This, one knows, is not one's home. (OTA)

[foulnfair]

When night had come and quiet seemed to descend of a different kind than Macbeth had known, he crawled to the bed and slept as if dying. Or perhaps he was already dead, then awoke still in this strange place. Hauvratat. The water in the washroom was clean, and clear; he drank eagerly then washed himself, clothes cast aside and rank. New clothing

Comments

[cultless]

Martha was heading to work at the Black Sheep just then. She was about to enter the pub when she saw a man nearby, looking more than a little lost.

"Hey," she said, going towards him. Work could wait for the time being. "You look confused." She tried to smile, to seem friendly. "I mean...yeah. Can I help you with anything?"

[foulnfair]

Looking at her, wary, Macbeth at first did not speak. Women's assistance had only brought him suffering, blood. Macbeth doth kill sleep.

He shook his head, still otherwise.

[cultless]

Martha knew what it was like to not talk much. Still, he seemed strange, even tense. It worried her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

[foulnfair]

Okay.

His smile when it came was entirely without mirth, his eyes not leaving her.

In a blur, he rushed forward, stopping just short of where she stood, breath on her face as he asked, "What is it you are?"

[cultless]

"--Um, I'm a...person?" She was startled by his closeness. "A young woman?" She spoke in questions, nervous and confused.

[foulnfair]

"A witch?" He spat the word. "A devil?" His wife?!

Pain lanced through him; he hissed in a breath.

[cultless]

"No! I don't know!" She was getting really nervous now. "There's nothing wrong with me!"

[foulnfair]

Wasn't there?! Macbeth laughed again, the sound dark. "You are woman." That was all he needed to know.

He reached down, hand covering her belly. Did she carry child? Was she going to give birth?

[cultless]

All right, the touching was weird. She stepped back, clearly disturbed.

"Um, yes? I'm a woman?"

[foulnfair]

He looked around, then back at her, eyes narrowed. "And how find you here?"

[cultless]

"I--I mean, I'm okay? And I don't know how I got here?"

This was definitely very strange.

"I ended up here in the village one day, and it was weird. That's all."

[foulnfair]

"Fair is foul, foul fair," he muttered, stepping back, turning a circle to look around, then facing her again. "And before this?"

[cultless]

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, suddenly annoyed. "You're talking in riddles or something. And if you need to know, I was in Connecticut before...before this."

[foulnfair]

Bah. Riddles were for witches, for prophecies. "And here ... here you bewitch? Beguile, destroy."

[cultless]

"No! I just, I just--I'm only a girl! I didn't do anything wrong!"

She was starting to get scared.

[foulnfair]

"Have you not blood on your hands?!" Macbeth started to shout having to take a step back to pull in a breath, to draw back. "Have you not taken life?!" The words came out a sharp hiss.