Arrival

[killyourownkind]

WHO: Claudia, Susan
WHERE: On the barge -- we'll say the stairwell just off the 3rd floor.
WHEN: During port.
WARNINGS: Possible death or near death. Also creepy pokey-toothed child thing.

Comments

[sensiblesusan]

Susan was far enough down the hallway from the third floor stairwell that, had she been anyone else, she might not have heard Claudia. But one of the ways in which being a governess is like being a parent is that one gains a nearly supernatural acuity for the sound of a crying child.*

She followed the sound to its source: a pretty blonde child, clearly alone and distraught-wait, a child? On an extradimensional prison ship?

In hindsight, Susan would later realise that the incongruity of the situation should have been a warning, but for now, her caretaking instincts took over. She half-knelt in front of the little girl. "Hello there," she said, her tone both gentle and polite. "What's your name?"

*And if one already has certain supernatural gifts, so much the better. Or perhaps worse.

[killyourownkind]

And soon, she was no longer alone. Claudia lifted her head slowly, not like someone who had been caught off guard; she simply took her time acknowledging. She stared, her eyes brilliant but sad, and curious at the unusual appearance and attire of the woman who approached her. The woman was not a vampire, but not quite human, either. She did not smell like one, at any rate, but there was a familiar warmth that radiated from her -- perhaps because she was immediately kind, or perhaps it was Claudia's hunger that told it. As it was, the gentle hidden thump of a heartbeat was near, inaudible to human ears, but it touched her peripheral senses as though each pump could make ripples in the very air.

Her instincts pulled her in two different directions -- both insisting she draw this person nearer. One did so with a desire to feed, while the other, equally strong, more practically saw an ally in a strange place as protection she currently lacked.

"Where is Madeleine?" she asked. "Where is Louis?"

[sensiblesusan]

"They're probably not here, I'm afraid," Susan replied. "Are they your parents? What's your name?"

[killyourownkind]

Claudia nodded, but dodged the question to do with her name. "My guardians. Please find them, Madame," she begged. "I don't want to be all alone."

[sensiblesusan]

Oh dear. Well, it looked like Susan was to be the bearer of bad news. Again. "I'm sorry, but they're probably not here. Unless perhaps they only just arrived as well..." Could it be that either this Louis or Madeline was a new inmate, and had somehow arrived with a child in tow? It seemed logical enough, if somewhat improbable, but Susan hadn't really been on the Barge long enough to know what could and could not be definitively ruled out.

"But until we find out whether they're here or not, you shouldn't be all alone," she said briskly. "You can come with me, and I'll see if I can get you sorted, all right? My name's Susan. What's yours?"

[killyourownkind]

"Susan," she echoed, sounding assured, and still indecisive as to whether she should like to keep this very helpful person, Claudia threw her arms about her, shivering. She knew the air around her to be bitterly cold to begin with, so perhaps the stony feel of her skin might arouse further pity. "My name is Claudia," she half-whimpered. There were certain strings she was attempting to pull, as something about the woman, though comforting, was very foreign to her senses, and for once she felt mildly uncertain as to which pleas would draw her. "Please help me, Susan. It's so very cold, and there are monsters."

[sensiblesusan]

Claudia had, whether she knew it or not, appealed as directly as possible to Susan's governess nature, particularly with the word monsters. "That there are," Susan said with grim humour. She picked the little girl up. "You're freezing. If we find your guardians, I shall have to have words with them. I'll take you to my cabin for now, all right? And I'll see if I can track down Madeline or Louis."

[killyourownkind]

"Yes, Susan." Claudia was easily lifted, and she slipped her arms around Susan easily, shifting against the crook of her shoulder. The trouble with even pretending to be distraught was that talking of Louis and Madeleine gave her good reason to feel that way. All this was doing was reminding her of her proximity to the woman's neck, now.

[sensiblesusan]

Susan's room was the second floor, so she headed up the stairwell, moving briskly intending to get the girl somewhere warm, quickly. She didn't seem to be getting any warmer, and Susan worried a little that she might be a touch hypothermic. "So where's home, Claudia?" she asked, making conversation as they headed down the hall.

[killyourownkind]

Claudia turned in her arms to point toward the door from which she'd come. She lay her head on her shoulder, watching to see what she would do. No matter how this ended, being in her room might prove to be an advantage if there were others about. "It looks like home."

[sensiblesusan]

Susan paused. "Would you prefer to wait there, then? The Barge does tend to suit the rooms to what one's used to." Perhaps the girl might be more comfortable in familiar surroundings.

[killyourownkind]

"You're not going to leave me alone." Claudia tensed a little.

[sensiblesusan]

"Of course not," Susan replied. "We'll get you settled in your room, all right? And I'll put out a call to see if anyone on the Barge at the moment has seen your guardians." She started down the hall. "There's not many people on board at the moment," she went on. "So if there's anyone new around, we'll get it figured out quickly."

[killyourownkind]

Claudia settled, listening to the steady rhythm of her speech in time with the heartbeat she could feel, now that she was close enough. It pulsed her nerves, made her mouth water a little. She swallowed. "Yes, Susan."

[sensiblesusan]

"Good girl. Here we are, then." Susan tried the door handle, and finding it unlocked, opened the door to Claudia's room.

[killyourownkind]

It was equally frigid in her room. A fireplace was there, but it was unlit. Claudia paid little mind. She was always cold before feeding, and so cold she remained. "And you will not go away?"