Day Two - Charlie - A little Exploration

[ashes_like_sand]

Who: Charlie "Sarah", open
Where: the orchard
When: Midafternoonish
Rating: G

Status: Closed/Completed
Summary: After shopping for things for her room, Charlie decides to walk around a little. While she's exploring the orchard, she bumps into Heather. The two chat a little (and Charlie introduced herself as Sarah, of course), and Charlie explains

Comments

[rosy_intellect]

On her second bout of exploration, Heather decided to check out the orchard. The sweet, earthy smell enticed her in that direction, entreating her to come closer. She was in the midst of thoughts of home when she bumped into something.

No, scratch that. Someone. She glanced up and found herself face to face with a woman with blonde hair. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to bump into you," She muttered.

[ashes_like_sand]

Charlie smiled and shook her head before waving it off. "It's all right," she assured the woman gently. Still, her eyes flicked over the newcomer, assessing her. Stranger, hadn't been in the oasis (that she'd seen anyway), but otherwise, didn't seem to be a threat.

"Are you new here? I mean, new-new, or ... you woke up with the rest of us?" she asked curiously.

[rosy_intellect]

"New-new here," Heather responded, smiling. "Just arrived yesterday. I'm Heather," she told the woman, holding her hand out for the woman to shake.

[ashes_like_sand]

"Sarah," Charlie replied, reaching out to take and shake the woman's hand lightly. "Nice to meet you," she continued. It was polite, after all, even if the situation was so bizarre.

She was actually kind of getting used to it though, and she enjoyed the sense of safety and relief that came from knowing (well, assuming) that the Shop couldn't find her here.

[rosy_intellect]

"Nice to meet you, too," Heather replied. "I was just exploring a little," She explained. "Thought I'd get to know the area a little more. How about you?"

[ashes_like_sand]

"The same," she said. "I mean, there aren't a lot of places I really want to go..." And fewer she wanted to go by herself, "but I thought the orchard would be nice. It's quiet and I like the smells," she admitted quietly. "I mean, it's a really pretty place ... better than the first one I got tossed into."

Though she would have vastly preferred the waking up method that seemed to have gotten most of the others, as opposed to the portal-fall method.

[rosy_intellect]

"The first place?" Heather asked. "Where was that? I woke up in my cottage. I thought it was pretty nice, though a little disconcerting at first," She told Sarah, shrugging her shoulders.

[ashes_like_sand]

Charlie shook her head. "No. I ... some of us woke up first in this ... desert oasis. Right out on the sand. Surprised I didn't burn to a crisp," she added with a little laugh. "And I met some people there, that showed up here as well. Most of them," she added with a tiny tinge of bitterness, "just woke up here. Captain Hammer and myself ... we got sucked in and dumped onto the beach," she said, gesturing vaguely toward the sound of the water.

[rosy_intellect]

"Sucked in?" Heather asked. She felt silly for continuing to ask questions, but Sarah was giving her answers that led to more questions. "Pepper had talked about the Oasis a little," she said, nodding a little, at least understanding that part of Sarah's response. "Though, the way you describe it, makes me glad I didn't end up there first before coming here," She finished.

[ashes_like_sand]

Pepper was a familiar name, and Charlie smiled a little. "We - Hammer and I - were walking around the little town in the oasis, and ... this ... I don't know. Doorway. Portal, I guess, just cropped up in the bakery. And it ... vacuumed us right in," she said, making a swinging gesture with her arm. "Surprised we didn't break anything on the fall."

She opted not to mention the burning of her shirt.

[rosy_intellect]

"Guess I didn't have it too bad, then, just waking up," Heather commented, smiling. "Glad you didn't break anything in the fall, either!"

[ashes_like_sand]

"I suppose. I mean, if we have to be here ... better to have come gently," she nodded her head slightly before she moved to lean against a large rock. "I just ... wish I had some idea why I was here. You know?"

Green eyes swept over to the other woman before Charlie shrugged again.

[rosy_intellect]

"Nope, not a clue," Heather responded. "I'm still trying to understand this place, much less understand why I'm here in it."

[ashes_like_sand]

Charlie nodded in agreement before she smiled and shrugged again. "I don't think I'll ever understand it. I mean, how can a place just ... ... pull you in like this?"

She knew the other woman had no more answers than she did ... but it kind of felt nice to vent a little about it.

[rosy_intellect]

"I wish I had more answers...but maybe they'll come in time," Heather shrugged, trying to sound hopeful. It wasn't like there was much else to do. "I was gonna look in some of the shops here. Wanna come with me?"

[ashes_like_sand]

Charlie thought about it, then shook her head a little. "I ... browsed around some, this morning. I'm kind of all ... shopped out." A little smile tugged at her lips. "I bought some decorations for my room, actually ... it looks nice now."