Signs of Civilization
Characters: Tara Maclay, Methos
Rating: PG
Time Period: Modern
Location: About two miles away from the castle, initially.
Relative Date: Most recent day in the modern setting, afternoon-ish.
Status: Complete
The plane ride was, for the most part, silent. And that suited Tara just fine. The pilot hardly glanced in her direction, and the blonde witch doubted she would have been a very good conversationalist anyway. She'd spent most of the ride gazing out the window, lost in her thoughts and trying to ignore the feeling of unease growing in the pit of her stomach.
Absentmindedly, she took in her own reflection in the glass, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Judging solely by her outward appearance, she was a perfectly normal young woman - whatever that meant.
Nothing really stood out about her. She had an average height and build. She worked in a bookstore and lived alone with her warlock father. The picture on her driver's license was awful. Her eyes were half closed, so she looked kind of drugged - though she was probably just in the middle of blinking.
Truth be told, she didn't remember taking the picture. She didn't remember getting her driver's license, or celebrating her birthday that year. In fact, she didn't even remember when her birthday was until her father handed her her license two months ago. Simple math told her that she was twenty-three years old, but where there should have been memories was an endless stretch of... absolutely nothing.
She didn't really know what compelled her to follow the instructions on the ticket. The person that sent it to her claimed to know the truth of who she was, but there was nothing that prevented it from being some sort of a demonic trap. Even now, her father was working on a spell that would restore her memory, and yet whenever she asked him about the accident, he was vague and even dismissive. She wanted to trust him, and felt a sharp sense of guilt for just forgetting him after all these years, even if it was only temporary amnesia - and yet she knew he was hiding something from her. Perhaps protecting her from something shocking or traumatic. Whatever she'd find waiting for her at the end of the ride, Tara had a feeling it wouldn't be peaches and cream.
Before she even realized what was happening, the helicopter had landed at the edge of a forest in the middle of nowhere, the cockpit was open, and the pilot brusquely ordered her to get out. Distinctly weirded out, she clamored out of the plane, nearly tripping over herself in bewilderment.
She clutched her handbag to her chest and waited for the pilot lead her somewhere or say something else. Instead, the hatch began to close.
"Wait!" she cried out in alarm, "w-what am I supposed to-"
But her voice was drowned out by the sound of the engine starting, and she took a couple of steps back as the main rotor spun faster and faster, and watched in disbelief as the helicopter flew out of sight. "That's nice of him," she softly remarked.
As the sound of the plane faded into the distance, the blonde found herself enveloped by an eerie silence. The landscape around her was lush and green, but there were no sounds of birds or insects - and yet she wasn't picking up on any distinct magical presence either.
Finally, she saw a majestic-looking castle maybe a couple of miles away. "Sign of civilization is good," Tara said with a lot more cheer than she felt, trying to swallow her growing fear. For lack of a better plan of action, she started walking in the direction of the stone structure.
She'd been walking for about five minutes when she heard a voice.
Rating: PG
Time Period: Modern
Location: About two miles away from the castle, initially.
Relative Date: Most recent day in the modern setting, afternoon-ish.
Status: Complete
The plane ride was, for the most part, silent. And that suited Tara just fine. The pilot hardly glanced in her direction, and the blonde witch doubted she would have been a very good conversationalist anyway. She'd spent most of the ride gazing out the window, lost in her thoughts and trying to ignore the feeling of unease growing in the pit of her stomach.
Absentmindedly, she took in her own reflection in the glass, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Judging solely by her outward appearance, she was a perfectly normal young woman - whatever that meant.
Nothing really stood out about her. She had an average height and build. She worked in a bookstore and lived alone with her warlock father. The picture on her driver's license was awful. Her eyes were half closed, so she looked kind of drugged - though she was probably just in the middle of blinking.
Truth be told, she didn't remember taking the picture. She didn't remember getting her driver's license, or celebrating her birthday that year. In fact, she didn't even remember when her birthday was until her father handed her her license two months ago. Simple math told her that she was twenty-three years old, but where there should have been memories was an endless stretch of... absolutely nothing.
She didn't really know what compelled her to follow the instructions on the ticket. The person that sent it to her claimed to know the truth of who she was, but there was nothing that prevented it from being some sort of a demonic trap. Even now, her father was working on a spell that would restore her memory, and yet whenever she asked him about the accident, he was vague and even dismissive. She wanted to trust him, and felt a sharp sense of guilt for just forgetting him after all these years, even if it was only temporary amnesia - and yet she knew he was hiding something from her. Perhaps protecting her from something shocking or traumatic. Whatever she'd find waiting for her at the end of the ride, Tara had a feeling it wouldn't be peaches and cream.
Before she even realized what was happening, the helicopter had landed at the edge of a forest in the middle of nowhere, the cockpit was open, and the pilot brusquely ordered her to get out. Distinctly weirded out, she clamored out of the plane, nearly tripping over herself in bewilderment.
She clutched her handbag to her chest and waited for the pilot lead her somewhere or say something else. Instead, the hatch began to close.
"Wait!" she cried out in alarm, "w-what am I supposed to-"
But her voice was drowned out by the sound of the engine starting, and she took a couple of steps back as the main rotor spun faster and faster, and watched in disbelief as the helicopter flew out of sight. "That's nice of him," she softly remarked.
As the sound of the plane faded into the distance, the blonde found herself enveloped by an eerie silence. The landscape around her was lush and green, but there were no sounds of birds or insects - and yet she wasn't picking up on any distinct magical presence either.
Finally, she saw a majestic-looking castle maybe a couple of miles away. "Sign of civilization is good," Tara said with a lot more cheer than she felt, trying to swallow her growing fear. For lack of a better plan of action, she started walking in the direction of the stone structure.
She'd been walking for about five minutes when she heard a voice.