingers. She should have told Su about this, but hadn’t been able to, and now she wasn’t certain if she should. “This… man you’ve been with… has he told you anything about the Festivals that’s been held?”
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Tilting her head to the side, she said, "No. No he hasn't. No one has. Why? Are the festivals exciting? How many, or do you know, are there?"
It seemed a little abrupt to bring up these festivals now, but she was more thankful than ever at the change of topic. Barr was right. Sometimes people meet and just can't keep their hands to themselves. Sometimes they can't help themselves. It's human; it's natural. If she saw him again, it'd happen again... and that was okay.
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She knew she wasn’t making sense, and really, all she had wanted to do was to let Su know that she hadn’t needed to worry about not getting excitement here in town.
“I’m not making much sense, am I?” she apologized and chuckled slightly before she drew in a deep breath. “I guess what I am trying to tell you, is that you shouldn’t be worried about excitement, and if I’m hearing you correctly, then that man doesn’t sound completely opposed to… am I correct if I call it ‘no commitment other than sex’?”
Mentally she kicked herself. Su deserved to know what she was getting herself into here, but she just couldn’t get the words out, they made sense in her head, but when spoken, she knew they would sound like betrayal and luring.
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"Well, if you want to actually make sense about these festivals, Barr I'll listen." In fact, Su wanted to know. The way Barr looked told her she might have to go on a mission to find out what these festivals were before she committed to moving to Annwn.
Su was so shocked by the cryptic mention of these festivals that she almost didn't hear what else Barr had said. "He's not opposed? Well, I'd say not, but it was never really mentioned." Sex without emotions? Mentioning it outright like that... The idea was very appealing to Su.
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Alright, she thought to herself, here goes. Su had asked, and though she had prompted the questions herself, it felt easier to tell her. “Su, I not only need your help, but would really like to work with you on this hospital. When you hear what I have to tell you, you may want not to help out, but I beg you to please, think it over at least, tak?”
“Mmm…” she thought for a moment of where to begin. “I moved here, after the first festival, which was held at Hallowe’en, or Saimhain. From what I understand, it was celebrated with a big gala-like masquerade. I’ve been told, that people here were asked to bind themselves to the town, and a few weeks later, a binding ceremony took place.” She held up her hand to stop Su from saying anything. “I haven’t participated in any binding ceremony, nor have I been asked to. I moved here, because this place has given me a peace I couldn’t find elsewhere, just like I had plans of setting up practice here, which has now turned into wanting to set up something that’s more needed; a hospital.”
She nodded and thought back. “Right before Christmas, and the Winter Solstice, there was a Yule fest, in the Square, where people were given gifts… presents. I saw children find dollies they have wanted or toy brooms that made them happy. Me? I was given a shrunken massage cot, not the portable you were on, but one I keep shrunken in my pantry, until I can set it up in the practice I’m still hoping to set up.”
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People were bound to Annwn? Did that mean they couldn't live a life outside this town... the living or the formally dead? For some reason, she never thought she'd see one of the formally dead out among the living for obvious reasons, but to hear the living, who had free riegn in the world might not be able to was unsettling.
"Bound themselves to the town? Do you mean the living? Do you mean they have to stay here or face a penalty like death?" Barr had mentioned nothing about the ramifications of breaking that 'blind', but the question slipped out before she got a chance to stop herself.
"The second festival, the one before Christmas... that one didn't sound bad. It sounded good, like whatever mystical power resides over this town was giving the town gifts. Surely, that can't be bad..." she was thinking out loud. She wanted to move here. She wanted to help with the hospital. She wanted to be able to do something exciting and adventurous instead of sticking the same old routine. But was it worth it?
She waited for Barr to answer her and continue, because for some reason, she doubted that Barr was finished. Barr didn't look like she was finished.
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She sent Su a smile. “The Winter Solstice was a beautiful fest, where people really enjoyed the Holiday and had fun, and… there was something special about it. Like a fairytale, only… real.”
She grew quiet, when she realized she had reached another bad festival, one that ought to have chased her from the town, but instead had made her want to get more involved in the place. “February second, was Imbolc,” she said quietly. “That was another bad festival, and now, only a few days ago, on the twentieth, it was Easter, or rather ‘Ostara’, that was celebrated with a fantastic Egg Hunt in the Avalon Orchard.” She sighed dreamily and looked up at Su. “The eggs were… they were… enchanted, showing me…” she smiled reverently. “It showed me something that happened when I was… nine, I think, and Beale was coming home, I got lost, but what it really showed, was me getting found, and I could just feel it, even when the egg closed again. I still can.”
She chewed on her lip for a bit. “We’ve talked about it, and it seems to be following the old wiccans’ calendar, but I don’t know. I’m not sure. I… I don’t see what the purpose of it is, only that the good has been better than good and the bad has been… horrible.”
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"You left out the third festival," Su said quietly, her mind having a hard time understanding all of what Barr was saying. This town seemed so peaceful, so amazing that it needed to seem to be capable of what Barr was leading to. or maybe it was and Su had been so blinded by a certain handsome wizard to see the mystery and... danger it held.
Su just didn't know anymore, and listened for Barr to go on.
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“For Imbolc, twelve people were kidnapped, and brought to what we believe must have been the mansion dungeons.” She cleared her throat, trying to remember what Dean had told her about what had happened on the outside. “The people in town were given a riddle to solve. A riddle that would give them the identities of the twelve people, and the reason they had been taken. It took them twelve days to solve it, and for the captives to be set free.”
The coffee was strong, and the familiar taste soothing. “While we were in the dungeons, nothing happened to us,” she raised her eyes and looked at Su, hoping she would understand. “We were given food three times a day, but other than that, there was seemingly no other interference with those who had taken us. We were given no reason or explanation, we were just there. Nothing to do, but… be.”
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She looked at Barr with wide and somewhat fearful eyes. The words, "Nothing happened to us", echoed in her head, but they seemed to be so wrong in the context.
"Something did happen," she whispered as she stood up and walked to her friend. Kneeling down in front of her she said, "You were kidnapped. For no other reason than you were in this town. It was wrong. It must have been terrifying for the people kidnapped, and I am truly sorry you had to go through that. That anyone had to go through that.
"I don't want to drudge up something that will make you... sad or upset, but do you know all of who were taken? I haven't heard about anyone being taken... I guess it's just something no one talks about, but I'm not giving up on this town. I'm not abandoning you after I said -- I practically promised -- that I would help you with this hospital. Now more than ever, I want to be here. I want to be able to help in any way I can." She wanted to reach out and put her hand on her friend's shoulder, but held back.
The words that had stirred such fear in her when they were first uttered seemed to change. The feelings become more of a determination to be here now. She couldn't leave the town. Not when it held dangers. Well, Su, you wanted excitement and you'll get it.
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For a moment she just looked at Su, though her eyes weren’t focused. “We were kept in the same area, all twelve of us. Two dormitories, one for the women and one for the men, and a common room, with a table and twelve chairs. That’s all there was. The food appeared thrice a day, like when food was served at Hogwarts, only… it was stale, just like the air and the light.” She shrugged slightly, shrugging it off. “All we could really do was watch each other, watch the children, sleep on the uncomfortable cots, and try to figure out what we had in common for us to be in there.”
When her eyes once more focused on Su, she sent her a small smile. “It was while I was in there that I realized I wanted to make the place a better place, for both the Living and the Dead… and I’m glad that you will help me with that, even if the place is scary.”
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Then one word made her snap her head up. "Children? There were children there?"
It was unbelievable to think anyone would kidnap children. "Oh I'm glad that you were there... as well as the other adults there. You guys must have taken care of them." She shook her head, stunned by the revelations. "Children?" she repeated weakly.
Su smiled though. It was nice to see Barr was the same girl she had always been. Smiling through recalling something like that.
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Barr took a moment to just look at Su, hoping to let her know that she really was alright. “I’m fine, Su,” she said and smiled softly, “I just didn’t want to keep it from you anymore. You deserve to know what this place is.”
Her smile turned into a bit of a smirk, before she cleared her throat. “And though I know you do best with paperwork, then I still think you should be working as head of personnel, or as one of the two heads of personnel.” She shrugged slightly. “People who work well with people are often not good at the paperwork, so since I’m planning on asking Lily Potter about the rounding up of Healers… maybe the two of you could work together somehow.” For a moment she thought about what she had said. “If she agrees to help out, of course.”
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"I'll do anything," she went on honestly, "As long as it's legal that is." She winked at her friend. Wrapping her arms around each other, she slid back the sit. With one hand still firmly around her body, she grabbed her tea and took a drink, thinking. She had a lot to deal with when considering the town. "I'm not moving here quite yet," she said quietly, more thinking out loud than anything, "But I will soon. Hopefully coming to and from London won't be a problem."
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